Lock your rooms!

zgrose

Elder Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
4,235
Reaction score
948
Location
Kingwood, TX
First name
Zoltan
Country
llUnited States
Must be time for a new version number so the trolls end up playing with all the old timers instead.
 

Joe Moro

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
Messages
186
Reaction score
92
Location
Melbourne
Country
llAustralia
Were you able to undo the game back?
I was George's opponent. Lucky i had saved the games as soon i realized something was not right.
So we were able to continue game unscathed.. but we lost a few minutes resetting.. a bit of a pain, but it could have been a lot worse.
 

Jazz

Inactive
Joined
Feb 3, 2003
Messages
12,188
Reaction score
2,739
Location
The Empty Quarter
Country
llLithuania
pjh is on the server again. Claims to be looking for a game.

IP address 73.74.167.101, but this seems to be dynamically allocated?

A Chicago IP just like the last joker that pulled this sort of stunt.
 
Last edited:

jrv

Forum Guru
Joined
May 25, 2005
Messages
21,998
Reaction score
6,206
Location
Teutoburger Wald
Country
llIceland
pjh is on the server again. Claims to be looking for a game.

IP address 73.74.167.101, but this seems to be dynamically allocated?

A Chicago IP just like the last joker that pulled this sort of stunt.
There is a @pjh here on gamesquad. May be the same person. If so I think he may not have realized that what he was doing would affect a live game. Could be a completely different person too, so don't jump to conclusions.

JR
 

Paul M. Weir

Forum Guru
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
8,706
Reaction score
3,732
Location
Dublin
First name
Paul
Country
llIreland
Yeah, the pjh on here on GS has had multiple IP addresses, 24 in the last 11 months, so is most likely dynamically allocated and all seem to be in the Chicago area. If the 73.74.167.101 that Jazz spotted was for his login to the VASL server, then it matches the 73.74.167.101 that he last used to login to GS yesterday.

I took a quick look at his posting headings and they seem to be what you would expect from a newish ASLSK player, not from a blatant troll. It could be that he did not know what he was doing.
"pjh" has just deleted a turn's worth of play. Protect yourselves, people.
Maybe you could PM him about his disruption and if that is unsatisfactory then PM myself, Jazz or another moderator. I am totally unfamiliar with VASL, so would not be the best for a first approach.
 

pjh

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Messages
47
Reaction score
17
Country
llUnited States
Hi! I received an e-mail from JAZZ. As a pjh, I can assure you I didn't intentionally do this, nor was I aware that it was happening. I occasionally pop into a room to watch a few moves (and learn), but I don't touch the pieces, for sure! I'm sorry that happened to you guys -- that sucks. Do you think it is a bug in VASL/VASSAL? Is it another user? Or is it something I might be unintentionally doing when watching the game? (If the latter, perhaps there could be a way to make things completely "read-only" for viewing purposes; or at least I'd like to know what I might have done!)

On a side note, I do find it REALLY helpful to watch other people play as I learn strategy, etc.
 

Tater

Elder Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
9,827
Reaction score
542
Location
Ardmore, TN
Country
llUnited States
Hi! I received an e-mail from JAZZ. As a pjh, I can assure you I didn't intentionally do this, nor was I aware that it was happening. I occasionally pop into a room to watch a few moves (and learn), but I don't touch the pieces, for sure! I'm sorry that happened to you guys -- that sucks. Do you think it is a bug in VASL/VASSAL? Is it another user? Or is it something I might be unintentionally doing when watching the game? (If the latter, perhaps there could be a way to make things completely "read-only" for viewing purposes; or at least I'd like to know what I might have done!)

On a side note, I do find it REALLY helpful to watch other people play as I learn strategy, etc.
As an aside...do you ask permission before joining a room? It is normal VASL etiquette to ask permission (private message) one of the players if you can sync.
 

Vinnie

See Dummies in the index
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
17,426
Reaction score
3,365
Location
Aberdeen , Scotland
Country
llUnited Kingdom
As an aside...do you ask permission before joining a room? It is normal VASL etiquette to ask permission (private message) one of the players if you can sync.
I tend not to anymore. Too many games areb played full screen on skype. Even when I've been expected messages often get missed.
 

Tater

Elder Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
9,827
Reaction score
542
Location
Ardmore, TN
Country
llUnited States
I tend not to anymore. Too many games areb played full screen on skype. Even when I've been expected messages often get missed.
Yeah...and you should be shot! ?

To be honest, I ALWAYS lock my room. If someone wants to join they have to message me or someone else in the room.
 

pjh

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Messages
47
Reaction score
17
Country
llUnited States
I usually ask once I'm in the room; didn't realize I could click to send a PM.
 

Sparafucil3

Forum Guru
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Messages
11,335
Reaction score
5,071
Location
USA
First name
Jim
Country
llUnited States
I tend not to anymore. Too many games areb played full screen on skype. Even when I've been expected messages often get missed.
I don't ask anymore either. An open door is an invitation in this case. -- jim
 

Joe Moro

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
Messages
186
Reaction score
92
Location
Melbourne
Country
llAustralia
In over 10 years of playing on VASL, i never locked my room - and was happy to have people come in and chat about the game

Now it seems that is a must to lock the room

I know this a generalization: but is this a microcosm of where we are heading as a society?
 

Tater

Elder Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
9,827
Reaction score
542
Location
Ardmore, TN
Country
llUnited States
I don't ask anymore either. An open door is an invitation in this case. -- jim
Hmmm...I could certainly understand this if you already know at least some of the people in the room. But, if everyone is a total stranger I would think it best to ask first. I mean, if you were walking up to a strangers house, the expectation would be one should knock first...even if the front door is wide a$$ open. I think that would be a very modest/moderate level of politeness.

