Are Replacements becoming a problem?

[Skulky]

It seems when you click on open games the number of neon slots is very very low lately (not too low and some great entries as well) and the number of gray entries is horribly high. Why is it that people arn't playing replacement players and why are people leaving? I have some ideas, but i'd love to hear yours.

[Grandpa Kim]

Q. 1 We don't have a replacement problem, we have a withdrawal problem!

Q. 2 Too many holes to fill!

Q. 3 "Commitment" is just another word in the dictionary to too many people.

Kim (in "snarl" mode)

[DavidG]

Personally I see nothing wring with withdrawing from a game if you have given it a good shot and are being thoroughly beaten since many games will not allow surrender. I suspect most of the games with open slots that are late in the game and the open slot is pretty much beaten. A quick scan of the open games reveals 23 Open - not started, 17 needing replacements that are less than turn 75, and only 9 that need replacements and are less than 50 turn old.

(of course the key phrase here is 'giving it a good shot' No doubt there are some players who will quit pretty early given a poor start)

[ September 15, 2002, 15:32: Message edited by: DavidG ]

[geoschmo]

Much of the problem is people withdrawing from a game when they are actually dead and should be marked finished. I spent a couple hours this morning going through the open games and cleaning out these dead open spots. Took out around 30.

Geoschmo

[Grandpa Kim]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Much of the problem is people withdrawing from a game when they are actually dead and should be marked finished. I spent a couple hours this morning going through the open games and cleaning out these dead open spots. Took out around 30.

Geoschmo

On behalf of the players in "Conquista", I thank you! George, maybe you should be getting a paycheque!

Just a reminder to PBW players. When your empire is dead or near dead, DON'T withdraw. Ask the host to finish your empire so George doesn't have to go to all this trouble. Since your empire is dead anyway, it cost you almost nothing to leave your empire under your control till the host does this.

[Deathstalker]

"Q. 3 "Commitment" is just another word in the dictionary to too many people."

Yes, but some just don't realize the commitment they will have to make. I've had games Last upwards of 4-6 months. If you take a 24hr turnover game that has 1 turn a day and only one turn is played you could technecly have a game that Lasts years (nevermind the games that have one turn every 3 days, they tend to have people {like me } who wait till the Last second to do the turn for upload. Its human nature to procrastinate).

Then you have to factor in real life things like families, jobs, sickness, vacation (which is hard enough to arrange in real life never mind taking into account 20 Online peoples schedueles), boredom (attention span) and the best one of all: Hardware/Software/Internet failure. (I've been through all three! ).

Then there is the frusturation factor. Imagine after 50-60 odd turns you miss one. AI has a field day (which annoys all your human allies) and the daunting task of spending a few hours doing a turn to set your empire right.

It would be nice if there was a 'quit game' option where the player who left has his empire disappear from the game entirely (ie planets empty, no ships etc).

It's kinda like MTGO (Magic the Gathering Online). Their multiplayer games/tournaments can Last 6+ hours Online and sometimes RL tends to inturrupt.