Proposed solution to the escapers problem...

[Suji]

So, several years ago, I moved from Yahoo! games to the FICS (Free Internet Chess Server). Escaping is a problem there as well, however, they have a solution to the issue that I find ingenious. Simply put they have a setting, called noescape, that if both players have it set, then a disconnect is a loss for the disconnecting party.

I think most players would like this idea.

[Toge]

Proposed & working solution.

I challenge anyone to come up with argument how this is unfair to anybody.

[RobertJasiek]

I have made suggestions to oppose escaping since 1995. Server administrators have not been interested. It is a problem of administrative decisions - not of the existence of escapers. First you need to convince the admins - only then it becomes useful to implement existing solutions.

[BobC]

That's quite clever. Players then have choice.

[tj86430]

Did I understand this correctly:
- I never escape, so I set the flag
- I play against someone who also has the flag set
- I have a connection problem with my ISP / hardware problem with my computer and I lose
How is this better than just marking disconnect as a loss without any flags?

[Toge]

Did I understand this correctly:
- I never escape, so I set the flag
- I play against someone who also has the flag set
- I have a connection problem with my ISP / hardware problem with my computer and I lose
How is this better than just marking disconnect as a loss without any flags?

- Some people may have connection problems occasionally, so they may want to use the old system without flag.

[Li Kao]

And how would it interact with automatch?

[Toge]

And how would it interact with automatch?

- Match players with same flag setting.

[tj86430]

Did I understand this correctly:
- I never escape, so I set the flag
- I play against someone who also has the flag set
- I have a connection problem with my ISP / hardware problem with my computer and I lose
How is this better than just marking disconnect as a loss without any flags?

- Some people may have connection problems occasionally, so they may want to use the old system without flag.

I thought someone would say that. However
- I'd say that anyone (or, at least the vast majority of internet users) may have problems occasionally. How many of us has a computer that never fails and at least two lines with instantaneous switch over?
- Also almost everyone has a system with fairly rare failures. Thus anyone not setting the flag would be viewed as intentional escaper, and almost everyone would only play people with flag set.
How does this work in practice in the chess community?

[BobC]

I really believe poor connections is a red herring. If you go to any online poker house and open up and watch ten or so tables of play money (not real money) and watch 100 (ten on each table) players over the course of 20 minutes you will see that disconnect is a very rare event. Poker had its boom in 2004 when a majority of European players were on dialup.

When I organise a Go game in real life I arrange a time, a place and (even though I am at work) and I make sure the game is uninterrupted and enjoyable for my opponents. It is only polite to do so. If my opponent is willing to invest his time then I have to make some commitment to organisation.

If there is the remotest possibility that I will be disturbed I make sure my opponents know in advance.

There is choice here. "Faulty" connection players can move to turn based servers (I complete 1.3 games a day on OGS so game rate isn't an issue). They can also opt for free games. The choice would be enhanced with a "flag" as described above.

IMO it is only fair that those who may be stopped playing by their mother/wife/dog/children/choice of isp declare this in advance.

[tj86430]

My point was not that bad connection etc is a frequent occurrence (although it may happen to practically anyone, regardless of "choice of isp"). My point was that IMNSHO the flagging system is as good as making disconnect equal loss without any flags.

[Li Kao]

So you'd split the player base, increase automatch times, add several options,... for an imaginary gain? No thanks.

I get more unfinished games than with the current system. Since any game where either player has a disconnect can't be finished if that flag is enabled. Even the tygem escaper system is better that *that*.

[HermanHiddema]

Proposed & working solution.

I challenge anyone to come up with argument how this is unfair to anybody.

Anyone who does not set the flag will be looked at as suspect, and people will refuse to play them.

[Harleqin]

Here in germany, most ISPs do a regular 12h- or 24h-disconnect. Also, some people do have a shaky connection. Making those people second class citizens is not an option for me.

KGS has solved the escaper problem:

• If someone regularly escapes, he loses all games he disconnected from.
• If someone disconnects once, he can still reconnect and expect the game to continue.

The real escaper problem is the hysteria about every disconnect.

[RobertJasiek]

KGS has solved the escaper problem

Nonsense. Escaping is more than disconnecting. Worse are things like repeated Undos and bad dead stone markings. Also the KGS "solution" is pretty bad; if you don't know exactly how it works, the escaper opponent still gets away with it.