PlanetsCentral

In the "Titan 1" forum there is a thread about missed turns / dropped players that could be of interest to every player. I guess we will make up some "drop players from a game after missing turns" rule there. So, if you have an opinion on that topic, check it out.

And if you are one of the players who missed their turns, submit them :-)

--Stefan

This is a sensitive subject. Sometimes people have rl problems and CAN'T play their turns for a while.

Then others simply join, if the game doesn't go their way they quit. This is abuse!

How do you tell the difference? Hard! The former will only have missed turns during a certain time period and not before.

The latter will be obvious!

So ban/kick/kill abusers and don't allow them to join other games.

Give the persons with rl problems a grace period where they cannot miss any more turns. If so, limit the games they can join to say one per month for say a year.

Just my 2 cents!

I think the limitation for games could really be an option. My suggestion would be that people who drop out get a limit of playing a maximum of two games simultaneously, or even just one if they repeat quitting without a good reason (getting killed ingame is not a reason). Plus blocking them to register for new games within 6 months of dropping out of a game.

That way they will maybe start to cherish their games a little more and cannot hop from one game to the next one.

This is a sensitive subject. Sometimes people have rl problems and CAN'T play their turns for a while.

Then others simply join, if the game doesn't go their way they quit. This is abuse!

How do you tell the difference? Hard! The former will only have missed turns during a certain time period and not before.

The latter will be obvious!

So ban/kick/kill abusers and don't allow them to join other games.

Give the persons with rl problems a grace period where they cannot miss any more turns. If so, limit the games they can join to say one per month for say a year.

Just my 2 cents!

I don't think punishing the droppers is going to do anything.

If i'm forced to keep at the game, i just receive the turn and send it back. If i'm forced to play only in one game at a time, i'll loose interest as well.

And people will loose the interest in the vgaplanets game in general as well.

When one quits the computer player shouldn't be there either. Because it cheats and it won't make alliances. The planets should be there for the taking. The other players, knowing there are treasures there, will have more interest in that territory.

Also, maybe the map should shrink while playing. so that everyone is near each other. Or make the map smaller from beginning. Maybe 250 or 350 planets? and closer? This is because even if you are number one in the scores, if you have one front or two, and you have ships built in the rear and it takes 20 turns to get there... you will loose interest as well.

Also, make the game run more times a week even at weekends. For me a game that runs everyday is better than a game that runs twice a week for instance. You have less time to think about the tactics but when i get the turn, i think i still have time to do it and end up doing it in the last minute.

just my 2 cents

seems it takes not much for you to lose interest in a game. The 83% rate of sending in turns speaks for itself.

maybe Stefan can setup a game for rushers which fits your wishes, as long as there are enough people to fill it. I think that would be better than to mix with players who prefer the usual setup.

I don't think punishing the droppers is going to do anything.

If i'm forced to keep at the game, i just receive the turn and send it back. If i'm forced to play only in one game at a time, i'll loose interest as well.

And people will loose the interest in the vgaplanets game in general as well.

When one quits the computer player shouldn't be there either. Because it cheats and it won't make alliances. The planets should be there for the taking. The other players, knowing there are treasures there, will have more interest in that territory.

Also, maybe the map should shrink while playing. so that everyone is near each other. Or make the map smaller from beginning. Maybe 250 or 350 planets? and closer? This is because even if you are number one in the scores, if you have one front or two, and you have ships built in the rear and it takes 20 turns to get there... you will loose interest as well.

Also, make the game run more times a week even at weekends. For me a game that runs everyday is better than a game that runs twice a week for instance. You have less time to think about the tactics but when i get the turn, i think i still have time to do it and end up doing it in the last minute.

just my 2 cents

Really? If you lost the time to search that then you should loose time searching for how many times i gave up on a game. Even with no chance on success i stayed to the end, most of the time.

Anyway, you are using my opinion to deviate from the topic, and to try to justify your idea.

Back to the topic, the host sets the rules and we follow. He listens to other opinions but its his decision and we must follow or leave.

seems it takes not much for you to lose interest in a game. The 83% rate of sending in turns speaks for itself.

maybe Stefan can setup a game for rushers which fits your wishes, as long as there are enough people to fill it. I think that would be better than to mix with players who prefer the usual setup.

wasp in Re: What to do to droppers?...:

I don't think punishing the droppers is going to do anything.

If i'm forced to keep at the game, i just receive the turn and send it back. If i'm forced to play only in one game at a time, i'll loose interest as well.

