Enhancement Suggestion: Reduce Live Opponent Delays

[gregorit]

One thing that peeves me is games that drag out. (Don't get me wrong, of course, I acknowledge sometimes I'm the slow-poke!)

What I'd like to propose is the following:
1. To keep games moving along, there is a setting for maximum days per move. (Default = 2 days, minimum is 1 day, maximum is 5 days)
2. If a player does not make a move in within this time period, the game automatically plays it as if the player had clicked "pass".
3. If it's a beginning of turn, reinforcements are randomly assigned and replacements are lost.

The end result is that games will ALWAYS get to completion.

Comments?

[gregorit]

Note: I am aware that there is a setting of "One Week Moves" but am sure about how it actually works. No luck so far on finding any documentation on this setting.

[sa-oas]

I'm no expert, but isn't this a common problem with online games? The other player disappears and you're left hanging not aware they're gone and have no idea when they'll return. Are there any games that have solved this problem? If so, how?

[s_nkarp]

With 2.0, all game center games automatically time out after a week. Understand this is not perfect (some people want faster, some slower, vacations, etc.). Doing it right wasn't worth delaying release - but enough people complained about "dead" games that it made sense to put in something!

[daviddunham]

Note: I am aware that there is a setting of "One Week Moves" but am sure about how it actually works. No luck so far on finding any documentation on this setting.

It is not a setting. All new matches started under 2.0 will time out after a week. This is essentially the same as a resignation.

[gregorit]

Thanks for the clarification, guys. What happens to 'old games'? (For example, I have games where my opponent hasn't made a move in many weeks and I doubt he went to v.20).

As far as alternative methods, this is a no brainer - just use an in-game time clock. This is pretty much standard for a lot of the events I run. Each game has to finish by a certain time, whoever has used more time by that date automatically loses if the game isn't decided at that point.

[daviddunham]

We are not changing the rules out from under players for games that were already ongoing.

FWIW, almost any detail is debatable. Frex, you originally wanted there to be a Pass after timeout. We chose to end the game. And then you suggest a time clock. Any of this is viable, and you might even want to choose what it is … oh wait, now we need new UI, more things to implement and test, etc. Perhaps worth it, but we picked something that we hope will be high bang for the buck, even if it isn’t the ultimate .

(I haven’t even gotten into setting up sleep time or vacation. Or whether the time clock only runs while you have the game open to look at the move, or from when the opponent sends it.)

This is not to discourage suggestions, we definitely want to know what people think and want.