Sure - done.

tom wrote: Sure - done.

Might update the preference wording to include Ingame messages too (not just forum threads).

This is sort of halfway between a feature request and a bug report. I just finished starting three private dev games and inviting 30+ people to each game. I note the following:

The Friend Browser popup window: some names are not clickable. I've been unable to determine any pattern in this whatsoever. A name that is not clickable one time will be clickable again by simply closing and reopening the window.

Clicking a name in the Friend Browser popup window will scroll that window to the top, which is super annoying...

When adding additional players you only get 3 boxes, which means I needed to go through that page 10 times. The invite message is not saved, which would be useful. The names ARE saved, which is the opposite of useful, because you have to select them and delete them before you can click to add more.

None of these issues are mission critical, of course.

IRoll11s wrote: This is sort of halfway between a feature request and a bug report. I just finished starting three private dev games and inviting 30+ people to each game. I note the following:

The Friend Browser popup window: some names are not clickable. I've been unable to determine any pattern in this whatsoever. A name that is not clickable one time will be clickable again by simply closing and reopening the window.

Clicking a name in the Friend Browser popup window will scroll that window to the top, which is super annoying...

When adding additional players you only get 3 boxes, which means I needed to go through that page 10 times. The invite message is not saved, which would be useful. The names ARE saved, which is the opposite of useful, because you have to select them and delete them before you can click to add more.

None of these issues are mission critical, of course.

+1 on all of these.

I've noticed the not-clickable thing too, but found no sure way of reproducing and haven't noticed a pattern either.

Same with the 3 boxes/saved names, I kind of understand why it works that way (except for the saved names part), although seems like at this point you should be able to just keep adding boxes.

Yes I agree that piece needs updating - ideally it will allow you to invite as many as you like right from the Create Game page.

I was noticing how many of the maps, including some of my own, have all but unintelligible thumbnail images on the Boards page, and I was thinking it would be nice if developers could optionally create custom thumbnails, if only for this page.  Just designate a standard size like 100 x 100. At worst, some might just shrink their maps to that size, maybe remove the title (it's already right there below the image), and clean up the rouge pixels, but this alone would be an improvement over what's up there right now.  I think many of us would probably be more creative, for instance taking a motif from the map and featuring it in the thumbnail.

This is a page visitors see when they first check out the site.  It's only a cosmetic feature request but I think it would class things up quite a bit.

Toaster has pushed pretty hard for that I believe. While it's not a bad idea, the thing that I think may be confusing is having some different thumbnail display then when you click on it and the Board Browser Flash thingy pops up and a different image is displayed, that could be a bit odd.
So I'm still in the "eh" boat.

Just an FYI:

I WOULD MAKE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT IMAGE FOR MY THUMBNAILS!

Somersaults, that's how I roll

RiskyBack wrote: Just an FYI:

I WOULD MAKE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT IMAGE FOR MY THUMBNAILS!

Somersaults, that's how I roll

Risky, in an inverted upside down and backwards way you help to make Toaster's and my point. (Yay, Toaster apparently agrees with me about something)

It is in the best interests of the board designer to create appealing, informativel board logos/thumbnails.  If I'm a first time visitor to the boards page and I look at the Mutiny on the Bounty thumbnail, I get ..well, nothing in the way of information.  My assassin thumbnail is another example.  It's ugly and worthless.  Now imagine a closeup of one of the Mutiny ships, or just the outline of a guy and his gun pulled from the Assassin board.  Anyone familiar with these boards would instantly recognize either image as representing the board.  Anyone not familiar with the board might be drawn by the logo or image.  It's a win/win for the designer and the site. If someone wants to make a misleading or confusing logo/thumbnail for their board there are two ways it could be dealt with.

1. Fine, let 'em do it.  If they want to shoot their own feet, it's their prerogative.  (..or it could just be part of the Risky-shtick, making you even more famous than you already are.)

2. The council approves the image when the board is in review.

Remember, this is being proposed as optional for the designer, who does all the work.  Moreover, if the idea doesn't work, it seems to me that it could be easily rescinded and backed out of the coding.

N.B. When one of my boards was under review (I think it was Fall of Rome), someone from the council suggested that my thumbnail didn't look good and that I should consider putting appropriate colors in the fill-map to make the thumbnail more presentable.  Hmmm..

I'm with Yertle. I could go either way... I can see why they might be useful but so far I haven't had an issue with them and it could definitely get confusing if the thumbnail wasn't done properly.

There will never be an "issue" with something that is cosmetic, but I submit that most of them are already "done" improperly.

