Feature Request: UI Adjustment to Players/GM Wanted Forums
I confess, I don't use Wanted - GMs even 10% as often as I use Wanted - Players, so my suggestions regarding that page are more about including that aspect in the wider scope of my feedback. I don't want my feedback to be about making the new UI fit my needs, I want to point out where additional work might be wanted.
Yes, the search functionality there is pleasingly robust, and I don't feel any changes might want to be made there. Rather, it's about how the information is laid out on the primary access point to those ads.
The search feature and the topic listing serve two different needs, at least for me. If I'm hungry to play a specific system, then I use the search function. If I want to see what games are out there, and find any system I'm familiar with that has open slots, I use the by-topic forum.
It's certainly possible that other players have different metrics. I'm not suggesting mine is the best strategy. I'm saying that the new system makes it harder to see some data that it's presenting, and the logic for that choice seems to be that the title of the ad is more important than when it was posted (I agree), who posted it (I agree), the genre (information irrelevant to any search I've done), and the system (a high consideration for me).
Hmm. Now that I'm looking at it more thoroughly, I also notice that there's no way to see how many posts are in each thread. It could be valuable to include some information in that view about how long that game has been running for. Players might be more or less interested in a brand new game versus one that's looking for replacement players. Applicant players sometimes post in these threads, so you don't want to just include thread length. Maybe a feature to let GMs bump their ads without requiring a post?
It's all a question of what information RPOL wants people to have when looking for games, and how easily accessible that information is at the primary access point. Obviously, every designer is going to have different opinions about that. All I'm saying is that the new design makes the information that I want to see there less visible, and so other people may have other preferences, and that's something I would encourage you all to look into.
I've been on this site for at least 5 years. The old system was functional for me. I'm sure I will get used to the new system in time. But you guys asked for feedback, and this is what I have to give back to the community that is serving me so well: you might want to do some research into how players want to use that page.