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I generally like the feature, however ...

I'm playing at level 6, which gives me a total pool of 270+ cards.  So this is an intermediate, not beginner, level.

Compared to 'silver level' expansions, which I used to play exclusively, the game play is significantly different.

When I played silver level expansions (which means all the expansions available to a silver level subscriber) many of the games reduced to building +action/ draw chains as quickly as possible.  Whoever built the most effective action/ draw chain the quickest would tend to win. 

At level 6 I never run into this strategy.  There don't seem to be enough trash/ +action/ draw cards in most decks to make this a feasible approach.  I'm not sure this is bad, but certainly is different.

What I found looking through the levels is that many of the over-powered cards available as a silver level subscriber are now deferred to level 10.  I see 12 'silver level' cards not introduced until level 10 including Prince, Captain, Black Market, Tournament, Grand Market, Governor, Horn of Plenty and Peddler.   Those are all interesting cards and I wonder if some should come into play at lower levels.

A couple of thoughts:
I hope the purpose of levels is not to introduce concepts and cards in order of difficulty.  To my mind, the purpose should be solely to allow learning cards in blocks - and why not have some tricky cards at lower levels.
That being said, I'm not sure why, at level 6, I'm consistently not getting enough +action cards to chain actions.  But ... I hope that the developers feel free to shift a card or two around to balance things up based on play testing. Has anyone looked at the kinds of decks you get at each of the different levels?   

I very much like the levels feature in Dominion.  I don't know if existing players very much appreciate it, as I believe the existing player pool has self-selected into gamers that aren't inhibited by the 'on boarding' limitations of the game.

But I think that this new feature will effectively expand the market audience for the game significantly.  A game like 'Hearthstone' with millions of users really had the onboarding figured out, and as far as basic game engine and play does not hold a candle to Dominion.

So this is a welcome improvement, except -

The main game dashboard is still a bit clunky.  I think that it is conceptually clear and powerful.  Now that I know it, I really like it.  But for onboarding new users there are issues. Just for interest sake, I set up a new account to see what the dashboard would look like, and I attached a screen shot.

Here are my observations from an onboarding perspective.  I don't pretend to have any final answers, these are just observations and opinions. Take them for what you feel they are worth.  My issues:

1) The function name 'Automatch' on the sidebar menu.  There are 3 conceptual ways of playing.  "Play Bots",  "Play Ladder", "Play Friends".  That makes more sense to the intiate.

2) Card Pool.  The levels starts at "10" with a min level "1" ... for a new account.  I would start the level at 1, and maybe dim (but not hide) the levels box, with a switch to turn it on.  Throwing the switch, gives the new user a description of what levels are all about.

3) Card Pool.  I would call this "Choose Level".

4) The 'Automatch' box.  I would call it 'Ladder Search' or something more descriptive.  Previews switch should not be there, but in the overall options, and set to off.  Rating should be set something like (+3,-3) possibly, but certainly not (+10, -10). 

5) I would head this section as "Play Bots", and possibly give it its own screen.  Repeat the "Card Pool" area.

These are all very minor cosmetic suggestions.  I really like the interface in that it is NOT dumbed down.  I like all the options and varieties of play.  The game engine and the general interface is great, once you know it.  But I think that it needs a bit more thought in terms of a brand new user.

I moved up to the gold subscription.  I've been playing only bots in order to learn the unfamiliar cards.  So far I'm up to level 6.

I thought I'd try an automatch today for the first time, timidly at level 4.

I got a bunch of cards with "favours", which I'd never heard of.  I went looking through the levels selector.  Nothing on 'favours'.

I noticed the game was unrated. 

What happened?

From the release notes:

"Your card pool settings in automatch involve two numbers: the level you want to play at, and the pool range you're willing to accept. For example, you could set your own level to 8 and the pool range to 2, indicating you're looking for a game at level 6, 7 or 8. Setting the Pool Range lower means you're more likely to get exactly the level you want, but you're less flexible so you might have to wait longer for a match."