The more I think of it, I fail to see how there can be confusion? The title of most of the boards is explicitly displayed directly below the thumbnail. If there's any confusion, it already exists. Every one of the thumbs on the boards page is a blurry microscopic ghost-image full of confusing digital artifacts. Cut and paste any one of them into your favorite Paint program and give it a little zoom and you instantly see that it wouldn't take much to improve it's quality dramatically.

As good as most of the pages look on this site, and especially given the amount of work put into, and resulting quality of many of these boards, I'm actually a bit surprised that there is this level of acceptance of the mediocre quality of these images. We certainly wouldn't accept this quality for our avatars, and they are only slightly larger.

I think you're overselling the point a bit. Those thumbnails really don't look all that bad.

That being said, I'm with Vataro (though I disagree with Yertle entirely). I really don't care one way or the other. I also almost never look at that page, fwiw.

asm wrote: I think you're overselling the point a bit. Those thumbnails really don't look all that bad.

That being said, I'm with Vataro (though I disagree with Yertle entirely). I really don't care one way or the other. I also almost never look at that page, fwiw.

With all due respect, you're not a designer (unless you care to come out of the closet), ..and then by your own admission you don't even use the page - so of course it doesn't bother you.

Yes, perhaps I should have been a used car salesman, but really -- have you looked at the Assassin thumb? To say it's a blurry ghost-image full of confusing pixels is much closer to accuracy than hyperbole.  I could easily make the coolest thumbnail for it ..and I'd want to if given the option.

Oh well, ..I give up.  I needed Toaster to do what's right, rally to my side and support the cause.

I think it's an excellent idea, and would actually push for all thumbnails to be redone as 100 x 100 with the map image as default, with non-sqiuare boards given the letter box treatment with either horizontal or vertical black areas on the top/sides.

It would satisfy my anal retentiveness with regards to the differently sized thumbnails in the 'new boards' area of the home page as well as in the various table listings.

Custom icons that use unique areas of the board or even icon type thumbnails would be an additional graphical feature/challenge for board developers. I can't see any downside to this, as I can't think of any circumstances where a designer would want to make something that looks like crap.

Wait. You're not a designer either. Now my straw man will be exposed for what it is. And besides, how can you join the battle after I just quit?

IRoll11s wrote:
It would satisfy my anal retentiveness with regards to the differently sized thumbnails in the 'new boards' area of the home page as well as in the various table listings.

See... now THIS is the kind of incredibly minor complaint that I can get behind!

Custom thumbnails now! We're not gonna take it anymore!

I'm all for this!!!
Gauntlet Thumbnail: Monkey wearing mittens
RiskyVerse Thumbnail: Monkey in a space suit
Duck Hunt Thumbnail: Monkey eating Turkey
Episode I Thumbnail: Monkey dressed up like Slave Leia
Smurfs Thumbnail: Blue Monkey
Wargear: The Gathering Thumbnail: Monkey throwing his own poop!

I love this idea.....Time for Google search!

RiskyBack wrote: I'm all for this!!!
Gauntlet Thumbnail: Monkey wearing mittens
RiskyVerse Thumbnail: Monkey in a space suit
Duck Hunt Thumbnail: Monkey eating Turkey
Episode I Thumbnail: Monkey dressed up like Slave Leia
Smurfs Thumbnail: Blue Monkey
Wargear: The Gathering Thumbnail: Monkey throwing his own poop!

I love this idea.....Time for Google search!

Uhmm.. Can I change my mind and join the other side?

Seriously.. I don't see a problem with creative logo/style thumbnails. Really, I think it might be fun ..and maybe even a little competitive.  If Risky wants to "brand" his boards, more power to him.  I think this could become part of the charm of the front end of the site.  That and eventually asm will actually feel compelled to visit the page every once in a while.

On the forum page it would be nice if, above the appropriate stats for that page, your personal stats came up..

129

M57

24

8

16

33%

09 Jun 2010

19

1.29

1254

2

Pages:   123456789   (27 in total)

Rank	Player Name	Country	Played	Won	Lost	Win%	Last Played	Eliminated	G Rating	Score	Points
1	asm		572	235	337	41%	10 Jun 2010	665	1.64	1711	111
2	poloquebec		261	99	162	38%	11 Jun 2010	371	2.08	2501	110
3	Yertle		427	221	206	52%	11 Jun 2010	436	1.58	1975	108
4	Norseman		298	144	154	48%	07 Jun 2010	436	2.08	2132	105

agreed M57, sometimes it's a pain to try to find yourself if you're not in the top few...