Time settings

[ErikLevin]

I also think that BGA arrived at the shorthand from the interpretation "(the table collectively needs to make at least) 4 moves per day (or else someone will time out)". That makes perfect sense... except for games with simultaneous turns in which case the formula still doesn't work out.

[Jellby]

4 moves per day means you get 24h/4 = 6h per move. That's all

Since every player gets the same, it also means that the table must progress at least at 4 timed moves per day, or at least one player will be losing time. It can of course be slower, if the time bank can afford the time loss. It can also be faster, and that doesn't guarantee all players are within time, there could be one slow player among many fast ones.

My take is: be prepared to make 4 moves per day, but do not expect more than 4 total (counting all players) moves per day.

[Aeneas23]

Follow-up:

I’m playing an eight moves a day game. Two of the other players are fine. One player has made only one move in almost 48 hours and yet somehow his time doesn’t run out. Before I went to sleep last night, he had an hour and a half remaining. I checked back nine hours later, he still hadn’t moved, but still has an hour and a half remaining. How can that be? I should add that when I attempted to propose abandoning the game, the menu appears, but when I click “yes” nothing happens. It’s like the game is frozen. The player in question seems to have a pretty bad karma reputation.

[Shivaware]

Follow-up:

I’m playing an eight moves a day game. Two of the other players are fine. One player has made only one move in almost 48 hours and yet somehow his time doesn’t run out. Before I went to sleep last night, he had an hour and a half remaining. I checked back nine hours later, he still hadn’t moved, but still has an hour and a half remaining. How can that be? I should add that when I attempted to propose abandoning the game, the menu appears, but when I click “yes” nothing happens. It’s like the game is frozen. The player in question seems to have a pretty bad karma reputation.

Someone already mentioned that turn-based games with 8 or more moves a day have "playing hours" defined. Clocks only count down during these playing hours, and stop counting down outside of the playing hours. During these off times, there is a little moon symbol on the spinning hourglass indicating that it is the "night" time when people can safely sleep and not be penalized. These playing hours go from 8am to 8pm in Paris, which is somewhat appropriate for the slow person, but they are 3pm to 3am for someone in Tokyo, which may be less appropriate.

Make sure you know the playing hours before you join these fast turn-based games, and if you join games from the game page rather than from the "play now" menu, make sure you do not select a flexible playing speed, or else you could end up with completely inappropriate playing hours.

[Jellby]

I attempted to propose abandoning the game, the menu appears, but when I click “yes” nothing happens.

It's waiting for the other players (including the slow one) to reply yes or no. Clicking Yes does nothing visually, the buttons are still there (so you can always change your mind). If all players click Yes, the game will be abandoned. As soon as one player clicks No the abandonment will be refused and the buttons will disappear. If one (or more) player is actually out of time, their response will automatically be Yes, they'll have no choice, but while they still have positive time, you have to wait for them to answer.

[Aeneas23]

OK, thanks for the clarifications, the moon symbol especially. I am aware of the time -specific Periods of play, and in fact, I am setting them when I set up the game. And I’m checking them when I join another.The problem is I get the feeling a lot of people don’t look at that when they join a game.

[Meeplelowda]

The problem is I get the feeling a lot of people don’t look at that when they join a game.

100% true. There is an open suggestion that there should be a warning for playing hours. I definitely agree with the warning part of the suggestion, but have issues with excluding certain times by default just because it assumes you will be sleeping during that time due to your time zone setting.

Many people are also probably not aware that you can set preferences for playing hours in the Automatic matchmaking settings on the Play Now page by clicking "Show advanced options." I thought you had to set them for each game, but I just checked a game I played recently for the first time and haven't touched any settings and it had my playing hour preferences populated already.

[nik592]

Many people are also probably not aware that you can set preferences for playing hours in the Automatic matchmaking settings on the Play Now page by clicking "Show advanced options." I thought you had to set them for each game, but I just checked a game I played recently for the first time and haven't touched any settings and it had my playing hour preferences populated already.

I believe there's a default set - I always change mine to "never" for everything except the absolute best window for my timezone (which I've never seen) as an additional guard against that speed of game. It's never remembered my preference for any game - always starts with the same set (which is only a small number, maybe 5-6, of windows).

[Meeplelowda]

Many people are also probably not aware that you can set preferences for playing hours in the Automatic matchmaking settings on the Play Now page by clicking "Show advanced options." I thought you had to set them for each game, but I just checked a game I played recently for the first time and haven't touched any settings and it had my playing hour preferences populated already.

I believe there's a default set - I always change mine to "never" for everything except the absolute best window for my timezone (which I've never seen) as an additional guard against that speed of game. It's never remembered my preference for any game - always starts with the same set (which is only a small number, maybe 5-6, of windows).

If it is a default set, then it's surprisingly nuanced. I would expect default settings to either be "I'm OK playing with" or "I never want to play with." This set has three windows set to "I'm OK playing with," one window both before and after those that says "I prefer not to play with," another two windows bracketing those set at "I'm reluctant to play with," and everything else set to "I never want to play with." I'm pretty sure I set those up, but if I didn't then BGA read my mind because it selected the windows exactly as I would have, including some night owl selections many people wouldn't like.

[BarnardsStar]

If it is a default set, then it's surprisingly nuanced. I would expect default settings to either be "I'm OK playing with" or "I never want to play with." This set has three windows set to "I'm OK playing with," one window both before and after those that says "I prefer not to play with," another two windows bracketing those set at "I'm reluctant to play with," and everything else set to "I never want to play with." I'm pretty sure I set those up, but if I didn't then BGA read my mind because it selected the windows exactly as I would have, including some night owl selections many people wouldn't like.

“Reluctant” for playing hours starting at 7am, “prefer not to” for 8am, “OK” for 9, 10, 11am, “prefer not to” for noon, “reluctant” for 1pm, and “never” for all other times? That’s the default setup.