Rating Shield

[jay65536]

It's certainly no worse an incentive than taking over a position where your rating can't go down but can go up, right? Either way you don't care if you lose. And having a substitute playing an unranked game (from their perspective) can't be worse for the overall game than not having anyone take over the position, right?

Although I guess if there is not a serious problem of positions going unfilled then this may be a "solution in search of a problem", as they say.

[Malarky]

Maybe I'm a little biased because I don't think there's much that would be an incentive for me to pick up a surrendered position. Maybe a date with Jessica Alba...

If I'm bothered about my rating, and it could increase but not decrease, then the incentive is to play as well as I can to see if I can get something from the game. The higher my rating, though, the less likely it is I'm going to get anything, especially if the result is affected by how much of the game I actually play. Which may mean that it is lower-rated players that might respond to this incentive.

If I'm bothered about my rating and it can't increase or decrease, it is ratings-neutral for me, there's no incentive at all, really.

If I'm interested in the challenge of picking up a surrendered position, then I'm probably less concerned about my rating and I might pick the game up anyway. In this circumstance it matters less whether I gain anything from the game and possibly if I lose anything. On the other hand, losing ratings points is almost always likely to disincentivise most players (no matter how disinterested they are in their rating).

When I was looking for a game to join, from my preferences the games with openings came up first Some of them were so far along, or some positions so poor that - for me - they just weren't interesting.

Now, this probably isn't the attitude that's meant to be carried into picking up these positions but, for me, if I'm going to put time and effort into the game I want some payback: not from ratings but from enjoyment for my effort. Joining a game that's all but done, or where I'd need to offer my date with Jess to stay in the game long enough to enjoy it, isn't interesting.

I don't really look at whether the game is ranked or not, I look if I can play it long enough to enjoy it. So even with Ms Alba looking enticingly over her shoulder while peeling off her wet suit as incentive, I'd have to (oh so reluctantly) turn the games with no future down.

Really, then, this is probably something which is going to interest people who have some time on their hands, don't fancy a long game, and will press keys until their fingers bleed just for the hell of it. Meaning they'll play hard because they are prepared to invest their time into it.

I'm not sure there's much incentive for most people to pick up any position other than enjoyment, even with the only ratings outcome being positive. But I'd say that the possibility of some kind of positive ratings outcome is better than none.

[dib]

The rating shield is there to encourage people to take up surrendered positions. ...<> the worry I would have is that you would then be back to being able to play endless surrendered positions without ever risking a negative change to your rating. I'm not sure how popular that would be?

Its the law of unintended consequences.

It seems to me that you can ALREADY easily game the system by alternating pure dip and variants thus never risking your pure dip ranking. Looking at a few players records this is what they are doing. PM me for details if you dont believe me Basically you NEVER have to risk your ranking and can out manoeuvre the fading echos part of the system by still playing games.

My suggestion would be to still have it but to separate the shield so its only effective for the game type started. Otherwise it makes a COMPLETE mockery of the whole thing ...

Step 1 Play variant - charge shield
Step 2 take over Surrendered Country with NO risk
Step 3 Play Variant and so on

[Malarky]

Well, damn, some people. What happened to playing a game because you like playing it? Just get rid of the ratings. Want to be ranked? Play a tournament

[dib]

Totally agree Mr E. Want to start one?

[wryly coyote]

Weird, I had an active ratings shield, picked up a surrendered position, lost and lost rating points. I don't understand why the ratings shield didn't kick in.

[Strategus]

Weird, I had an active ratings shield, picked up a surrendered position, lost and lost rating points. I don't understand why the ratings shield didn't kick in.

Did you surrender? Even in another game.

[wryly coyote]

Weird, I had an active ratings shield, picked up a surrendered position, lost and lost rating points. I don't understand why the ratings shield didn't kick in.

Did you surrender? Even in another game.

Nope - I have never surrendered. I agreed to a draw that didn't include me though.

My stat line for the game looks like this

Back to the Americas (GREAT BRITAIN): 0
-18 for defeat
Adjust for 79% turns played
Ratings Shield active

[Strategus]

Weird, I had an active ratings shield, picked up a surrendered position, lost and lost rating points. I don't understand why the ratings shield didn't kick in.

Did you surrender? Even in another game.

Nope - I have never surrendered. I agreed to a draw that didn't include me though.

My stat line for the game looks like this

Back to the Americas (GREAT BRITAIN): 0
-18 for defeat
Adjust for 79% turns played
Ratings Shield active

Yes, the zero at the top is your actual score. The -18 is showing what the score would have been without tbe shield.

[wryly coyote]

Yes, the zero at the top is your actual score. The -18 is showing what the score would have been without tbe shield.

Got it, so I need to start a game now to recharge my shield?