Some site technical questions

1. How does a rating calculation for a particular game work? Are the
ratings at the time the game starts used, or at the time the result is
posted?

2. Is a forum search possible? I'd like to be able to search the forums
by subject, text string, and individual who posted. Is this possible.

3. I seem to have lost a post thread. I know it passed moderation
and had several replies, but now I can't find it, even on earlier pages.
The post was under the subject, "One possible solution" or some such
wording. Does this happen much? Can it be restored?

Thanks for anyone who can answer these.
Coyote

Coyote, As your read this post look above. You sould see "search
forum" option.
John

Thanks! Must be that old "...forest for the trees" thing. And just as I
started winning again, too. THAT can't be a good sign.

Coyote

I've also never spotted that one...
Freak the unobservant

Neither have I.Not unusual for me though.

Now if I can only remember my name........

Alright, that answered questions 2 & 3. Many thanks!
Can anyone answer my first question...
1. How does a rating calculation for a particular game work? Are the
ratings at the time the game starts used, or at the time the result is
posted?

Coyote

I think, which probably means I'm wrong, that points are scored
depending on the players scores at the end of the game.

yes, they are. You may find in the help forum
postings where I offered to people asking me to send them
an excell spreadsheet that calculates the resulting rate depending on
the rates at the end of the game. The calculation is an 100%
reproduction of the rules stated in the Help function under FAQ.

I only have no answer to my question I posted some months ago:
what happens with fractions of points? say you should gain 11.3
points, you expect to see only 11. But if you have 4 games like that,
does it carry over? It looks a bit ridiculous, but it could be clarified.

Thanks all for the clarification. Now for the next step: Why? Is this in
keeping with a known standard? I guess you could gain or lose
regardless of how the calculation is done, but why was this chosen as
the method, instead of some middle ground?

Coyote

a possible simple answer:
using ratings at the end of the game, one only needs to keep a list of
everyone's current rating.
Using ratings from the beginning of the game, one needs to keep
track of multiple ratings, one for each game started, for each player.

Or are you just playing dumb again to see who says what?
You Willey Coyote, you.
:>

I really would like to know, but just for curiosity sake. It doesn't really
make much difference to me. I just wondered if there was a standard,
or a reason, and if it could be improved upon.

It makes sense not to track multiple rating values. However, the
starting and ending ratings could be averaged over days played by
creating a standard calculation field. That way one formula could cover
all game ratings, and then run the calculation upon the action of
game completion.

Fun with spelling,
Coyote

I could only give my opinion. Clarifying a 'choice' should better come
from the people that 'chose': Chrismo and/or Russ. Gilbert.