Karma system needs an overhaul

[Liam Crunchy Robot]

I just can't even with this karma system. I think I had a few incidents when I first joined the platform and didn't realise I'd signed up for fast turn based. Also the timing never seems to work as promised. I time out overnight even though I've done several turns during the day (on a 1 turn per day table). The settings around what time the turns are expected to happen is very difficult to understand (there is some kind of 24 hour clock displayed but I don't know if that is in my time zone (in Australia) or not. I am locked out of chat because of my karma rating so if I have something going on where I can't take a turn in time I can't even chat with the table and let them know. Also people try to chat with me in game and I am unable to reply so they think I'm not engaged in the game. Apparently you can regain points by playing games but that never seems to happen for me. I just tried to update something in my profile to explain this and it won't even let me do that because of karma. I'm a genuine player and want to engage but the settings around karma just cause a downward spiral and make it very hard to regain the points. I also feel like the karma system causes more impatience in players, if you are trying to regain karma and someone else is being slow you are less likely to give them leeway because you need to complete games to regain points so you leave and cause them to lose karma and the whole downward cycle just continues. I would consider paying for the service if it didn't make me constantly feel like a second class citizen with no way out.

[FSKFSK]

Try playing realtime games (not turn-based). You get +1% karma for each finished game. Play a bunch of quick games like Lucky Numbers.

After you recover your karma, only join turn-based games where you check the time settings first.

[Liam Crunchy Robot]

Thanks for a genuine response but this doesn't resolve the issues I've raised. I've completed a bunch of games and never seen my karma go up. The time settings are difficult to understand and not explained in detail anywhere (I often get timeouts on 1 turn per day games even if I did multiple turns the day before). Players that take just as long as me seem to never be in the red. I feel like there is some time-zone issue that is not made clear.

[Silene]

Karma only goes up after a game that was rated (no training mode) and you stayed within your time limit for the whole game. Maybe one of those 2 things were an issue in your games that didn't raise karma?

[Silene]

Players that take just as long as me seem to never be in the red. I feel like there is some time-zone issue that is not made clear.

Can you give an example (link) of a game where this happened?

If you play fast-turn-based (8-24 moves a day), there would indeed be set an active time and a sleeping time (where the clock isn't running). But you can see the active hours before joining the game. It is set per table and not per player because fast turn-based only makes sense between players that have overlapping active hours.

So if you join a fast turn-based table, don't forget to check the active hours. If you open the table yourself, you can choose the time-interval.

[Liam Crunchy Robot]

https://boardgamearena.com/9/castlesofb ... =235880348

Here's one example. In the times when we've all been online and taking turns I've been responding in a timely manner. Yet I'm 24 hours behind and they've used up half an hour of wait time. I'm not understanding the difference between my responsiveness an theirs. When I signed up I thought there was ample crossover in our active times but now I can't remember what was advertised and I can't see the expected time period anywhere in the game interface.

I also don't know whether the times posted in the sign-up are in my local time, the poster's time, or some central timezone.

I want to make it clear that I'm not complaining at all about the players at this table. They are lovely and we have enjoyed playing. I'd love to say a few words to them in chat but my karma rating prohibits that. Another example of how this karma system is inhibiting the building of community.

[FSKFSK]

Look at the "playing hours". If the playing hours don't match when you're asleep, your clock will run down while you're sleeping, but your opponents' clocks won't run down when they're sleeping.

The playing hours in that Castles of Burgundy game are listed as 10am-10pm where I live (USA), but if you live in the UK those aren't good playing hours for you.

What you should do:

- only join games where the playing hours match when you are able to play

OR

- play games with more generous time controls but no playing hours

OR

- play realtime games until you understand how the site works better

[Liam Crunchy Robot]

Thankyou for looking into this, and thanks for offering some workarounds. I can't see in the table interface where the playing hours are listed. Can you show me or describe it?

This table is a "Fast turn based" but I have the same issue with "one turn per day" tables even when I am taking my one turn, there seems to be some unwritten time zone that I need to abide by.

I appreciate the suggestions for workarounds but if BGA want me to pay money for this service then there needs to be a vast improvement to this system and the interface. I understand that it would work technically, but I'm not sure of the logic behind the fact that I should play a bunch of real-time games to earn the right to play more turn-based games, and why is my chat function suspended because of timeouts? Not sure what the value proposition is for me to become a paying member when they've locked me out of a bunch of the platform's functions with my current status.

I don't mean to unload on you specifically, BGA don't seem to offer any direct feedback mechanism.

[Silene]

You can see it in the lobby before joining.

During the game, you can scroll down below the game board and click options to see how the game was set up. It always shows your local time.

[Silene]

This table is a "Fast turn based" but I have the same issue with "one turn per day" tables even when I am taking my one turn, there seems to be some unwritten time zone that I need to abide by.

Can you give an example for this one too? Usually this should not happen

, and why is my chat function suspended because of timeouts?

This is indeed a weird consequence...