Well-meaning but harsh criticism of the new platform

[Panoptikus]

Dear new owners of online dominion,

I know that you are part of the online dominion community for several years and really aspired to release a version that would correct the flaws of Goko and Making Fun and satisfy the needs of folks still dreaming about isotropic. I am also a hardcore dominion player myself (several thousands of games at Makung Fun) and I really see the technical improvements you have done.

However...

This implementation continues a worrying trend in online dominion history: releasing a product that is simply not finished. Currently this implementation is in many aspects inferior to the making fun client. I will just poin out two flaws.

1. The internet today is an increasingly mobile internet - desktop usage is becoming a niche. Your interface is clearly not optimized for IOS or android, the sheer fact that the interface makes "right clicking" necessary to get info about cards speaks volumes.
2. the interface looks like an amateur product, reminiscent of the state of the art of the 1990ies. Today, even simple mobile games usually have a good looking interface. There is way too much text - the use of the log should e.g. be an option not a necessity.

My point is: the interface is good for the hardcore users (I personally don't have much problems with it), but full of design flaws that will never attract casual gamers. Clearly your priorities were "technical functionalities' not a the design of a modern game Interface. IMHO the redesign of your interface should be your absolute priority. I really want you guys to succeed but in the current form your product is destined to fail. Do not take the positive comments here and at Dominion Strategy too serious because I fear they do not reflect the opinions and needs of the average (dominion) player but  a limited group of hardcore fans. I showed the interface to people not familiar with online dominion and they turned away in terror...

I know this critique is quite harsh but really inspired by my desire that online dominion should finally be a success story. Your subscription model per se is perfect to to really atrrect the contemporary gamer - it would be great if it would generate enough money to make your business sustainable.

[Watno]

Dedicated mobile apps are definitely planned.

[Anak]

Thats all true.

I am disappointed with the change
The game is now unclear and does not work as finished

And an abo over 40 euro is just way too much for the scrap

Before it was much much better

Have not seen such a bad management for a long time

I'm sorry - this will not be a success

[quori1]

Dedicated mobile apps are definitely planned.

A dedicated mobile app should have been NUMBER ONE ON YOUR LIST. This has to be the most short sighted and backwards development of a gaming app I've seen in forever. As the original poster pointed out perfectly...this is app development from the 1990's. This is horrid.

[tufftaeh]

The current implementation is much better than what Goko had at their start. And that was a multi-million dollar company. Please have a little patience with Shuffle iT who had to release on January 1st even if the product was not yet completely polished.

[JunkDealer]

 Goko, Shuffleit, and Making Fun have all encountered the same basic mistake.... They over promised and under delivered.  In this case expectation of users was not appropriately set prior to release causing the backlash in comments you are seeing here.  It amazes me that given all of the harsh criticism levelled at Making Fun for some of their decisions I see the exact same mistakes being made here.  In my opinion, and that's ultimately what these boil down to... opinions, is anybody not directly involved with the development of this new version was expecting something that maintained functionality at launch not a step backwards with promises of future features sometime in 2017.  Given what was available at launch I wonder if they will even meet those deadlines.  We all know how awful software companies are at meeting deadlines.  Hopefully in the long run it will be better, but in the short term expect people to be frustrated.  Rather than ask for patience it would be far better to appologise and provide detailed timelines and updates as it becomes clear those deadlines will be missed.

[quori1]

My issue is not even in regards to promised vs. delivered. It is entirely around DELIVERED. The previous version of the product was playable on my device choices. This one is NOT.

It's like a car company choosing to replace their 4 door model sedan with an entirely new model and it being undrivable on my roads. Its unacceptable!

If ShuffleIt did not have a viable product ready to release and replace the existing one, then the existing one should have had their contract extended so as not to detract from my experience as the consumer.

[16crab]

I could not agree more with the original poster.

Our household has just gotten into games in the last couple of years, and just got into Dominion this summer. To find that the Making Fun app was free was such a delight. Husband and I played hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of games against bots and each other, and the two kids played a fair bit as well. But if this new site stays as is, we are probably all done - never mind how difficult it was to get on (waiting for the site to load, then waiting for the email) the game play is just awful compared to the Making Fun app - painfully slow game play (not a slow connection, just how long it takes to get through a turn) and totally un-intuitive on the iPad.  If there were flaws in the previous app, they were not obvious to the casual player. A better route would have been to have charged for the app to generate the funds to fix whatever was wrong with the app. I will keep checking back occasionally to see if there are improvements - hopefully the developers will take all of the criticism under advisement.

[gkrieg]

I could not agree more with the original poster.

Our household has just gotten into games in the last couple of years, and just got into Dominion this summer. To find that the Making Fun app was free was such a delight. Husband and I played hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of games against bots and each other, and the two kids played a fair bit as well. But if this new site stays as is, we are probably all done - never mind how difficult it was to get on (waiting for the site to load, then waiting for the email) the game play is just awful compared to the Making Fun app - painfully slow game play (not a slow connection, just how long it takes to get through a turn) and totally un-intuitive on the iPad.  If there were flaws in the previous app, they were not obvious to the casual player. A better route would have been to have charged for the app to generate the funds to fix whatever was wrong with the app. I will keep checking back occasionally to see if there are improvements - hopefully the developers will take all of the criticism under advisement.

If you feel the gameplay is slow, you should go into your settings and uncheck "wait for animations" and turn on autobuy.  I think the current implementation is much faster than MF was.

