FAQ

I've written the FAQ way back, in the hope it would be updated once in a while. I have some time no so I will rewrite them a bit add the new games, and run through the different fora to check for needed additions.

It would be great if people would tell what should or could be added. For the numerous spelling mistakes, just send me a internal message if you find one.

Here are my suggestions. I found no spelling errors.

\* Time limits: mention 20 vacation days per year. When do vacation days get reset to 20? On the anniversary of when you joined, or in January? Also mention where to look to see your remaining vacation days.

*How do I get games started: "registrate" is now "register."

*How do I play: mention the personal info text entry box for each game, which appears before you make your move.

*What is Hex: "seemingly simultaneous" is not correct. The game was invented by Piet Hein approximately six years before John Nash independently discovered it.

*How do I move in Hex: click on an empty hexagon, not an empty circle. The hexagon will not be colored; a token of your color will be placed there. "Swap" does NOT cause players to swap sides on Little Golem. Instead, the first token changes color and moves to a new position reflected along the long diagonal. For example, if the first move is B4, "swap" will move this token to D2 and change its color. This is effectively the same as swapping sides.

*Golem's word game: explain autobidding.

*Mention the new games of course.

*TwixtPP: The difference in the rules should be clearly explained here, since this is NOT standard Twixt. Links are not removed, but your own links are allowed to cross each other. So, for example, a winning path which loops across itself is permitted. Crossed links are NOT necessarily connected to each other. To win, you must have a chain of pegs which begins in one of your border rows and ends in the other, each peg of which is linked to the next.

*Login/new user: there is a new item "edit user properties" where you can change the board display for Hex and Twixt.

*Rating tournament: explain what "same range" means with regards to rating.

*Golem championship: Somewhere in the Forum, Richard explained the algorithm for choosing who is placed in

what league. That should be in the FAQ. Also the championship does NOT start immediately when the previous one ends; i believe there is a two week period in between.

*The rating formula IS interesting, for me at least, and probably several others.

The period is one week, not two, for the new championship to start, after all leagues have finished.

In practice players have 21, not 20 vacation days (the counter goes down to -1, right yper?). I think it is reset in January, regardless of when one has registered. If you get a vacation day before your opponent has made the first move in a new match, your time drops to 24 hours (this is probably another bug)!

There are no announcements before the championships start. It should be mentioned that players who are in top-10 of the rating list advance directly to first league if they have not played in it before.

To have all opponents in the same rating range is mentioned as an advantage for rated tournaments; to have opponents of any level is mentioned as an advantage for monthly cups. There are of course good and bad aspects of both; it looks a bit silly to mention both as an advantage.

Explain SON. I know it's already there, but make it even more clear. I think SON is the most FAQ of them all.

Formulas - let us have them! I think I've figured them out already, but they should be there. Also, a brief explaination could be nice for those who are not good in math. One need to explain how a win in overtime in street soccer (4-1) can cause the rating to be unchanged, or even reduced for the winner. Also, how rating are calculated for new players would be nice.

Marius

Great!!!

Most things I had already changed (not online) and the other I will put in.

Other suggestions?

I think bugs (and minor problems) should be on a separate (FAQ) page, if possible.

The difference between a bug like the one Tasmanian mentioned and a (minor) problem is that a bug can cause trouble to players - like time dropping to 24 before even one has a chance to make a move.

A minor problem that is asked sometimes: The "FInish time" that is shown on ended games is the time of the last move. This is correct except for timed-out games. Then the "Finish time" shows not when the game finished but when the winning player made last move.

Marius writes: One need to explain how a win in overtime in street soccer (4-1) can cause the rating to be unchanged, or even reduced for the winner.

its because such win is treated as a draw.

Yes, as David mentioned, the rating calculation equation is interesting to me, too. :)

As for the rating formula... I think I found the expression on mindsport.net, but I'm not entirely sure, so as long Richard doesn't tell, I can't put in the faq.

Richard, could you check if this is the right formula :

1

r1 + 32 * (w - (-----------------))

(r2-r1)/400

1 + 10

I thought it would be a mess...

r1 is the players old rating, r2 opponents old rating, w=1; 0,5 or 0 for win, draw, loss. (I use the more used 0,5 for a half over the anglosaxian 0.5)

r1 + 32 (w - 1/(1+10^((r2-r1)/400)))

NewR1 = R1 + K * {w-[1+10(R2 - R1)/400]-1}

if that's the formula, K=32 .

what is the formula in games against newbies?

bump