Can I make this forum sort the "normal" way?

BugRoger · #1 January 31st, 2004, 03:04 PM

Same here. The way you have to scroll down first just to scroll back up again cracks me up...

AStott · #2 January 31st, 2004, 03:34 PM

Yes, and the fact that you naturally read top to bottom usually makes it more natural to continue reading the next post that way.

Also, if there is a particularly busy thread, so you got to the second page to read where you left off, and then someone Posts while you're reading that page... Well, when you go to the first page to continue reading, because of the new post, one of the Posts that used to be on the first page will get pushed to the second, and you will therefore completely miss it.

Definitely poor design. I'm not sure what the Shrapnel guys were thinking.

Anyone else wish there was a way to know what the Last post is that you read in a thread? I have to skim through Posts until I find one that looks familiar. Ick.

Xom · #3 January 31st, 2004, 03:59 PM

Yes, reading this forum can be very annoying. Maybe someone from Shrapnel give us some *rational* explanation why they made forum this way (they are extremely stubborn about this backward design, no matter what Users say).

Targa · #4 January 31st, 2004, 05:26 PM

This is another one of those topics (similar to "is this game worth the price?") that seems to pop up every few days. Yep, the Messages are listed backwards in relation to every other forum on the planet. No, you can't change it. Why? I have no idea. Someone changed a UBB option in the way the forums are setup, and it's not user-controllable.

johan osterman · #5 January 31st, 2004, 05:30 PM

Shrapnel claims that most Users like it, once they've gotten used to it. So apparantly the folks over at the space empires IV forum and on the other game forums like it. I don't have any problems with the current setup, it took a while to get used to but now I find it convenient.

[ January 31, 2004, 15:32: Message edited by: johan osterman ]

#6 January 31st, 2004, 05:31 PM

Any argument they make won't sound "reasonable" to everyone. So it doesn't matter what they say because someone will say "but ...". Maybe it will be changed in the future, maybe not. I do know that Shrapnel will respond to Users (from personal experience) if you ask right and they feel it's a good suggestion.

PvK · #7 January 31st, 2004, 10:27 PM

It should really be an option to sort either way.

Saying something like "every other forum" (or even "99%") sorts the other way is an exaggeration.

With a popular forum with a lot of topic drift, this reverse sort order can be convenient, particularly if you re-check threads often.

Personally, I think that now I'm used to it, I rather prefer this sort order, particularly to busy forums where reading the latest thread means re-reading page 1 of a very long old thread, and having to find the "page 17" link and having to scroll down to find the latest comment.

On the other hand, ideally I think if I had the option, I might choose forward-sorting, but having the initial view be the bottom of the thread.

PvK