I'll try that, but i still think it could be avoided, and I don't want to have to keep checking to see which rounds are tardy in starting. Is there any reason why the tournament owner needs to actually approve the next round starting?

Yea, I do think that came up before... and if I remember correctly, Fencer was going to try to take that extra step out (along with the extra step when you create a tournament.... (step 1. Close Tournament. step 2. Start tournament) I think it might be one of those things on Fencers list, but not too high on the list. I'm sure Fencer will say something once he logs on.

My questions sort of on the same subject.

What happens to tournaments once the creator goes from a rook to a pawn? Can the creator still do things with current tournament that had already been started or created even though he is a pawn now?

Also lets say a rook is in a fellowship tournament and becomes a pawn - does he forfet all the fellowship tournament games when he drops to a pawn (and kicked out of all fellowships?)

I don't plan on giving up my rook status any time soon, but sooner or later these questions will come up! :-)

i have been wondering those thigs too, BBW. Though, I too never plan on being less than a rook. If I could afford it, I'd be that next level up!! ( The maharajah or whatever) I LOVE this site and can't wait until shirts or baseball caps are available so I can easilly advertise this site.

Yes, I can add a script that will be automatically started once a day [like the expiration check script does] and will start all tournaments waiting for the next round. I will add it to my list.
About turning rooks to pawns, such player loses all rook advantages [directing a tournament, starting a fellowship, etc.] but he is not automatically kicked off his fellowships and tournaments. I would like to give people a chance to renew their membership, especially if they run a fellowship.
Since these situations [membership expiration] are still new and not much tested, I will improve them later :-)

Magenta Spiral: Actually, adding brand new games would required strong Java programming skills and due to security reasons I would have to check all details of such code before it could be added to the site. Modifying start positions of already implemented games is much easier.
However, these games should go to a special section, something like "user defined variants". Hmmm, not a bad idea at all. I will think it over.

Fencer, I upgrade from Knight to Rook, Now since the site went down, I'm back to being a KNIGHT! UGH! LOL Can this please be fixed?? Thankyou , great site!

Fencer: Is there a chance the old data will be restored that was lost? I was just wondering because there are now people missing from my fellowship that joined yesterday. I don't mind playing games over, I was just wondering because I can't remember who all I lost. Thanks, I love playing here! :o)

Fencer: On Sunday I upgraded from Brain Rook to Brain Supreme Being after paying 3 million euros. Now I am back to being a Brain Rook.

Also on Sunday I won every game I played and won every tournament I entered - including several I hadn't.
Can this be fixed?

What do you mean, 'NO!!'?

Oh, okay then.

ladybell: Done. It happened due to database server failure.<br>
Crissie: I am sorry but the database from Sunday is lost. The persons must join the fellowship again.<br>
bumble: Please wait until I check my bank account for those 3 millions ;-)

Would it be easy to add the same (new messages) indicators on the fellowship boards as it is on the Discussion Boards??

It should already be on, Aragon, if you have them on your favourite boards.

Can you add fellowships to your fav boards?? Mine all show as 'Fellowships' which is below my 'Fav Boards' (which do show when there are new messages) I didn't see a way to add fellowships to the fav boards section!! Better go look!!

LOL, there is, if you go on your fellowship discussion board it says 'add to faves' underneath... and for your news boards, click on archived news, and the 'add to faves' is there!

add to favs is a clumsy option - why should I have
a fellowships list then altogether ? this feature request
was alredy made, Fencer said he loves the idea and,
he'll implement it ... hmm - was a few weeks ago ...
aware of the yet missing 2nd server probably something
to do the week after ... ;) ... ~*~

So it does Harley you smart cookie!! I was looking on the main fellowship page rather than the board. DOH!!

Thank You, maybe now I won't miss your quizes :o)

Also thanks danoschek, wasn't sure if it had came up before!!

Oh sure it will be better when new messages show on the 'fellowship' list... but would that be new 'news' messages, or new messages on the discussion board of that fellowship?
I would guess it will show when there is a new 'news' message. So I will still have the discussion boards as favourites so I know when there is new messages there! :o)

As do I (or atleast now I do) ROFL. Thanx again Harley!!

could you repeat that, Harley ? roflmao !
it's very hot here, but after the rain I'll grasp for sure ~*~

Well we can have 2 fellowship boards (per fellowship) under favourites, right? The discussion one, where anyone can post, and the news one on the main page, where only the big boss can post messages.

What I was saying is that if 'new messages' are to be shown beside the fellowship name (under our 'fellowship list' then which one would show up?
Would it show the new messages by the big boss, or on the discussion board?
I would guess the messages by the big boss, since they are often the most important.
So, I would still have the discussion board under favourites.
Did that make more sense?!

Aragon, you're welcome! :o)

Would it be possible to add 4-player chaturanga to the offerings on Brain King? I enjoy this game very much and think that others would, too. I personally prefer the no-dice variant and alliances between red and yellow, and black and green, as described in Gollon's modern version of the variant.

Dare I say that Yonin Shogi (4-player shogi) is even better?

Hey,
Just wondering. Will the Auto-Refresh feature be turned off (for pawns) indefinitely?

I will turn it on soon. My tests has proven that it has nothing to do with occasional server down events.

I posted a message on the Gammon Discussion Board, asking for doubling to hasten resignations!!

It occurs to me that a double feature could work for any number of games, where guys in totally lost positions just go on and on. Halma and Reversi are good examples.

by all means let them play on - but the possibility that they could lose 'two' games (with the consequent effect on their ratings) could make a resignation decision very easy!

