pgt: While you are still blocked, your opponent could keep moving and being forced to open a prime, or being forced to move himself in a bad position by an ugly roll.

likewowman2cool: (For example, one could flag all tournament games that contain a long time control, thus making it easier to play those games when you don't have time to play every game each day, or each log-in session.)

So that tournaments with long time control take even longer than seven years to finish?

I personally would never use that option since I would be giving up equity.

You have all the "equity" you will ever need in the first move blocked on the bar, when you can double, or (hopefully) opt to forgo doubling while blocked. I find it difficult to imagine a game where you are blocked on the bar, and would not want to double on the first throw, but (presumably when your opponent has improved his position significantly) would want to double later. If there is something cunning and subtle that I have missed, that would increase my "equity", please explain with an example.

likewowman2cool: As for the auto-pass being better, for me one of the main changes (if not the only one) would be if I could use auto-pass, even if my opponent does not want to use auto-pass when it is his/her turn.
As for the doubling cube "issue", I can understand both parts and I suggested (even before auto-pass was implemented) something like "auto-pass for x moves", where you choose the number of moves you want to auto-pass inside that particular game. This was suggested so that people could use auto-pass without completely losing the knowledge of the game (but I probably wouldn't use auto-pass for the doubling possibility, at least not everytime)

Hrqls: A lot of topics in one thread here... 

rod03801: that would work a bit similar indeed ... i would love to have a seperate list of favourite games/players/tournaments though ... above the list of games in which its your turn, above the list of games in which its your opponents turn

i came across this because my brother signed up on this signed last week (to try out othello/reversi), but he is at sea and doesnt have access all the time, so i would like to know when its my turn without having to scroll all my games or look up his :)

Hrqls: This sort of is like my really really old request. LOL. I had wanted a way to flag certain games. And then have another choice in the Submit drop box, to Move and Go to next flagged game.

pgt: Auto-pass for backgammon (and related games) is perfectly fine as is; at a minimum it fits the rules of the game, which doesn't always happen in games on this site!

I realize that some players would like another auto-pass option, one where if you are on the bar but have the option to double, you can click a box somewhere and you can give up that doubling right until you choose to unclick the box (or something like that).

I personally would never use that option since I would be giving up equity. I would also stop playing gammon games here if such a rule change replaced the current auto-pass feature instead of becoming an additional option.

Fencer has stated repeatedly that he has much higher priorities in terms of making Bk a better site, and I think he is correct in that point of view.

By the way, I like the idea of being able to flag particular games, although as a pawn there is no point for me personally using it. For example, one could flag all tournament games that contain a long time control, thus making it easier to play those games when you don't have time to play every game each day, or each log-in session.

pgt: i agree with you ... tournaments take too long sometimes .. especially for players who cant win it anymore, and are still stuck in the tournament (although they can ask fencer to remove them)

that has nothing to do with the feature request of favourites though
the only effect favourites might have on those slow players, is that it might make them play faster in those tournaments (when asked by other players in those tournaments)

what other suggestion do you have to speed up those tournaments ?
(aside from auto-pass)

Hrqls: As a humble pawn, I hate taking on a rook, since I can only move forwards!
(I have pledged to become a rook again when a proper auto-pass system is implemented for Backgammon, by the way!) But whether a pawn, bishop, rook, queen or king. six years for one tournament is WAY too long, and I was (humbly) trying to suggest a way that hung-up tournaments might be allowed to proceed a bit more quickly. I am no longer a young man, but I would really like to try to find a way ro finish a tournament which I entered when I WAS a young man.

pgt: for me personally i sometimes lack the time to play all games, or joined too many games without realizing (like now) ... i then try to play the games first of which i know that i am holding up things
(i know about 100 games is perfect for me, but somehow i ended up with 300+ games)

i currently make sure that i wont timeout, and try to make sure that i have at least 2 days left when i sign off, and when i have more time i try to make a move in as many as possible

a way to put those games to the top might speed up those games which require faster play

without a way to favourize them, i just play according to the 'time left' table ... which might turn out worse for specific tournaments

with a way to make some games favourite, my opponents can ask me to speed things up, and its easier for me to help them

especially for those tourmants that we want to finish faster, its a nice way which might speeds things up

without favourites, things stay like they are right now
with favourites it might improve (slightly)
i dont think favourites will make those slow players play even slower, as they seem to pay no sp[ecial attention to it yet, but maybe with favourites they might pay attention ?

of course it still depends on the players though :)

Hrqls: ...in fact, even better, why not make it impossible to move in any game when you still have moves to make in running tournaments?

Hrqls: And what about all those games that you don't play because it's not a favourite opponent, and it's a tournament that's already been going for six years and doesn't look like finishing for another ten years?

i think it would be nice if you could mark someone as a favorite opponent

this means that the running games with that opponent will be shown at the top of your game list

it would also be nice if we could mark certain games as favorite, or a certain tournament

that way if someone asks you if you could move as fast as you can, you can mark those games/tournament/player as favorite and easily play those games first

Orlandu: In a REAL game of backgammon, each player rolls one die, and the player who rolls the higher die starts, using the two dice already rolled. This is what is simulated in BK Backgammon, and no change should be made, in my opioion

Fencer can there be a option for backgammon that states when you win the first roll you can choose to keep the the numbers on the roll or choose to reroll? Something to think about...

Fencer: You're lucky with your employer.
At my current project they must have hired a pro hacker to close all the doors. This round goes to him. But the fight continues! brainking or bust!

rabbitoid: Am I missing something? Works for me.

rabbitoid: How about something like, "Playing games during my lunch break helps me to relax and come back from lunch thinking logically".

