Kunoichi: Fixing some I can understand, but some of them are things that we members have asked for for a long time now, including having ponds smaller than 16 people!
Well, we have been asking fencer for the ability to make ponds with fewer players and some with faster time limits, so maybe he gave us the ability by not blocking them?
I would like to try one with 1 minute limits, lets say a quick 8 person pond?
rabbitoid: If you would have accepted your invite to the ponds plus fellowship, you would have already known all about the chess pond, including the fact that your chess rating would take a beating too
In a rainy pond, I think it makes sense, when more than one person falls out in the same round, for example when there ends up being a 4 way tie for first place, that the true order of finish should be determined by the player with the most points left? That way there would be no ties unless two or more people actually had the same amount of points when they fell in! It might add a bit more strategy to the bidding, and end the multitude of games that end with multiple winners. (or more precisely, no winners and a multitude of people tied for first place)
BIG BAD WOLF: But then fencer wil be inundated with requests to remove them from a game as soon as they fall into the pond! We dont need to make fencer grumpy ;)
I have 93 members in a ponds fellowship (minus a few stray pawns) and cant even get more than 7 or 8 people to sign up for a fellowship only pond!!!
Maybe fencer will lower the minimum amount of players for us????? I would also like to be able to play "live" pond games, maybe 1 or 5 minute moves?????
rabbitoid: I think this was discussed a long time ago... That would surely change the strategy from where it is now. I quit playing for a long while after the first ratings came out, because I had played for wins in the begining and had quite a few of them, then the ratings came out and I was discouraged to find out that people who had no wins yet placed 4th or 5th a lot had better ratings than I did! Now that I am playing again, I have only one win, but I am top 5 in every game so far, and my rating is climbing steadily. I guess if you can learn how to do both, get wins and be in the top 5 when you lose, you will be top ranked BKR for sure!
Vikes I gues you are correct, I am always happy if I finish and everyone who beats me is higher ranked than myself...
It would be nice if we could set games for BKR ratings!
Nothingness: Although I dont think the BKR of the people who finish ahead of you matters at all? Its not a strength of the field type calculation, but more the strength of the people you beat, Ithink?
It is great that we can have fellowship only pond runs now. The problem is finding enough people to sign up! Even in my ponds plus fellowship with 70 or so members it hard to get even 16 people for any one run! Some people only will play longer runs, somepeople only play fast ones etc.
Could we please be able to create smaller runs with say 8 o 10 or 12 people? And have the starting points reduced as well to correspond with fewer players?
Ponds Plus Fellowship open call for new members! We have many great fellowship only ponds and other fellowship games as well.
We dont allow suspected cheats into this fellowship, so you can play your ponds without fear of being cheated by colluders! Also a great forum to learn how to play better and other great tips and ideas!
WhisperzQ: Thats an awesome analysis! Maybe you could start a series of :cricket ponds" where all participants agree to only play their moves to the best of their ability, with out profit by "looking to see who has been online" or 'finding out who is in a dark pond".... just an honour type of thing, where everyone just plays by the intent of the rules.
Vikings: you dont need to know all players but I can think of one who wil always make you not want to go for the bonus because they always go really high, and I know one who is nototious for playing really low bids at really weird times, so if you just check out those two you are ahead of everyone who doesnt know the same.
I guess.... its just a shame that these games arent played the way they are intended just because we are online and people can get away with it. But I know it is stupid not to take advantage if someone else might anyway.
BBW, I am very disappointed that in order to maintain you ranking you did not even play in the 10 wins pond!!!! What a copout that you use the excuse that you are trying to get your gamecount down to avoid playing ponds! I can probably find a post from 3 years ago where you used the same excuse for playing you games too slowly, that you had to many games goind and needed to get the count down. You have had too many games for many years now, and the excuse is lame, IMO.
Now it is really none of my business what you do or why.... the point is that I am disappointed thet the best pond player on this site will not even play in one of the most prestegious pond games ever played on this site, no matter what you lame excuse. Shame on you! ;)~
Pbarb2: I think some people make extra high bids, then lett it auto-play before they are away..... sometimes you can stay in the game a bit longer than just not playing any moves for awhile.
Pedro Martínez: Remind us again, what he showed? I think the rating should be somewhat accurate after many games. I think it can skew someone who has not played many ponds but has done well in the ones they have played.
Maxxina: said "stupid" not a fool... LOL! J/K! Plus, we all know now tha winning a pond isnt the goal so much as getting a high BKR, at least for many of us. I personally havent won even one pond since the ratings came out, and although have had a higher BKR before, It was a lot lower when I went for wins over playing it safe.
Pedro Martínez: LOL... of course I have done that before. I just dont have the patients to do it routinely, and I do understand that it is stupid to purposly not do it, since someone else will alweays do it and the point is to be competative. Thats why I like the dark games, because nobody can play this way and the actual intent of the ponds and the way they are played are in effect.
Wait until the last hours before making a move. Then check all other players to see if they have been online to play. Especially check anyone who has a star nex to their name from the previous move. If you cannot find someone who is on an auto move, then play very conservatively, and repeat on the next round. Soon enough someone will will play an auto move that is very low and you can play safe a very low bid that will put you in the lead. When the game gets near the end, all you have to do is bid one more than the lowest player, and voila', plenty of top finishes and a very high BKR.... no thinking required!