No doubling for other than gammon games please. Doubling when in a clear lead position will "force" the opponent to resign even if he has a little chance to win the game. Who would risk losing "two" games if there was only a small chance to win.

resignation isn't the only reason to double... i see no reason for a doubling cube unless you're going to have multiple point matches... that is all part of the game of backgammon... you have so many variations of other games.. its too bad we don't have the element to play this one properly...

Lovely Sharon - I agree that resignation isn't the only reason but it's a good one!
Kitti - please describe a 'little chance to win'? What would your guy be waiting for? A blunder?

If you were going to implement the doubling cube, you would also need to award two wins for a gammon and 3 for a backgammon. Personally I think if you're going to implement that, let's just have 5 point matches.

I started the thread by suggesting that once the game is mathematically over then the game server should award the game instead of forcing the game to continue pointlessly. Of course resignations would help (I always resign if the game is mathematically beyond reach, why prolong the agony).

personally .. i like to see my matches to the end... :)

Sharon - why do you like seeing games thru to the end? If you are hopelessly lost, what are you hoping for? That the opponent will time out? give up in disgust? die?

<no....miracles...LOLOL>..

tonyh Since this is a game server that encourages community along with the games, there is no harm in opponents playing out their games or even having friendly chats in the face of definite defeat.

Since BK offers no doubling cube for backgammon, it's really hard to take the game too seriously here. Backgammon with a doubling cube and backgammon without a doubling cube are two entirely different games. Add betting and money to the mix, and you've changed the games even more.

If I find myself in a hopeless position in a game, I usually congratulate my opponent and tell him/her that I'm going to resign on my next move. This avoids a lot of misunderstandings and keeps the tone friendly. If I have mathematically won a game, I never ask an opponent to resign. To me it's really rude to ask that of someone. They may want to have some fun by learning from you.

Being a member of a gamesite such as BK is more than BKN ratings and amassing numbers in one's win column; it's social games and community.

If you're obsessed with wins and ratings, a BG site such as FIBS is probably better suited for you than BK.

Enjoy your games everyone.

I like to see my matches to the end too, occasionally I resign, but not often, I don't like to feel I'm quitting because I am losing

tonyh: If there is a chance to win resigning should not be "forced" with doubling. I agree that sometimes the games drag on pointlessly when other side has no chance whatsoever. But determining when a game is decided is not that easy on many games. If doubling was there many endgame turnarounds wouldn't happen. For example in a game of reversi 10x10 my situation looked really hopeless after move 36 (and even before that). I was thinking about resigning and surely my opponent would have doubled at that point if the option would have been there. Then resigning would have been the only sensible option for me to do. However i continued to play and managed to clinch victory with a few points margin! It was a great match and it would never have happened if doubling was there. Many such games where other side has definite advantage would end prematurely if we could double. Here's link to the game.

But gammons are a different thing. The doubling cube belongs there and should be implemented as soon as possible.

I think it should be handled like it is at IYT... they have a version with it, and a version without it. The version with it, is a 5 point game. Maybe here we could decide for ourselves when creating the game how many points it would be..(which of course we already do with multi point matches)
I definitely wish the doubling cube was here.. and I'm sure at some point, it will be.
But as discussed a while back on the backgammon discussion board, I would rather backgammon be fixed to follow the "if you CAN use both dice, you MUST" rule, first.

Peacepickle; I took the liberty of looking at your profile and see that you play only Backgammon. This is a game where you can have remarkable turn-rounds, even when everything looks hopeless. And you have a super rating, which means that you lose rarely!
A game like chess, though, can be totally won; getting the win quickly can take ages!
When I play games for chat and fun and I was in a lost position, I would suggest that I resign and start another with the same opponent.
But a game like chess

was added by people who don't like to cope with the entire smartness
of the game and, should be abandoned anyway ... as we do here ... ~*~

Actually In backgammon it is frequent that a position is reached when one player cannot lose, even if (s)he rolls 2-1 and the opponent 6-6 for the rest of the game. Obviously this is only applicable if there are no overlaps and therefore no chance of capturing. In these cases you should resign unless both players are happy to keep chatting. It is really only tournaments that I would apply this to since a lot of other players may be waiting for the outcome before proceeding.

What a foolish thing to say.
It has NOT been "abandoned" here. I believe we were told that at some point it WOULD be implemented. If you don't care to follow the rules, you certainly don't have to play.
Not playing by the rules is CHEATING. No RESPECTABLE game lover wants to cheat. Period.

are as usual coming from you ...

playing to the rules is playing to the rules ...
you wanted to change them - I did not call that cheating either
just (go figure) ignorant ... as to believe bigger words have bigger meanings ~*~

I wanted to change rules??? You are confused.

you should know at least the rules here ... :P ... ~*~

I support implementing the doubling cube because unlike other rules and
their supporters it improves the smartness of the game ... good night :) ~*~

It is only closed because I don't feel like dealing with your usual nonsense

it's okay, ear-stuffer ... smartness of games is really not your subject.

and now back off and put your obsessive iyt-bs where it belongs ...
my pygmy pony sounds better from his back than you from the front ...

I refrain from requesting to implement some artificial intelligence as new
feature for our comrade with such an immense natural stupidity because
respecting board topics is an unconquerable obstacle for hollow ramble-
fanatics and their dwarfhood of screwing up to personal attacks ... ~*~

Oh, danoschek
Come off your high Janus! :·P

anything to advance the board topic ?
not ? I thought so ... buh bye ... ~*~

I think the idea of games for four players like chaturanga is excellent!! Is the shogi game for four maybe too foreign, though? It would be very complex.

yatzee

Fencer,I love your site.... I would like,,, :) to be able to see my "Friends on-line" list, on the game pages.. That way when I am playing,,,I can see my friends who are on-line... {'_'}
Shelly

Those are listed on your main page on the right, right beneath the date and time :-)