R94

I hope it's not because I beat them in a previous game?

http://www.vdiplomacy.com/features.php#2_3
Sometimes for 2 very different players it's impossible to be in the same game. If you encounter a person you do not like to play (usually it's their language to be much over the limit you can endure, or the other player CDed too much in your games, or something else) you can choose to block him.

But the block work both ways. So a player blocking someone else does limit his abilities to join games too, as he also can't join games with the player he blocked in.

Thank you Oli, although it does feel like I'm being punished for some kind of wrong doing I know nothing about! In fact, I don't even know who it is whose blocked me!

Yes, sorry for that.
If we are allowing people to know who blocked them because they could cause a lot of trouble for the people that blocked them. Also blocking someone is a very personal issue. It's not up to the mods or anybody else to validate the reasoning behind a block, that's why it's not necessary to give a reason to a block.

But on the positive-side it's very likely that your gaming experience was much better the last few weeks/month, because the other player was not able to join your games too...

I don't agree with it Oli, esp since the game was anon!

It sounds like you are a bit whiny and maybe that is a clue as to why this person blocked you.

Whiny Mapu? It's a discussion about blocking on 'The Forum'. I thought thats what 'The Forum' was for, discussion! I suspect you're trying to provoke a rant etc. All i'm saying is that it seems wrong for one person to be able to block another with no apparent reason, whilst the other person has no idea why that has happened. Strikes a little of children playing in a play ground and one child being excluded because one of the other children doesn't like him / her. Not sure thats morally right Mapu. Anyway, thank you for prolonging this 'discussion' on 'The Forum' Mapu.

I happen to agree 100% with Oli and being able to anonymously and safely block people for whatever reason I want. Perhaps this person feels they wouldn't be able to play fairly (ie not metagame) against you. Perhaps they just didn't like your style. Maybe you NMR'ed or abandoned a game at a bad time. Who knows. It doesn't really matter what the reason is and in this case it's probably good because they would have been dragged into this 'discussion' on 'The Forum' if you had called them out.

Note to self, block Mapu, Tricky, and everyone here! Might get lonely but I'm a trend setter. :D

I usually agree with what Mapu says but this time I have to agree with Tricky. I don't think you are whining. I person can block for any reason which I believe to be too high of a set of parameters. Lets say Mapu kicks my ass in every game and we both like WWIV games, maybe I feel I am tired of him kicking my ass so I'll fix it. BOOM block him, no legitimate reason. Another one is Ruffhause, he is known to write you a thesis paper on what set of wrong moves you did, BOOM block him because of that. These are all reasons not to block for. It does hinder a person's, "pursuit of happiness" here at vdip. I think there should be blocking, but I believe a moderator needs to hear the reason, prove and agree with it before somebody gets blocked. Blocking is most noticeable in WWIV games and that is frustrating.

What part is not clear enough in:
"the block work both ways. So a player blocking someone else does limit his abilities to join games too, as he also can't join games with the player he blocked in. "

You can't block someone without blocking yourself. If you block someone with no reason, you block yourself with no reason.

Feel frustrated because someone blocked you? because now you're unable to join as many games as before? Well, thinking that that 'someone' blocked himself too and he's equally unable to join as many games as before too should relieve your frustration a little.
Blocking someone is not a thing you can do for free.
It costs a lot indeed, because it limits your ability to join games. That's what makes (enough) sure that nobody does it for no reason.
You know yourself whether your blocking is worth the self-blocking it implies. You know yourself if your reasons justify self-blocking. No Mod could judge it.

Try and block someone just because they beated you or because of some other silly reason. Believe me: you'll unblock them right after the first time you search for a new game to join.

You are missing the point Guaroz, I will spell it out for you. If I go into a WWIV game FIRST, and beat the person that I blocked, who gets in the game? The person who beat the other to the punch.
And here is a real good reason not to block,Guaroz, I was recently blocked and it was by mistake, the player thought he was blocking somebody else because he thought I said something and it wasn't me it was somebody else. How does that work for your logic.
So it really doesn't work both ways does it, only if you try to join a game that the other person you blocked gets in it. But if you are johnny come first, you will win most of those battles.
The "any reason to block" is extremely lacking and needs to be revised, I have never ran into someone saying oh it is the greatest thing feature I have found.

