Reviewer / Alpha Chat?

[TomKy]

I Suggest adding an alpha/reviewer chat (like left of general chat) would make it a bit easier to reach out to the reviewers to host an alpha game. You would also encourage other reviewers to join the game and add it to their review list and eliminate downtime for alpha games being stalled from lack of playtesting, expecially those with much less play activity.


Posting a message that helps filling an alpha game which you want to test and play, as number of random players available for each game is only 10% or less than availability for public beta/finished games. This allows a greater random mix of players.

Its not difficult to get a popular alpha game started, however for many alpha games its harder to get a game going if very few wants to play it or has it listed. Often you must get friends and organize if a alpha game is almost silent from playing activity. For most testers that can be a bit struggle to post it in the reviewer forum and wait... and wait (Forum posts is slow communication). And many don't want to use that much energy on organizing less active alpha games in many cases.


That's why I think it can be a good idea with a alpha / reviewer chat box for faster organizing more alpha testing games you are reviewing.

[Nunnybunny22]

I totally agree! The BGA site doesn't want us to be advertising these alpha games while they are working out the kinks, however when you are looking for an opponent for a game of Copenhagen or many others there simply isn't an efficient way to communicate with potential players.

I find this to be true in almost every alpha situation and most of the time can only play when Italy wakes up or is super active on BGA (lol(I am in Canada so its like 430 am ish that Italy is super active on the site); or when I have made arrangements with another reviewer to play the game...........Coroletto was really hard to get that third player in it. There are so many good games in alpha and I want to play more of them I just can rarely find an opponent!

A alpha only Chat would allow us to post open tables without advertising to the rest of the site that it is maybe going to be online soon.

Thanks

Nunny

[robinzig]

You can just invite your friends to a game of whatever you want to play - even if it's Alpha. If you're a reviewer then you can do this, you don't need the others to be reviewers too.