Fencer: Nogo :(
try 81.91.83.6

If you have a valid business requirement to access this site then you can request an override through your IT support desk.

grrr....

rednaz23: Well, if your employer blocks only domain names containing "brainking.com", maybe it could be solved by using IP address instead. The only problem is that images should be loaded from IP (instead of i.brainking.com) as well but it might be easy to implement. I will look at it when I have some time.

It seems to be fixed now!

pgt: the ratings page also use to have the amount of people who had a rating in that game

I'm not sure whether I am describing this completely accurately, but when I view "ratings" there is usually a "forward and backward - first page/previous page" capability. But this seems to have disappeared when I display the page on which I appear, and I have no way to go back to the previous page, or on to the next page.
This has only happened fairly recently.

Carl: I think autopass is not over-ridden. It is just that in a game with the cube, autopass does not cut in if double is still an option. Several of us have been trying to persuade the GODS in BRAINKINGLAND that an autopass feature "until I can make a move other than double" would be a good idea, and possible speed some games up a bit.
For God's sake, I have been in a tournament which began 7 years ago and does not look like ending any time soon. I am over 70 now, and despite my (current) good health, I may not last to see then end of this one.

pgt: "decent auto pass feature".I've been meaning to mention this for a while.How come that when i put a game in the waiting room,i can stipulate auto pass,but the player that takes the game can over ride this and the game continues without auto pass?

Fencer: Well done! Just what I asked for. Thank you.

Now all we need is a decent autopass feature and I'd pay for membership again :-)

Fencer: It's back now,thanks.

Fencer: Works for me now - thanks Fencer.

pgt: What about now?

happyjuggler0: That's exactly the problem. I use Firefox, and don't erase cookies either. I installed a new computer about a month ago, and it was working correctly until a couple of days ago, and I don't recall doing anything new or updating anything in the past week.

pedestrian: Interesting, nothing has changed for me. Not only do I see that score above the board in all of my games, but I see it above games that I am not involved in, including pgt, Carl, and you too!

For what it is worth, I use Firefox. Also I never erase Brainking cookies; maybe something at BK changed and those who erase their BK cookies don't see it anymore? I am only just guessing here....

happyjuggler0: Exactly. It used to be above the game board, now you have to scroll way down to check if you're playing a match or a single game. I'd like it back the way it was, too.

Carl: By match status, do you mean something like this line?:

Score (21): nirolf: 5.0, happyjuggler0: 18.0

I haven't noticed anything different. Perhaps your browser had a weird update recently or something?

pgt: I noticed that too,please can we have it back?

There seems to have been a change in displaying Backgammon-type games with the doubling cube. The status of the match used to show above the game board, but it is no longer there - or is there some setting I have inadvertently changed?
If not, PLEASE can we have the match status returned to display above the game board.

rednaz23: I think the reason is that images are loaded from i.brainking.com which is probably blocked by your employer as well.

When exporting games like in Backgammon it is possible to add a choice of whether white goes first or black goes first option?

Fencer: Oh, I only saw the "offer draw" link and overlooked the check box appearing after entering a move...

Now when I think of it, I mean I have already used it but have forgotten about it

Thanks

Thom27: Just check "Offer draw with this move" before submitting the move.

Thom27: I normally make the move then go back to the game and offer the draw!

I wish that offering a draw was programmed differently: a draw is offered together with making a move, then it's the opponent's turn and he/she can decide to accept the offer or make a move instead.

The BK method has two drawbacks: the game, after a draw has been offered, is not on the opponent's "your turn"-list, he/she must read the messages (or is it events?) to see the offer. Second, it is still the offerer's turn, who must care not to forfeit on time, and may accidentaly make a move, thereby cancelling the offer.

rod03801: I totally agree with you when you say that "no time control" shouldn't be allowed for tournaments. I must admit that sometimes I forgot to look at the time control and I could join this kind of tournament by mistake. It's not a problem for me because I'm a rook and I'm not limited in the number of game, but it could be a real problem for someone which makes the same mistake and is bishop or knight.

talen314: i totally agree. Hope we can see this here soon!

talen314: very interesting idea...sounds like fun..:}

It would be great to have the application on Android!

rod03801: I too find it a bit odd to have a tournament with no time control (especially on a site like this). But in this case it's more a "better sorry than safe"... or should I say if the bad option has been taken, maybe it is possible to "unbad" it a little

El Cid: Personally, I don't think "no time control" should be allowed for tournaments. Fine for "friendly" games though. That affects only the two people. A tournament affects several other people.

Sure, sure, people can read before signing up, etc, etc, etc, but still, there are liberal enough constraints out there, to not allow tournaments to have this option.

I don't know if this has been asked or not, but could users that do not log in for... a year (i don't know if this is a resonable period or not), have their games automatically terminated (lost, if the other player is active, of drawn if the other player does not log in for some time also, like half a year, to prevent a wining only because he had the luck to stay on the site for one more day), even if there is no time control. It is kind of... ridiculous that some tournaments like this pandemonium (14. Fevereiro 2009, 14:46:59) will never end, just because a user has not logged in for more than 2 years (and probably never will again), I know there is another game between two active players, but I'm sure that something like this would reduce the number of tournaments and therefore the site burden (even if at the first one or two days it would have to calculate winners in many tournaments). Of course, that could be avoided by using a time control when setting up the tournament, but... it is not expected that a player is quitting the site.

I don't know if this is doable, especially the "draw" exception, but if there is already a "grey bar" for users that do not login for more than 30 days, it means that the site already checks when each user logged in for the last time (the fact that it shows in the profile page, does not necessarily means that the site uses that information, but the grey bar does)