Board Game Arena

Recently I could not complete 2 games a couple days apart due to circumstances beyond my control. In the first game I was having computer issues that caused me to not be able to play in a reasonable time. I was able to play but kept going into the red on time. I explained it to my opponents but eventually one of them decided to kick me out. The second time, my internet died. Nothing I could do.

I think it is unreasonable to get docked when the circumstances are beyond your control. I could maybe see the first one and chalk it up to an unreasonable and impatient opponent. But the second one is totally unreasonable.

leafyscreen wrote: ↑31 July 2025, 23:30 Recently I could not complete 2 games a couple days apart due to circumstances beyond my control. In the first game I was having computer issues that caused me to not be able to play in a reasonable time. I was able to play but kept going into the red on time. I explained it to my opponents but eventually one of them decided to kick me out. The second time, my internet died. Nothing I could do.

I think it is unreasonable to get docked when the circumstances are beyond your control. I could maybe see the first one and chalk it up to an unreasonable and impatient opponent. But the second one is totally unreasonable.

No. Don't just think about your personal case. Think about how many thousands of requests they'd have for something like this if they considered it. And what resources do they have to verify the claims? Are you going to provide a certified letter from your ISP, or is it just going to be "trust me, bro"?

It is easy enough earn back karma if it's just a one-off penalty here and there every couple of months. You're already back to only being 2 points away from qualifying for the strictest karma filter there is on BGA.

No you can only appeal when it's a bga system issue. And tbh there is no way to prove your internet died and you simply didn't just leave the site.

Saying that, getting reputation back can be done quickly by playing a lot of short games in a row (you get one back per completed game), can't stop being one that's usually recommended. And you are above 80 rep so there won't be much of an impact that you of you don't want to rush the games.

leafyscreen wrote: ↑31 July 2025, 23:30 Recently I could not complete 2 games a couple days apart due to circumstances beyond my control. In the first game I was having computer issues that caused me to not be able to play in a reasonable time. I was able to play but kept going into the red on time. I explained it to my opponents but eventually one of them decided to kick me out. The second time, my internet died. Nothing I could do.

I think it is unreasonable to get docked when the circumstances are beyond your control. I could maybe see the first one and chalk it up to an unreasonable and impatient opponent. But the second one is totally unreasonable.

That's what reputation is designed for. That the occasional hit is nothing, easily recovered without issue. You still have plenty of reputation as leeway, and it won't be long before it's like nothing even happened. Reputation is so easily gained and giving so much leeway you don't need to care about a rare mishap.

SiRan90 wrote: ↑31 July 2025, 23:43 No you can only appeal when it's a bga system issue. And tbh there is no way to prove your internet died and you simply didn't just leave the site.

Saying that, getting reputation back can be done quickly by playing a lot of short games in a row (you get one back per completed game), can't stop being one that's usually recommended. And you are above 80 rep so there won't be much of an impact that you of you don't want to rush the games.

Can't Stop isn't the worst, though I'd imagine Connect 4 would be better (guaranteed 2 player with a finite number of total moves that are only the dropping of one disk makes the popular game ideal for these purposes.) It's the best game for the purposes of completion that comes to mind, though perhaps there's another popular game with a similar playing speed.

Ceaseless wrote: ↑01 August 2025, 00:45

SiRan90 wrote: ↑31 July 2025, 23:43 No you can only appeal when it's a bga system issue. And tbh there is no way to prove your internet died and you simply didn't just leave the site.

Saying that, getting reputation back can be done quickly by playing a lot of short games in a row (you get one back per completed game), can't stop being one that's usually recommended. And you are above 80 rep so there won't be much of an impact that you of you don't want to rush the games.

Can't Stop isn't the worst, though I'd imagine Connect 4 would be better (guaranteed 2 player with a finite number of total moves that are only the dropping of one disk makes the popular game ideal for these purposes.) It's the best game for the purposes of completion that comes to mind, though perhaps there's another popular game with a similar playing speed.

Everyone one has their favorite quick karma recovery game. Mine is now Verso. It's ridiculously quick.

But what we agree on is that there is no need (and no ability to) launch an investigation every time someone's connection drops.

Meeplelowda wrote: ↑01 August 2025, 00:52

Ceaseless wrote: ↑01 August 2025, 00:45

SiRan90 wrote: ↑31 July 2025, 23:43 No you can only appeal when it's a bga system issue. And tbh there is no way to prove your internet died and you simply didn't just leave the site.

Saying that, getting reputation back can be done quickly by playing a lot of short games in a row (you get one back per completed game), can't stop being one that's usually recommended. And you are above 80 rep so there won't be much of an impact that you of you don't want to rush the games.

Can't Stop isn't the worst, though I'd imagine Connect 4 would be better (guaranteed 2 player with a finite number of total moves that are only the dropping of one disk makes the popular game ideal for these purposes.) It's the best game for the purposes of completion that comes to mind, though perhaps there's another popular game with a similar playing speed.

Everyone one has their favorite quick karma recovery game. Mine is now Verso. It's ridiculously quick.

But what we agree on is that there is no need (and no ability to) launch an investigation every time someone's connection drops.

A quick glance implies Verso is faster than Can't Stop but slower than Connect 4, don't know how fast it is at getting a game, though the recently completed game list looks brisk enough for the short-term.

leafyscreen wrote: ↑31 July 2025, 23:30 I think it is unreasonable to get docked when the circumstances are beyond your control.

The karma score is not a judgment on you as a person. It's a compound measure of your reliability, and your computer's, and your internet connection's, and any "unexpected event" that may happen to you. So no, you cannot appeal.

Ceaseless wrote: ↑01 August 2025, 01:23 A quick glance implies Verso is faster than Can't Stop but slower than Connect 4, don't know how fast it is at getting a game, though the recently completed game list looks brisk enough for the short-term.

It was released 10 days ago. I predict its popularity will dwindle quickly. I'd try one of the solo games that can be played in ranked (not friendly) mode.

Jellby wrote: ↑01 August 2025, 08:52 It was released 10 days ago. I predict its popularity will dwindle quickly. I'd try one of the solo games that can be played in ranked (not friendly) mode.

You get reputation for completing Solo Games? Even if they had ranked capacity, didn't expect BGA would allow reputation gains for anything that didn't involve human opponents. If that's the case, then if you can find a sufficiently short one, that would probably be the best target of the lot, since it doesn't require pairing or dealing with the opponent's time, which can unexpectedly drag out the game. Connect 4 is probably a tier beyond Cannot Stop for reputation for reasons I mentioned earlier (always 2 player, short turn requirements, guaranteed turn maximum), but a short enough Solo game would be in its own league.

It does seem like a flaw in the karma system, that you can lose reputation by not completing games against human opponents, and then restore your reputation to 100% just playing solo games.