Automated idle wipeouts & other topics

[Livan]

Yahoo Games (and most free game systems) has a system by which the accounts that don't log on in a certain amount of time are automatically wiped. Two weeks - or even ten days - of an idle free account seems reasonable to kill the account, doesn't it?

This method would be a much more reasonable way to play the game than either the wipes or blanking the records of free accounts, because you'd basically eliminate the people who don't play and embrace the community you have. Otherwise, it's blackmail for those people who like the game.

Blackmail without actual consequences other than to cause disinterest will alienate people from the game. You guys probably aren't that old, and if you begin alienating your regular players, you'll be left with a very small community of people. If my account is again wiped, I will not play again and will advise others to stay away.

Similarly topical: on the subject of silver/bronze accounts, there seems to me to be a logical progression towards an all-pay system here. A veteran of online free gaming, that's not going to fly with most people even if it's $10 a year (and forget the $60 you have right now); you'll lose 99% of your people. It's happened over and over again, and it will happen here. I personally think I'd pay $10 once a year to keep my account static and my record intact (it's about as much as a junior membership in the USCF costs), but not a penny more.

-Aaron Weiner
aaronweiner@yahoo.com

[LondonJack]

Is it too much to ask that you take 30 seconds to look over the "suggestions that have already been offered" sticky thread and realize that suggestions involving the grey wipes and alternative pay accounts have been done to death.

[Livan]

Nowhere in the list of suggestions offered does it mention the idea of destroying idle accounts. If this sort of a system was in place it could quite obviously eliminate the need for the frequent wipings.

I'm okay with the idea of wiping out all accounts if they get too numerous (though, as I said, I wouldn't play again afterward) but doesn't it occur to anyone that the reason they get too numerous is the ease of making accounts? A person can lose two games and make a new account and lose two games and make a new account and so on and so forth. I'm certain there are people out there with a dozen untrackable accounts. Why not zap the multiples and leave the community be?

-Aaron

[Bills]

Account wipes are not based on anything other than sheer account numbers...

If a player is active or not their account and other free accounts build up and overload the server preventing Golds from playing, we have however come up with a system which should increase the time between account wipes.

[LondonJack]

9. A suggestion to stop the server wide sweep of gray (free) accounts. This will never stop, please stop suggesting it.


You see your suggestion is one that you think would effect and eliminate "server wide sweep(s) of gray... acounts." So yes it was expressly covered in the already been suggested thread, which you seem to have read before posting.

Not to mention:

12. Silver/Bronze accounts. Any form of account that costs less than gold, but you get to keep account up and running.


From they way your suggestion reads, it sounds like you read the already been suggested thread and took it as a personal challenge to respond to that, and what bring a fresh angle to the subject? Doesn't it seem that maybe, if a topic has been repeated enough times to make it onto a list that a moderator is sick of dealing with, that it's been done to death long before you graced these boards.

[Livan]

Thank you, Bill, that's all I was really interested in.

-Aaron