Conquer Club

Hi, I've noticed recently a number of my games have had a new user who then simply fails to show up and spoils the game.

Now we all miss goes occasionally, things come up and things happen. However, it's much less likely to happen with an established player than a new player.

I'm not a programmer or an administrator but is there no way that if new users (say in their first five games) miss a turn, they are immediately kicked out rather than waiting for a few turns before it happens?

Cheers

David

If I could set up the way new and therefore unknown users first five to ten games played out I would make them as follows.

• classic map
• the new user would join the game first
• it would be like a bot game with no exchange of points
• they would then be joined by people from a known group like the society of cooks who want to help them learn how things are going to be here

This would help them understand things like why it's usually not a real time game.

There has been thousands of people who have signed up, joined a game, waited while nothing happened then never came back. Maybe my plan would not help but it might.

2d I seriously hope you're trolling.

Some brand new users are fine just jumping into general population here. Most are not.

If they can figure everything out it won't hurt having their first games with helpful players.

I don't care if new recruits join my games and never come back to finish them but it seems to bother some folks.

Maybe it only needs to be first two or three games but bot games are not helping everyone that joins. If the first few games were with players that wanted to help explain things while they play why do you hope that idea is just me trolling?

2dimes wrote:Some brand new users are fine just jumping into general population here. Most are not.

If they can figure everything out it won't hurt having their first games with helpful players.

I don't care if new recruits join my games and never come back to finish them but it seems to bother some folks.

Maybe it only needs to be first two or three games but bot games are not helping everyone that joins. If the first few games were with players that wanted to help explain things while they play why do you hope that idea is just me trolling?

Because that's already what we do! Everyone who signs up is already offered a guide game (I think 3 guide games, actually, but I'm not 100% sure) with a "helpful player" (guide) on Classic or other simple maps, and with no points involved. Pretty much everything you suggested is what we already do!

Most guide games do fill within minutes. Most of the new sign-ups don't even take their first turn. In addition to guide games, there's bot games, and there's a specially-designed tutorial bot called CoachBot who gives helpful noobie advice. Most new sign-ups don't take their first turn there either.

Anybody who posts in the forums with questions will usually get an answer in 24 hours or less, and anybody who posts in chat will get an answer too, although there it's more of a mixed bag -- there's some nice people in chat and some not-so-nice. Still, anyone who really needs information will get it.

With the guide games and other measures, I think we've pushed up the conversion rate on new sign-ups from something like 2% to something like 3%. Still, that means 97% of new sign-ups won't finish their first game, and something like 90% won't even take their first turn. Pretty much everything you can think of has been tried. Bottom line is most people who are looking for a new game are looking for something a little fancier than what this site can provide.

Carry on then.

I don't think they are looking for something "fancier" many just expect everything to be instant.

The reason I asked is because you perfectly described what already happens.

I was unaware.

I'll have to ask my son if he noticed. He seems to have lost interest already but he is 11. He had to get his uncle to sit for him when we went to Disney in February, then did not play much after. Maybe he will come back in the fall.