I was just looking to join a new world and I notice under the new format it initally sends me to one suggested world option and then I can click a link to see other worlds...  How do they determine the suggested world? Is it the world with least openings?

appears to be fewest openings.

Posted by mktulu2 on 10/22/2015 3:33:00 PM (view original):
appears to be fewest openings.

Appears to be the public world with the fewest openings.

In my opinion, the layout of the open worlds screen makes absolutely no sense

It is working for the Suggested World for sure.  Three of them filled today!  

Hornsby started the day with 8 openings and #3 in line.  And both worlds in front filled. AND Hornsby filled 8 spots in less than 4 hours.  

So maybe the marketing is starting.  Has to be a good sign.

Yeah that is a good point.  Especially since once you get past the next couple you are talking about worlds with 12+ openings and in come cases more than half the world is gone.

For Life is public right now with 21 openings.....I assume they will have to move away from the theme if they are filling with newbies in public way.

If a n00b is coming to the site to try HBD for the first time, they're most likely going to want to pay their money and get started quickly.  "Funneling" them through to the next available world by doing this is probably the best way to accomplish that.  I'm guessing that it also helps WIS's revenue stream somewhat as it will have fewer unfilled worlds.

No doubt they want to start quickly.   But I'm guessing they'd like to enjoy the next 90 days as well.    Then re-up.  Seems like that's what everyone would want.

If I go out to eat at a new place, ask for a recommendation and said recommendation tastes like ****, I'm not going back.   I don't really care if the chef had a bad day, it was just a poor piece of steak or if the waiter urinated on it, I tried the house "suggestion" and it sucked.   The reason doesn't matter.

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/23/2015 11:16:00 AM (view original):
No doubt they want to start quickly.   But I'm guessing they'd like to enjoy the next 90 days as well.    Then re-up.  Seems like that's what everyone would want.

If I go out to eat at a new place, ask for a recommendation and said recommendation tastes like ****, I'm not going back.   I don't really care if the chef had a bad day, it was just a poor piece of steak or if the waiter urinated on it, I tried the house "suggestion" and it sucked.   The reason doesn't matter.

Public worlds are like McDonalds or Burger King.  For the most part, they're all going to be the same. 

If somebody wants to get a $1.50 hamburger for a quick lunch, they're not going to ask for recommendations about which is the better McDonalds, the one on Main Street or the one on Washington Avenue.  They're just going to go to the most convenient one.  That's all this is doing.  Pointing out the most convenient (i.e., most likely to start soonest) world.

Your example is more appropriate for private worlds.  If you want a "gourmet" burger for dinner and are willing to spend some money, you're going to want to get a recommendation about which places to go and which ones to avoid.

I believe you're being intentionally obtuse.    The site appears to be suggesting specific worlds.    I don't mind the funneling, as you say, I'm just saying I'd use different wording. 

Or I'd list the worlds, old school, in order of fewest openings with some detailed information about choosing worlds.

Given the complexity, there's something to be said for a newb signing up for a world and having a few days to explore before it's full and ready to roll. Someone looking for a quick, simple game to play is less likely to be a devoted long-term player than someone who wants a game that requires a few days of learning before starting. "I sure wish I'd read ___ in the forums/help BEFORE crippling my first franchise" is not the ideal reaction of a new customer.

The quick start would be a good route if HBD had practice worlds like Sim Leagues' spring training leagues: Draft a team when you sign up; realize three days later that ERC and catchers' arms are huge, and that being a doubles hitter in a doubles park is meaningless; then go and sign up for a real league with at least some basic knowledge of how the game works.

Not much would be more counterproductive than someone joining and 2 days later getting the idea that the game is heavily slanted toward those who know hidden tricks (injury bug, pitch weighting, pitch descriptions not having any relevance, etc.). To use Mike's restuarant analogy, bad as the lousy meal would be, it would be worse to complain about it and have the waiter say "Oh, you should have asked for the manager's recommendation, not the chef's. All our regulars know that."

And, FWIW, recalling my introduction to the site, I had no idea about public/theme worlds in SLB.    I just signed up and went where I was sent.    Which is fine for a single season.

It is possible that right now the goal is to fill the empty public worlds.  If a marketing campaign is taking place my guess is the goal is to both fill all the open worlds (including the bad ones) and to create more worlds over time.  Many people who try the game won't come back no matter how good the world is.  Some who start in a bad public world will realize that they want to part of a private world with rules (This was my path).  Some people who come the site for the first time will do some research BEFORE they join and realize they want to go private right away.  All three of those outcomes help with the goal of filling worlds and WIS probably doesn't want to worry about the small things like "What if a noob joins a bad world?" figuring numbers will be in their favor in the long run as long as targeted marketing works.