New kick/timeout functionality PLEASE!

[Dunichi]

Hello, I played TM on PC just a few times and I'm planning to quit because in EVERY game somebody goes AFK. This time (right now) I'm waiting for a player to pick draft cards and 20 minutes are past, it's minute 30 from a 1h game and it's stuck until the first draft.

Please just implement some kicking or timeout functionality, if a player doesn't do anything for a long time, just KICK it.

It's embarrasing this is happening, I want my money back and get back to TM board game, much better than this..

Thanks and bye.

[Esel7]

My observation: in the very most cases if you start a game with 60 min, at least one coplayer will need 60 min. You start a game with 45 min, so at least one will need 45 min, you start one with 30 min...you get the idea.

I rarely observed someone who needed a lot of time and then did a really fancy and well-calculated move. Only maybe at the very end of the game, where I totally agree that there might be a point where to really carefully look at things.

I would guess good players already know their cards in their deck, know how many cards to buy and still can build all the things they wanted. They might even know how many points each player has, at least who is leading and so on.

How much time for this? Close to zero...because you are in the game, you keep on playing and you know what you are doing.

Giving a lot of additional time? Guys then build their legoworld instead of terraforming, reading their cards over and over and of course will phase out due to a lack of time.

[markjohnnash]

I am also totally sick of this. I normally start a 4 player 45 min game but am going to use 30 mins from now on.

[Je-Nas]

Yea, that’s the worst problem right now. Still, I have to say I played 35 games already, and this (a player leaving without forfeiting, causing a 30+ minute long waiting) happened to me like 4 or 5 times at most — which is still too much, of course, but if you played a few times and almost every game this happened, then maybe you were specially unlucky. Or perhaps I’m the relatively lucky one...

[dared19]

Would probably be better with a "turn timer" instead , and if someone doesnt act in time they get put to "sit out" where they basicly do nothing. The problem right now other then AFKing people is that different strategies needs different amount of time.. if you play with a big income and lots of card draw you will most likely run out of time unless you play with 1h or more. esp since you have to wait for the animations to play everytime you or someelse does something

[The Matrix has you!]

AFK timer should be in this game. AI sub very bad solution, because to many disconnects and desync. If you droped 2-3 times, you can leave, coz AI already ruined your strategy. From other side wait 45-60 min players which leave without forfeit - very painful. So AFK timer is good solution. You can set it to 3-5-10... min and AFK player will be sub by AI.

[Acckiy]

Upvote for AFK timer and kicking functionality,
Also AFK must be relflected in the players's karma.
These bastards ruins the game.

[Je-Nas]

Hey Nate, good to see a developer response here and that, contrary to some bad mouthing in this forum, you guys are of course still working to improve the game. Take your time, that’s all I can say. Sure, I agree with the most common criticisms and requests out there, but I guess you developers also agree — as indeed shown in previous updates.

What I don’t agree with is the needless belligerent tone of much of the criticism I see here. It just became like the intuitive norm in this forum, to the point I barely feel comfortable in acting less than confrontational toward a developer — so I guess anyone who agrees with me on that just keeps quiet, making the forum too biased towards the negative. I can just ask you to not take this tone too seriously nor be discouraged. While this game has much to be improved on, and is really frustrating too many times, still it is overall a great (and beautiful) implementation of the boardgame, with even greater potential going forward, and I don’t regret acquiring it for a second. :)

[Exaltofulgor]

Agree with previous Terraformers.
AFK and kicking buttons needed

[marcelvdpol]

I've recently played the board game "Evolution" on Android. The solution there for this is quite neat:
1) As long as you are making moves, playing cards etc, there is no timer.
2) Timer starts after 15 seconds of "inactivity" on your turn and gives you 20 seconds.
3) If timer ends, your move will be random but you will not be kicked from the game.
4) If a player leaves, the position is taken over by an AI.

Of course, Terraforming Mars is more complex and hence should adjust it's timers, but still I think it is quite a good solution. No need to reinvent the wheel here.

Lastly, make sure the players can do moves in someone else's turn, putting the moves in the queue until it is their turn and they simply click "end turn" to execute the moves. You don't HAVE to do this, but it does speed up play and if your move doesn't really depend on what other players are doing there is no sense in waiting.

[Esel7]

I am getting sick of people leaving in the first round even with karma > 1.

I am still wondering, why there are worldwide around 50 people still online.

[flogae]

Sorry to hijack this thread but could someone quickly explain some shorties to a noob, like
what does AFK stand for, and how does the Karma-system work. Thx

Apart from that and taking into account my experience from playing other digital boardgame adaptations like Through the Ages, Terra Mystica and so on, I agree that the timing system is not yet fully optimized (to say the least...).