I have not found where to set the Pool range parameter.  Where is it?

I quite enjoy playing at silver level on the ladder.

I wouldn't mind more of a challenge, but when I encounter gold level expansions in play, I don't really enjoy those cards at all.  Too much weirdness.  Like the Possession card, for example. 

I wouldn't mind hearing from players that have played at silver level, and then moved to gold.  Mixed, negative or positive feedback.  If everyone is positive, I'll make the leap in spite of my misgivings.

Over time I've added a number of friends from those I have played against.

But so what?  This isn't Facebook.  What am I missing?  There must be something to this feature that I'm not getting.

It's often fun to play best 2 of 3, although if you don't ask for a rematch quickly, the opponent is gone before you can ask.

How about adding a button after you've played a game where you would select 'rematch' or 'best 2 of 3'?

There are different ways this could be implemented, but I believe it's best to make the evaluation after you've already played one game.

A slick way to program this would be for the button to normally say 'Request rematch' but if you'd already split 2 games evenly, the label changes to 'Best 2 of 3?'

I bet someone could program this in a couple of hours.  Easy-peasy and would add a fun dimension.

I'm sure it's been observed that this is too long, but here are a couple of things to consider.

I believe an opponent disconnect or pauses to end a game roughly 1 in 10 times.
Long disconnects invariably only occur when a player is in a losing position, thus my feeling is that they're not involuntary.
On rare occasion I have disconnected by accident.  It does not take 4 minutes to get back in the saddle.

2 minutes is still a very long time.  Also, why not post a warning message to a player at 90 seconds, if not disconnected, then a forced resignation at 2 minutes.
I could easily live with those conditions myself, and I'll bet 99% of players would say that they could also.
How about a poll?

So, after an extensive discussion about how to approach the on-line game, I took the following approach based on the information and suggestions provided to me:
- bought an inexpensive silver subscription,
- played bot games to learn the cards in the expansions available to me,
    (This is done by making a new table in the 'My Table' function, and very quickly pressing 'Add Bot' before an actual player joins in).

So, I'm quite happy doing this, but a new problem presents itself. When will this end?  I have been playing Dominion with cards on and off for a decade, but the number of cards just at the silver level is overwhelming.  I still take 5 minutes or so to study cards before every game.  I don't see myself playing another player for a couple of months yet.

I do know all the mechanics across the expansions - debts, potions, coffers, et cetera.  And the basic card mechanics aren't that difficult to figure out from reading, for the most part.  However, I want to be able to strategize successfully. 

I am not new to Dominion, but only recently discovered this site.  I'm pretty impressed with the implementation of the game, as with the various mechanics this can not have been simple.
The ladder also looks like a nice implementation. For a while I played a game called Hearthstone - what a mess.
But I'm baffled by the player matching mechanics and rather than spend any more time figuring this out through trial and error, perhaps I can describe what I would like to do, and someone can prescribe a course of action.

I have played the basic game, Intrigue, Seaside and some Alchemy in the board game.  I then purchased a couple more sets and when I discovered that I never broke plastic on them, haven't bought any more.
And like many things we used to play a ton of Dominion some years ago, and since then, it's now and then.

So, what I'd like to do online is practice with an expanding universe of cards. There is a feature to check off what I want to play with, so it looks like I can do that.
But when I play, it seems like I can only play the basic game or it throws everything at me. (yikes).

So how do I play and learn the game on a graduated basis?

Also, one fine point someone can maybe answer.  I like to study all the cards for 5 minutes (or more if I don't know them) and think about a strategy.  When we play the card game, we always spend some time looking at the cards and discussing them with each other.  It's a fun part of the game.  I also like to look at all the ins and outs on the rules - which can run to paragraphs of information.
When I play a game, I send a chat message "studying cards ..." but I don't know what the expectations are. And I only spend maybe a minute, but I feel rushed.  Is there some etiquette around game start up?  Thanks in advance.