i see the site now has over 5,000 players!! good to see im not the only noodlehead thats hooked to this site...haha

Have you changed any of your settings lately? I believe theres an option to take off the background PICTURE... maybe that could have affected it?

I don't know why but i have no back ground colour on any of my games...

Please tell me how to fix it :o( PLEASE

NightHawk/Eddie

Regarding hwat Tony H said--- I have to agree with him. lAst week was problematic, but the last few days I have had no trouble getting on or making moves.

if you got to my profile and right at the top there is an edit link.. does that not work?...

Does anyone know where I'm to go to change my email address for this site please ? I looked in settings, and my profile etc, but can't see anywhere obvious ..

i don't normally comment on these discussion boards, but i must say Fencer has a great site here, with the widest choice of games i've found anywhere else.
i know there are problems when the site is busy,
but i still think it's the best on the web.

I have to agree with most of everything written below. Fencer is working hard for the site, and has it has proved it must be good, not only by the increased numbers joining, but also the ones becoming paid members. Those of us who have been here a while will remember when before we had alot of down time he increased the length of our memberships to make up for it, and as was mentioned, the site is FREE. I can fully understand the paying members for complaining though. I do think that even they would give Fencer more credit for his hard work.

I am the same as everyone, i love the site and get annoyed when i can not play my games, but not all problems can not be solved just with a few lines of programming. Hopefully when the new server is up & running things will get better for everyone.

Fencer deserves thanking for providing such a great site. The more people that become members also helps as it raises funds, then of course he will be able to increase the power of the servers etc...

In a way we have all created our own problems, as the site is so good & Fencer talks to us like humans (more than you can say for other sites). We go to him with problems that he tries to solve as soon as he can. When we ask for all these odd little options etc.... he installs them, but remember, just like page loading, Discussion Boards and all those things we use to jump around the site puts pressure on the server.

I think that Fencer posting more information on the Board would help people understand how much is involved how hard it is to keep a busy site like this up & running.

Myself, am i am with harley, blaze and the rest that try to understand, Fencer, this is a great site & can only get better & better in time.

MM

dream, it is weird; I am having no problems at all, using basic modem sign-on. I assume you have no problems with other websites?

Ok i cant get answers elsewhere, and I know I am not the only one who has been having problems. The past couple of days it has been hell trying to get into this site, either the page will not load at all or you play a couple of moves and hit white page, or it is like watching paint dry trying to do anything here. I have had a few games time out because I simply can't sit at my computer all day and wait for the site to come back online, it is very frustrating, I understand Fencer is trying his hardest to get things happening properly here, BUT why if people are having problems, is the time clock not turned OFF. It is pretty offputting to time out on games which normally would not have happened, I happily paid my membership, but at present the frustration of not being able to play is making me feel like not bothering anymore, or perhaps coming back in 6 months when the problems are solved. Either that or use up all my vacation days so my games don't time out...

This site is so well organized and detailed. Hats off to Fencer!

I second harley on the feedback issue! So thanks for the update Fencer. I look forward to the techie info too :)

I think everyone should be aware that not only does Fencer have a day-job, he also has a family. In fact it's amazing and admirable how he has found the time to put together this brilliant site and also the time he devotes to improving and stabolizing the site now it's here.

I would ask everyone to be patient. Fencer has little enough time as it is and for what it's worth I think he's doing a great job!

Also, a brief note to other brain pawns... we have to remember that Fencer is providing us with a free service here, which is very good of him; therefore much as downtime has been frustrating I really don't think it's constructive to criticise too much. It's a service and one which we brain pawns are not even paying for. I, for one, appreciate the times when we are able to connect and make our moves!

Thanks again Fencer, for all the time you devote in addition to your other committments, and also for not being a stranger to us on the boards - as harley rightly says, we really do appreciate the feedback!

Blaze

Oh heck Fencer, if you post technical info make it something us wood heads can understand!! LMAO! You know, like "that blue thingy whats plugged into the green board makes that switch there work"!! Hee hee!! Only kidding, you go for it, I can look up what I dont understand, might be a good learning experience for me!
BTW, we all know you're working hard on eveything and appreciate it all, but even more we appreciate the feedback we get from you. That means more than a problem-free site (IS there such a thing??).

You are a sweetie :0)...now there is sumpin you prolly dint want to hear LOL.
Yes I do think you should post as much info as you can to the other site :)...not all would understand but those of us who do have a little bit of knowledge would understand.
You must get sick of the complaints :(
at least we can talk to you :)

Btw, do you think that it would be interesting to post some technical information about this site to BrainKing.info? Probably yes because some problems are not explainable without several low-level relations.

Well, ahem, what should I say? Although it doesn't look like that, I am still trying to improve the site performance, it is my top-priority job related to BrainKing.com. But I have to do something for living too and it is time-consuming as well :-)
Anyway, you are right about the outdated BrainKing.info. I will try to add new information today or tomorrow.

thought for the day.........

