Runners Just Don't Play

The more I play this app, the more "runners" I meet. I set a 5 pt match and the person gets lucky after the first game and gets a point and runs... I lose points and they gain points. There are more runners than there are serious players, and it just gets too frustrating. Perhaps there is a way to show the person't track record when inviting... games dropped.. and also to show us the person's rating before we play them. We lose so many more points when playing a much lower player, so why not let us know this beforehand, so we have that choice? Let us know which players run by keeping tabs of that... it's just not fun with runners.

Please post and/or link the match files (Advanced Options: Match Files) here for the online matches where you think your opponent got "lucky", won 1 point, and then quit the match. This will allow us to analyze the matches to determine the skill level of both players and also give us their Game Center usernames so that we can see their ELO rating and number of Matches Completed.

In the grand scheme of things, if a situation such as you describe occurs, a fluctuation of a few ELO points is insignificant, considering the fact that ELO ratings in general can fluctuate +/- 100 points in the normal course of play. Also, your same "lucky" opponent, if completely unskilled, will also lose about half his matches, so his ELO rating will be kept in check.

The ELO rating system already takes into account all factors, including luck. If you are correctly rated, then you are meant to win and lose a certain percentage of matches.

Once we see your match files, we can better assess what is happening to you.

- NJ Software

I tried what you said to do to record it, but it didn't work. I just played someone tonight who never used to run and has now become a runner....you know when someone runs because it says "match aborted", as opposed to someone getting booted where the message says "match interrupted unexpectedly" I have written down all the names of people who run when they're losing... ok, so I have no life... but honestly, why do people bother to buy the app and play the app if they're not serious about the game? "doggydoc01" is the one who ran on me tonight but I have a list of names of 32 runners. I need an email to send the match file to and I don't think it will work anyway because I tried sending it to myself and it was empty. All I really want to say to anyone out there who bought this app and doesn't really care about backgammon, please don't play it. I just want to play a complete match whether I win or lose.. anyone else out there like that??

ronda,

It's likely that your computer isn't set up to recognize .mat files. Please check your forum e-mail account. We sent an e-mail to you so that you can send the match file directly to us.

We're not sure what your nickname is on Game Center, but if it's what we think it is (similar to your forum username), then "doggydoc01" actually has over twice the number of completed matches as you do. Thus, he's more likely than you to complete a match.

If a match is aborted, that means that your opponent intentionally aborted the match. He might have thought you were taking too long to move or any number of other reasons. Unexpected disconnections are more of the unintentional variety. But either way, you'll never know for sure what happened unless you meet up with the same opponent again in the future and ask them what happened over chat. If you're experiencing a lot of unexpected disconnects, it's possible that your internet connection isn't that stable. Please see our post here for info on how to troubleshoot your connection.

But remember that no matter how the match ended, if your opponent was losing at the time, then you gained ELO points, and your opponent lost ELO points. See our Game Center FAQ for more info:

http://gamecenter.njsoftware.com

In an online situation, where everyone is anonymous, it's impossible to tell why any given match is not completed. Maybe your opponent ran out of time, his internet connection cut out, there was a real life emergency, or any number of other issues could have occurred. The only way to guarantee that you will be able to complete a match is to play against the trusty computer AI, play against another human in person, or invite someone you know personally to play online. In all other cases, there are no guarantees. Such is the way of online gaming.

If you find people that you enjoy playing with online, we encourage you to chat with them and possibly add them as a Game Center friend. That way, not only will you be auto-matched with them first if they are looking for an auto-match at the same time as you, but you will also have the option of inviting each other to play online directly.

- NJ Software

I've noticed higher ELOs dropping matches they are loosing. Seems like tech they use to keep their ELO higher by not loosing as many points.
If I loose 2.9 points, does the opponent gain that number?

If one player loses X points, the other player will gain Y points. X and Y are not equal because it depends on the Elo rating and Experience (total match points played) of each player.

If you're interested, we've posted in other threads about exactly how the Elo rating is calculated. It's based on the FIBS rating system.

But our partial Elo system prevents players from dropping to avoid losing points. The partial Elo system always makes them lose the points they deserve to lose at the point the match stops.

Also, our next update will be released soon (it's already been submitted to Apple for approval). It contains features that will give online players more control over who they play against.

With the new Block feature, I find myself blocking more and more quitters. Soon I won't have anyone to play. Is there a way to see blocked player lists and un-block?

Yes, you can do so under Advanced Options > Online Play > Block List.

- NJ Software