Vacation Flags

Ok so here's the problem with the idea I'm about to propose:
Subscribers will hate and despise it and never let it happen.
Non-subs probably don't care enough to fight to make it happen.
However, IMHO, it's fair.
Make Vacation flags available to all site users, including non-subs.
this is a chess site, and vacation flags can have an impact on anyone's game OF CHESS. How is it that a subscriber can take advantage of vacation flags and use them to enhance their rating via keeping a game going after the timeout phase (This is not an accusation of cheating towards any subscribers, I'm just making a point) while under similar circumstances surrounding vacation flags a non-sub can have their ratings diminished because they cannot make the moves because of vacation and they have no flags at their disposal.

Better yet, get rid of vacation flags all together! They cause nothing but headaches for the administrators, they consume a lot of space in the Site Ideas forum, and they serve no purpose of value great enough to justify the problems surrounding them. The site already allows messaging interface between players, let the two players work it out on their own.

Originally posted by Big Orange Country
Better yet, get rid of vacation flags all together!

Better yet, get a subscription!
RHP is a phenomenally good site that offers a vast amount to its subscribers and non-subs. The people who run it do so for their livelihood and must have vast overheads (server space, etc). Non-subs are an important part of the site because they may turn into subs (and because of their amusing forum posts 😉)
But they don't pay the bills. There has to be a reason for people to subscribe. Otherwise the site won't be updated ... and then it will die (can you cope with having that on your conscience? ).

I was perfectly happy being a non-sub for several years and played 6 games maximum. I then made the mistake (!) of joining an official non-sub tournament, and subscribed almost immediately because I loved being able to play so many games at once.

I don't care about sieges, not particularly bothered about vacation flags, could live without tournaments, but would hate to be limited to 6 games. If the vacation flag thing is such an issue then subscribe! Apart from anything else this site has a weird pricing structure: subscribe (and keep your credit card details up to date) and get the same price every year after that. Because of inflation your subscription will get cheaper every year in real terms! It's madness, madness I tells you!

[To tell the truth, I would be happy to dump vacation flags, but that's another issue ...]

Vacation flags are fine. Still, going another round might be fun.

Without vacation flags, noone would notice anything
...except...
when the skull won't show up because of the vacancy immunity from time-outs.

We will have loads of questions in the forum, like "Why cannot I time him out? I doesn't play, has he died?, and our game will not die with him!"
And every time we will answer: "Dunno. Perhaps he is in vacation?"

Keep the vacancy icon. They deserve to be seen.

Originally posted by Big Orange Country
Ok so here's the problem with the idea I'm about to propose:
Subscribers will hate and despise it and never let it happen.
Non-subs probably don't care enough to fight to make it happen.
However, IMHO, it's fair.
Make Vacation flags available to all site users, including non-subs.
this is a chess site, and vacation flags can have an impact on ...[text shortened]... allows messaging interface between players, let the two players work it out on their own.

Dry your eyes :'( :'( :'(

Originally posted by Big Orange Country
Ok so here's the problem with the idea I'm about to propose:
Subscribers will hate and despise it and never let it happen.
Non-subs probably don't care enough to fight to make it happen.
However, IMHO, it's fair.
Make Vacation flags available to all site users, including non-subs.
this is a chess site, and vacation flags can have an impact on ...[text shortened]... allows messaging interface between players, let the two players work it out on their own.

If these non-subs have all this money for fancy vacations [which keep them so busy they can't even go to a public library and move], and nary a dime for an RHP sub, I think we know where their priorities lie.

No sympathy for the freeloaders!! 😠

Originally posted by SwissGambit
If these non-subs have all this money for fancy vacations [which keep them so busy they can't even go to a public library and move], and nary a dime for an RHP sub, I think we know where their priorities lie.

No sympathy for the freeloaders!! 😠

Agree~!

Rec'd

Originally posted by SwissGambit
No sympathy for the freeloaders!! 😠

What would RHP be without these so called 'free-loaders'? Nothing much.

Without me being a freeloader a while I wouldn't be a paying member. I think the majority of us did the same thing - tried it out a while before deciding that the extras is worth the bucks.

I don't know what the ads is bringing in in form of income, but I think it is considerably. I'm happy without it.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
What would RHP be without these so called 'free-loaders'? Nothing much.

Without me being a freeloader a while I wouldn't be a paying member. I think the majority of us did the same thing - tried it out a while before deciding that the extras is worth the bucks.

I don't know what the ads is bringing in in form of income, but I think it is considerably. I'm happy without it.

"tried it out a while before deciding that the extras is worth the bucks."
Vacation is one of the extras that people (maybe not you) pay for.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
What would RHP be without these so called 'free-loaders'? Nothing much.

Without me being a freeloader a while I wouldn't be a paying member. I think the majority of us did the same thing - tried it out a while before deciding that the extras is worth the bucks.

I don't know what the ads is bringing in in form of income, but I think it is considerably. I'm happy without it.

Trial periods are fine. Hang out for a month, evaluate stuff. Then, pay up or GTFO.

These little freeloaders should kiss Russ's feet because they're allowed the privilege of playing six games over and over again and posting over and over in the forums. Once they're willing to pay for games that actually matter [like clan leagues, tourneys, etc.], then they'll deserve to have those games placed under the vacation umbrella.

Until then, the skull always goes on the block.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Trial periods are fine. Hang out for a month, evaluate stuff. Then, pay up or GTFO.

