Controlling Invites

I like to use Open Invites to meet new players, but no matter how descriptive I make my game comments, I always seem to get a handful of unranked, non-member provies snagging the games.

Forgetting for a second that provies are apparently illiterate twits, isn't there a way to set up Invites so that you can dictate the terms of who accepts?

If I could be assured that my opponent would be within 50-75 pts of my ranking and a pawn star, I'd throw out open invites every day.

Instead I get the (aforementioned) illiterate twits humping my leg for a free ranking boost. Excuse me while I delete two more wasted Invites....

Originally posted by Decanter
Forgetting for a second that provies are apparently illiterate twits... .

As a fellow star holder, you may want to remember that many of those "twits" are potential subscribers. While I understand your frustration, I don't think we want to chase off newbies.

I'm fairly new and I recall how hard it was to get anyone to play me. Many of the non-provisional seemed snooty. And reading post like your's wouldn't have dissuade me of that impression.

If someone is rude enough to ignore your request - just delete the twit - I mean potential star holder. You don't have to insult them too. 🙂

Someday I think they will offer more criteria for game offers - rating ranges, maximum change to your rating, star/non star, etc. Seems like a logical feature to add.

I understand that these are potentially new members... which is why I also include a rating range and specify "pawn stars" in my comments section. Unfortunately, both of those requests are ignored as well.

Yes, I was a rookie too. I took on other rookies and posted my OWN Invites so I could learn both the environment and the site culture.

If I post an Open Invite with "1300-1350 Pawn Stars Only Please", I would hope that other players would respect my wishes. They aren't complicated.

I think a LOT more people would be playing more games if they could post an open challenge but specify who can respond to it. The open invites section is empty most of the time because it's always being surfed by impolite newbies.

At the end of the day, I just want to see a weak point of a great site improved upon.

I agree with all your suggerstion. It would be a really significant enhancement to the site. Your post has my recommendation.

Originally posted by Decanter
I understand that these are potentially new members... which is why I also include a rating range and specify "pawn stars" in my comments section. Unfortunately, both of those requests are ignored as well.

Yes, I was a rookie too. I took on other rookies and posted my OWN Invites so I could learn both the environment and the site culture.

If I pos ...[text shortened]... ewbies.

At the end of the day, I just want to see a weak point of a great site improved upon.

This subject has come up a lot lately, and I'm wondering whether the terms "provisional" and "Pawn Star" are not understood by people REALLY new to the site.

Of course, if I saw an open invite with a request that I didn't fully understand, I'd either find out before accepting, or ignore the invite. But that's just me. 🙂

How about trying "Only subscribers please", or even more simple "Only payed members please".

The problem with all these is of course that you may appear arrogant, sort of like saying "only high class people need apply", even if you have perfectly reasonable, practical grounds for limiting it to pawn stars (which typically people who use these requests do).

I do remember reading quite recently somewhere on the forums that a feature to allow one to limit who may accept your invite is on the "to do" list. Hopefully my memory serves me right, and we'll be rid of this particular annoyance in the not too distant future. 🙂

-Jarno

The only thing that stops me adding this straight away is the UI changes to accommodate it. I will chew over how best to implement it and get it done - it is not really too difficult to introduce if I can fit it into the 'new game' process somehow.

Also, I would recommend not using 'pawn stars ' in the game names - although we all use it to talk about subscribers, it has been dropped from usage in all 'official' text on the site - so a new user would have absolutely no idea what you are on about.

(Oh, and I suspect a ‘pawn star only’ filter it not really required. Any user who has a high rating is likely to play regularly and would be unlikely to abandon the game – surely all you would expect from a PS player anyway)

-Russ

Maybe it's time to assign new names.

MEMBERS whould be anyone paying to use the site.
GUESTS would be anyone who is not paying.

You could then create a new 'invites' page for members only, and leave the 'Open Invites' page as is. Members could use either or both, but guests would only be allowed to use the 'Open Invite' page.

Just an idea...
Marc

Oh, and I suspect a ‘pawn star only’ filter it not really required. Any user who has a high rating is likely to play regularly and would be unlikely to abandon the game – surely all you would expect from a PS player anyway

Hi Russ, actually I use the term "Pawn Star" for two reasons. First, paying members have made an investment and are therefore less likely to abandon a game. Second, Pawn Stars tend to be established players and are less likely to be carrying around a provisional ranking, which jumps all over the board.

One other thing that no one else has mentioned is that when you're playing a non-paying member, it could be someone who creates multiple IDs.... don't ask me why, but I've encountered one or two of these.

I like the idea of "Members" and "Guests" as an accurate way to identify who we choose to play against. It's also an incentive to join, if there are dozens of Open Invites labelled "Members Only", people may be more willing to put up the fee to join.

Give it some thought. Otherwise (and I don't say this enough) I love the site. I'd be here all the time if I wasn't so emotionally crippled by my many defeats.... 😀