The reply function isn't good at anything it aims to achieve.

Anarcho

The new reply feature is described as helping to keep context alive in fast-moving channels. However, its interface and usage are antithetical to this goal, and it makes both of those things far, far worse than quotes.

First of all, it just plain looks bad. The replied-to message is so tiny and awkwardly shoved in between actual messages that discord becomes a hassle to read, especially when a chat is full of replies. It looks like twice the messages in the same space, effectively halving your pixel distance and the text size. It's just plain ugly. 

Also, while others have pointed this out, the feature doesn't say the replied-to person first. With quotes, you see message->poster->quoter. That's easy to follow. With this, you see tiny, teeny, little message->replier->poster. Why? It doesn't follow logically to see "User 2 replied to User 1" if you're trying to see who said something first. 

The way pings work with it is also awful. While it's nice that they can be toggled on and off, there's no visible notification. Sure, the bar lights up and whatnot, but it's far less clear than a quote's big, direct symbol. A lack of clarity seems to be the hallmark of the reply system, as it makes it harder for the replier, poster, and chat reader to follow what's going on.

What should be done about this? I don't think the idea of replies is inherently bad, but it doesn't work right now. It just doesn't read well or communicate smoothly, and it doesn't keep context any more than quotes do. If this feature is to be kept, quotes need to be added back in for users who prefer them, and the replied-to message must be the same size as normal text and in a clear order. Thank you. 

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  • MixerBlaze

    I agree with this. The reply system looks terrible and is difficult to follow. Especially in fast moving chats, which is where it technically should shine. I have no idea who thought this was a good concept, and we can't even use quotes anymore.

    3
  • AsD

    It's impossible to read. It's too small and the important elements of it are all over the place. Quotes were way cleaner.

    1

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