Also, they have been pushing out new updates to the beta with huge improvements about twice a week for those in the beta.  I know they also plan to do different interfaces for different groups of people.  Now that they have all (almost) of the cards implemented, and a working client, it should be easy for them to do different interfaces for casual and hardcore gamers.

[Watno]

Everything that was free on MF's implementation (playing with the base set and cards your opponents own) is still free in the new implementation.
Your feedback will definitely be taken into account.

[followthebeer]

well said. the interface is really difficult to look at - combined with all the bugs.  I feel like im using a commodore 64.  I want this to succeed more than anyone since i also had several thousand games played on making fun.  i think you guys should ask MF for some help on the interface and the functionality.  their model was ideal.  right-clicking really should not be an option.

[tufftaeh]

well said. the interface is really difficult to look at - combined with all the bugs.  I feel like im using a commodore 64.  I want this to succeed more than anyone since i also had several thousand games played on making fun.  i think you guys should ask MF for some help on the interface and the functionality.  their model was ideal.  right-clicking really should not be an option.

Which device/OS/browser are you using? I suggest you play a few more games and then post a prioritized list of the issues you have. Or you can simply wait until they (or most of them) are fixed. When it comes to matters of personal taste, this might not happen by itself, however, so I would recommend posting constructive suggestions.

[PrincessAnnaM]

I also agree with everything said above. I too had over 2,000 games in the Making Fun app and am incredibly disappointed with the new interface. Below are a sample of my many issues with this new iteration of dominion:

1. The new iteration is nearly unplayable on my phone and tablet. I have played dominion during my lunch break nearly every work day and it is frustrating that is no longer practical. The necessity to right click in order to view card, the inability to close the chat box and game log, and the fact that the cards are blurry completely ruin the experience.

2. There is a general lack of esthetic appeal. The design is rather unprofessional and while I appreciated the customizability, it is both unintuitive and clunky. For example, while it is possible to have multiplayer games (with multiple computers) it is no longer as easy to do this.

3. The lack of campaign mode. I have read in the forums that this is coming, however I find it, once again, unprofessional that the response was that it is coming but there was no eta given.

Frankly, an esthetic interface and app should have been a priority and at this point I would rather be playing Making Fun's version. I am hopeful that this version will continue to be updated, but as it stands I am incredibly disappointed.

[heeyuck]

Not to pile on, but I agree with those above, as well. I played thousands of games on the MF version and introduced many people to it. I'm not sure I would introduce this version to people as it currently stands. I'm a hardcore fan of the game and so will play via smoke signal if necessary, but most casual/recreational players will just go onto something else that is easier to use.

The layout is busy and not intuitive. Getting information about what the other player did is annoying. Heck, knowing what I did is annoying (example: Rebuild. Did something get trashed? What? What can I replace it with? Oh, I have to find the tiny words in the wall of text that is the right third of the screen and/or I could notice those tiny symbols in the corner of those tiny cards to the left).

I can't speak for other aspects of MF, but the client was top notch. It was easy to play, to SEE what you and your opponent did, to SEE what the next action had to be--who it's on, do I have to trash/discard, etc--and to SEE what your options are--what cards are left, what part of your turn, what you can conceivably still do, etc.

I introduced friends to the game itself through the MF version because it was so easy to use, it was visually appealing, and it made the game easier to play. I would not introduce new people to this version, as it currently stands.

Suggestions/requests: make things BIGGER. My cards should be obvious. The board should be obvious. The commands boxes should be obvious (but not pasted on top of the board).

Make things ACCESSIBLE. I should be able to see the trash, to go through the tournament pile, to see what card my opponent gained as it happens (not upside down), and, of course, to see my own hand in full, not half cut off.

Make things SIMPLER. I definitely do not feel the final client should be largely text-driven--it's way too hard to play that on a phone, for example. Lose the necessity of the 1/3 screen wall of text. And put all command boxes in one common area. I shouldn't have to click in half a dozen different areas to enact commands. I mean that literally--If I'm playing treasures the command box is in one place, if I'm ending my turn it's in another, if I'm ending just my actions it's in another, if I'm trashing cards from my hand it's in another, if trashing via Sentry the command's in another place, if I want to play Royal Carriage then I have to follow the directions of one bit of text to the tiny-font text box to click on that (???)...it's really ridiculous. If nothing else, please take a page out of MF's book for ease of the flow of the game.

I, too, want this implementation to succeed. There's some attractive features--the background is nice, the cards, although small, look nice. The undo button is a great idea. I am ecstatic to have Empires finally implemented online. But if this client is going to have mass appeal--if it's going to be something that will hook new players and have a shot at getting into their wallets--then the entire interface needs to be overhauled to something simpler and more visual.

[Wolfhere]

I also agree with those above.  I used to relax after dinner in my easy chair, a cup of coffee, and my iPad.  I'd read the news and play Dominion.  Now I just read the news because Dominion on the tablet is almost unplayable.  I know an iOS client is planned, but I'm disappointed that it wasn't ready at launch.  Aside from the beautiful artwork and the addition of Empires, the whole experience is a very large step backwards.

The only thing I want to add to the comments above is that when you're pushing forward with design changes, the entire flow of play should NOT require the log.  I rarely, if ever used the log with MF's implementation.  The only time I did was if I forgot who started first and I wanted to push a tie.  The visual interface was good enough that I didn't need a log, and on a small iPad screen that's exactly what's needed.

I wish the designers well and hope there will be positive changes in the coming year.  I miss my after dinner games of Dominion.