And yes mods can judge it, if you look in the persons messaging and another player is calling him every name under the sun and just being an absolute jag ass then you will say yes, the blocking is warranted and then at least the blocked person knows why and can change his ways, serves a dual purpose.

If somebody comes and says I want to block because I don't like him, I would hope you would know the answer to that.

and another dumb feature is, the blocking is in effect forever until the blocker stops it, no time limit, there should be a limit on the blocking, month or two release it and if the person continues his prickness, then set it higher, but a permanent block until the blocker feels otherwise is ridiculous.

@ DEFIANT :

You wrote :
"I have never ran into someone saying oh it is the greatest thing feature I have found."

You can't say that any more, DEFIANT ! Because I think that the possibility to block another player is one of the greatest features that exist.

yea, well in this case Retillion I consider the source.

@ DEFIANT. You are missing the point, sorry. If the person you blocked goes into a WWIV game FIRST, it would be you the one not playing it. Don't you sleep at night? Do you really check new games 24/7?
Also, you couldn't join new games created by the person you blocked....
So it works in a perfect symmetry: sometimes the block will affect him, sometimes you.
This is what it means that it works both ways. You clearly never tried this feature. Please try. You'll never use it again without a good reason (Actually, I wish you you'll never have to).
And from time to time, in order to decrease the limits you put to yourself, you'll check your settings-page and decide that it's time to unblock someone you've blocked long enough.

Another example that could help is if you block 3 people. It'd be exactly like having 3 people who blocked you. Oh, they would join so many games before you, believe me! You'd be blocking yourself. Try. Really. In a few weeks you'll check your settings page and unblock someone you didn't really have a good reason for (or someone you blocked by mistake, lol, as far as I know you're the only unlucky one! Eheh... Someone who blocked a guy instead of another sounds like someone who cut his penis instead of his nails. You don't forbid scissors for that. Also, you don't forbid scissors because you don't like people keeping their nails longer or shorter than you like. That's why Mods can't judge it. Everybody has the right to avoid players who offend his own personality, education and culture. It's a big world, DEFIANT. Mods don't judge cultures).

Are you guys REALLY going back and forth on this silly topic? Jesus.

Well, SandgooSEXXI is the clearest evidence that Mods really don't judge cultures!
:D :D :D

[@all: if you think that what he and I wrote in our last posts is offensive and you don't want to read these things anymore, you can MUTE us. Another interesting feature].

Funny man Guaroz!

No need to mute at all. I find it funny is all.

Guaroz - Mods can't be muted, so they can't mute you (as far as I am aware).

Guaroz, it happened to me twice and three games I couldn't get in, really pissed me off. It doesn't have to be, at least tell the person who is blocking him so they can work it out. Otherwise this is really a stupid feature, your logic withstanding.

Players who annoy them, REALLY, so because someone is from France they annoy me I block them, c'mon that even has to sound stupid to you.

I quite like the idea of timed blocking. I wonder if this could (or should) be implemented...

@ kaner406 :

NO ! The idea of a timed blocking is AWFUL ! Indeed, think for example about that situation :

1° You block another player because you absolutely do not want to play with him.
2° (Much) Later, you join a new game.
3° Suddenly, the blocking period is over. Maybe you are not online at that precise moment.
4° Right at that moment, the other player joins that new game that is about to begin.
5° Then, that new game begins and BOOM ! You are stuck with that other player, possibly for months !

NO ! NO ! And NO ! Please : let's not have something like a timed blocking.

By the way. Another problem of the blocking feature is that a block affects people more when they want to play more games. For example, I don't like to play two games simultaneously, and I block someone that wants to play every WWIV game with settings he likes. There are two of these games that can be joined. I join one and he joins the other. Then he also wants to join the game I am already in, but can't, because I blocked him. I can't join his game too, but I don't care because I don't like to play more games anyway. Seems not that fair to me.

I'm more thinking along the lines of a tabbed notice that reminds you after a certain period of time that you have blocked so-and-so, and if you would like to continue blocking so-an-so for another period of time select yes or not.

Playing a game with someone else is not a right : it is a mutually shared decision.

