Live Scoring Option?

[Patrick of the Isles]

Is there an option I am missing to have the live score displayed (inclusive of card points) during the game? I can't find one, but it seems like such a basic option that is enabled for most other games, so thought I would double-check I am not missing something.

[MoiMagnus]

Is there an option I am missing to have the live score displayed (inclusive of card points) during the game? I can't find one, but it seems like such a basic option that is enabled for most other games, so thought I would double-check I am not missing something.

For each game, the developer coding the game choose whether to make live scoring a thing or not, often in agreement with the owner of the licence of the game and/or the original designer of the game. This is not a choice made by the players, if it is in the game, it is public information to everyone, if it isn't in the game, it is inaccessible to everyone.

In particular for Dice Forge, the rule state that you can't look at the list of creatures other player defeated (you can only look at your own), so you can't determine how many points they have if you don't remember what they did in previous turns. So the developer elected to follow the spirit of those IRL rules by not accounting for cards in the live score.

[Yorgad]

While this is true, live scoring may also be implemented as an option following further discussions with game designer (this was done for Saboteur, for instance). So OP's question is legitimate to me.

On a side note, I must confess I don't really understand why this kind of rule exists in the first place when information is public, it just favour good memory over good strategy, and sounds purely arbitrary IMO but that's another debate, I guess...

Cheers,
Y.

[Patrick of the Isles]

There are many, many games on BGA where variants are used based on the enjoyment of the playing community. So I stand by my point that it would be pleasant if a designer/implementer happens upon this post, to consider implementing a live score option.

[vincentt]

Hi,
I talked with game publisher about this point. He told me that for the moment he doesn't wish this to be available.

You can still open a suggestion and vote for it
Vincentt

[Patrick of the Isles]

Is there an option I am missing to have the live score displayed (inclusive of card points) during the game? I can't find one, but it seems like such a basic option that is enabled for most other games, so thought I would double-check I am not missing something.

For each game, the developer coding the game choose whether to make live scoring a thing or not, often in agreement with the owner of the licence of the game and/or the original designer of the game. This is not a choice made by the players, if it is in the game, it is public information to everyone, if it isn't in the game, it is inaccessible to everyone.

In particular for Dice Forge, the rule state that you can't look at the list of creatures other player defeated (you can only look at your own), so you can't determine how many points they have if you don't remember what they did in previous turns. So the developer elected to follow the spirit of those IRL rules by not accounting for cards in the live score.

The reason, for what it's worth, why many games have live scoring as an option when played online even when contrary to the physical rules of the game is that the players can simply review the game log to determine what the score is. Since that information is publicly-available in the log, someone wishing to play competitively/optimally will always do so if the final turn decisions rest on the question of who is leading. So the only change with live scoring is that game turns do not have to take a long time as players scroll down the game log. It is only a matter of user interface, not a matter of changing the information accessible and thus by definition is not a rules change but rather a site design choice.

However, even if it were a rules change, deferring to an employee of the publisher to make the decision gives them a level of veto control over how players use their game that they do not have in physical games. Once you purchase a physical game you can use it however you wish to. There are many games where top-level competitive tournaments use variants/house rules that the community has over time found to improve the experience (see e.g. banned cards, bidding for turn order, etc.). No publisher would ever seek to force the community to somehow play without those variants - it is an obvious fact that you have the right to play your games however you wish. So the fact that an employee of the publisher would seek to block a widely-popular variant from being implemented the way it is in the vast majority of games on BGA seems peculiar and surprising.