I like the idea of an "inactivity timer" and also very much agree that being able to prepare moves during your waiting time could help speed up the game quite a lot. The "inactivity timer" could be implemented as an optional addition to a "generation timer" which gives you playing time for each generation (with time given growing with each generation). I could even imagine something like a "draft timer", which could be separately chosen at game start as some players like to play with a little extra time in the draft phase - personally I very much dislike the ticking of the clock during draft as you just need some time to make good decisions in that phase. Experts could set that timer to a low value, as they will often know many cards by heart and play quick drafts.

Another, altogether different questions: would TM be suited for asynchronous play?

[FrankJones]

Originally posted by flogae:

Sorry to hijack this thread but could someone quickly explain some shorties to a noob, like
what does AFK stand for, and how does the Karma-system work. Thx

Apart from that and taking into account my experience from playing other digital boardgame adaptations like Through the Ages, Terra Mystica and so on, I agree that the timing system is not yet fully optimized (to say the least...).

I like the idea of an "inactivity timer" and also very much agree that being able to prepare moves during your waiting time could help speed up the game quite a lot. The "inactivity timer" could be implemented as an optional addition to a "generation timer" which gives you playing time for each generation (with time given growing with each generation). I could even imagine something like a "draft timer", which could be separately chosen at game start as some players like to play with a little extra time in the draft phase - personally I very much dislike the ticking of the clock during draft as you just need some time to make good decisions in that phase. Experts could set that timer to a low value, as they will often know many cards by heart and play quick drafts.

Another, altogether different questions: would TM be suited for asynchronous play?

You have some excellent ideas here. I've long been holding onto some microscopic optimism that Asmodee actually reads thee forums and has a list somewhere of the hundreds of excellent game interface improvements people have suggested.

It's really brutal when a 2-player game goes past 13 generations - with the dozens of actions and the nightmarish animations (that must be viewed for BOTH players' moves), it's always a frantic race against the clock for me. The game desperately needs some way for players to choose an optional chess-style incremental timer for longer generation games.


I have to admit, I have no idea what "AFK" is short for; I just know it means "gone for good." I've long wondered myself, but it seemed like something I was supposed to know, so I never asked.

as for asynchronous play - it's no something I would like, but now that they have added the 30 and 45 day timer, it's certainly feasible.

[ultimateshep]

Yes please!!!! I am ready to quit this game. Every other game has an AFK'er. It's ridiculous and ruins the game. Some people do it just to get wins and other people leave cause they are going to lose, it doesn't matter

My suggestions:
#1. There should be an AFK timer of 5 minutes (or a game setting or 3, 5, or 7 min) that takes affect after a unanimous vote. Then opposing players can vote to kick a player for inactivity.

#2. Have a majority rule for EXTENDING PLAY. Far too many times, the players are minutes or even seconds from finishing the game and most opposing players are really great people and wouldn't mind if that person got a time extension of 5 minutes. If the player is playing and spent a couple hours playing the entire game and then gets kicked for being a few minutes short, it is RIDICULOUS! I understand that some players might kick them anyway for the win, but from my experience, most players would be super chill about it and make it a far better community and playing experience. It is better than the system that is implemented now.

THESE NEED TO CHANGE. The game is being ruined by these things, especially number 1. Please make the change quickly or this game with fuzz out sooner than later.

Thank you!

[xKronox]

Add a timer please!!!!

[FrankJones]

Originally posted by ultimateshep:

Yes please!!!! I am ready to quit this game. Every other game has an AFK'er. It's ridiculous and ruins the game. Some people do it just to get wins and other people leave cause they are going to lose, it doesn't matter

My suggestions:
#1. There should be an AFK timer of 5 minutes (or a game setting or 3, 5, or 7 min) that takes affect after a unanimous vote. Then opposing players can vote to kick a player for inactivity.

#2. Have a majority rule for EXTENDING PLAY. Far too many times, the players are minutes or even seconds from finishing the game and most opposing players are really great people and wouldn't mind if that person got a time extension of 5 minutes. If the player is playing and spent a couple hours playing the entire game and then gets kicked for being a few minutes short, it is RIDICULOUS! I understand that some players might kick them anyway for the win, but from my experience, most players would be super chill about it and make it a far better community and playing experience. It is better than the system that is implemented now.

THESE NEED TO CHANGE. The game is being ruined by these things, especially number 1. Please make the change quickly or this game with fuzz out sooner than later.

Thank you!

Both of these are excellent ideas. A time forfeit should not be automatic; it should be at the discretion of the opponent(s).