tom wrote:

• Scenario fixes that Yertle came up with (http://www.wargear.net/forum/showthread/1093/Scenario_Enhancements)
• Elimination tournaments
• Fixing the Swiss System tournament unfairness issue
• Public Tournament invitation system
• Fix the Friend browser and Create Game invite players page
• New Board list view - sorting, prioritising, favorites, by rating etc etc
• Newsletters

 Weathertop wrote:

in order of preference:

- Fix the Friend browser and Create Game invite players page
- Public Tournament invitation system
- Game History fixes
- Scenario fixes that Yertle came up with
    (http://www.wargear.net/forum/showthread/1093/Scenario_Enhancements)
- Elimination tournaments
- Rematches
- New Board list view - sorting, prioritising, favorites, by rating etc etc
- Fixing the Swiss System tournament unfairness issue
- Newsletters

RiskyBack wrote:

I guess that fixes to things that are already here should come first so anything that has "Fix" in the description should be first.
I am bias because I really want to have Team Scenarios but that isn't nearly as important as fixes and also Tournament Invitation System since those are the things that will keep the site growing and playing so people will be hear to play:

Gear Wars: Episode III
Battle for the Ice Planet

Take from Tournament Refinements.

My vote: (I could give a list, but I'd rather a general priority so here it goes).

First, agree with Risky, fix anything that needs to be fixed. Bugs are always good to take care of prior to implementing new bugs.
Second, work on any of the features that seem like they will keep new people who join from leaving the site.
Third, keep those of us that are always on happy by implementing the new things we want.

My Order:

• Fix the Friend browser and Create Game invite players page (Hopefully that's quick/easy, IMO it's not really that horrible, but would be nice to have fixed)
• Public Tournament invitation system (If Newsletter quickly fits in here then that would be cool too)
• Game History fixes
• Scenario fixes (http://www.wargear.net/forum/showthread/1093/Scenario_Enhancements) - I would like to clarify that I think of the ideas as more of completing the Scenario functionality rather than actual "fixes".  But I would also throw Team Scenarios into this bucket as well, do them all at the same time.
• Fixing the Swiss System tournament unfairness issue
• Elimination tournaments
• Newsletters
• New Board list view - sorting, prioritising, favorites, by rating etc etc
• Rematches
• Enhanced Rankings (Goals)
  
• Fix Chat System
• Custom Win Conditions
• Board Payment System
  

I'm a big fan of getting bugs out of the way and making sure content is complete, which currently feels like there's a few areas that are just still in that incomplete status.  I think that was a HUGE problem with WarFish and one that I hope to see avoided here, which overall I think so far it has.

tom for a solo guy running the site you do a super awesome job!

I vote Alpha should be a forum monitor, lord only knows how many time threads have been derailed and let to wander through the wilderness...

Alpha wrote "Bugs are always good to take care of prior to implementing new bugs."
+1

i personally would like some things like: team scenarios, new board list, etc. but i think that the focus should be in raising the active players to joined players ratio. as it stands wargear is running about 10% of people that join WG : stay and play at WG. (there is 6000+ members and only 600+ player with over 10 games played)

Yertel wrote "tom for a solo guy running the site you do a super awesome job!"
+2...
-1 for being a suck up and always beating me :p

KrocK wrote: I vote Alpha should be a forum monitor, lord only knows how many time threads have been derailed and let to wander through the wilderness...

Unfortunately, I find that I am the one that often derails a thread.

I have two thoughts for things that can be added to the to do list:
1)  publicly open non-ranked games.
2)  board star system to show which games have been played the most.  Something like:
  10 games complete - bronze star
  50 games complete - silver star
  100 games complete - gold star
  500 games complete - gold emblem
  1000 games complete - platinum emblem
or something similar.
My idea is that these icons would appear in front of the board name on the boards page and in the drop down menu and any place the board name is displayed.  I think this type of thing would be helpful to new players and would therefore rank it higher on the priority list.

Something similar could be done for players as well, but I am not sure games played should be the only thing that is counted.  (Will discuss this elsewhere.)

