Why are pawns not allowed to post on the Birthdays board but are allowed to post on the Stories board?
This seems more than a little unfair.

*sigh* I really hate to add to this joyful banter, but nhb, I played on IYT (and still do) at all times of day and night for three years now, and still have only seen one case of less-than-savory conversation. At that, once I'd declined the non-game invitation, we have had at least one game going since, and nothing further has been said. We do, however, enjoy friendly banter, so even those that you (betwixt the lines) call cyber-freaks have other things about their personalities than sex.

Point: Harley got it right. We don't need to go bashing other sites. I didn't come here to 'get away' from anything. I came here because an IYT friend suggested I check it out. I did, I liked it, and now I'm a paid member of -both- sites.

Uhm.. NHB.. I did read your post. Lighten up, it was a joke fercrissake.

Chattytea!!

Send me your questions for Chatty ASAP, time is running out!!

There was plenty of wackos and weirdos on the M25 during the snow the other day. I was stuck in it for 4 hours.

I am not knocking whatever site you have just come from.
I just wish to inform you that in nearly a year on this site I ahave only encountered one case of suspected improper behaviour.
I have found no wackos or weirdos and providing a modicum of decorum is maintained, a wide variety of views opinions and prejudices are freely aired and traded.

Of course I agree :o) Its by far the best site in my opinion. But I don't think it does the site any good if new people come here and the first board they visit is full of crisicism about a site they may consider pretty good. They may not stick around to find out what a great site this really is. I'd like to think that the players here are above bashing another site to make this one look good. We all know BK is a wonderful place, with wonderful people. That will shine through without comparing this site to others :oD

Decent people come to this games site to avoid people such as I have described. OR
You meet nicer people on this site because Fencer will not allow that sort of behaviour.
FACT
A lot of the girls on this site who have chatted to me have commented on the lack of "cybersex" freaks.
I do not criticise the sites per se anymore than I criticise the M25 or M4.. as someone so sapiently renmarked "its the people and personalities that make BK what it is".
Or do you not agree that this is a superior site... er by deduction one concludes nicer people...

How about I re-phrase that then?
People do no want to come to BrainKing to see the players here throwing insults at another games site, particularly one where they may still enjoy playing games there.

There are those who give offence and those who take it.
May I suggest that those who are exceptionally sensitive take the trouble to both read and comprehend what is normally written in plain english.(When I err in fact or presentation I do appologise).
I did not say that every person, who played those sites at those times,had those attributes. No more when I say there are maniacs driving up the M4 to London every morning, do I say that every driver is one, you are just more likely to meet one.
However during a period when I was in pain most of the time and slept less than 2 hours a day I started to play chess on these sites, at all times of day and night, to keep my brain active, I noticed clear cyclic patterns.
Of course my characterisation of people whose acronyms include "bumboy" "slut" "cum" or any of the thousands of other variants usually associated with porn spam and whose opening intro is "dont like games wanna cyber" as weird and wacko may be offensive to any of you who share those tastes.
However in this instance I feel that I am nearer normality than they and consequently feel the descriptions accurate. I also dont give a monkeys proverbial.
I believe they were using the "waiting games" board as an advertising hoarding and had naturally grouped to times when people leading conventional lifestyles(politically correct enough?) are unlikely to be around.
Last point.. I actually did not criticise the sites except by implication that they allowed this happen. Moderator you cannot disallow comment based on fact of people or institutions on the grounds they cannot defend themselves, you may inform them critique exists, but under those rules you would have to delete virtually every post on every topic (Bush Blair Iraq etc etc) including your own.

<No point.. H*ll.. I -still- crawl out at night, as proven by this post. *grins* I just don't like being told it's a 'bad thing'. :>

Boy I'm glad you guys mentioned the "other guys"...I forgot,I have games there!! ;)

Well, I play at one other site, am a wacko and did crawl out of the night. Whats your point? LOL

"I know its tempting to compare BrainKing to other games sites, but I would ask that you don't make insulting remarks about other sites. They are not here to defend themselves and it isn't helpful to BrainKing. Thanks :o)"

Besides that, some of us play on both and are not fond of being called, "wackos and weirdos who crept out at night... "

I think of Fencer as a father figure...who doesn't give an allowance to any of his 9000 plus children

I play on a webtv, but occassionally I get to the library and play on there for a little while and the site is fast then. The speed might depend on your system. However yes this site needs a better server which takes money which means we can help by selling this site to others who are pawns or others we meet on other sites. I was a pawn under a different name for a year before I was able to get some extra mad money and now I am a brain knight. I thought about a rook but felt with my schedule I wouldnt be able to handle the load of games that you can play as a rook. I play between 35-40 normal games and the rest of the space is filled by tournament play.

Yes, His wife cole. You jealous?? LOL

What do you mean?
We're not your full time job?...blink..blink..
Is there someone else?

There is no doubt this site has so much more upside than IYT. I played at IYT for a good year before discovering this site. I found a link to this site from a message board posting on IYT. Fencer clearly cares more about the players on his site and gives even the pawns more than IYT ever did. I started playing on IYT when it was 40 moves a day. Now I get 25. IYT is a dormant site with no new innovative ideas or games. Fencer has been doing this such short time and already has more features and has more games and creative ideas for games and new features that IYT will never have. This site is just starting its rise while IYT long ago reached its peak and now is falling down the toilet. I know you are not advocating for IYT LJ. However when Fencer gets all the improvements to the site and the better server up and running, look out. Some creative marketing and this site will be unstoppable as long as he continues to devote his free time and energy to this site. I am sure he will.

