Change the "Join Games" page

[Donelladan]

Concise description:
Most of the links in the join games page are rather useless. An improvement is necessary.

Specifics/Details:
After clicking on the link "Join Games" in the game menu, there are 5 different tabs :

Public Games
Private Games
Tournament Games
Speed Games
Battle Royale Speed Games

Tournament games is 100% useless. I have never joined a game by clicking on this tab, and I played in many tournaments.
Private games is rather useless, I do not know if someone use this to find games ? Those games are usually joined through invitation or through the call-out forums as far as I know.
Battle Royale Speed Games is useful only a couple of days a year. Just replaced it by a event banner link on the central command when there is this kind of special games ( already the case I think).

Now I think the games take longer to be filled than before. Especially multiplayer games, because when you click on the "Join Games" link, the newest games appear first, and a 8-12 players game will always take a few days to fill, then it is at the end of the list before it is filled.
This is even worse for multiplayer games on not so popular maps or with quite special settings.
I also know that the change from oldest games first to newest games appearing first has been made because there was hundreds of "farming games" always at the beginning otherwise. But we still need to change something.

I would propose that when clicking on the "join games" the tabs would be :
1vs1 games
Team games
Multiplayer games ( could be divided into two sections, 3-6 players games and 7-12 players games).
Polymorphic games
Speed games.

And the games within each tabs should be ordered by remaining empty spots. Of course it would be useless for 1vs1 games and Polymorphic games. But it would be helpful for multiplayers games, that way the games with only 1 empty spot appear first, games start faster.
We could also order games by "filled spots" rather than empty one, so that 12 players games aren't always at the bottom of the lists.
That is why I would also divide the tabs "multiplayer games" in 2 category.

Also I would like that when clicking on the "join games", no games appears. Right now when someone click on join games, public games appears first. I would like that when clicking on "join games", one would also have to chose a category afterwards before games appears.

How this will benefit the site and/or other comments:

Games, especially multiplayers games, would fill faster than now.

[JamesKer1]

+5000

I think the tournament tab is left over from before we had the invite system. Now it's the TO's duty to make sure the players are in the games rather than the player's duty.

Private tab same thing.

I do like your idea with the tab system, however, everyone else will give you junk about how GameFinder already fills that role.

[macbone]

This is an excellent idea and provides a great replacement to the current rather inefficient set-up. It should be very easy to implement, too.

[khazalid]

+100

[iAmCaffeine]

Yes.

[jmyork82]

That's a great idea, I'm behind it!

[Dukasaur]

Yes.

[Groucho]

I like the new join page with one exception. If I join a game and then hit the back button, I have to reinsert all the information again. There needs to be a way to be able to join multiple games without having to fill in the form each time. (If there already is and I just don't realize it, I apologize)

[TimWoodbury]

I like the new join page with one exception. If I join a game and then hit the back button, I have to reinsert all the information again. There needs to be a way to be able to join multiple games without having to fill in the form each time. (If there already is and I just don't realize it, I apologize)

hold control and left click will join in a new tab you can exit the tab and still have the seach tab open

[Groucho]

Thanks!

[imthewarrior]

This new Game Finder page stinks. I hate when they make changes just to make them. If it's not broken, then don't try and fix it.

[JBlombier]

The OP didn't suggest to alter the Game Finder page at all, though. Please read the topic you're replying to.
This suggestion is quite a good one. I'm used to to the way it's done now, but now you describe it like this, it really seems terrible. Especially all the unused tabs.

Just removing the unused tabs would be an improvement and shouldn't be that hard to change.

[Donelladan]

UP

Now that there is a Features Panel Suggestion, I hope to draw their attention to this suggestion.
I believe the join game link is used by tons of people on CC, or should be, and improving it should therefore touch almost everyone on CC.
And ofc I still believe everything I said in the 1st post is still valid. The "Join Game" as it is now is not really efficient.

Note that all comments to this suggestions were positive ( except the 2 persons that thought I was speaking of game finder )

[WingCmdr Ginkapo]

I use the tournament, clan and private tabs a fair bit.

I'm not opposed to the idea, just would like to keep easy access to tournament and clan info.

