Quote:
Originally Posted by RealNick
Get your rating to 2000 and let us know how many players that are at your current rating you play with.
That's not the problem.
In BG, action is really the main issue at least in europe and expecially in Italy.
Why this wonderful game can't reach the same audience as chess or poker? Basically because an enthusiast of the game start studying it, start learn some basics with the major BG engines, and then when one feels ready ( i.e. PR at least 10/11) to play (repeat, I mean in europe and Italy) some human players he/she can't find a decent opponent and a decent actions.
I played chess before moving to BG, and when subscribing on any site like freechess or some other site you can find TONS AND TONS of player at any time any day and willing to play any time control you can immagine.
Now I subscribed to Gridgammon, on FIBS and dailygammon but:
a) Gridgammon: I connect, I find ready less than 10 people, half is 1750+ raiting and don't play with low experience players. 25% is really sick people with 1300 rating or so, and 25% want to play at least 7 point match which take to long for me to end otherwise they play unrated match (lol). Even if you catch a 5-point game or a 3 point game they play and they leave in a shot (sort of hit and runners lol)
b) FIBS: I connect, better action, but too many droppers and they play uber-slow even in standard stuations due either to connection or inexperience, so I have to play the bots. Darn, there are ONLY two types of bots: Too strog (2100+) or too weak (1550) and for me that I am a 1730-50 player can't find a quick game (I love to play 3 point match)
c) dailygammon: action and a lot of players (really tons of players) but... oh wait it's a correspondance site, a turn based site (what do you have against it?). I played a lot of games, reaching easily 1880 elo points (moving almost in blitz mode) but over time it tends to bore, either because it's better real time play and because the field in general it's too soft. I mean, there are some very good players of course, but the vast majority play with an error rate (Snowie) of 14-17 or worse (i.e. real casual players with some experience or at best weak intermediates)
It turns out that in BG you have to play anybody if you want to keep up action, I mean not play the game you don't want, but at least don't reject people only beacuse have low elo or low experience.
Obviously one have to IMMEDIATELY cut off the possibility of dropping the match, introducin' what is COMMON on ANY chess site: forfait on disconnection (obv with 2 minutes to recover it and some more bonus in long matches between people with high experience) and no pity for low experience players and more important the clock and time control Bronstein mode. But BG site have to grow a lot on this side, too much is relied on anybody faith and self control when in tilt mode.
Last edited by Fllecha; 01-07-2014 at 04:49 PM.