BrainKing.info - the BrainKing game site knowledge base - Comments

pauloaguia: Simplicity is the key (part 3)

nospam@example.com (pauloaguia) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:59:32 -0500

hmm... seems like the simpler solution (no weekends at all) does not mean the simplest transition between the two timeout systems after all

pauloaguia: Simplicity is the key (part 3)

nospam@example.com (pauloaguia) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:56:49 -0500

The only point I see in using weekend days is when you play 1 or 2 day games but only get online 5 days a week (any less and the weekend days wouldn't help you much, you'd still need to spend vacation days).
If there weren't any vacation days, people would simply adapt and don't play such short timed games... so an increase in the amount of vacation days isn't really needed. People will complain from having less slack time, but since you're changing so many things they will complain anyway

But, if you must, I'd say 10 days would be sufficient (1 month of weekend days), especially to make up for the games still started with the old system, with different timeout rules and that might otherwise timeout right after the new system sets in. For the better account levels that makes up for almost 2 months of vacations! More than enough for sure...
Regarding these games from the past issue, another option might be not to add any vacation days at all and simply allow them to keep their "allows for weekend day" status, not letting them timeout on two days a week, either Saturday and Sunday, or whatever the user currenlty has selected, you decide. Not as simple, but these game will eventually end, and leave only the simple system in place - by the next version of BK most of them will be finished for sure (yeah, not all, I know, but complaints should be negligible by then)
Yet another option would be to extend the timeout of current games under 3 days that allowed for weekend days...

As to limiting the maximum number of days in a row - some people take a whole month worth of vacations - without connecting online at all... Since it will no longer be possible to schedule your own vacations, that means all the games they couldn't end up before going on vacations would timeout. Since ending a game doesn't depend solely on yourself (especially if you want to win it), that doesn't seem very fair...

Filip Rachunek: Simplicity is the key (part 3)

nospam@example.com (Filip Rachunek) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:01:41 -0500

Interesting idea. How many days would you add? And there should be some limitation of maximum days used in a row, probably.

pauloaguia: Simplicity is the key (part 3)

nospam@example.com (pauloaguia) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:07:01 -0500

If simplicity is the key, why have weekend days at all? Wouldn't it be simpler just to abolish them? Just give a few extra vacation days to eceryone and let the automatic system deal with timeouts... Much simpler...

I never liked the weekend concept on BK, especially if it refers to server side calendar - it's not simple to understand that weekends are saturday and sunday but may actually turn out to be from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon or from Saturday morning to Monday morning, depending on what time zone you're in...

Anonymous: Simplicity is the key (part 3)

nospam@example.com () — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:45:50 -0500

I'm not a fan of having sat/sun be the fixed weekend days. I like the current flexible calendar, because I am a student so my weekends are very free, and I use them to catch up on my games. I set my vacation days to thurs/fri because those are the days I am most often busiest, and then I can start to catch up friday evening and the weekend.

emzirek: Dynamic home page

nospam@example.com (emzirek) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:27:49 -0500

"I never go to the homepage, so I..."

How do you sign in then?

Rob: Dynamic home page

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:51:01 -0500

I never go to the homepage, so I don't know how much utility that would be. I'd love to see that on the homepage, though.

Anonymous: Dynamic home page

nospam@example.com () — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:08:34 -0500

Not unless you calm the processor work load to a lower level.

madmonkey: Email support is doomed

nospam@example.com (madmonkey) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:05:28 -0500

That is funny my friend, it was the same for me. I did a speed check and elsewhere i was getting over 10mbs, but BrainKing it was back to the old dreaded white page of years ago.
In answer to you point, this is why Fencer opened a Facebook page for Brain-King users a while ago. Of course if it happens while Fencer is asleep, there are not many who go to the Facebook page so it could even take a while on there.
Here is the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102006504268#/group.php?gid=102006504268

tenuki: Email support is doomed

nospam@example.com (tenuki) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:06:39 -0500

A problem we could face is when the site is down or extremely slow (as it was for me yesterday´s night).
Trying to send a message to Fencer took me more than an hour and I wasn´t able to send it.

madmonkey: Fixed or variable width?

nospam@example.com (madmonkey) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:21:04 -0500

Would it be possible to have Game Notation as a Mouse over.
Maybe in a transparent box of some sort that would pop up if you hover over a certain icon or title. A bit like hovering over your games to be played on the Main page

madmonkey: Email support is doomed

nospam@example.com (madmonkey) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:08:02 -0500

On the same subject, i got one of my computer magazine emails the other day. It was all about the fact they think e-mails will be obsolete within 10 years anyway.
I know Mozilla are already working on something now, which will be something like Gmail (have a chat system built in), though i can not find the info on that right now, but basically it will learn for itself which are REAL messages (or emails as such), and not scams by knowing who is in you address book, who you have sent mail to before or received it from. Then it will prioritise them as such, but this is in early development. I will try to find the stuff on it

Filip Rachunek: Fixed or variable width?

nospam@example.com (Filip Rachunek) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:35:47 -0500

Right, there should be no horizontal scrollbar. I don't like them either.

rednaz23: Fixed or variable width?

nospam@example.com (rednaz23) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:00:40 -0500

I am not a programmer so I am not sure if this is an option. Can you make it a fixed width at a certain distance and smaller; but becomes a flexible width if you extend your browser beyond that 'certain distance'?

That would be ideal for the user in my opinion.

coan.net: Fixed or variable width?

nospam@example.com (coan.net) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:19:52 -0500

All I can say is that I don't think I would care either way if it was fixed or flexable - would probable say fixed since I think it would work best with what I'm about to mentioned next.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - do make it an option to have the game play games load with only one table across. I HATE it now because I have to leave the game notation on (mention more about that next), so if my connection is slower, the game itself will start to load, I will move my mouse to the box I'm ready to play, click.. but POOF the right hand table with the game notation load and push the game board over to the left some - making me mis-click my move. UGH

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - either fix games where inforamtion is needed from the game notation is shows on the game area (so we can get rid of showing it), or make it so we can have it on only on certain games which need it.

I would LOVE to turn off the game notation, but unfortuantly I need information from if for some of the games. Like Frog Finder - I need to know where missed shots were fired. I had turned off game notation and found I made the same missed shot 3 times in a row. Other games like Ice Aged Chess so you know when the ice age is going to happen, and a few other games also need the game notation on to play the games.