[iAmCaffeine]

I would completely support this idea. Private and Tournament are completely useless with the invite system. Battle Royale Speed Games is useful a handful of times throughout a year.

It seems foolish not to update this page considering over half of it is currently pointless and has been for some time.

[codierose]

now i never use the lagging game finder and only use the join games i like the idea BIG+1

[Donelladan]

I use the tournament, clan and private tabs a fair bit.

I'm not opposed to the idea, just would like to keep easy access to tournament and clan info.

I think you are not speaking about the same thing that I do in my first post. There is no such thing as a clan tabs in the join games page. I am not speaking on the links at the top of your page. I am speaking on the one on the left column of your page, you have Game Menu, then below Game Menu you see : "Central Command / Join Games / Start Games / Game Finder / Battle Royale / Other Games".
I am speaking on what you see after you clicked on "Join Games".
You would then see several tabs being :
"Public Games / Private Games / Tournament Games / Speed Games / Battle Royale Speed Games".

I believe, as I said in my first post, that among those tabs, only Public Games and Speed Games are really useful.

[WingCmdr Ginkapo]

Yeah I was talking about the wrong page.

As you were. Discount my input.

EDIT: The tournament tab has a purpose - keeping private tournament games out of view to the newer users who dont know not to join them. I am sure there is a better method of doing this, however, its limited by the 24hour period of invitation.

Question - If you fail to join a tournament game within 24 hours how do you access the game?

[GoranZ]

Nice proposal for simplification of "Join Games" section... I'm in favor(as for almost any other simplification)

[iAmCaffeine]

Question - If you fail to join a tournament game within 24 hours how do you access the game?

The organiser usually re-issues invites once or twice if you miss them. A few will PM you auto-join links to the games. It's common for organisers to remove someone from the tournament if they, for example, miss three consecutive invites. The tournament tab is still useless in these scenarios unless the player has the password for the game(s) in question, which should never happen.

[Donelladan]

EDIT: The tournament tab has a purpose - keeping private tournament games out of view to the newer users who don't know not to join them. I am sure there is a better method of doing this, however, its limited by the 24hour period of invitation.

It doesn't work that way. Tournament tab do not keep private tournament games out of view to the new users. If anything having a tournament tab on which you can click, that show you games that you can't join is actually confusing for new users.
Tournaments games never go to Public games afterwards anyway so getting rid of tournament tab won't make those game more visible to new users, but they'll make them less visible to new users.

Question - If you fail to join a tournament game within 24 hours how do you access the game?

The tournament tab is still useless in these scenarios unless the player has the password for the game(s) in question, which should never happen.

As iAmCaffeine is saying here, tournament games have a password. They must have a password. Therefore people can't join them using the Tournament Games tab under Join games. And if they'd like to do it having the password, they'll probably be using the game finder as it would be a million times more easier to find the game they have to join rather than using the tournament tab that include all tournaments.

So, it's really not an issue. As people have mentioned here, the tournament games tab is a relic of the time where invitations didn't exist.

[IcePack]

If removing some of the tabs (like tournaments), there should be considerations given to add the new relevant information.
Things like campaigns and scenarios might more easily be filled if they actually were easier to find.

(Tho i do know the "tournament" page at the top header now allows you to search by campaign or tribe event, so its a LITTLE easier....)

But campaigns would be much more interesting if they were more visible and had more traffic.

[Donelladan]

Agreed, adding tabs for campaign and scenario could be interesting.
But could we add a "join a scenario" tab? I don't think so since they are using the request system, you can only start scenario not join them. So that tab would be a "start a scenario" and then it doesn't really belong here anymore.

[IcePack]

Agreed, adding tabs for campaign and scenario could be interesting.
But could we add a "join a scenario" tab? I don't think so since they are using the request system, you can only start scenario not join them. So that tab would be a "start a scenario" and then it doesn't really belong here anymore.

Thats true, mainly I was thinking campaigns but remembered scenarios also something new so i included it in the post, but you're right.

[Silly Knig-it]

I very much like this idea so I can look for the games I want.

I hate when I am tired and looking to add a few games and because I didn't click all the right buttons I end up with pages of private games with a few public ones interspersed.

I really, really like the tab idea.