Feature Request: Larger Board (or Half Zen Mode)

Go board should be able to have as big height as possible, its very important
Zen mode do that, but too many interface features are disappear here, chat for example
why not do big board while preserving most of normal interface?

like that:

4 Likes

How to three-way toggle zen mode?

More page space for the goban has been a popular demand for a while now.

1 Like

There could be “Enlarge Board” button that just makes board max possible size. Board is in front of any other things. It will not lead to problems if you have long enough screen.


you can click any image on the forum to make it larger:


why not make similar function for goban?

1 Like

I don’t think this has anything to do with Zen mode, actually.

This is another “more space for the board” request, isn’t it?

The specific feature of this “more space for the board” is “please use the header bar for board space instead”

1 Like

Ah, I interpreted the title Larger Board (or Half Zen Mode) as:

Larger Board (aka Half Zen Mode)

But now I see maybe it meant:

Larger Board (alternatively Half Zen Mode)


I think my follow-up question is:

How does one navigate without the nav bar?

Lot of solutions, like to swipe down on a mobile to make it appear.

1 Like

And on desktop? I’m not trying to shoot down the request, but these are legitimate questions that anyone who implements this would need to answer.

Well i dunno for desktop, but my main concern is mobile because to occupy fully the available space is something i find crucial.
I wrote a couple of times on this which is far from perfect on OGS. Got some likes and that’s it. I guess most use a desktop.

I don’t understand your concern with mobile. On my phone the board filles the whole space from left to right. Maybe u are using landscape? Try portrait, it might fix the problem for u.

Ok just made quickly a screenshot. You ll see that the board is not fitting.

on mobile its usually :

I talking about landscape


return board to normal size and then navigate, no problem
then return to game, make board big again and continue to play

1 Like

these buttons^
Why don’t move them there permanently? So no special mode is needed
Bigger board is more important than their location under the board
its clear what they mean for everyone, unlike hamburger menu
new location would still be similar to where they are in portrait mode now
image

3 Likes

New nav bar is so big that there is more than enough place to add something like a button with function to hide it. Unhide button may be placed at top right corner of the screen. This could work anywhere, not just on game page.


Microsoft Windows has ability to hide their bar. Why not OGS to have it too?

Examples of websites would be more convincing than examples of operating systems. OS are meant to get out of the way, and people are expected to spend enough time with their OS that they can figure out power user stuff like hiding the bar.

I did a quick spot check, the websites I found with top bar don’t have a button to hide it:

  • Discourse (our forums software)
  • Facebook
  • Yahoo
  • Gmail
  • Lichess (except Zen mode, which we already have)

My subjective feeling: the request itself (larger board) is agreeable, but the minor complication that needs to be added elsewhere (a button to enlarge/unenlarge, separate from zen mode) is not worth it.

One suggestion: there is also option to hide the bar with a CSS extension, similar to that guy who hid the logo :joy:

1 Like

:joy:

1 Like

they don’t have game board as the main purpose of existence


in that meme:
https://forums.online-go.com/t/go-memes/4337/2312
I made board small on the second picture for a reason
go server may add some additional functions to what you have in real Go club, but it shouldn’t decrease quality of the main thing.
Imagine Go club transformed into restaurant where boards became small, so table have enough space for a food.

FIFY :slight_smile:


It’s a great meme. But I think there is some irony that you are proposing to add another button to reduce clutter…

1 Like

Isn’t the fix for stone_defender simply to turn his device in portrait mode?
No additional button needed, it’s already there without more clutter.
Extremely elegant.

He’s not on mobile…