YEs LongJohn but how many of those players have paid memberships. I know they have a link with the MSNTV people. If you have an MSNTV (webtv) and you go to the games section their site will be linked in with some of the games. SO many of their users either are or were webtv people. Like I said I only play their part time for the games that Fencer has YET to implement but is on his todo list.

I play a few games at IYT that are not available here yet such as the battleboats plus and dark battleboats, sabotage and variations and I play blackhole reversi and ITalian Checkers. Those games are not here yet. I stress the word YET!!! I see some of them coming here in 2004. I would never pay IYT money though. THey want 30 bucks for a membership. THere are limitation on games with that unlike a brain rook for 28 USD here costs.

Dont believe everything you hear LJ. IYT isnt that well off. If they were chu wouldnt have had to lay off his ad people and other staff. His stats show hundreds of thousands of users online but it doesnt tell you just how many of them havent been back to the site in years!

I know its tempting to compare BrainKing to other games sites, but I would ask that you don't make insulting remarks about other sites. They are not here to defend themselves and it isn't helpful to BrainKing. Thanks :o)

Quote "It is the people/personalities who make BK what it is".
The infrastructure helps promote this.
IYT was populated by an incredible number of wackos and weirdos who crept out at night...
I may not agree with much that is said, but I defend the right for people to say it..
Here I get good games, and socialise as much or as little as I choose.
While the character of the site remains... so do I...

I think everyone agrees that you and Liquid are doing an exceptional job,Fencer! I think theres alot of wishfull thinking is all:)

I just need more time. I still cannot have BrainKing as my full time job.

I agree BBW..in fact,Fencer even has a discussion board for suggestions ;)

Well I think it is always good to look at ways to improve the site. If you don't try new things, this site will start to get "stale" and boring.... which is what had happen for me at IYT - which I don't think had a new thing there for a year or more!

... and some of the things that are removed right now as I understand it is just temporary - until the server problem is fixed or updated.

I agree....don't change a thing!

ROFL
I like the dice just the way they are, thank you! :o)

im in total agreement with you rod! why change anything i like it just the way it is.

I agree. People are talking about eliminating many of the features (some unique) that brought me here to Brainking! I don't want to see any of it gone!

I'm so proud of Flooze....wipes away tears of joy.
What a gal!

why not just make it work the way its supposed to? I'm always up for innovations..but I like BrainKing just the way it is! Thats why I became a member here...and I'm sure alot of other folks did too!
But hey...since everyone is asking,any way I can get better dice in backgammn? Floosie is kicking my butt!! LMKBO! ;Þ

emergency vacations - if you mean like LittleGolem.net has, where if you run out of time, 1 day is added (which I think GoldToken also now does) - I believe Fencer has something like that on his list.

Which basicly lets say something happens (bad weather knocks out power for 5 days) - and you are unable to log on to any comptuer, as long as you have vacation days left, it will automaticly use 1 of them instead of timing out games.

I use archived games in links regularly.

harley / NHB : Gripping, collosal, action packed, twists at every turn with a surprise ending. A must see!

i think there should be emergency vacations!

I will think out some search system for archived games. There is still an unused "Search" menu item :-)

Thanks, and a big thank you to noholdsbarred who took the time to visit me and brave my troop of kids and pets to do the interview! He's spent a lot of time on that, and I'm amazed by the result. Thanks, noholds :o)

Bernice, I sometimes look at archived games if I'm trying to remember a conversation I had with someone - but I have so many now I often give up very quickly! I also look at what games I have played with other people, I think thats a nifty little feature on other peoples profiles!

Fencer.....would getting rid of "Archived Games" free up some space.....I tried to view game 1 between you and Liquid, but it was a private game but I could see your game with Ang at game number 10.....there are one hell of a lot of games archived it that is the case :)
Just a suggestion and can anybody tell me how often they look at archived games?
Open question to all....

*edit*
also why not cut message boards off at 1000 messages stored....that gives a hell of a lot of reading to any new person to a message board and unless it is a really long discussion, the topic would be way past...

this was a great interview!

I often look at a game being played by random members currently online and it turns out to be very interesting, I think it's one of the best features of the site and I'd even like to get rid of "private" games as they strike me as antisocial. I dont see how there is any intrusion of privacy with viewing online players, if we could read the messages they were reading or writing I could understand but just to see where they are and to be able to view any game they might be playing is socially integrative, whereas secrecy is socially divisive.

The only thing i can see against the hide function is basically as Vikings & rod say, but not so much in the case of Kights & Rooks as they could be playing alot more games.
What about a pawn with a max of 20 games AND alot of there opponents decided to use this hide feature. They would look at opponents on-line and just go again as there would be no reason for them to stay (apart from hope lol).

good point Vikings!

I like the on-line -opponents just to see if it is worth hanging around after I've made my moves and read boards

Good job! :)

I look forward to the BKR's being back on the main page..
And I want to place my vote for KEEPING on-line opponents. I use it CONSTANTLY.. Most of the time, those are the games I play first. (the ones against opponents that are online at the same time as me.) It helps me to always have games to play.
And I too like being nosey and seeing what others are doing. :-)

Great job Harley and Noholds from the nosey one that asked the most questions. hehe

Amazing Job!!! Well done and great reading. I loved it!!!

Definately a great interview Harley & NHB! Thanks :o)

Great Interview NHB and Harley :o))