Topic

Anyone else want a bigger help channel window or the ability to minimize local chat?

I like to follow the help channel (it's my 'radio' to keep me company while I play) but I find it is too small to follow the chat if there are a lot of people chatting. The navigation slider is too sensitive so you can't view the previous chat easily.

Even if I minimize Groups & Friends there is not enough room. Anyone else want a bigger help channel window?

Posted 23 months ago by Original Zoo Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • There are times when I wish I could close all chat!
    Posted 23 months ago by Johnny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes. For me I find that it tends to go by really fast and unless I am paying all of my attention to that, I miss a lot of stuff.
    Posted 23 months ago by nosesoen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 23 months ago by tiff Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Navigation slider is absolutely an issue. No granularity in sliding. Would like to be able to use up down arrows in addition to the sliders, too.
    Posted 23 months ago by Mac Rapalicious Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Mac Rapalicious Yes, I agree...it tends to be very frustrating for me.
    Posted 23 months ago by nosesoen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes, I can't scroll at all well. And I would like to be able to close the local chat.


    Also, I know it's delicate, but we need an ignore feature in chat.
    Posted 23 months ago by Helcat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 23 months ago by Lina Subscriber! | Permalink
  • others?
    What's the best ways to make this work?
    Posted 23 months ago by Mac Rapalicious Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Please, local chat is pretty useless. We use help chat because if we open up another window we cannot see the help line anymore. Could we make the tops of chats smaller or tabs? That pop up when there is a message.
    Posted 23 months ago by Ani Laurel Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes! We all want a better chat system. And, we're going to get one. We'll probably do a quick 'not-yet-perfect' release, and hopefully that will come soon. We're more than aware that the chat kind of … er, sucks.

    Coming soon.
    Posted 23 months ago by jdawg Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes pretty stoked on the chat overhaul. Not wholly un-impressed by it now, but we could all benefit from a global chat other than the help channel! Yay!
    Posted 23 months ago by Leviathan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • A global chat and the ability to minimize local chat would be nice. +1
    Posted 23 months ago by Freeman Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There *is* a group called "global chat" or something, but I have to confess — even though I'm in it, I don't think I opened the tab once, and just used the Help channel for chatting. Would totally go for a global chat-as-distinct-from-help, and the minimizing of local.
    Posted 23 months ago by charliepark Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I would definitely like to be able to minimize local chat. I typically want it open, but there are times when it would be nice to have it gone temporarily.
    Posted 23 months ago by scottj Subscriber! | Permalink
  • We should be able to to turn on or off the personal actions ("you did this, gaining this and costing that") in the local chat.
    Posted 23 months ago by Cap'n Bob Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    I watch my energy levels not exact numbers in my local feed. Stuff like when you get tickets and people give you things is handy but otherwise I do not use it much.
    Posted 23 months ago by Ani Laurel Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +10
    Posted 23 months ago by t Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is so little space on my screen I want to have the option to close the whole chat/help sidebar. Especially since if you live in Australia half the time nobody else is there anyway.
    Posted 23 months ago by Emu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just fixing the slider issue would be a big help.
    Posted 23 months ago by caley dunn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I would love to be able to bust chat out into another window or join it using my IRC client. I have 2 monitors, and putting chat on my 2nd monitor would be perfect.
    Posted 23 months ago by MrGlass Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I second that emotion, MrGlass!
    Posted 23 months ago by Picture Picture Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Rather than just close or minimize, can't we also have resizable bars in between the group, help, and local chats?
    Posted 23 months ago by IxÆoN Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 23 months ago by roderick ordonez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Don't suppose you could throw a spell checker in there could you ;) Boring I know but a necessity for me :( I'm sure with all these new made up words that would not be easy to implement.
    Posted 23 months ago by Misha Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 23 months ago by Jeroillan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes definitely make it so you can open it in a different tab or window if you want to, or close it completely. You can't make any one chat window big enough to read it easily.
    I also agree that the way communication is used needs to be thought about. There's so much non-help in the help channel, you would not be able to find the answer to a question you'd asked if there were more people playing because it would immediately be buried by people's social chat and project chat. I think social chat should be done in your group chat, and street building chat should be done in the New Streets group chat. Then if someone says 'how do I find out how to participate in a project' you could just say to join the new streets group and open the new streets chat. I asked in 3 different places (help chat, new streets chat and local chat) how to get started on the project, and had no answers. Finally figured out myself that I had to talk to the street spirit, and also talked to someone with IM who explained some things to me.
    Posted 23 months ago by Emu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 23 months ago by Misha Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1! Last night, there was lots happening on the Help channel, and scrolling was a nightmare (partly because there were so many people discussing the project we were all working on), and local chat was just full of 'such and such just left' and 'such and such just arrived.' Minimizing it like you can the friends one at the top would be great. Or if you could make the game window bigger vertically (user option, not dev's resizing everything), because at the moment I've quite a bit of space in my browser window.
    Posted 23 months ago by Oo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i'm also looking forward to testing the new chat system, it will hopefully encourage more group and local chat. the new streets chat has been fairly dead the past few tests, which adds to the noisy help chat, making it less, well, helpful.
    Posted 23 months ago by katlazam Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 I get the feeling sometimes that the Help channel is full of the "in" group talking to each other. And though you get questions answered quickly, there's a lot of chatter that isn't help-related. Maybe if there was a global chat channel for announcements about projects and so on and a more dedicated Help line. I don't find either the group or local chats useful at all. (I didn't know there was a "streets" chat!)
    Posted 23 months ago by Tradescantia Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My suggestion for the devs re: chat in the interim, would be to replace the top part with the online players and groups list with a largish font sign that reads:

    We know it sucks, we're working on it, we swear to Glod.
    Posted 23 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 :)
    Posted 23 months ago by Misha Subscriber! | Permalink
  • A redesign of the whole right side/chat thing has recently been completed and the implementation work is about to begin. It has real scroll bars, easier-to-read text, the contacts pane will be moved out and activity will be indicated in a better way. It'll be a huge improvement, but definitely not the last step in improving it: if we can fix the obvious problems, it will be easier to assess the more subtle ones :)
    Posted 23 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • dribbble.com/shots/109264-C...
    Posted 23 months ago by Hburger Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 23 months ago by RobotGymnast Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I really liked the improved help channel and chat etc. Thank you Dev's. Made it ALOT easier to follow.
    I have one request and for me it is a very personal one.
    I may as well just come out with it,as there is no way to ask privately [ well I looked and could not see one?] I'm sure If anyone reads my posting around the forums they can see nearly all of them have an edit!. I can not spell very well at all. I am Dyslexic. I am sure I am far from the only one using this game who feel's embarrassed about not being able to spell and would love to use the help channel etc and don't for this very reason. Is there any way in the future you could or even would add a spellchecker. I know it is possible as my FB chat runs a spell checker when i'm using Goggle Crome. I know this is not any kind of priority but just wondered if some time in the future It might be possible. Thank you :)
    Posted 23 months ago by Misha Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 for spellchecker. I can spell really well and I still want one.
    Posted 23 months ago by RobotGymnast Subscriber! | Permalink