I some other thoughts, but I would guess that they are more controversial and would have to be discussed so I will save them for a later date.

Lastly, since I am not going to actually give a priority list, I will say one more thing on the new player retention thing (new thread: http://www.wargear.net/forum/showthread/1141p1). 

I would like to add in Fog/Image Bugs to the list, and up near the top IMO.

I'd say a bugs/enhancements/new features order makes sense. For example, I'd like to see the Swiss System fixed before the Elimination Tournaments are implemented.

Past that, I'm largely agnostic as to when things get done. I think the medals/achievements system would be nice, though we should make sure it doesn't just turn into a giant whale-fest (i.e. catering only to our "superusers").

Bugs (esp. fixing the history player, and SimulTomeous GearPlay). Then,

Get new/keep kinda new players. This includes:

Incentives to keep them coming back (medals, achievements, golden gears, some freemium etc.)

-We also need to do a better job as a community of spreading the word. Most of those wells may have dried up by now, but there are always fresh prospects out in RL who show an interest. Capitalize.

-Graduated acclimation to the site (only allow classic RISK in the beginning, finish at least one game of classic before being shown other maps).

-Board sorting system. We have approximately as many boards as committed users at the moment. Make the boards easier to navigate (including difficulty ratings in with regular ratings).

-Ask other players outside the inner sanctum what they like and don't like about the site. If we're trying to keep these players, we should encourage them to speak, and listen to what they say.

-Allow for public unranked games. People should be able to practice before it counts, or just play a friendly.

For Me...
Rematch feature, where one can define who sits where in the rematch.

I also liked how WF felt like a giant sandbox... anyone could do any mod to any map at any time. More freedom please. Some mods were played heavily. Don't like a map? Make your own improvements and start a friendly!

Mod-a-Map makes sense if it's paid for.  I know we've talked about a pay for board system on other threads, and I don't want to hi-jack the discussion, but it is related. How 'bout something like this?

Players can join an unlimited # of games, and start up to 2 or 3 games on any board, no membership required, but to make any mods (for private games) or start any games beyond that including tournaments they must be members and pay for the board.

Also, and not to be contrarian, but for some reason high on my list is a newsletter, which would go a long way towards sparking greater internal interest in the site and would hopefully translate to more out-reach by membership.  Also, creating a prominent link to the newsletter on the home page would speak to the level of community-building that we have achieved, which might make all the difference to potential members who are checking out the site.

Mongrel wrote:
-Ask other players outside the inner sanctum what they like and don't like about the site. If we're trying to keep these players, we should encourage them to speak, and listen to what they say

This made me think, maybe we should send out a "after one month" survey (using googleDocs or some other free survey service).  Ask the players what they like/dislike, if they plan on playing, how they found wg, ... whatever else.  This can be automated and someone (any volunteers? I am willing to look through the data) can read through these and see what we find out.

This can also (good or bad) serve as a you been using wargear for a month type of letter.  Thanks for you support, your opinion really matters to us, blah, blah, blah build a little more community type of thing.

• Bug fixes
• Team Scenarios
• Luck Meter
• Public Tournament invitation system 
• Elimination tournaments
• Newsletters
• New Board list view - sorting, prioritising, favorites, by rating etc etc
• Enhanced Rankings (Goals)
• Rematches
  

M57 wrote:

Mod-a-Map makes sense if it's paid for.  I know we've talked about a pay for board system on other threads, and I don't want to hi-jack the discussion, but it is related. How 'bout something like this?

Players can join an unlimited # of games, and start up to 2 or 3 games on any board, no membership required, but to make any mods (for private games) or start any games beyond that including tournaments they must be members and pay for the board.

Also, and not to be contrarian, but for some reason high on my list is a newsletter, which would go a long way towards sparking greater internal interest in the site and would hopefully translate to more out-reach by membership.  Also, creating a prominent link to the newsletter on the home page would speak to the level of community-building that we have achieved, which might make all the difference to potential members who are checking out the site.

Seems alright.