Make sure that Idlers in the Main Lobby are greyed out

[AlexFili]

It should be more clear if a player has not been at the keyboard for a while.
Perhaps between 10 and 15 minutes would count as that person idling? I think that seems fair.

[fihunts]

Not a bad idea.  Or a way to buzz the lobby once in a while.  While we're at it, a way to ignore players in the lobby that abuse it.

[Null]

Id LOVE to buzz the lobby now and then and get rid of the deadheads, heh

Would also like to see something done about the ranking system.  Instead of rank, since we use weekly winners, how bout hours played?  Or something that gives players the feeling that they dont have to win 100000 games to compare with others.  the % ratio is great.  Abandons should reset every month.

Retiring names is silly.  Why would you want to lock yourself in 1-10th place if you're not playing?  We should have a timer installed that reduces rank on people who "retire" their accounts.  After so many days not playing, rank SHOULD degrade.  If we play for rank, it seems slightly unfair to those who PLAY and not retire.  Just my 2 cents

[fihunts]

Null, part of me wants to agree with you, while another part of me knows how that game was.  I like the dirty low down shit that happens in the game.  M.U.L.E. was founded on that shit.

I like it, in fact I love it!

Put your complaints in Mule2 forums.  I will not play this game, but I will test Mule2 and see how it goes.

The nastyness of losing a plot  in round one and the fires that sometimes that happen.. I love it!  Its what I call balance.  Shit happens, that is what MULE is.

Cheers!
FI

[Chuckie Chuck]

I think it's cool.  Rodz was the first character to reach 1000 played.  Why not stand out?  Be interesting to see how many other people have his success at playing when they hit 1000 games played.

Yeah, it's another thing that makes MULE great, agreed, fihunts.

How about that wheetfarmer?

[Null]

I'm kinda on both sides of the fence on that as well.  No disrespect to Rodz, as he should be observed as one of the greats.  Perhaps a hall of fame could be put together for such cituations.

[Chauncey]

Grayed-out idlers and a "buzzer" in the lobby are both great ideas IMO. REALLY great ideas.

Now, the other bit about rankings...
I have heard people suggest the "rank deteriorates if you aren't actively playing" idea in the past. But.. this makes not the tiniest shred of sense to me. Why should someone be rewarded for playing a lot more recently as opposed to less recently? It just seems absurd. Sure I understand the bit about not being able to catch up with people that have played a million games, without playing a million games, but it seems really harsh to strip someone of their rank simply because they stopped playing. I mean, you the "active" player have the "advantage". Your rank can only go up if you keep winning, the high ranked player who stops playing or plays much less, their rank can only gradually go down.

This is my understanding, anyway - let me know if I'm wrong.

*there is a separate thread topic about ranking systems - maybe this should be moved if thread continues?

[Null]

If I'm not mistaken, I think rank does deteriorate some while you do not play.  Though I think this has more to do with other players playing/winning more games, therefore pushing rank naturaly.

[Chuckie Chuck]

It does deteriorate with the original ranking system, not so much with the newer beta true skill version (yeah, you will always get knocked down here and there when someone manages to climb above, but I find my skill rating changes in a range of about 10 points on average, sometimes down in a 3rd or 4th position finish, sometimes up in a 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd place finish (depends on the rank of who I lost to whether I gain or loose points in third at this point in time.  Loosing against a highly rated player could still be considered a gain if I played a decent game and the loss wasn't substantial.)

Keep in mind, the ranks we see in the lobby are from the original ranking system, which only goes based on number of wins, and does not consider the losses in any shape or form.

[Chauncey]

Well that's what I meant - someone (lets say a high ranked player)'s rank will go down automatically if they play less, if other player's continue to play more (with the current "wins" system). So there shouldn't be an additional  penalty for playing less, or "retiring" your character. That's what i was trying to say. 

[Aufklarer]

who actually cares about rank apart from the scammers such as akire? (i cant see any other reason than a rank epeen for scamming people out of wins)

I have only played about 40 games or something and i have beaten rodz and lost to players ranked 2k, dosnt matter one bit what number i have next to my name, at least not to me. The important things i would say are your reliability and win % becuase they are nice to knows.

Everyone knows if your a good player or not after playing with you a few times, simple as that.

[Chauncey]

Hey, ranks are fun, if you don't take them too seriously - you have to take with a grain of salt. I think most people who are regulars here know that it is flawed. It's still fun to try to get further up, inch by inch. If you think someone is getting higher rank because they don't play anyone that is challenging, or unethical hosts, than you just kind of disregard them. That's what I do. You have to use your imagination a little bit to even things out, but looking at rank numbers, number played/won ratios can be a supplementary tool/guide for a well-rounded personal perception of how you are doing. 

[Keybounce]

Sounds like you want separate "All time high scores" and "High scores in the last 30 days" type of lists.