Is it possible to have multiple seeks across different clock-times?
I've seen many instances where 15 0 and 15 10 won't play each other.
What if they could put up 3 or 4 different seeks, where 15 5 might be agreeable between both of them?
Right now, I'm happy to play 30 15, 30 30, 25 15. I've been waiting 10 minutes, and I can't help but suspect that if I had put up one of my alternate times, I might have gotten a game by now.
Waiting 10-15-20 minutes for a game is not good.
If longer wait-times could be mitigated in any way, that might be optimal.
Great idea, from us players' POV.
For the sort of example you give, it would probably be better for the user creating the game offer to be able to specify a range (or ranges), rather than several near alternatives.
Or for the matching process to offer alternatives.
Should get you a game more quickly.
What if all 4 seeks get accepted at the same time? Some (titled) players would like to play multiple games, whereas most players probably wouldn't.
Not sure having 4 seeks at once in the lobby would be great (it would make the lobby too crowded IMO, though I think lichess could easily enough quick-cancel the other 3 when one is accepted), but putting one seek out there with the option to accept a range of seeks from other players seems entirely reasonable to me.
#4 How does the quick-cancel work for other people who have already accepted the other seeks? Any sort of dependency like this will slow down creation of all games, just so the server can check whether or not another seek is out there...
1. I really like the idea of "range". One seek with a dynamic time range. Definitely works for me. It's probably the best option.
2. They could limit the option of plural/dynamic seeks to be there for people rated 1900 and up.
It's only when you get to +1800 that you have to start waiting more than 5-10-15 minutes for a game.
3. The combination of limiting the availability, and people properly using their filters, would make the clutter a non-issue.
(My 'create games' page usually has 0 zero seeks, and only sometimes does it have 1 or 2.)
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With all of that said, I think I just made the case that only 5% of the site would even notice this feature, and therefore it's not really pressing or urgent.
I think I just broke my suggestion.
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Rephrased:
It would be nice to have plural seeks, or better yet, a dynamic time range to select, if it's not too much trouble.
Let's assume your suggestion (using ranges) gets implemented and players of all ratings get access to that feature.
Visually, there shouldn't be any clutter. If a range gets shown at all, it could be visually collapsed (i.e. hidden until intentionally exposed), or otherwise shown on the single line currenty allocated each game offer - not necessarily showing all the particulars of that game offer on its line, expandable or otherwise.
Even if implementation results in clutter, the fact matches are to be found more quickly (if costly) will itself minimise that.
Also consider that ranges/alternatives don't actually have to be displayed, if it causes problems. Matching time would still be reduced if they aren't.
#5: Couldn't it work the same way it does with single seeks, i.e. if I try to accept a seek right after someone else accepts it the request simply gets greyed out, and I cannot accept the (duplicate) game? I do agree that clutter and the annoyance of having too many games disappear right before one can click on them may be an issue though.
#6: I think the idea is a good one, especially the idea of one seek of a player being displayed with a range that will be auto-accepted if someone else puts out their own seek within range out there. Having a drop-down list of seeks of a player that someone could go through and accept on hovering over a username might be good as well, at least at higher levels where slow game acceptance rates is apparently an issue. For example, if one or two players would prefer to play a variant over regular chess but neither wants to put a (single) seek out there due to the time it takes to be accepted, having the drop-down listing would be ideal.
Beyond the 5% of high-rated people who have issues finding games, there might be another few percent who would use this to find variant games within certain ratings ranges, ranges which could be quite variable depending on their tastes and time invested in training those variants in the past.
#8 You do realize that Lichess uses a non-relational database (MongoDB)? You're asking about real-time requirements for managing relational data...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_computingen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databaseen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-phase_locking#9 So I take it that a person putting multiple seeks out on the lobby would't work under the lichess framework.
Does this also exclude the possibility of setting out a range of games to accept (i.e. across multiple variants and time controls) from games offered by other players at one point in time?
(I'm not a programmer, this is an honest question btw.)
