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        Arimaa >> Site Discussion >> Help: Game started without an opponent.
        
(Message started by: rozencrantz on Jun 23^rd, 2010, 9:22pm)

Title: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by rozencrantz on Jun 23^rd, 2010, 9:22pm

I'm not very familiar with this site's clients yet, and I seem to have somehow started a game without an opponent (why is this possible?)

I don't know the name for which client I'm using, it's the one where you set up by swapping pieces, not the one where you set up by placing one piece at a time.

Is there some way I can fix this? What happens in 20 days when the timer runs out? Will it quietly scrub the game, or will it divide by zero to calculate the rating change against a nonexistent opponent?

Title: Re: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by Nombril on Jun 24^th, 2010, 2:55am

You have made an open table at the gameroom, for a 1d/ move postal game. Anyone else can choose to sit down at your game to be your opponent. (You can see it in the Open Games section.)

Put another way, instead of inviting a specific person to play, you have issued an open invite for anyone to accept.

Title: Re: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by Harren on Jun 24^th, 2010, 3:53am

I remember I did something similar the very first day I joined this site :) I probably thought at the time that I would immediately be paired to someone else. As it happened, someone quickly joined, which started my first game against a human player. (unfortunately it ended eventually on time, because I was away for a few weeks)

Still, such a postal game was a good way for me to start playing with humans, because I was less likely to make all the stupid mistakes one makes in the beginning with the extra thinking time available.

Title: Re: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by rozencrantz on Jun 24^th, 2010, 12:00pm

I meant to open a table, I didn't mean for the timer to start right away (before someone sat down). As it happens, someone did sit down. Thanks for the help.

Title: Re: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by Fritzlein on Jun 24^th, 2010, 1:44pm

on 06/24/10 at 12:00:44, rozencrantz wrote:

I meant to open a table, I didn't mean for the timer to start right away (before someone sat down). As it happens, someone did sit down. Thanks for the help.

Aha, the starting of the timer may be a server bug. Some years ago in the Postal Mixer, I noticed that it was unfair for Gold's time not to start right when the games were created. We had players waiting two weeks to make their first move, without their clocks running. Since then Omar changed it to have all the clocks start automatically. What you observed about the clock starting before you even have an opponent is probably an unintended side-effect of the fix Omar implemented for the postal tournament.

Title: Re: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by RonWeasley on Jun 25^th, 2010, 5:08am

on 06/23/10 at 21:22:41, rozencrantz wrote:

I seem to have somehow started a game without an opponent

The only thing worse is to somehow lose that game.

Title: Re: Help: Game started without an opponent.
Post by omar on Jun 26^th, 2010, 6:53am

on 06/24/10 at 12:00:44, rozencrantz wrote:

I meant to open a table, I didn't mean for the timer to start right away (before someone sat down). As it happens, someone did sit down. Thanks for the help.

That's strange, the timer should not have started. For the postal games I have to run a program to start the timers, it doesn't just happen, so it can't be due to that. I'll check it out and see if I can reproduce this.