What use is the vacation setting?

I suggest either removing the option, or changing it so that it actually has a use.

The way it is now, it is only to inform people that your on vacation. A simple message to all opponents is easily done. Alot of opponents sadly claim timouts though the setting, rendering the claim-prevention use useless.

When the option is removed, everything will go jsut as easy as now, discussions about vacation timeouts will cease. Players won't have a vacation setting to see as holy anymore, and won't be able to expect no-claiming from their opponents anymore.

With the option changed (the idea i had is to make it unclaimable, with an option for everyone to report abuse of the setting) it will be informative AND actually prevent vacation claims.

I'd prefer the second, though the first is also a reasonable solution.

Originally posted by TheMaster37
I suggest either removing the option, or changing it so that it actually has a use.

The way it is now, it is only to inform people that your on vacation. A simple message to all opponents is easily done. Alot of opponents sadly claim ...[text shortened]... prefer the second, though the first is also a reasonable solution.

Works fine for me the way it is. No need to remove it.

If someone times you out while you are using it... NEVER PLAY THEM AGAIN!

That is all you can do, but please keep in mind... it works for me so removing it is a bad idea.

P-

Edit! I was thinking about keeping track of players who time people out on vacation... but that would be bad... since some people abuse the vacation settings to just avaoid being timed out.

The people who abuse the vacation settings are the only people making vacation settings a bad thing here at RHP.

RHP should track how many moves you make on vacation and what games they are!!!

It is a tough call. No solutions yet!

EDIT

This post was only meant to brainstrom about solutions. Clearly alot of people don't like it when they are claimed while on vacation. This post is to try and think up ways to help solve that problem.

By no means at all did i intend this post to start a discussion on how everyone should act with the vacation settings.

What if making moves while on vacation wasn't allowed? That way you can keep track of people who deactivate vacation setting, make moves, then activate it again.

Vacation would then mean a period of time that all games with a person on vacation are frozen entirely until the vacation is over.

Originally posted by Phlabibit






[b]Edit! I was thinking about keeping track of players who time people out on vacation... but that would be bad... since some people abuse the vacation settings to just avaoid being timed out.

The people who abuse the ...[text shortened]... at games they are!!!

It is a tough call. No solutions yet!

[/b]

I'm one of those rude guys who claim wins on vacation.
I'm playing a guy who put the vacation on for three times in a month,always moving.
Another is moving right now and his vacation message says ''see you next week!'' and it's since three weeks this message is here and he always moves.
A couple days ago I put some open invites ,3 days TO & no TB.
Well,one guy picked it up,made three moves and set the vacation flag on,saying he's going for a couple weeks.
This kind of things make me want automatic timeouts,so people will stop putting vacation flag every time they go to the grocery.
Or it should be done like at Gameknot where if your opponent moves during a ''postponement'' ,you will be able to delete it,returning to the original time control.

I've only been here since April of this year, but here's what I've determined about the vacation flag and status.

We seem to have 3 groups, each with their own approach to handling vacation flags.

Group 1. Never times anyone out. They just let the game sit with the flag on and no matter what it just goes on and on.

Group 2. They time people out no matter what. The instant the skull pops up, they click it. No exceptions.

Group 3. They decide on a case by case basis whether or not to time someone out. They watch their opponents that have the flag up and see if they move in other games. And they watch to see if their opponent is turning their flag on and off and still playing. If they think someone is abusing the flag then they time them out. If they think their opponent deserves a break, then they get a break.

All three groups can make good points regarding their position so I'm not getting into that. I'm just passing along the info to you.

:-)

Wib

Originally posted by Ravello
I'm one of those rude guys who claim wins on vacation.
I'm playing a guy who put the vacation on for three times in a month,always moving.
Another is moving right now and his vacation message says ''see you next week!'' and it's since three weeks this message is here and he always moves.
A couple days ago I put some open invites ,3 days TO & no TB. ...[text shortened]... ng a ''postponement'' ,you will be able to delete it,returning to the original time control.

Ravello, the people you describe are indeed a pain the the rear end. If the change i proposed would be implemented (big if!) there would be an option for you to report what you said just now. Then something like you described would kick in; their vacation settings deleted (permanently or not) for all games, or just your game, or something alike.

ive been thinking about this as well as of late. perhaps you could make it so if your vacation setting was on you would be unable to make any moves of any kind. this would prevent someone from only moving in games that they want to. i am sure people would go to the extreme and turn it off, make a couple of key moves, and then turn it back on again. this could be fixed by reporting people who do this.(it wouldnt be hard to figure out) if someone receives enough complaints for this, they wouldnt be able to use the vacation flag period.