These little freeloaders should kiss Russ's feet because they're allowed the privilege of playing six games over and over again and posting over and over in the forums. Once they're willing to pay for games that actually matter [like clan leagues, tourneys, etc.], then ...[text shortened]... games placed under the vacation umbrella.

Until then, the skull always goes on the block.

What do they get, the so called free-loaders? Six lousy games. Not much.
On top of this, they can post things in this forum. What else? Not much.

Oh, yes, they can fraternize with friendly people. Not only people who want them out of here.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
What do they get, the so called free-loaders? Six lousy games. Not much.
On top of this, they can post things in this forum. What else? Not much.

Oh, yes, they can fraternize with friendly people. Not only people who want them out of here.

So I'm throwing a party at my house and I let you drink six beers free, and socialize with everyone in my house.

Your response is to complain about 'six lousy beers and boring company'?!?! 'We didn't get free dinner, mixers, dessert, and a stripper to dance for us!' ?!?!

I bet you'd even go on about how your invaluable involvement in the social atmosphere was ample justification for the fact that you didn't contribute a dime towards the expenses.

You'd never get invited back to my house EVER. What an ingrate!

Fortunately for the freeloaders, Russ is far more forgiving than I am.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
So I'm throwing a party at my house and I let you drink six beers free, and socialize with everyone in my house.

Your response is to complain about 'six lousy beers and boring company'?!?! 'We didn't get free dinner, mixers, dessert, and a stripper to dance for us!' ?!?!

I bet you'd even go on about how your invaluable involvement in the social atm t an ingrate!

Fortunately for the freeloaders, Russ is far more forgiving than I am.

You try to make a point by producing a stupid comparison. You fail. You fail big time. (I don't say you're stupid, only your comparison. your thought might have slipped in one way or ontother. Perhaps you tried a seventh beer before you invented this stupid comparison?)

You say that one beer is comparable with one game? I have 70 games going at this moment. Do you mean that this is comparable with that I have 70 beers going at the same time? ZorroTheFox has 667 games going. Conclusion? Stupid!

You throw a party and you say to your guests: "If you come you get six lousy beers for free, nothing else. Well, I have an old TV-set going in a corner where you can see commersials, that's for free. To ge a welcome drink, listen to music, have a nice chat with my wife, and some other good stuff, you have to pay 30 dollars." How many will come to your party do you think? And how many friends will ever come to your parties in the future? And how many of your ex-friends will invite you at theirs parties? What do you think? A stupid comparison? Yes, of course. Stupid!

Another stupid comparison: I throw a party, and princess of Sweden, princess Madeleine, phone me and asks "May I come too?" She is as pretty and exciting as [insert your favourite supermodel's name here] who, by the way, calls and asks the same thing. I answer "No, you're not welcome, I don't like any freeloaders here." Is this stupid or not? Yes, of course, as stupid as the comparison per se. Stupid!

I'm about to buy a car. A Lamborghini SUV extra all. Thirty years of salary goes down the drain for this purchase. The last question I ask - "Does it have a beerholder for each seat, all six of them?" He says "No, you have to pay extra for these." I decline, and go to his competitor. Stupid of him? Of course. Stupid comparison? Yes, of course. Stupid.

The difference by your stupid comparison and mine is that you seem to think that you are serious by your comparison (one bear equals one game) and I make them up in order to show that stupid comparisons are not relevant.

One beer equals one game? How did you come up with this stupid comparison in the first place? Didn't you really think it over? Did you really think that you could make my posting stupid? As a retorical trick? Well, you failed.

To have some people have sex lousy games together with comersials is not a bad idea. Russ doesn't think so, I don't think so. But what I think doesn't matter. What Russ think does.

(You made a mistake. I don't hold this against you. We all do that kind of stupid things once in a while.)

Originally posted by FabianFnas
You try to make a point by producing a stupid comparison. You fail. You fail big time. (I don't say you're stupid, only your comparison. your thought might have slipped in one way or ontother. Perhaps you tried a seventh beer before you invented this stupid comparison?)

You say that one beer is comparable with one game? I have 70 games going at this mo ...[text shortened]... d this against you. We all do that kind of stupid things once in a while.)

lol calm down Fabian. SwissGambit's comparing was actually pretty good.
What he ment to say is: If you get something for free you should be happy with what you get. You are not in the position to complain and claim more.

If the non-subs are unhappy with getting "Not much", then let them go somewhere else.
Take it, or leave it.


"have a nice chat with my wife, and some other good stuff, you have to pay 30 dollars."
If you take this quote out of the sentence it starts to mean something else:p

"I have 70 beers going at the same time"
Thats stupid, if you are done drinking like the first 10, the remaining 60 got warm🙁

Originally posted by zozozozo
lol calm down Fabian. SwissGambit's comparing was actually pretty good.
What he ment to say is: If you get something for free you should be happy with what you get. You are not in the position to complain and claim more.

If the non-subs are unhappy with getting "Not much", then let them go somewhere else.
Take it, or leave it.


"have a nice chat ]"
Thats stupid, if you are done drinking like the first 10, the remaining 60 got warm🙁

No no, I'm calm. I'm calm...
The comparison of his is still stupid. You cannot ever compare beer with games.

It's from the 'free-loaders' we recruit the subscribers. They are worth every penny they pay, if not more. It's only natural if they want more than they can get.

About my wife: Half of my paycheck goes to my wife, but I also get some other good stuff than just chatting.
Beer is actuallly better than my wife. The first beer doesn't complain if I have another one...