MArcomage

I'd like to suggest an option to set a Player Status while logged in, viewable by others as an icon on the Players screen. It would default to None but also feature "Looking For Matches" and "Do Not Disturb." Perhaps an option as well specifying a desire for "Rapid Turns," the idea being that the player is online and not likely to wander away from an active game. It would be nice to be able to broadcast such states in the form of a simple icon beside your name and to seek out like-minded players when choosing whom to challenge.

I second.

Sometimes I don't want to accept challenges because I'm doing research/analysis.

I also want to a quick fight (battles with one card per day is painful...).

It would be great if I can leave a custom message of my status.

At the moment, you can leave such a message @ hobby's and interests. Though indeed, it might be convenient to add some colors in the Players screen.
Eg.
Purple: Fast games
Blue: Not accepting challenges for this moment. (Also useful for players who have all there game slots full, and even can't accept a challenge.)
Orange: Leaving (When you close your browser or tab containing Arcomage you currently stay green for bout 5 minutes.)

If its ever implemented this proper, it should be accessible with ease, like a new button for status next to the refresh button that gives a dropdown menu.

Yes, at least a status for announcing that all 15 slots are full will be great.
Also, why not a note in the Player Details section in which you can add some info about yourself as a player - for example that you're a regular, but you can't play a lot because you are at work and so on.

We can summarize all these suggestions here and once there a good idea of what the majority wants someone can post a ticket in the wiki so that Mojko and theultramage can get a clear view of the suggestion.

I believe the forum itself can work well enough as a reporter for suggestion. No need for a ticket. Perhaps a final concluding, summerizing post...

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At the moment, you can leave such a message @ hobby's and interests.
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Good workaround.

On the front page of "Player List", we may add a new column called "Status/Note"

Name -- Wins -- Losses -- Draws -- Status/Note

It would be something like this:
amaster -- 999 -- 0 -- 0 -- I will be away. Wanna quick game in 30 mins. blah blah...

Perhaps max 100-200 characters.

I think a simple image would be enough using easily-discerned colors as a basis, but then perhaps with a mouseover to have additional text appear. I'd like it to be useful at a quick glance rather than having to pore over additional text, though I do agree that it would be useful to be able to add personal details in addition to that, so long as it does not create immediate clutter. I also love the suggestion to have it be easily toggled near the refresh button.

Tiny colored button, color indicates status, mouseover or click on it to see specific details set by the player, easy toggle system. Anything else to add?

If you play some online games, so there is a basic info with the description just on the right. It doesn't clutter if it's properly designed.

Color is good for simple player status, but can't add game info (eg want a fast game, want construction battle only, no XX overpowered card please etc.)

That's all well and good, but we're discussing MArcomage's Player screen, and as it is now, it would become unnecessarily cluttered if everyone added a personal message to it and you had to read a few words of each one to find what you're seeking.

I suggested a mouseover for text in addition to the color coding. I note that you ignored it entirely. Wouldn't setting text that appears when you hover your cursor over the status icon satisfy the needs you're presenting?

Game room and Card game room, fundamentally what's the difference?

Mouseover is okay since we have few online players. But imagine if there are 100 players/games available for you to join, you have to mouseover one by one. A glance is much faster if the text is shown directly. Can't use search (eg search for the word "quick" to find quick players).

A switch between "mouseover/direct text" will satisfy both players.

I would accept that only in the event that the only players shown are those who are presently online. As it is now, one already has to slog through to identify the online players in a mess of offline ones.

Even then, you suggest that having extra text would be better for a situation where there are hundreds of available players. I disagree -- having text to sort through would only be acceptable if the list is already reduced to ten or so.

Of course, if it were made possible to have the player list only show you players meeting a certain criteria (i.e. online and using the Quick Match status option), I would see no reason to argue against having such extra text appear automatically on an already culled list.

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I would accept that only in the event that the only players shown are those who are presently online.
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Yes

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I disagree -- having text to sort through would only be acceptable if the list is already reduced to ten or so.
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I believe you disagree because you think it would be too messy. If you go and see some other card game or game room, it displays both players' names, scores/ratings, description/notes. I don't think it's something that must be avoided at all cost. It's perfectly fine if you design properly. But it's hard to explain by text only.

Don't forget the note/description is probably short. We can always set a character limit. So it won't be so horrible as what you imagine.

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...only show you players meeting a certain criteria (i.e. online and using the Quick Match status option)
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Sorting is nice, if it were implemented. But we need to think about different criteria that most players want.

"To indicate if the player has full slots" this feature was implemented and used for a short while, but has been removed shortly after its implementation.

The reason was too many database queries (too complex information needed from the database). In short said: this feature was too costly for it's effect.

However to let a player set up a flag or a message is a different thing. Needs to be more analysed, though.

Implemented in https://netvor.sk/trac/arcomage/changeset/688
Changes will be applied soon.

Currently players can have the "none" status. Is this necessary, or can it be removed, since all players are always either looking for games or don't want to play? When removed the default player status would probably be "Looking for game".

I use the "none" status when I have only one free slot or when I'm doing something else. I use the "looking for quick game" when I want to test a new deck; for the rest of the times I use the "loocking for game" status. so for me it's fine as it is now.

Id say keep it, since you can be like: Im not specificly looking for more games, but Im not specificly not either. This indifferent stance is currently covered by None, but there's no viable alternative atm. Following Mojko's reasoning, we might want to change it's name?
BTW it's good to have a rather meaningless default for new players who are to lazy to check all the cool features of this site first.

So, the default should be "noob" until the player manually sets it to anything else? That would be wonderfully mean. I approve. =D

Well, my idea was to have the "none" status as default, but umage insisted on changing it to "looking for game", for all new players. It was because of the same reason as Progressor pointed out. New players may not recognize the feature, so they may have trouble starting games, when not having "looking for game status".

So basically it's about two possible approaches. First one tries to make all settings best suitable for a new player, which can be comfortable, but can have negative effect. It can cause player not to discover some features.

Second approach makes all settings best comfortable for experienced player. This can cause, that new player may be a bit confused at first and may not like default settings. On the other hand, they have a good motivation to discover some features and customize their profile according to their needs.

Which one is better?

Btw, what picture would you propose for the "noob" status? :D

Something indicating innocence or ignorance. A smiley-face with either a halo or a question mark over its head, if not both, would work. It shouldn't be something insulting or rude -- some new players would probably want to remain a noob until feeling comfortable with the game.