[Site] Basic-Advanced Start a Game Screen

[OliverFA]

Concise description:
Simplify the "Start a game" screen to show just a few predefined combinations. Those combinations are settings that work well together and are different enough from the other predefined combinations. The current "start a game" screen would still be available through the "Advanced" link.

Specifics/Details:
There are many complaints about having too many options that can overwhelm new players, with the potential for this situation to get worst if/when new settings are implemented. The fact is that not all options are the same. Some make for very different games and some others for small variations. The new basic screen would have just one drop down to choose, with a set of predefined settings. Some examples could be:

• Classic: Creates a game that is Standard, Flat Rate, Sunny and with unlimited reinforcements.
• Fog of war: Creates a game with the special gameplay fog of war and the settings that best suit with it.
• Escalating: Creates a game with escalating cards and the settings that best match with it.
• Trench: Creates a game with trench and the settings the best match with it.
• Free for all: A game with 12 players.
• Random: A game with all random settings.

The above settings are just an example, but I hope they are enough to exaplain what I mean.

Users would be able to configure the "advanced" screen to be the default screen for them, but new users would have the basic screen as the default one.

How this will benefit the site and/or other comments:
Would prevent players from being overwhelmed with so many options. Specially new players.
Would make possible to introduce new choices as long as the are different enough without complicating things.
Would unify games as most settings combinations would only be available through the advanced screen, speeding up joining process
It would really show that CC can be played in different ways, because a new player that only used the basic screen would get very different game experience from each of them, as opposed to getting almost the same game experience when you change a minor setting.

[koontz1973]

I like it. But I would do it slightly different. Under the start a game tab on the left, have a start an advanced game tab.

Normal games could include the easy maps (maps available to new comers)
2-6 players + bots
Singles/Doubles
Automatic
Sequential
Flat, Esc
Chained, unlimited
30 round limit automatically

The advanced game tab would include all of this but all of the other settings as well. New recruits would only get the basic settings for the first few games.

You could then do the same for the join a game tab to include basic and advanced options.

[Fazeem]

I like this as a idea new recruits should get to see that heir are more settings though even if they cannot play them, maybe have a game countdown till they can used advanced settings.

[Dukasaur]

Good idea.

[OliverFA]

I like it. But I would do it slightly different. Under the start a game tab on the left, have a start an advanced game tab.

Normal games could include the easy maps (maps available to new comers)
2-6 players + bots
Singles/Doubles
Automatic
Sequential
Flat, Esc
Chained, unlimited
30 round limit automatically

The advanced game tab would include all of this but all of the other settings as well. New recruits would only get the basic settings for the first few games.

You could then do the same for the join a game tab to include basic and advanced options.

But with this version you are letting FoW and trench out. The idea is not about letting any setting out, but about reducing them to a collection of well defined representative combinations of settings.

And thanks for the comments

[koontz1973]

Specifics/Details:
There are many complaints about having too many options that can overwhelm new players, with the potential for this situation to get worst if/when new settings are implemented.

I got mine from your initial idea. Whilst I do not agree with your basic idea, the premise is solid and I believe it needs to be worked on. You will never get anyone to agree on what settings are best for trench. How can you say some random settings are better than others. You give me flat on hive I will disagree.

[blakebowling]

What about something like this:

Click image to enlarge.

If you click on the text with the (+) the relevant section is expanded. This would come with the opposite (-) feature to collapse.

[OliverFA]

No, that's not what I wast thinking blakebowling. I will try to explain in a different way:

Imagine that you can save a combination of settings under a name. What I suggest is to create 10-20 combinations of settings and name each of them. Think about the people who get scared with options. It's not about giving less parameters, is about reducing all to a single parameter with a friendly name.

I doubt that veteran players would use this option. This is intended mostly in order to not scare newcomers. But despite we don't want to scare them, we don't want to hide options from them also. For the first games they would probably choose any of those 20 predefined groups of settings, but as soon as they felt comfortable they would move to the advance screen, presumably not to come back.

You want those 20 groups of settings to be different enough from themselves and representative of all the range of options that can be played in CC.

Also, if you keep "basic" settings and hide "advanced" ones there is the problem about defining which settings stay in basic and which settings stay in advanced. I bet every person has a different idea here. Some people would leave FoW out of the basics, while other person would say that it has to stay. Better to have one or two choices in that single drop down that offers games with FoW.

[koontz1973]

Oliver, took my suggestion here.

[Dukasaur]

What about something like this:

Click image to enlarge.

If you click on the text with the (+) the relevant section is expanded. This would come with the opposite (-) feature to collapse.

I would think stuff like Parachute Spoils would also be excluded, as would games with more than 6 players.