Post by Judge Sam on Sept 30, 2007 6:00:40 GMT -5
Unfortunately, a few people sign up for Spies agreeing to actively play the game but do not follow through. These people do not play the game and bring the quality of the game down. I have these official penalties to remove inactives from the game actively, rather than have them stick around. Oftentimes these inactives stick around because nobody wants to vote them out because they may not pose a threat.
If you are going on a small vacation or will be busy for a few days, simply post in your confessional to inform me of when you will be gone. Then you won't get any of these penalties. If you like, you can vote ahead of time. You won't be penalized for this legitimate absence. All you need to do is tell me that you will be unavailable for upcoming days, and you will not receive any of these penalties. It is only unexplained disappearances that receive self-votes.
Since you can vote ahead of time and change your vote whenever you like, there isn't an issue for people who are committed to the game and trying their best.
I deal with removing players who aren't interested in playing in three ways:
I. Replacement: If possible, I will replace that player with one who would like to play. Unfortunately this option takes some time. I must first give the inactive a few days to respond, then locate someone willing to take their spot, wait for them to respond, then fill them in. But I like this option best of them all.
II. Removal through Exile / Imprisonment: Failing to vote incurs self-vote penalties. If these votes total more votes than anyone else, that person will be Exiled. I realize this is frustrating for players so I try and minimize this. The second inactive always goes through a forced Imprisonment to even things out.
III. Straight out removal: Sometimes this option is best. However, the schedule for Spies 4 is planned very carefully and removing a player through unscheduled means can mess up the whole game. In some games without as strict schedules it works, but the numbers are all calculated very carefully and this causes problems. One solution I have for this is to "build in" one assumed inactive, so when plotting out how the game works I add in an extra person.
If you are going on a small vacation or will be busy for a few days, simply post in your confessional to inform me of when you will be gone. Then you won't get any of these penalties. If you like, you can vote ahead of time. You won't be penalized for this legitimate absence. All you need to do is tell me that you will be unavailable for upcoming days, and you will not receive any of these penalties. It is only unexplained disappearances that receive self-votes.
Since you can vote ahead of time and change your vote whenever you like, there isn't an issue for people who are committed to the game and trying their best.
I deal with removing players who aren't interested in playing in three ways:
I. Replacement: If possible, I will replace that player with one who would like to play. Unfortunately this option takes some time. I must first give the inactive a few days to respond, then locate someone willing to take their spot, wait for them to respond, then fill them in. But I like this option best of them all.
II. Removal through Exile / Imprisonment: Failing to vote incurs self-vote penalties. If these votes total more votes than anyone else, that person will be Exiled. I realize this is frustrating for players so I try and minimize this. The second inactive always goes through a forced Imprisonment to even things out.
III. Straight out removal: Sometimes this option is best. However, the schedule for Spies 4 is planned very carefully and removing a player through unscheduled means can mess up the whole game. In some games without as strict schedules it works, but the numbers are all calculated very carefully and this causes problems. One solution I have for this is to "build in" one assumed inactive, so when plotting out how the game works I add in an extra person.
