Board Game Arena

Would be cool to see this and a more advanced implementation/UI. I love BGA.com, but as a web-client it's a little on the dated side.

The second this site requires a launcher I'm gone.

Agreed, the web version should always be here. But I feel it's past time to either

1) improve the web version interface/overall look
2) offer an optional standalone client or Steam version

pardo2k wrote: ↑10 March 2024, 09:37 2) offer an optional standalone client or Steam version

If you use Chrome, you should have a "Install BGA" button on the right of the adress bar. This will install the website as a standalone app, like you can do on mobile.

Thanks. The Chrome 'install BGA' version of the website looks almost identical to just full-screening the website. It doesn't really add much to the experience as far as an improved UI/controls etc.

I'm not sure what the benefit of putting it on steam would be. What additional UI would be that beneficial?

Yes installing is just to have the website as a standalone window and a shortcut. If there was a Steam app, it would do the same. Te BGA team is making the UI evolve slowly, but you can't change it just like that.

Making a standalone app/game for BGA will do nothing to change the game interface.

Yes, standalone games have sharper interfaces, but each BGA game is designed in javascript for the interface. Improving/changing that would require a total redesign of each game and, if you want the web version to still function, two sets of interfaces to debug and maintain. It's a developer nightmare.

You raise good points.

Maybe the best path forward is to improve the existing website interface--significantly, though, not just incremental tiny steps.

What would you like it to look like exactly? What would you change? And do you think BGA will actually release something that's an improvement and not worse?

Have you seen the garbage they just released for improvements? The new "in progress" page is a car crash. Be careful what you wish for.

I use a custom CSS to get a dark mode and much nicer visual experience. The old pages run faster, with less bloat than anything they have released as new in the last 3 years, though even those are looking nicer with my css. All the white and wood effect is long gone for me, the only place i see it is on the forums and when I unload CSS to report a bug