Real time section

[le0nidas]

This is just one humble n00b's opinion, but wouldn't it be cool if there was a section for real time games for people who would rather play for a couple hours in a row than spread out over the course of a month. There could be shorter turn limits and different penalties cuz turn skipping would be no legit (non gaming the system for strategic advantage) reason for turn skipping, but other than that it would be the pretty much the same as CC now, and more similar to a bunch of friends sitting down and breaking out the board. It would also reduce deadbeating and be an easier transition for new players. I am not aware if there is something like this for premium members if there is it would be a big incentive to join, and I haven't found anything in non-premium (if there is please tell me and also feel free to mock my noobishness).

I feel like a separate section is the best solution because a lot of times the last 4 ppl to join a game do so pretty quickly and express an interest in real time, but the person who actually started the game did it much earlier and is no longer online. With this there would be a much faster turnover in games so you could all be there at the start. I feel like with over 114000 registered users and 854 users online right now at noon EST, a section with a couple dedicated real time games that could be a fun change of pace and if the majority like the idea that amount of people could definitely support it. Also i have been pretty impressed by this site and the community here, keep up the good work.

[wicked]

Welcome to the site. Would a game option for shorter turns work for you? If so, that's on our infamous "to-do" list, which is stickied at the top of the Suggestions Forum. Check it out for exciting features to come, and also ideas that have already been suggested (so you don't duplicate). And to keep the forum organized, we ask everyone to make game and site improvement suggestions in that same forum, for future reference for you.

Also, you can check out the Live Chat (link on left). There's a special Callouts tab dedicated just to setting up realtime games.

Another option is to post for realtime games in the Callouts forum. Sometimes chat can be a bit buggy or slow, so that's a good backup option.

Let us know if you have any other questions!

[le0nidas]

cool, appreciate the info. I was wondering if people would still want it after they got premium and could get a similar (though still kinda different) experience by being in an arbitrarily large number of games, and also if they have this specific option but just in premium (i understand that this is not the case), i would understand that b/c it would make it more of an incentive to get premium. def cool that you are working to expand the game and feel free to move the post or whatever you feel is best, but it would be cool if it was somewhere it could get votes or responses. Feedback nourishes my anemic self esteem... god knows I am not getting any wins to fix that problem.

[Coleman]

As we get more players I think the need for lack to create a full real time game mode is growing more urgent. Newer players have a hard time with the 24 hours bit.

The only reason I could see lack being hesitant on this is that it decreases the value of premium if noobs can play rt all the time without some extra effort. So maybe make a rt (1 hour turn) check box in start a game available only to premium members.

I know this is more of a suggestion then general discussion but if I posted this over there a mod would get upset because it's already been suggested.

[wicked]

I think suggestions on how to implement are fine. I won't move it to suggestions since it wasn't an "official" suggestion on the form, and since it is on the to-do list. However, feel free to discuss. I think premium only option is a good idea.

[le0nidas]

Yeah, like I said before it would definitely make sense to me if you implemented the feature for premium only from a financial standpoint. At the same time, premium members are used to the current system of waiting up to 24 hrs a turn, or know to use the live chat to set up a rt game, and it is the people who have new accounts who are used to playing a board game with friends who would be expecting an rt style game, and would be frustrated by the current system.

I am still in college so I am not going to presume anything about your business model, but if you can get big enough advertising can be a bigger income source than premium fees, which have somewhat of a negative stigma in internet games (the "i don't want to pay just to waste my time online" mentality), and the only way to get big is to keep the players who come here. I have no clue what the numbers are, but looking through the complaints in the forums of n00bs leaving their first game when they realize how long it takes, it seems like retention is not ideal, so it is a balance. I only suggest ads because it was your ads on oil empires that brought me here, and i will definitely tell my friends back home about this.
For my first game I had to go to the instructions twice and then visit the forums, and most people will not put in that much effort, the only reason I did is cuz i was procrastinating sending out an application.

At the same time the players that are premium are the loyal guys (girls too apparently) that have probably been here for a while and have literally paid their dues, so they should be rewarded. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is to let non-premium play the rt if/when it is available, but only on limited maps and not for ranking, with only 1 rt game at a time. The regular games would be handled as they are now. This way they would be able to play a bunch right away and get hooked on the site instead of join a game, and not come back either b/c the game takes so long to start or they realize how long they have to wait between turns. Also, by playing regular games they would see there are more maps than just classic would experience a different style of play that over time they might prefer, and would want to improve their rank, which would necessitate premium to play more regular games at once or ranked rt games. Another idea would be to let them play rt games, but only a certain number and one at a time, so they will have 3 regular games going and be used to it by the time they run out of rt games. either way the regular games are cool and I am really liking it here. Hope my ideas make sense or that someone has better ones.

[wicked]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to write all that out. It's good to have a fresh set of eyes look through things. A couple comments on what you wrote. Lackattack (the site owner/admin) is opposed to having ads on the site, so I doubt that would happen. We do have a flash training video that is in the works as well, to help the new players understand how to play and such. We think this'll decrease the deadbeat problem and shorten the learning curve.

[New players] would be able to play a bunch right away and get hooked on the site instead of join a game, and not come back either b/c the game takes so long to start or they realize how long they have to wait between turns

I think this is a key point you made, and I wonder how to implement something like that IF Speed Games are made a premie only feature. If non-premies are allowed one slot for Speed Games, then they would essentially get a defacto premium b/c they could go through and just play unlimited Speed Games. So how to circumvent that? Perhaps limit them to one speed game a day or week?

BTW for everyone, these are just discussions. I do not know if Lack is considering making Speed Games for premies only.

[Coleman]

BTW for everyone, these are just discussions. I do not know if Lack is considering making Speed Games for premies only.

Or at all, at least from my perspective. I have no idea what he does with his time or how much priority he has given RT games.

[le0nidas]

I agree wicked that just limiting ranking and maps might not be enough to incentivize premium membership, and if ads are completely out of the question then premium is obviously necessary, but I agree that a per day or week limit would work. I am not sure if it was clear but the 2nd suggestion I made before was to give a certain number of free rt games and then after that you can only do regular CC games. This way you get what you want at the start but once you run out you will have to choose between just regular CC games or upgrading to premium (instead of just waiting till the next day/week), but at least by that point they will be used to the regular system, so even if they don't pay right away, they are more likely to stick around and maybe pay later.