New game page

[Pahn]

Bugs aside, this is a mess.

I'm doing regular games, and I can't see the skill levels of the opponents before the game starts.

The interface seems overly large, and why do I have to click a second time to show available games?

[alephander]

i do not like the new game page. it is much more confusing and noisy, not too mention _ENORMOUS_ in the layout.

The key thing which is missing is the table chat. The old table invite gives access to a chat attached to the table, so you can discuss things before the game begins. I often use this with my friends. The new page doesn't appear to have a "Discuss" button for table chat.

also missing: I usually play with friends, with unlimited time for moves. When i restrict a new table to friends on the new page, there is no way to switch the speed to unlimited time.

Edit: To be clearer about the Discuss access to table chat: this button appears on the table page, which is what you usually get directed to after creating a table. With the new game page, creating a table no longer directs you anywhere, and there is no link to the table where you would find the Discuss button.
Also, I have since found and read the reasoning behind the unlimited time change. Not sure I follow the reasoning there, but so be it.

[cigma]

also missing: I usually play with friends, with unlimited time for moves. When i restrict a new table to friends on the new page, there is no way to switch the speed to unlimited time.

This option was completely removed today (even in the old lobby):
https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewto ... 6&start=20

[WhiteWitch79]

I can't find out how to start a second game before all have accepted the first. Does anyone have a clue how do to it?

[Sigzy]

Game starts and nothing happens? Need to go to my active games list to actually join it. And I can't find a way to invite friends at all. And there's no clear way to share the game table either. These are pretty crucial features!

[Elfishski]

Don't like the new layout - looks optimized for a very high resolution vertical phone screen and would probably be a huge improvement there. On a PC it's just massive and requires scrolling with way too much space taken up with graphic elements that obscure the actual selections [and it removes the only option I *ever* use intentionally which is unlimited duration games with friends]. Really hard to see what you're selecting or be sure you're inviting friends. For my use case this is an enormous step back from the old lobby and I'd avoid playing games as a result (for a different kind of user I can see it working).

[shinuito]

Does anyone know how the flexible settings option for games works in practice.

From watching the play page my guess was that it opens tables with different choices of the settings that are chosen to be flexible, but from what I’ve seen if there’s a number of options, it still might only toggle between two.

In a particular game for instance there’s different board sizes 3-8 say, but it will only make tables for 3 and 7.

Presumably it would match you with other people though supposing they had a preference and table made?

[TrinaCat]

Sometimes when creating a new game the New game page shows up and the Restrict to Groups option is disabled with a message claiming it will be implemeted in the future. If its a game that I recently created a table in, then the last setting is already there - and I can change which group its restricted to. Sometimes I get to use the old interface for creating tables, which is still functional for restricting to groups thankfully.

I've been inviting a lot of new players to BGA and none of them are able to create games (yes premium members too) because they keep getting stuck in the new game page for table creation, which doesn't allow restriction to friends or restrictions to our BGA group. Inviting individual friends doesn't work in this situation because its an open invite in a group of 50 people.

Will either new game page game creation get fixed soon, or will there be a way to ensure that access to the old but still fully functional game creation page is available?

Weird.. you can still use the normal method on gamepage lobby?

Yes, I can still use the old fully functional game creation as long as I start in the Play Now menu. For a game I haven't played before or have removed from my favorites, that means finding the game, adding to it to favorites so it will show on Play Now then going through there, which is clunky but manageable now that I know the workaround.

Briefly the new game page had working option to restrict access by group or friends. Then it entirely disappeared, can't restrict access to friends or even by reputation. Rematches are still automatically going to the new page, so its not visible what the game settings for the rematch are, who its restricted to, unless one leaves that page, goes to View All Tables list, find the newly created again in that list and click on it from there - which uses the old page and shows whether or not the newly created table is restricted to a group or friends or open to everyone.

Also add in that its super confusing when joining a game (invites automatically open the new game page, doesn't seem to be a way to turn that off) that The biggest most visible button is to create yet another new game when the game just joined starts - it doesn't show up anywhere, I stay in the new game creation page, and again, have to to main menu or table list to see if the game joined actually started or not.

I understand that people have differnet preferences for simpler or graphicly busy game pages, but having the default set to a new page that is not fully functional is very frustrating. Just like the Alpha games are harder to find and start than thouroughly tested games, while still be available - why is it that the new default is the Alpha version of the game page while its still quite buggy?

[zizzeus]

I also do not like the new UI (compared to the old one), but would probably get used to it once the bugs are sorted out (rematches).

However, many of my games are between RL friends, with ranking, and no time limit as we always finish them. At least they were, until that option was removed. I think it's a common enough use case that you should re-enable it. Someone mentioned being stuck in a game that wouldn't end, but as I recall, after about a month those games would just delete on their own, so this isn't really a problem. Plus, there was a very clear warning not to use this option with people you don't know IRL.

I like to be able to go away for the weekend, not use a vacation timer, and not worry about karma or someone inadvertently ending a game by clicking that option.

Please allow no time limit ranked games again. Training is not a suitable replacement as players often want to build up enough ELO to play in Arena, which cannot be done in Training Mode.

[RicardoRix]

I was just invited to game rematch game that I originally setup to the group 'My friends'.

Clicking the link and going to the new page there is nothing to see that shows it's setup for 'My friends'.