And people will loose the interest in the vgaplanets game in general as well.

When one quits the computer player shouldn't be there either. Because it cheats and it won't make alliances. The planets should be there for the taking. The other players, knowing there are treasures there, will have more interest in that territory.

Also, maybe the map should shrink while playing. so that everyone is near each other. Or make the map smaller from beginning. Maybe 250 or 350 planets? and closer? This is because even if you are number one in the scores, if you have one front or two, and you have ships built in the rear and it takes 20 turns to get there... you will loose interest as well.

Also, make the game run more times a week even at weekends. For me a game that runs everyday is better than a game that runs twice a week for instance. You have less time to think about the tactics but when i get the turn, i think i still have time to do it and end up doing it in the last minute.

just my 2 cents

Punishing or banning HABITUAL droppers WILL eventually make a difference!

Punishing people who have temporary rl problems which keep them from turns for a week or two or three does the game no good!

And it can be hard to distinguish the two!

Still, I believe a REALISTIC system of rating people would be a great help.

SO....say you only complete 75% of the turns you are SUPPOSED to run? Then your rating would be 75% and you would be limited to the games you can join. If you complete >90% of your turns, you can join ANY game. If you complete <50% of your turns, you would be SEVERELY restricted to say no more than one game at a time until you raise your rating!

You would receive a certain percentage of increase per each turn you completed! The actual percentage would be a matter of trial and error? Say .2% per turn to start and down the line it could be adjusted up or down!

Just an idea. Any changes/improvements/suggestions are welcome!

I amy not be the smartest guy in the world, but at least I try to come up with solutions!

But if you drop below a certain point how do you get it up again without playing?

I think there's allready a penalty in points for dropping, right?

There will b always droppers, i think. And we can't control it. But we also have many people that goes to the end.

I think a change in the game setup so that droppers won't affect that much the game. Like smaller maps and more turns per week.

Punishing or banning HABITUAL droppers WILL eventually make a difference!

Punishing people who have temporary rl problems which keep them from turns for a week or two or three does the game no good!

And it can be hard to distinguish the two!

Still, I believe a REALISTIC system of rating people would be a great help.

SO....say you only complete 75% of the turns you are SUPPOSED to run? Then your rating would be 75% and you would be limited to the games you can join. If you complete >90% of your turns, you can join ANY game. If you complete <50% of your turns, you would be SEVERELY restricted to say no more than one game at a time until you raise your rating!

You would receive a certain percentage of increase per each turn you completed! The actual percentage would be a matter of trial and error? Say .2% per turn to start and down the line it could be adjusted up or down!

Just an idea. Any changes/improvements/suggestions are welcome!

I amy not be the smartest guy in the world, but at least I try to come up with solutions!

Here my two cents:

Dropping/Joining restrictions: I'd really like to see "reliable/experienced players only" games, such as the one PlanetsServer had, but we are still too few to make that workable if even an unrestricted game takes months to fill.

For the same reason, I'd like players to play with one account. Limiting an account to play, say, two games only will only encourage people with multiple accounts. PlanetsServer was plagued with players who would play with five sockpuppet accounts in a single game, and finally transfer the winning race to their main account to gain rank. At least I believe to have fixed that loophole in my math.

What I'm trying to train everyone to is to consider their main account a valuable resource, not a throwaway. Whatever, just invest a tiny amount of maintenance to keep it in good shape: if real-life prevents you from submitting turns, at least give up the slot and try to find a replacement. Again, I hope my rank math encourages that.

Dropping: It's not a sin to drop due to real-life issues. It's a game after all. But, again, please do the minimal effort to keep the game running for the others. You're in a multiplayer game, and that means you have a responsibility for others much like they have a responsibility for you. It is a sin to drop if you don't like your initial position, your alliance situation, the number of players in the game, or anything else in the game.

And even if you're on last place, I'd expect everyone on this planet to be able to learn something from that defeat.

Turn frequency: The turn frequencies given are minimal frequencies. If a game runs Mon/Wed/Fri, it will run each day if you submit a turn each day! I think the current schedule (7 days, then Mon/Wed/Fri, then Thu/Sun) gives a good framework for everyone. If you want to play faster, go ahead! I usually do my turn the same day I get the result (but enjoy not having to rush when I had a hard day at work).

Computer player: At least one commitment I can make here: there will not ever be a cheating computer player on this site. I'd really like to see an AI that at least maintains your economy and continues your auto-tasks, so you can use it even for cases where you're just absent for a week, but that still is a little work to do.

--Stefan