New lobby (integrated to game page)

[Wreckage]

I was running an event with players at 6 different tables. I want to be able to click on one of the tables and give some last minute instructions to the players at that particular table. "use these settings" "turn your scores in when you're done" "yada yada"...

This is impossible because if you don't join a table there is no way to communicate. I have to think there are many situations where players would want to talk to the table during table creation, before they join. About settings, about house rules, about other friends that also want to join...the list of reasons goes on and on.

Once a table is full, it doesn't show up in the old lobby. Going to a table from a friend's list takes you to the new lobby. So there is no way to talk to the table.

Perhaps there's a chat button there I don't know about? I'll admit I am not used to the page, because like everyone else, I try to avoid this page as much as possible.

[menettm]

I don't know if it is linked to the new lobby but in the Tournaments section at the bottom of the game pages, we can't go to a tournament detail or to the list of all the tournaments.
If there are links, none works.
Note that I use Firefox. (Same with Edge under Windows)
Best regards. Menet.

[KenFin1]

I have a number of complaints, but here's one I think that hasn't been discussed. I play 6 Nimmt with certain settings. I want 5 players/tactics/pro with only strong and above players.

On the old lobby I can see all the tables. I can see a table has average players, strong players, expert players. I can see all the game settings. At a glance I can see a dozen tables and know if there are any that match my preferences. This requires no clicking on anything.

On the new lobby, I click to open the table list. I can only see the number of players and the game speed, nothing else. It shows names of players, but I have no idea if they are beginners or experts. I must click on each table to see any variant or settings info. Then I must click on each individual player to see if they are a beginner or a master.

If there are 10 tables, It gives me a check mark on each table to indicate every table matches my preference. None of them actually match my preferences, but there is a check mark next to all of them saying they do match.

All this info that can't be seen in the new lobby without many, many clicks, is clear and easy, takes a second to see it all in the old lobby.

I completely agree. This is how I use the old lobby too, and why I still use it and avoid the new lobby like the plague.

The new lobby is a car crash of clutter that while maybe more pretty is useless in its impracticality.

If the issue was new users then a better intro guide and mandatory how-to walkthrough for new users is all that was needed. I figured the old lobby out real quick though and I'm amazed if most other people can't too. (plus you have to question whether people who can't figure it out have the reasoning skills needed to play a lot of the games on here.)

The new lobby doesn't show enough information on players or settings. You can't chat with the table. It seems to take longer to launch games Vs the old lobby. Yeah I'm really not a fan.

[TrinaCat]

The new lobby does not have an Open to New Players option. When creating turn based games, new tables time out (auto abandoned) very quickly unless Open to New Players is selected, and so a lot of games that people want to play are getting auto abandoned while waiting for players to accept their invites, and there often isn't even any kind of message that the game ended without starting, it just disappears.

So please either remove the need to "Open to New Players" when creating a turn based game that may take a full day for all the players to join (the reason for turn based is sometimes because of multiple time zones, so the time is needed), or add the ability to Open to New Players to the new interface, the way it still exists in the old interface.

Why are players forced to use a new interface that doesn't have all the necessary options?

[Wreckage]

With the recent changes in leadership of BGA, is there any chance the new lobby will hopefully be deleted? I'm not sure if anyone from admin is answering on the forums anymore.

I enjoy the site, and spend a lot of time here. To get a game of 6 Nimmt with only strong and above players playing pro version, often takes about 15 minutes. With the new lobby only, that entire 15 minutes I would also have to click on every table to see the settings, and every player at each table to see their ratings....for the entire 15 minutes...yuck!

So if we ever lose the old lobby, that's probably the end for me playing this game that I enjoy.

I dread the day when the old lobby goes away, and we are stuck with this new confusing page only.

[Blacktango]

I don't think there's any reason to lose either the old, or the new lobby.
Just use the old one if you prefer it, and leave the new one for new players coming to BGA.

[Wreckage]

I don't think there's any reason to lose either the old, or the new lobby.
Just use the old one if you prefer it, and leave the new one for new players coming to BGA.

I don't think the new lobby could be easier for new players. It's much more confusing.

[Lucy Grey]

New lobby is not intuitive. For your long time customers (often paying customers) it requires a huge learning curve in order to create and use tables in a familiar fashion.

My experience may be different because I am on an iPad. Things to note: there is no hover option on an iPad, screen is smaller and oriented differently than the computer.

Problems I’ve run into:
1. My table set up is on the left, but there are my names again on the right (if I want another table??) but the start is on the right, even though my set up was on the left
2. I cannot figure out how to start a turnbased game when I’ve invited a friend who is offline so that strangers can also join the game
3. If I accidentally close the “discuss” window, I cannot find it again.
4. I OFTEN get invited to a table and then accidentally start my own table trying to join (because again there’s a left side and a right side with the names of the people at the table).
5. I cannot click the names of the players joining my table. This is important for many reasons, but also BgA has people who do harass other and continually make new accounts to continue that harassment. However, In most games, it’s nice to know that the players are the same level as you (if you care).
6. I cannot figure out how to write out a table description to prevent confusion in TB or RT games

There are many more “problems” and one would think that an experienced player would be able to figure it out soon enough. But I often get so frustrated trying to create my tables I leave the “new lobby” to return to the old one so that I can easily set up a table.

What’s frustrating is that admin makes comments like “people always complain” and this is true. However, when the same complaints arise again and again.. and people have had an adaptive time period, it seems irresponsible to ignore the issue.

[GTSchemer]

New lobby is not intuitive. For your long time customers (often paying customers) it requires a huge learning curve in order to create and use tables in a familiar fashion.

My experience may be different because I am on an iPad. Things to note: there is no hover option on an iPad, screen is smaller and oriented differently than the computer.

Problems I’ve run into:
1. My table set up is on the left, but there are my names again on the right (if I want another table??) but the start is on the right, even though my set up was on the left
2. I cannot figure out how to start a turnbased game when I’ve invited a friend who is offline so that strangers can also join the game
3. If I accidentally close the “discuss” window, I cannot find it again.
4. I OFTEN get invited to a table and then accidentally start my own table trying to join (because again there’s a left side and a right side with the names of the people at the table).
5. I cannot click the names of the players joining my table. This is important for many reasons, but also BgA has people who do harass other and continually make new accounts to continue that harassment. However, In most games, it’s nice to know that the players are the same level as you (if you care).
6. I cannot figure out how to write out a table description to prevent confusion in TB or RT games

There are many more “problems” and one would think that an experienced player would be able to figure it out soon enough. But I often get so frustrated trying to create my tables I leave the “new lobby” to return to the old one so that I can easily set up a table.

What’s frustrating is that admin makes comments like “people always complain” and this is true. However, when the same complaints arise again and again.. and people have had an adaptive time period, it seems irresponsible to ignore the issue.

These are all very good points, and I strongly agree. I try to always use the old lobby for reasons like this, and it seems much harder to find realtime opponents ever since the new lobby, I suspect in part because of confusion about how it works.

[menettm]

Hi,

I have not find on the first entry of this subject from sourisdudesert and in the followings replies how to load the old lobby !
Can we have an URL type to go on the old lobby ?

It then can be also show on the first entry like others remarks already documented to show how to have the new lobby :
From the main menu: "Games" => Select the game you want to play => "Play" button.
From the search bar: Search for the game you want to play => “Play” button.

The old lobby is still more efficient if you want to:
- search for several different games at the same time
- start several turn based tables of the same game
- play in Arena mode with restrictions on opponents’ levels
For these specific cases, we recommend that you continue to use the current lobby.

But how can we go to old lobby ?

Best regards. Menettm