Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24160429-20131115111314/@comment-24116752-20131116214647

Gobbledigook, I have been meaning to start a thread on improving the Friends List. I certainly agree with your comments. I wonder if user fatigue will set in with torch lighting due to the cumbersome mechanics of the Friends List.

The following is my top 10 list of enhancements for the Friends List:

 1. Display the friend code and the display name. It is often difficult to figure out what friend has been added to your Friends List. You add friends based on the friend code, but there is no way to reconcile the display name with the friend code.

 2. When viewing an island add an option to return to the Friends List rather than returning Home.

 3. When you exit from viewing a friend’s island, return to the current friend page rather than returning to the first friend page. The current row corresponding to the selected friend should be highlighted so that you can clearly know what friend you were viewing. This concept would work similarly to the Map that displays an indicator for the current island.

 4. Provide an option to “View Friend’s Islands”. This functionality would work the same as viewing top rated islands. When viewing friend’s islands, provide a Next and Previous button to navigate rather than returning to the Friends List. This View Friend Island mode would be interactive and allow you to light torches in addition to the Like option.

 5. Add statistics for each Friend in the Friends List. The following friend information should be available:

 a.          Display Name

 b.         Friend Code

 c.          Date Added in Your Friend List

 d.         Start Date for Playing MSM – helpful to appreciate how long they have been playing to understand accomplishments in creating their islands

 e. Last Island Update Date – helpful to know if this player is still active. Sometimes you want to remove friends that are no longer playing the game.

 f. Last Visit Date – helpful to know if this friend ever visited your island.

 g.          Number of Likes

 h.         Overall Island Rank (Top 100, Top 500, Top 1000, etc.)

 i. Friend Comment – this comment is entered by the Friend. Lots of players are trying to figure out how to communicate their preference for which island should have torches lit. This comment field could meet that purpose. Players could also put a comment such as what they changed recently on their island or why they decorated their island in a particular manner.

 6. Add a friend comment field that you can update. It would help to provide a place to indicate friend information such as their wiki user name or other useful information.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"> 7. Provide an option to sort the Friends List. It would be nice to sort the list by date added as a friend. I tend to visit my family members’ islands first. My family members are the first friends I add. Allow to sort the Friends List based on the Friend Level. I want to light torches for only friends that are level 12 or above. This sort method should be configurable with a default so that you do not need to specify the sort order each time you access the Friends List.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"> 8. Provide a symbol next to the Friend in the Friend List to indicate if a torch needs to be lit. It is nice that the map of the friend’s island indicates if a torch needs to be lit, but you cannot determine if this needs to be done when viewing the Friends List. This Torch Light Needed indicator should be smart and only display if you are able to actually light a torch. For example, if it has been less than 24 hours since you last a torch on the island then the symbol should not appear.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"> 9. Allow users to message a friend directly from the Friends List. The wiki is great, but it would be nice to have some type of Guest Log that could allow Friends to leave a comment when viewing an island. I realize that this option could provide an opportunity for abuse, but you should be able to remove friends that leave inappropriate comments. This option should probably be configurable to avoid privacy issues.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"> 10. Make it easier for Friends to find your islands. The wiki is great to announce your friend ID and interest in MSM, but it would be nice to have a way to better advertise or promote your island. Perhaps let users pay to be listed higher in the Random Island list so that you can try to get more people to like your island.

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