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How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 13 April 2024, 01:43
by MasterMar
This is mainly speaking about Agricola. I prefer fast speed as it saves 20 min but usually get normal speed games with occasional fast and even more occasional slow. How is this determined?

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 13 April 2024, 01:56
by Kayvon
The speed of the table is determined when the table is created. There are a few options for realtime (slow, med, fast) and for turn-based, too.

The turn time allotted for realtime games is determined algorithmically based on players' speed during beta. Sometimes BGA will update those numbers after a game has been released, but I'm not sure how often or whether it needs to be done manually.

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 13 April 2024, 02:59
by MasterMar
Kayvon wrote: 13 April 2024, 01:56 The speed of the table is determined when the table is created. There are a few options for realtime (slow, med, fast) and for turn-based, too.

The turn time allotted for realtime games is determined algorithmically based on players' speed during beta. Sometimes BGA will update those numbers after a game has been released, but I'm not sure how often or whether it needs to be done manually.
I'm talking about Arena mode games, which are automatically generated.

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 13 April 2024, 03:15
by ufm
You can choose your preferred game speed in the lobby.

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 13 April 2024, 03:24
by Kayvon
MasterMar wrote: 13 April 2024, 02:59
Kayvon wrote: 13 April 2024, 01:56 The speed of the table is determined when the table is created. There are a few options for realtime (slow, med, fast) and for turn-based, too.

The turn time allotted for realtime games is determined algorithmically based on players' speed during beta. Sometimes BGA will update those numbers after a game has been released, but I'm not sure how often or whether it needs to be done manually.
I'm talking about Arena mode games, which are automatically generated.
The turn time allotted for realtime games is determined algorithmically based on players' speed during beta. Sometimes BGA will update those numbers after a game has been released, but I'm not sure how often or whether it needs to be done manually.

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 13 April 2024, 13:48
by MasterMar
Kayvon wrote: 13 April 2024, 03:24
MasterMar wrote: 13 April 2024, 02:59
Kayvon wrote: 13 April 2024, 01:56 The speed of the table is determined when the table is created. There are a few options for realtime (slow, med, fast) and for turn-based, too.

The turn time allotted for realtime games is determined algorithmically based on players' speed during beta. Sometimes BGA will update those numbers after a game has been released, but I'm not sure how often or whether it needs to be done manually.
I'm talking about Arena mode games, which are automatically generated.
The turn time allotted for realtime games is determined algorithmically based on players' speed during beta. Sometimes BGA will update those numbers after a game has been released, but I'm not sure how often or whether it needs to be done manually.
No I was referring to fast/medium/slow setting for Arena games

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 15 April 2024, 04:17
by jesslc
At the lobby stage you select slow, normal or fast. In the new lobby there's a toggle button next to the slider for "flexible" which if turned on means you might get a game at a speed you didn't select.

I prefer to use the old lobby still because I find it easier to manually check exactly what arena settings I'll have for a game before searching for one.

Old lobby is Play Now (here - https://boardgamearena.com/lobby) (can be a little slow to load)

- Change the top drop down menu from Simple game to Arena

- Find the game you want to check settings for and click the gear icon

- That will bring up a pop up that show the exact settings for that game in Arena mode. Some can't be changed because they're set for this season for everyone but the settings for game speed and a few others are adjustable. You can choose "I never want to play with" for speeds you don't want. I've never been added to a game with any of the speeds where I have chosen "I never want to play with" but I have occasionally been added to games if I chose "I'm reluctant to play with".

- At the bottom of the pop up is an estimate of how long it'll take to find an arena match with your current settings.

- It might affect how long it takes you to find an opponent if you restrict your settings. Or maybe not - I'm not familar with real time arena personally (just play turn based normally) but generally speaking there seem to be plenty of people on BGA who want fast games.

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 16 April 2024, 05:34
by EmmaAlva
I think while players may have preferences for game speed, the actual pace of the game can vary depending on a variety of factors, including player preferences, consensus among the players, and game dynamics tiny fishing It's important for players to communicate their preferences and expectations regarding game speed to ensure an enjoyable gaming experience for everyone involved.

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 16 April 2024, 19:28
by Lumin_S
This part of jesslc's post is correct, with one necessary addition: if you ONLY want to play fast, set the speed setting appropriately to "never" for normal and slow, and always restart your queue when the color changes from bright green.

Annoyingly, the "I never want..." settings get disrespected when the arena queue changes from bright green to drab green or brown.
jesslc wrote: 15 April 2024, 04:17 I prefer to use the old lobby still because I find it easier to manually check exactly what arena settings I'll have for a game before searching for one.

Old lobby is Play Now (here - https://boardgamearena.com/lobby) (can be a little slow to load)

- Change the top drop down menu from Simple game to Arena

- Find the game you want to check settings for and click the gear icon

- That will bring up a pop up that show the exact settings for that game in Arena mode. Some can't be changed because they're set for this season for everyone but the settings for game speed and a few others are adjustable. You can choose "I never want to play with" for speeds you don't want. I've never been added to a game with any of the speeds where I have chosen "I never want to play with" but I have occasionally been added to games if I chose "I'm reluctant to play with".

Re: How is speed of BGA Arena games determined?

Posted: 17 April 2024, 00:08
by nik592
Lumin_S wrote: 16 April 2024, 19:28 Annoyingly, the "I never want..." settings get disrespected when the arena queue changes from bright green to drab green or brown.
They're not supposed to, and I can't say I've had that experience (I set my speed settings to exclude fast speed turn-based games, because I don't want to have to deal with playing hours) and I've never been put into a fast speed game. It's supposed to be that it searches for games based on your settings for a time period, then adds settings for your "prefer not to" (drab green) preferences for a time period, then adds settings for your "reluctant" (brown) preferences. So basically if it wasn't adding those additional preferences, you just wouldn't be getting a game at all.