Birthdays are good for you,
the more you have the longer you live

and this is going to sound like a cracked record LOL....I love the new features, but getting here to use them is more important in my book...
I have said this before....but....I know for some this would be important...
DO I REALLY NEED all the options on the left when most of it is on the right????
Doesnt someone think this could be duplicationg things or is it me.
OK
Ill shut up now :)

I have to second Bernice on this, it took me a couple of hours to get back on, after being "booted off" while playing. The new options on making moves are nice, but I'd rather see the efforts go to just enabling us to get on this site in the first place. It's not a matter anymore of making some moves on my games, but whether or not I can get on the site.

you are all going to think I am a complete whinger, especially not being a paid up member.
Today It has taken me an hour to get here...at the moment i have played the six games that were waiting, no tournament games were there for me, so I would assume others are having the same problems.
I checked out the INFO site and the last post to there was for mid april....Every time I have problems, I check there but there is never any news :(
I also noticed that one of my tourney partners timed out on his games with me...
This is becoming more than a bad joke, and more like a b loody nuisance (excuse language)

I love the new options in the game...you are the greatest...thanks to all the people who work so hard on this site..You all rock.

Love MEG

I thought we had all those options already, but with more buttons. I liked being able to go to the main page or to the next game without much fuss. It's no big deal. So far, after a week or so, I'm greatly impressed by this site.

Put it on the default for the one you do most(move and go to next game in my case) then you're mostly only pressing it once.
For the extra click you have a lot of extra options.

It was nicer without the drop box. Now it takes two clicks to move instead of one (unless you always want to do the default).

:-)

ok - Panic over lol, all stay calm :-)

yep just looked into that and I have it and it works I am such a dick

Any other pawns (or anyone) online having problems with the buttons at the bottom of there games ??

no :O(

hmmm this looks like it mey be a little bug, Fencer implemented a new drop box to replace the old buttons so you go to most places you want to - don't you have that either ??

yes none of my games can be played cause no submit buttons

do you mean after u play a move Wizard at the bottom of the game ???

my games have no buttons like the white rabit said it gets curioser and curioser

oh i submit easy, just never get the chance LOL

no dont go to general chat boards.....just here....and RUBBISH????....does the truth hurt?? LOL...coult it be that you are a male that doesnt submit to a female under any circumstances....HHHHMMMMMMM may be that is why i NEVER WIN..waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

You think that was partaking, should of seen the General Chat Board (expect you have lol). We had a great little question & answer quiz on there about 10 hours ago LOL - as for that patience, never heard such rubbish !!! ;o)

i think i have posted this before, but it dont hurt to do it again LOL
Patience is a virtue,
possess it if you can,
always found in woman,
and never found in man
LOLOLOL..........and aint that the truth LOL

good to see ya partaking of a lil bit of jovial repartee LOL....and also i forgot the daylight saving issue between you and I :)....i really dont think auto-refresh has a lot to do with it....I think that dear Fencer is trying to be too obliging to everybody and it is getting out of hand :)....love the site tho :)

Yes, it's better today, but then I didn't get on till after midnite.... ;)
Fencer said to please be patient, he's working on it and hopes to have the problem fixed in the next few weeks.... ;o)

You are almost right Bernice lol, its just about 9.00am here, BUT what you say is the main reson behind it.
There is less pressure being put on the server, not just with auto-fresh, but in general LOL, should be ok for the next few hours though :)

well i must say that the site seems to be better today. But by my reckoning it is 8am in the UK, and after midnight in america....so that may be why LOL...auto fresh...i was using it but found it was a nuisance so dont use it any more...

Some computers can alert mobile phones, so players know when it is their turn - mine does, so I can hopefully avoid keeping people waiting.

I have to say i like auto refresh, but don't see the real need for it so i don't use it. I am not constantly at my PC, but when i come back to it i just hit the F5 key on my keyboard - hey presto - auto refresh.

Personally I like the auto fresh. I do not have to sit there and manually do it constantly. I can walk away for a minute or two and do something and come back and see if anyone has moved. I think however the problem was said though. There are people who are logged on and using the site and not even at home or at the computer. For common courtesy people who are not going to be playing should log out of the site. I know I have taken games from the waiting room when I looked and saw the player was on the site. However they must not have been playing because no response from that player for over an hour. So staying logged in even when you are not playing on the site is discourteous and deceiving.

I think Dmitri is right, why not just leave it to us to hit refresh when we need it. Each time a page is refreshed it uses site bandwidth and with auto-refresh on, it means many people are using bandwidth even while away from the computer....lack of an auto-refresh would reduce this greatly.

Sharon, that definatly can and does slow a site down. The more bandwidth being used means more demand on the server and ultimatly can slow it down. It may not be responsible for putting a site offline, but can slow it down to the point where some cant access it, or very slowly at best.

it may not cause the site to be inaccessible, but it probably slows the site doen when it is accessible.

Why is it needed? If someone wants the creeen refreshed, there is a refresh button. Clicking any link on any page refreshes anyway, so who needs the auto refresh ?

I have used auto-refresh quite a few times, and found it handy; not always, but on occasion. That isn't what is slowing down the site.

<if we can't log on .. how can it auto-refresh??.. lol.. and what is the difference if have auto-refresh on or we manually do it?.. do you really think that is what is slowing things down?>..

I agree the auto-refresh has to consume alot of bandwidth, many times while people are probably not at their comp, I know I used to be guilty of just that myself before things got slow on here, at that time I turned off the feature as well.

I guess all we can do is have patience, I'm sure Fencer is losing sleep trying to get this sorted and all we have to endure is a few less moves. Let hope he has luck with this.

SushiShark: You basically have two options.
1. You can purchase a brain rook membership. You will be a rook for either that 6 or 12 months, and then the remainder of your knight membership will follow when that has expired.
2. You can ask Fencer, and he will give you a price to upgrade your memebership for the remainder of the time to rook. Only he can do this for you, and only he can give you the price

Hope that helps!
Kevin