Originally posted by usmc7257
ive been thinking about this as well as of late. perhaps you could make it so if your vacation setting was on you would be unable to make any moves of any kind. this would prevent someone from only moving in games that they want to. i am sure people would go to the extreme and turn it off, make a couple of key moves, and then turn it back on again. this cou ...[text shortened]... meone receives enough complaints for this, they wouldnt be able to use the vacation flag period.

Great minds think alike!

you beat me to it. i started posting and then had some work crap to deal with. when i finished my post you beat me to the punch. you are right about the great minds.

mike

Originally posted by TheMaster37
I suggest either removing the option, or changing it so that it actually has a use.

The way it is now, it is only to inform people that your on vacation. A simple message to all opponents is easily done. Alot of opponents sadly claim ...[text shortened]... prefer the second, though the first is also a reasonable solution.

the best description of how the vacation icon is useful I've heard is to aliken it to signalling that you're going to change lane on the highway. It doesn't change anything but it lets everyone around me know my intentions. Easier than telling all the drivers around me 1 by 1.
(If you want you could still ram me off the road because you had right of way, or you could chose to ease off the gas & let me in. Your choice.)

If the vacation icon prevented TO it would be abused. How would you have this abuse policed? What clear line would you draw between fair use & abuse?

Originally posted by usmc7257
ive been thinking about this as well as of late. perhaps you could make it so if your vacation setting was on you would be unable to make any moves of any kind. this would prevent someone from only moving in games that they want to. i am s ...[text shortened]... ts for this, they wouldnt be able to use the vacation flag period.

it used to be that you couldn't move with VF on. This was changed for several good reasons, not least because people need to catch up with all of their games before they turn VF off and get timed out by everyone before they get chance to move.

As a common defender of the current system I think that a VF that halted the clocks could work if some modifications were made:
No moves could be made with VF on.
Once the first move is made VF switches off. It is instantly replaced by a grace period of X days in which the person still can't be TO'd but can move to catch up on games.


This would have the disadvanteges that:
People could leave for months or forever with VF on, leaving their opponents with half a game & unsure if they'll ever come back.
People who were away from their usual RHP base could not make a few moves while away on holiday/business trip.... I for one set my VF when away on business but if I have any time (and if my laptop connection owrks) I like to come back to RHP if possible.
What system could we implement to prevent people turning VF on & then off, the using the grace period to play moves only to turn VF on again?

Actually, looking at the disadvantages I've decided my ideas don't work either. Back to the drawing board.

What you suggest does work. As said earlier, there should also be an option to report opponents of abusing the VF/Catch up time (very good idea btw!).

The catch up time doesn't have to be long even...

Originally posted by TheMaster37
What you suggest does work. As said earlier, there should also be an option to report opponents of abusing the VF/Catch up time (very good idea btw!).

The catch up time doesn't have to be long even...

the fall down is that once you report the 'abuse' who polices it? Where'd we get the manpower to do that for free? Alos, you'd have to have clear guidelines as to what 'abuse' was. It could be fair enough that someone could have a business trip, come back for the weekend and move, then put VF up again 2 days later. To the outside this would look like abuse but is it?

Simplt solved, dn't move in the weekend if you know you're going to be away two days later. People with heavy travel for their work could send a message that they are such people, so it gets taken into account when judging abuse.

Who says the craetors need to do everything. I'm sure some subscribers are fair enough to objectively judge if abuse is taking place. I'd volunteer the instant i could 🙂

Originally posted by belgianfreak
the best description of how the vacation icon is useful I've heard is to aliken it to signalling that you're going to change lane on the highway. It doesn't change anything but it lets everyone around me know my intentions. Easier than telling all the drivers around me 1 by 1.
(If you want you could still ram me off the road because you had right o ...[text shortened]... ow would you have this abuse policed? What clear line would you draw between fair use & abuse?

This gets my rec.

The only value I could see in altering the vacation system would be to make it so that moves cannot be made whilst on vacation. This should discourage people from "abusing" said flag.