Just putting an idea out there:
How about a function that requires players to write the reason why they chose to block a player. This information would then be available to the mods (and only the mods) who would be able to examine who has been blocked and why, so in extreme cases can act as mediators between parties...
just a thought.

Marriage counselors? Don't we have enough things to do?

I suppose the system could be automated. You could perhaps look in your settings to see why people are blocking you, &/or be able to send a message to an anonymous blocker requesting that they un-block you...

..or you could stop being an asshole so they would decide they kept you (and themselves) blocked long enough.
Kaner, really, I think you've never used this feature as well as Defiant. You don't block someone without a F@xxing Good Reason, because you block yourself too.
If you think you have a FGR to block someone, nobody will ever change your mind but yourself.
This doesn't mean there couldn't be an idiot blocking someone else by mistake. And he could be idiot enough to not realize that everytime he got redirected to the error-page: "You can't join. A player in this game has you blocked or you blocked a player in this game", it's because *he* is the blocking one.
Reminders don't work with idiots. You know, no system is perfect.

Guaroz,
NO I don't block because I settle my problems with other people, most times. To me blocking someone is childish, take my ball and go home. Not everybody is going to get along with everybody else, time to grow up, this is how it is in the real world. This in essence is another group hug feature. And like I said I was blocked once by mistake and took forever to find out who it was with a lot of help with the community. That was bullshit.
And being an asshole is subjective, who decides that, I could say you are an asshole because you like blocking and block you and just try and get in every game I know you like before you get in it. Not much different than some of the cheating that goes on here.
If a situation is that bad and you mods agree that's why we have banning, that is the avenue not blocking, with banning that will get that damn players attention in a hurry and he will stop being an asshole as you put it.
You are right no system is perfect but we strive to enhance the playmanship here and I believe blocking is wrong, again time it or let the blocked know they are blocked so they can at least find out what they did and who is doing it so the problem can be resolved. It is super cowardly to block someone and not let them know it is you blocking them, again grow up.

I currently have 28 players blocked and have no problem joining games I want to. Once upon a time I didn't block players, but have since become absolutely sick of playing against players who CD or enter all-holds for no reason.

Personally I would support writing a small description as to why I have chosen to block these players. If these players can see my message anonymously in their settings page then perhaps they will realise why they have been blocked and perhaps remedy their ways.

^of this 4 have points over 100, and one has points higher than 400.

Kaner, there's a point, if a player continually CD'S or NMR's, I could see it, only with a message as to why you are being blocked. But if the player gets his rating higher, do you go back and unblock him, do you review that list or just let it sit even if the player makes strides to better himself here?

That's why I like the idea of having a timed reminder.

& the potential option for these players to contact me if they feel that they have been unfairly blocked - provided this remains anonymous in nature.

Hmm I never considered the possibility of someone blocking another player because of his high rating. Perhaps is my nature not to suspect too much in people..and why I get my ass kicked by more devious players.

However blocking is a good thing. I use it to block NMRs and people who just play this game wrong. And before you jump on me for this last sentence I mean people who either hold moves or let someone solo intentionally.

and so blocking protects the game experience for all. Think of it as collective police!

@Defiant
"And being an asshole is subjective" Right, that's why mods can't judge it. It's a matter of your own personality, education and culture. It's a big world.
That said, you made some good points: settle problems, time to grow up etc.
See, I also try to settle my problems with other people and I always succeed when the other person is willing to do the same. When the other is not and he keeps on lying about everything, well, I've done with him. Why should I be forced to play games with such person. I'm here to have some fun and relax, aren't you?
Retillion is right and really spot on this: "playing a game with someone else is not a right : it is a mutually shared decision."

I wasn't a mod yet when the block feature was implemented.
But I realized how much it was useful (for members, for mods, for the whole site) the first time I saw a member reporting another. Imagine something like this (notice: it's a pure fantasy example!):
"Hi mods, I want to report SandgooseXXI because he doesn't stop mentioning Jesus in this gameID=xxxx. He's really offensive. I ask you if you could ban him because it is written 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain'. At least please remove him from my game"
What Mods should do at this point. Religion teachers? Marriage/Friendship counselors? Mediators between parties?
Defiant, I admit my example is rather extreme, I can't report here true ones, but I'm sure you'll get my point. Often there's nothing to grow up or to mediate. There are just 2 worlds too different that met in the same game.
We can't say who's wrong and who's right. There's freedom of speech, but nobody can force you hear things you don't want to hear. They're both right in 99% of cases. So what we respond is, roughly: "If you don't want to hear him, just mute him. If you don't want to play with him any more games, you can block him, but this will work as if he blocked you either, so think carefully if you really want it" and that said, we can go back to our hunt for multiaccounters and metagamers. Our time is little and cheaters are a little more skilled everyday.



