Nextgen magic website in development
Online Magic forum
Posted on March 2, 2016, 6:46 p.m. by EloB
I'm been developing a magic webpage https://mtg.zone/. That now contains a deckbuilder and also a really nice search engine. That has custom filters. If you search for example "@standard @instant @blue counter spell" you will get all blue instant standard cards that contains counter spell ordered by highest relevance. Its really fast and the design works good in both desktop and mobiles. Still some glitches but it's work in progress! Supported webbrowsers are Chrome, Safari, Opera, iOS (Safari) and Android (Chrome). I will try to support everyone but using a lot of new technologies!
Because of previous bad experience when playing magic and something has to be searched and verified on the internet. We often don't have the time or energy because of slow searches and bad UX in UI when searching on phones.
March 3, 2016 1 p.m.
Right now I'm not finished with the read more page about an card that contains rulings and such.
Inside your local database the information is laying there ready to be displayed.
To show my ambition I used mtgjson.com data but I felt that 9.1mb zipped was not good enough. So I built my own file format compressed it to 4mb instead without any data loss. This fileformat is easy to stream so the second you start downloading this file you will fill your local database. To minimize the time for upstart. I could just settled with 9.1mb and make a bad implementation but I'm not the guy who cheats. I will always aim to be the best!
March 3, 2016 1:24 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #4
To be fair, I actually gave you feedback earlier, and you completely ignored it to do your sales pitch.
Also, you can't call this site bad when my connection out of town is gone.
Plus, I have MTG familiar for that anyways.
And actually, my data plan is fairly consistent in my town. I wouldn't play an MMO over my phones network, but for webpages/videos, it's perfect.
March 3, 2016 1:40 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #5
Alright, you want specific instructions? Start by being able to save and make multiple decks. That's the very basic foundation for any deck-building app/site.
Next, the statistics tab doesn't show anything, so you'll want to add average CMC, a pie chart with colors, perhaps deck price.
March 3, 2016 1:57 p.m.
grumbledore says... #6
if you're specifically building this to be used on mobile, you should just make an app man. check out [0] and [1] specifically. i use them all the time to look up card pricing and rulings.
[0] MtG guide
[1] Decked Builder
March 3, 2016 2:03 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON thanks for valuable input! I'm not done with the statistics part yet so in the design it's only a placeholder and the save solution right now is just version 1. This is very high priority for me right now and will be developed after I'm done with the about card page.
March 3, 2016 2:05 p.m.
Thanks for valuable input scrotality.
In the future I might do a app but right now my main focus web first. I'm using React a framework that Facebook have developed so it's kind of easy build an app afterwards with the current business logic.
March 3, 2016 2:10 p.m.
Here are some conceptual graphics in 3D for deck testing. Hotkeys QWEASD to fly around. Right now you can click the card to flip them.
http://cdn.mtg.zone/3d/
March 3, 2016 5:06 p.m.
I was just testing some animations. The finished product will look completely different. Is this something that you would like to have? :)
March 3, 2016 5:24 p.m.
Is there anything you guys really would like to have? When I see the websites about Magic they are all super boring. I love the art on the actual cards but except from that the websites are really ugly. They are also pretty slow. The autocompletes fields are not rapid enough. I think it has todo with I'm used to a really good standard of webpages. It's like going backwards in your broadband plan. When you get used to super fast you always want it. So slow sites feels even slower.
March 3, 2016 5:40 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #16
I'll gladly accept a couple ms longer in search time and a less elegant UI over allowing your fraction of a site access to 50mb of my device's storage.
You're still attempting to use minor gripes and done-it-before solutions as the justification for your site's "obvious" superiority rather than listening to the community, which is very plainly telling you that you don't understand what they want (as much as you believe otherwise).
Stop presuming to insult our community and tell us you know better instead of listening.
March 3, 2016 6:26 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #17
I never said anything against change, I just don't think a play tester needs to be pretty. We aren't playing a next gen video game, we're testing a card game.
March 3, 2016 6:37 p.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #18
Oh, this is still going on? Except it's become more pretentious and irritating. After reading all of your responses, EloB, I'm somewhat insulted on just how presumptuous you are. You're insisting you're right regardless of what the community says, and you're twisting what we say to fit whatever mental narrative you've constructed for yourself.
March 3, 2016 7:12 p.m.
CanadianShinobi We have completely different mindsets. I'm always encourage people when I see things. I try to see the potential in things and tell them what to develop. This thread have only been super negative. Not a single good comment about my project. That is what you call energy drainers.
March 3, 2016 7:32 p.m.
TheFoilAjani says... #21
EloB No one is going to praise you if there is nothing to praise. You aren't addressing the people who are talking with you, only saying that, oh, no one understands me. If you want people to take your "project" seriously, step up to the plate.
March 3, 2016 7:39 p.m.
DERPLINGSUPREME says... #22
EloB, no one was being negative. We were being honest, and instead of trying to make your product great, you complained and said it already was, and that we were the issue, not your product.
And no one cares if stop writing. It could have ended yesterday. We made our point and its very clear you didn't want to accept it. No one is going to pity you for that.
March 3, 2016 7:42 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #23
If you had answered the very basic question of "why should I use your product over T/O" with an actual answer we would be having a very different thread.
As someone who has been with T/O for a long time I can tell you that the way to get through to people on this site is NOT blunt force trauma.
Your reactions have been petty and snide with the air of "The magic community just doesn't know what it wants, I do though!" This is what people have been reacting to.
Your first action should have been to say: "Hey guys! I'm a developer who plays MTG and I noticed some things I don't like about the available apps/websites (for exapmle slowness in some areas etc.) so I'm using what I know to make an app.
What, as the magic community, do you think we need in an app? Furthermore, if anyone has some constructive criticism here's my prototype, it's just basics right now but I plan on expanding and hopefully with your help I can make something sweet."
Following that start you should have treated every commenter like a potential customer. If someone asks you a question or challenges you answer kindly and rise to the challenge. Dont act like you know better then the commenter because they re USUALLY commenting for a reason.
Hope you take this to heart and that it helps you as a person.
March 3, 2016 7:50 p.m.
HairyManBack says... #24
I liked what you've started here. I really think an excellent and quick search engine could really be useful. Your sight looks clean and simple. A lot like I'd expect from Google or something. Definitely encourage you to finish the work. Don't really understand the criticism here. Hope to see the sight unravel.
Thought a suggestion would be having a Casting Cost option. Or like a quick scroll down menu under 'card search'. I suppose in a way a monkey could use it. Whenever I'm creating something for the public I try to keep that in mind.
Epochalyptik says... #1
So why is this preferable to other apps that allow you to get cards, rulings, and the actual rulebook locally?
March 3, 2016 12:25 p.m.