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Fencer:
I believe we had a discussion of removing inactive players from the charts before. This is a good idea. That way I wouldn't have look at a game I no longer play on my main page, would I? It'd certainly get those players that won four games, took the top position be virtue of having defeated four players and have never played another game of it, but continue to use this site. If you're going to keep your ranking, then you should have to continue to play to hold it. Besides, you say they keep their rating it just won't show on the ranking list until they start playing and finish some games, right? Though I consider the established rating the important one, it's nice to have a high ranking with an established rating on the provisional chart too. I think I'd cut the time to three months instead of six. A month for a seems kind of short. Though that's an incentive to become a paying member and yet get to see how the site works too.
As for not having Pawn members listed in the rating charts at all. I think this is a bad idea. As long as one is active by the criteria set forth, you should have a rating listed. We're all members of this site, paying or not. For some people 20 games or less is plenty for them. I can see not joining as a paying member if that's all they use it. Why penalize them? Also, as others have argued, I sometimes look through the list for prospective opponents and I am not interested in whether they're paying members or not, but if the game we might play will be a fun or chalenging game to play. The ratings and rankings help in finding opponents.
Szirak: pawns already can't see any ratings on any charts because they don't have access to them ;)
Which brings me to another suggestion: maybe (just maybe) on the PaidMembership Detail page, there could be a link to a snapshot of the so said charts. So that we pawns know what we're missing (a few of the other functionalities could use some examples or better explanations too).
I like the idea of removing inactive players from the charts. I will just have to remember to play a game of each game type every 6 months.
= = = = =
Removal of pawns from charts. I kind of like the idea - give another prevledge to paid members.
But another negative to that is some paid members like to find like-rated players to play, and it would then not make it easy to find them if they are pawns. For example, *IF* I was the best ranked on the ratings board in Backgammon, I would want to know if a pawn has a higher rank then I do to challenge that person to a game. But if they do not show up on the ratings board, it would be hard for me to find them.
Purple: Inactivity has nothing to do with payment. If they don't want to play a certain game type, then that surelly means they probably don't bother their rating in that game either.
Take a look at Fencer's profile. It's been ages since his last Horde Chess game so, naturally, he'd fall off the ratings. He probably doesn't bother that much since he's only playeda few games anyway.
Besides, you can allways come back to the ratings as soon as you finish another game of that type, nomatter how much time there is left in your membership.
(Sorry to use your profile Fencer, but Purple had no suitable example in his )
Fencer, I don't think removing pawns from the ratings listings is good for the site. It diminishes the competitiveness, especially for the fringe games. However, the inactive proposal is excellent and well overdue!
Fencer: Agreed, but I think 30 days for pawns is too short. Maybe 3 months ould be more acceptable, and for sure it will remove all those palyers who have left the site.
Fencer: 30 days for pawns? No more playing with slow movers then Anyway, excelent idea! That'll boost some of my ratings for sure (especially when some players constantly refuse to play to keep their first position safe in the chart)
There is another thing with charts which will be implemented soon. A player who does not finish a rated game within 30 days (pawns) or 6 months (paying members) after his last finished rated game of the same type, will be temporarily removed from the charts (keeping the BKR, of course). He will reappear there after finishing a rated game again.
The purpose is obvious - to avoid occupying chart positions by inactive players or the ones who already left the site.
Fencer; you will know (probably) how many Pawns will disappear, who might otherwise have taken up Paid membership. To me, this is the only downside.
How about asking top-rated Pawns to see what they might do (but bear in mind you probably won't get a true answer!!!)
I believe they will still have thier own rating still ,which they can see ....but just not on a table ? . if thats the case all pawns can still see what position they have on a table ..just that they wont be visible on the table , this is a good idea (in my opinion ) there are alot of pawns that will never upgrade no matter ,but as soon as any pawn upgrades they would appear on the list .
*nod* i was a pawn not too long ago (oh time flies! ;)) ... i love rankings .. not just the points but the position compared to other players .. i am not sure if i would like a game site without a ranking
but i also love a fast database :) .. and the fee isnt that high ...
There is one thing I'm not sure I got: pawns already don't have access to charts. When you say remove us from the charts you mean remove us our rating position with relation to others. We just get to keep a ranking, not a rating, is that it?
Pawns will also loose some competitiveness. Comparing yourself to others is a very big incentive to try to play better. So you'll risk diminishing the number of pawns on this site that are here just for the competition and that usually make good opponents.
Also, I bet some paying members would prefer to compare their position in a universe of 10000 players rather than in one of 1000.
Another thing: what will happen when a paying member stops paying? disappear from the charts? Or when a pawn that has already an established ranking finally decides to become a paying member? Suddenly show up?
Ratings might become a bit more unstable then what they are already today...
Of course, it would also diminish the time I spend on the rating listings, comparing myself to others ;)
yes: as a negative consequence, a lot of high rated pawns getting disgusted with the site too early ( = before making the decision to go "paid") and going elsewhere. the internet is big.
There was an idea of removing all non-paying members from the charts. They will be allowed to have BKRs but they won't be calculated for chart positions.
Positive consequences:
Significantly decreased number of position cheaters.
Another reason why to pay :-)
Decreasing the database server overload.
Significant improving of chart positions of paying members :-D
BerniceC: No, only when a year changes. Next "clearing" will happen as of 1st January 2006. Or maybe not, if we manage to get a new database server first :-)
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