@Kaner
28? Really? I blocked only 4 and I find them rather often in games I'd like to join. Are you sure you're blocking players *still* alive & active? :)
Also - just a suggestion - rather than blocking unreliable players, wouldn't it be better if you use the "Rating requirements"? It looks the correct feature to be used, if you don't want unreliable players in your games.
I might agree for the all-hold-ers instead. They're idiots.

"Personally I would support writing a small description as to why I have chosen to block these players. If these players can see my message anonymously in their settings page then perhaps they will realise why they have been blocked and perhaps remedy their ways. "

That's not a bad idea. Not that I'm really supporting it, but put in these terms it can do no harm, so I wouldn't be against. It could be even useful handled by players like you.
What I wonder is how much it would be useful in the whole, considering how easy would be working around it and hence whether it'd be worth the effort to implement it. But that's not for me to say.

Guaroz,
Jesus? like you said freedom of speech, freedom of religion pick one, the guy does not deserve to be blocked. Or like I said there is no limit to why someone can be blocked. To me Jesus doesn't hinder my ability to play the game, Kaner's point is right, nmr's and cd's hinder all the integrity of the game. The problem is when you set no limits its anything goes and there is problem with that.

If a player doesn't like someone using Jesus they can mute him, there are several different ways to handle this without blocking making it so that the religious guy can't play in any other games the other player is in. What's worse is the banned player may never know why he is banned, this solves nothing.

Come here to relax? don't know about that but to have fun, sure. It is no fun when I was banned not knowing why and having hunt him down because the mods can't help me, no that is not fun. I have only ran into one guy I wanted to block, because his play was absolutely horrid and he was a jackass, but that is part of this game too.

And Guaroz, it is not a "mutally shared decision" if someone can't play a game when they don't know why, Retillion is not right, well except that playing these games are not a right, that's true.

Yeah, you can't imagine what people complains for. What would make you and I smile could be absolutely serious for someone else. It's not for me and you to say what's offensive and what's not. Not that they usually make me smile, often I think they're right, but it's just my opinion. The point here is that they report verbal abuses just because they don't know the block feature. Without that feature, I'm sure we'd have much more people than now complaining on the mod-forum.

"If a player doesn't like someone using Jesus they can mute him,"
And? You'd go on playing games with a person you can't hear from? Would be that Diplomacy? The person who offended is also reducing your chances to win your next games?
Even gunboats. Why should I play a gunboat with a person who could offend me again in some EoG statement?
I couldn't hear him, but the others could.

You can choose who you can play with.
If I want to play with you and you want to play with me, we'll meet in a game some day. This is what 'mutual' means.
If you don't want to play with me, fine, decision is not mutual anymore, it's your choice, but you're limiting your ability to join new games because you can't join games I'm already in. Your freedom of choice is not for free, it has a cost. You can't limit someone else more than you limit yourself. Choose wisely.

Well yes, we get all sorts of weird and wonderful complaints. But I think a system where a player records *why* they have blocked a person could be a good idea.

eg. Lets say I have been blocked for whatever reason, I look in my settings and find something that looks like this:
* anonymous player A * has blocked you because -> *you CDd in gameIDxxx you turd!*
* anonymous player B* has blocked you because -> etc...

fully implemented I could select *anon. player A* and send them an anonymised note apologising, pointing out my track record since, explain the circumstances why I CDd, and request that they un-block me.

In this scenario I wouldn't know who has me blocked, but the option is there for me to make amends and to see why someone chose to block me in the first place.

^also the ability to send a message to a potential blocker would make it much easier for players like DEFIANT who have/had been blocked by accident.

I just re-read what I wrote - sorry a couple of gins tonight :x

To rephrase the scenario:

I can write to Anonymous Player A, but never know who that player is.
Player A receives the note and WHO sent it.