Life In 19x19

lindentree wrote:

Redundant wrote:Speaking of AFK, I've even taken a shower while playing in an on line tournament game. What else did they expect me to spend an hour of main time on?

Are you talking about that game you played with me in the Young Kwon tournament? 0_o

... Yes ...

I totally forgot that I'd become part of the early division, so I was basically asleep when I think Shaddy called me and told me I had a game.

Yeah you'll run into the occasional jerk here and there on Go servers, but I think overall it's quite tame in the Go community. For comparison, here is a pro-level Starcraft 2 player getting interviewed after losing 2-3 in a showmatch (explicit language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqstUPqLDv4 - you'll never run into a Go pro/any player like this, both on and offline.

Araban wrote:Yeah you'll run into the occasional jerk here and there on Go servers, but I think overall it's quite tame in the Go community. For comparison, here is a pro-level Starcraft 2 player getting interviewed after losing 2-3 in a showmatch (explicit language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqstUPqLDv4 - you'll never run into a Go pro/any player like this, both on and offline.

Yes, but is that part of the reason that Go is so boring to watch compared to SC?

I think I've been guilty of a few escapes on KGS because I assumed it was just an automatic resign. I play chess on Playchess.com (Chessbase.com's playing site) and if I'm getting whooped it's usually easier for me just to quit and have it force a resignation.

I felt bad after realizing that the games were left unfinished. However, a lot can be said for not caring if people leave when obviously losing; I get far more upset when my internet connection goes out during the middle of the game.

I spent years obsessing over my chess rating. It's nice to just play go and enjoy knowing that I'm improving.

kaimat wrote:...It's nice to just play go and enjoy knowing that I'm improving.

That is, if you're someone that can have confidence that this is actually happening. Sometimes I really doubt that I'm improving. It's probably because I spend too much time talking, and not enough time doing.

As for annoying people on go servers... I don't know, some people probably find me annoying.

kaimat wrote:
I felt bad after realizing that the games were left unfinished. However, a lot can be said for not caring if people leave when obviously losing; I get far more upset when my internet connection goes out during the middle of the game.

This has happened in games I was winning. When I get disconnected my opponent has immediately left and refused to restart the game when I returned not a minute later. A few times the opponent has started a new game in my absence (which is understandable), so I watched his/her game, and asked to resume after they finished, and was just ignored.

But to repeat, escapers are rare in my experience, even on automatch.

I think you had not a sufficient experience in 10k-20k range players, where escapers are quite common.

ez4u wrote:Yes, but is that part of the reason that Go is so boring to watch compared to SC?

No, Go is just an awful spectator sport.

Araban wrote:Yeah you'll run into the occasional jerk here and there on Go servers, but I think overall it's quite tame in the Go community. For comparison, here is a pro-level Starcraft 2 player getting interviewed after losing 2-3 in a showmatch (explicit language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqstUPqLDv4 - you'll never run into a Go pro/any player like this, both on and offline.

So do people like that start out that way or do they just gradually devolve into it?

Also, what kind of companies give ad endorsements to these guys?

snorri wrote:

Araban wrote:Yeah you'll run into the occasional jerk here and there on Go servers, but I think overall it's quite tame in the Go community. For comparison, here is a pro-level Starcraft 2 player getting interviewed after losing 2-3 in a showmatch (explicit language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqstUPqLDv4 - you'll never run into a Go pro/any player like this, both on and offline.

So do people like that start out that way or do they just gradually devolve into it?

Also, what kind of companies give ad endorsements to these guys?

I've seen both, it can be pretty disgusting but I hear it's a lot worse in the Call of Duty/Halo department .

Regarding your second question, I don't think the guy in that video is sponsored but that's not to say bad-mannered players aren't pros and sponsored, e.g: there is a player (IdrA) who is notorious for his bad manners and he is on a team sponsored by Intel, Kingston, Monster energy drink, and Steelseries.

You forgot the occasional Sandbagger.
But from your list the Afk'ers that try to wait you out are my first annoyance, second will be a sandbagger.

In my opinion, being away from keyboard is perfectly fine. You have the choice of how you'd like to spend your time. I don't see how it's different from tournaments where someone will get up and stretch, or go to the bathroom while their clock is running.

If you don't want to wait for people to make a move, then use a faster time setting.

Kirby wrote:In my opinion, being away from keyboard is perfectly fine. You have the choice of how you'd like to spend your time. I don't see how it's different from tournaments where someone will get up and stretch, or go to the bathroom while their clock is running.

I completely agree. But I have run into players that will accept at 25 or 30 minute game and play blitz and when they lose a big group, they will just sit there with the clock running for 25 minutes and then play a move. Usually my clock has run down much more, so I strongly suspect they're hoping my own time runs out.

judicata wrote:
I completely agree. But I have run into players that will accept at 25 or 30 minute game and play blitz and when they lose a big group, they will just sit there with the clock running for 25 minutes and then play a move. Usually my clock has run down much more, so I strongly suspect they're hoping my own time runs out.

Another reason to like short main time and byoyomi.

A great topic! Here are my favorite hated groups of people that I've often met during my almost two years at KGS.

0. DDK sandbaggers who like to make fun of 20+ kyus on how "weak" they are. Double minus points for rude swearing.

1. 2 kyus who decline game proposals from puny 3 kyus. Do they think they are too good for 3 kyus or are they afraid of losing to them? I don't know which reason would be worse! There's quite a lot of these guys - I know because my account is currently fluctuating between 2k and 3k...

2. People who barely say "hi" and definitely won't bother to thank for the game. Especially when having my ass kicked severely or after a terrible blunder and resignation, it would put a human touch on the game not to immediately close the game window and open a new game request just like the opponent was some bot to be crushed. (maybe some people think me silly of expecting some kind of "thanks for the game" afterwards)

3. A couple of "4 kyus" who are insanely strong fighters and seem to derive their fun from killing every group their opponent tries to make. My personal favorite is blacktulip who usually doesn't greet the opponent and after crushing them usually says "LOL" in the end. For his benefit, he doesn't do much trash talk though like some of them do, but example game tells a lot of the playing style:

http://files.gokgs.com/games/2011/8/8/blacktulip-ferl.sgf

4. People with "special tactics", who play a very uncommon opening (say two 6-4's and tengen) and playing against them feels like you've been put into some sort joseki/trick move/ladder quiz, where the opponent knows the ground really well, and you don't.

Some of the people in category 4 also belong to category 3, and they seem to just enjoy playing weird openings or other overplays and just making them work due to them being actually few stones stronger than their stated rank.