BIG SUPPORT !!!

That's a great suggestion. Remaining players can vote /closed and nobody can take over a CD power. I just had a game where Italy NMRd, then someone took over, moved once, went CD, then the temptation was too great and one of the players multi-accounted and took the last remaining unit to help his units, and then everyone had to wait for it to CD again.

Everyone else would have voted /closed and he wouldn't have been able to do it because it would have been even more obvious what he was doing.

The more common scenario that I have experienced is that a one center country is picked up by accident by a new operator to the site and then drops and another new players fall for the same problem and so forth and so forth.
I believe that in one game there were 3 in row issues like this for the same power.

I also took over a country with 2 centers when I first started here by mistake though I did play it out.

A reconfirmation step in CD take overs may also help with the problem and in that step you can put the various warnings about metagaming and commitment to play this thing out.

bump.

I think it's a good idea - as Edi said, all too often someone takes over a country just in time to disband it's last unit. I also agree with the confirmation step when taking over a CD country - I have accidentally taken over a CD when I meant to press "Open Game" and instead pressed "Take over a county" ...I actually went on to win that game :p But still, I would have been annoyed if I had accidentally taken over a country with like one centre left.

yeah I support that

I am for the ability to control the CD problem. If by consensus great! I have offered that the creator should be able to set the game to allow CD takeovers or not to allow. Recently, however, I discovered the positive aspect of idiots taking over defunct powers. The just keep doing it and going CD. It really racks up the point. Started a game 420 point. before it was over the points had doubled.

Someone want to bring it up on the dev forum then Mapleleaf...

I have a pretty good corollary idea:

In addition to "/closed", how about we add a "/cdpause" or something, which could be activated or deactivated at any time (possibly even as one of the "New Game" options), and would keep the game from moving if anyone went CD unless everyone voted to override it.

Of course games where this option was chosen by the creator would be avoided if people did not want to play this type of game, and searched for if they did.

I hereby endorse this fantastic idea.

wasn't there a suggestion that a person with under 3 games or something could not take over cd's. That would fix the problem.

It's an inconsequential comment, but /commands will be replaced by handy-dandy GUI soon enough. =D

great suggestions:

1) a second 'warning' page when a CD is being taken over
2) a 'minimum' completed games threshold...
3) a seperate listing for CD games vs New Games

all easy to do I think... would solve 90% of the problems...

I'd like to see an auction for CD powers, proceeds increasing the pot. I think the computer generated amounts are way too high in many cases. The simple formula is just not realistic. If someone could bid a realistic amount, then serious players would have an interest in taking over CD positions, and might even snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

I like Caviare's idea, but it's a little unrealistic. How would you auction off a position, in the midst of an ongoing game? Especially a faster one?

Well I hadn't thought about faster games. May be it wouldn't work for them. I suppose I had the idea of just holding the game up for one turn while the auction took place. For faster games that wouldn't be long enough. I guess you'd give the game starter a choice of auction or formula, and how long the auction would last, with sensible defaults of course. CD positions do screw up a game, and lets face it this is just a game and everyone has unexpected priorities at times. Serious players would be willing to suffer the delay to the game while the auction takes place, others may not be. It should be up to the person who starts the game.

Maybe it should be up to all participants. Like a draw, or something?

the betting idea is not that bad... maybe a standard 6 or 10 hr wait time for every CD... with a betting clock ticking down (like ebay). then a 'buy it now' option that is 1/3 or so of the 'current' prices for CDs...

I agree that CD takeover prices are too high...

also - needs to be seperated out of your records.

@Onar, the players can unanimously agree to a draw at any time including, I presume, when there is a CD. There would no need for a new feature to support that.

I don't like the auction, simply because then the players have to wait out ANOTHER timer when they have just waited 2 full turns for the country to go CD.

Also, when someone goes CD, they shouldn't be able to take it back. We had one game where one person decided to punish the game - he went CD, we all breathed a sigh of relief - next turn, he makes one move, he's not CD anymore, then he let it go CD again essentially blocking the game for 5 turns.

Mapleleaf's original suggestion here is excellent, I fully support it.

Kestas has told us to keep bumping messages to him, because he does not look at this every day.

We want new players "first" experience on the site to be positive. Allowing them to join a "hopeless" game could keep them from ever returning. We should shepherd them into the right game for a new player... generally a new game.

Yes, that would be a good idea. Furthermore, maybe we could also decrease the starting points held? (and of course the points restored when you are not playing any games would go down with it)

Well, we could do, but if that's your issue why not just make the minimum bet 10? Would effectively half the value of the Point

@Chrispminis- What is GUI?

Sounds like a great idea to me. If fact, should a 1 SC CD power even be able to be taken over? Who would possibly want to take over a 1 SC power (except to cheat)?

bump

GUI = graphical user interface

@jbalcorn I'd actually advocate an auction as soon as someone doesn't submit orders the first time. The other players would only have to wait once. Harsh, but I'm looking for high quality games. Aren't most of us? As far as the same player rejoining is concerned, they'd have to go through the auction just like anyone else, so their point count would get punished every time they mess up. There would be compensation to the other players because the pot gets bigger each time as well.

off topic a bit - but can i make another suggestion for kestas if he ever reads this -

can we put "finished date" on all finished games in our profile pages? is that a field that is kept?