Again, doesn't matter to me, I ALWAYS lock the room. Even before the recent spat of VASL vandalism I always locked the room. I noticed that as more people joined a given room, the performance of VASL slowed...moves would hesitate or there would be time lags before moves showed up on my (and other players) screens...dr/DR would take excessive time to appear...individuals would get dropped.

This may all be perception/coincedental only but I believe once you get beyond about 4 people synced to a game things get quirky. Also, once you get going with a set# of folks VASL performance smooths...so that when you subsequently add anyone it takes time for it to re-sync cleanly again. In addition, the players who are suppose to be moving counters often mistakenly click or copy or delete or etc...but at least we (the players) can usually catch it real time...if an observer does something by accident (case in point actually) neither we nor they may catch it in time.

The idea about a "read only" view sounds very interesting. No idea how difficult that would be to code into VASL.
 

Carln0130

Forum Guru
Joined
Mar 25, 2006
Messages
5,980
Reaction score
2,583
Location
MA
Country
llUnited States
Hmmm...I could certainly understand this if you already know at least some of the people in the room. But, if everyone is a total stranger I would think it best to ask first. I mean, if you were walking up to a strangers house, the expectation would be one should knock first...even if the front door is wide a$$ open. I think that would be a very modest/moderate level of politeness.

Again, doesn't matter to me, I ALWAYS lock the room. Even before the recent spat of VASL vandalism I always locked the room. I noticed that as more people joined a given room, the performance of VASL slowed...moves would hesitate or there would be time lags before moves showed up on my (and other players) screens...dr/DR would take excessive time to appear...individuals would get dropped.

This may all be perception/coincedental only but I believe once you get beyond about 4 people synced to a game things get quirky. Also, once you get going with a set# of folks VASL performance smooths...so that when you subsequently add anyone it takes time for it to re-sync cleanly again. In addition, the players who are suppose to be moving counters often mistakenly click or copy or delete or etc...but at least we (the players) can usually catch it real time...if an observer does something by accident (case in point actually) neither we nor they may catch it in time.

The idea about a "read only" view sounds very interesting. No idea how difficult that would be to code into VASL.
A lot of VASSAL modules have something similar. I am not a code writer to be sure, but I would think it would not be too hard for those that are. Just have a visitor mode with limited access. Maybe let the initial players tinker with it up and down to allow for multi-player games and people joining in after start.
 

Sparafucil3

Forum Guru
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Messages
11,335
Reaction score
5,071
Location
USA
First name
Jim
Country
llUnited States
Hmmm...I could certainly understand this if you already know at least some of the people in the room. But, if everyone is a total stranger I would think it best to ask first. I mean, if you were walking up to a strangers house, the expectation would be one should knock first...even if the front door is wide a$$ open. I think that would be a very modest/moderate level of politeness.

Again, doesn't matter to me, I ALWAYS lock the room. Even before the recent spat of VASL vandalism I always locked the room. I noticed that as more people joined a given room, the performance of VASL slowed...moves would hesitate or there would be time lags before moves showed up on my (and other players) screens...dr/DR would take excessive time to appear...individuals would get dropped.

This may all be perception/coincedental only but I believe once you get beyond about 4 people synced to a game things get quirky. Also, once you get going with a set# of folks VASL performance smooths...so that when you subsequently add anyone it takes time for it to re-sync cleanly again. In addition, the players who are suppose to be moving counters often mistakenly click or copy or delete or etc...but at least we (the players) can usually catch it real time...if an observer does something by accident (case in point actually) neither we nor they may catch it in time.

The idea about a "read only" view sounds very interesting. No idea how difficult that would be to code into VASL.
When you go to gameday, you don't ask if you can stand beside the table and watch. As long as you don't kibbutz or move pieces, I have never met anyone who cares. JMO, YMMV. -- jim
 

Tater

Elder Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
9,827
Reaction score
542
Location
Ardmore, TN
Country
llUnited States
When you go to gameday, you don't ask if you can stand beside the table and watch. As long as you don't kibbutz or move pieces, I have never met anyone who cares. JMO, YMMV. -- jim
Well, everybody is “in the room” at a physical venue...so that analogy is not even close to what happens on VASL. The expectations are completely different.
 

Sparafucil3

Forum Guru
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Messages
11,335
Reaction score
5,071
Location
USA
First name
Jim
Country
llUnited States
Well, everybody is “in the room” at a physical venue...so that analogy is not even close to what happens on VASL. The expectations are completely different.
Not if you think of the "rooms" on VASL as tables. Calling them "rooms" is the stretch. They have no walls. No ceilings. Anyone can walk up to them. As for expectations, I expect people to walk up to my table. It's part of the fun. The fun part about standards and expectations is there are so many to choose from. -- jim
 

Tater

Elder Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
9,827
Reaction score
542
Location
Ardmore, TN
Country
llUnited States
Not if you think of the "rooms" on VASL as tables. Calling them "rooms" is the stretch. They have no walls. No ceilings. Anyone can walk up to them. As for expectations, I expect people to walk up to my table. It's part of the fun. The fun part about standards and expectations is there are so many to choose from. -- jim
Hey, you want to barge into the VASL rooms of complete strangers and sync without a “by your leave” have at it...it would be between you and them.

To me, your attitude represents another very good reason to lock the room as SOP.
 
Top