[j_with_a_B]

It is hard for any long time TD's not to notice the severe "temporary" restrictions placed on our tourneys recently. I understand there is a recent increase in the number of groups clamoring to find a place to host their numerous formerly Live Bridge groups and I hope that they find BBO an excellent place to play instead during the current widespread quarantine situation affecting much of the world. I hope that many will get to know the site and find it a suitable place to play long after things return to normal in the rest of the real live world.

I can fully understand the sense in restricting the size of tournaments that are being run by inexperienced TD's that are newly arrived and just getting used to the site and the software. I am sure that part of the rationale for the size limitations must be to limit the traffic.

However... The automatic tournament size restrictions seem to be causing problems for all the tournaments that have been running for years before this new situation arose. When I arrive to host my daily regular tournaments I am barraged with pleas from frustrated angry regular players that ask for me to raise the limit when I cannot.

There are a number of, I hope unintended, consequences. On reviewing other forum posts recently I see many of the newly installed TD's expressing concern that they do not know how to keep players that are not members of their private group excluded. Naturally, when one tourney fills up people look for another to join, thereby making the new group much less "exclusive" than they wish.

I hear the frustrations of players that have played near daily for more over a dozen years in my tourneys and understand why they are so upset, and feel that I am punishing them for some inexplicable reason.

I know that several TD's have resorted to hosting multiple tournaments simultaneously in order to satisfy the demands of their regular players. It seems silly as a workaround and is quite awkward but possible.

Surely having many more tourneys running on the servers for any same given number of players on the site is as much, if not more, of a load on the system as far fewer larger tourneys. There are no warnings given either to the players or TD's that a size restriction is being inflicted. The loyalty of BBO's regular clientele is being sacrificed. Both players and other TD's have expressed their intent to me to find other sites they think may be more welcoming.

And, in a pre-emptive move, I would like to refute the often trotted out argument that the free tourneys on the site do not matter since they generate no revenue. IF that were true then all the Star players I see and the ones with hundreds of BBO Masterpoints would never be caught playing in our tourneys! Many of them come to play in free tourneys to introduce their friends to the site and the software before trying their hand at earning Masterpoints or playing in the ACBL events.

I truly hope this is truly a TEMPORARY situation and not going to be the norm for the indefinite future or until the Covid-19 issue is over. BBO, please rise to the challenge and do whatever it takes to grow the site to handle the situation! At the very least review the logic in the tourney size limits in the first place! If it is to keep the site from crashing due to the overwhelming load, them consider putting the limitation at the front door! Once the site reaches a load considered to be at the limit then why not restrict further logins instead of rearranging the size and number of tourneys allowed?


PS. I there any reason that the same tourney size restrictions apply whether there are 40,000 people logged in as when there are only 6,000 or less? That really is baffling!

John Branscombe (j_with_a_B)

TD for The Happy Bridge Group - (H B G) and Blonde Magic - (BlondMagic)

[0 carbon]

I agree completely. GlobalClub, the successor to BBO Fans, has been hosting 4-8 tourneys daily for years, and now regular players cannot find a seat.
How about just restricting new TDs (i.e., younger than 3 months) to small tournaments and not limiting the experienced TDs.
All the restrictions do is to have many small tourneys vs a few large. Does this really use fewer resources?
BBO seems to have no problem hosting ACBL tourneys of 500+ players!
-- tom

[barmar]

The issue is the total number of people playing in these tournaments at the same time. We can't let lots of free tournaments use up resources we need for the pay tournaments.

We'll soon be implementing an improvement to this -- we'll have different size limits depending on the time of day. So at the busy times the free tourneys will be limited to 20 tables, but at other times they limit will be raised.

[Mary_hawk]

I appreciate the hard work BBO staff is doing trying to accommodate so many players and make life better for all of us in these terrible times, but please don't forget your core players that have been loyally playing in BBO for years. Many now, when they need their friends and their bridge tourneys the most, can not get into their favorite tourneys because of the limited number of entries for ALL of the tourneys. Sadly many just leave BBO and go else where.

It doesn't matter if the host has been directing for 10 years or 10 days, you still are limited to 20 tables. Please allow the older tourneys more entries on the off-peak times so our friends can come and have fun. I co-host a goulash tourney, alternating days, with Dave (gameman500). But with the low limit on entries we are posting an A and B tourney at the same time every night to try and accommodate more of our regular players. It seems to me, running 2 would take up more computer space than 1 with higher entries. I also ran a B version of AnnC8's tonight. I saw a Kiwi group post a 1, 2 & 3 tourney all at the same time.

Please remember your loyal players over the years and allow us who have been hosting for years, larger entry numbers during the off peak time. These old established tourneys are a part of many players daily life, during the good times and the bad.

Thank you for your hard work.

Mary (Mary_hawk)

[barmar]

See my last post. In the next few days we'll be relaxing the restrictions during off-peak times.

And please don't try to get around the restrictions by hosting multiple tournaments. That's a good way to get your tournament hosting privileges revoked.

[aptesienne]

 barmar, on 2020-April-05, 13:31, said:

See my last post. In the next few days we'll be relaxing the restrictions during off-peak times.

And please don't try to get around the restrictions by hosting multiple tournaments. That's a good way to get your tournament hosting privileges revoked.

[aptesienne]

I have a lot of respect for the BBO for trying to accomodate many keen bridgeplayers to continue their game with their friends or making
new friends during this crisis! A wonderful gesture, which many will support! But..I do wonder why players from the group
VACB26011, all with a different amount of numbers behind the vacb, are allowed to set up paid$$ tournaments without a limit
all through the day, for days on end!!
They are very new members (enrolled bbo around end March 2020), with very few visits/play.
It really puzzles me why established Hosts/TDs have to cut the number of participants of their longterm standing and popular tournaments.
Of course I am sure we are all willing to sacrifice in some way or other, but doing so to make room for tourneys like theVACB...group runs
goes beyond my imagination!

aptesienne

[barmar]

VACB###### are online ACBL clubs. We've been working with ACBL to provide a method for their clubs to hold games so they don't go out of business.

We're a business, paid games take priority over free games. Sorry about that.

[0 carbon]

I haven't noticed the increase in allowed tables by time of day.
What times, and when does it start?

[barmar]

 0 carbon, on 2020-April-08, 23:32, said:

I haven't noticed the increase in allowed tables by time of day.
What times, and when does it start?

Since yesterday, free tournaments are disabled from 1pm-5pm Eastern. Outside these times, the table limit is 40.

[Sir John D]

 barmar, on 2020-April-08, 09:08, said:

VACB###### are online ACBL clubs. We've been working with ACBL to provide a method for their clubs to hold games so they don't go out of business.

We're a business, paid games take priority over free games. Sorry about that.

Yes, it is a sign of the times that businesses are struggling.

In the UK, there are many people who have no work now. Sadly, they do not get any financial help from the UK Government. They are relying on food banks and kindness of others.

Yes, it is a sign of the times that businesses are struggling.

I watched a TV programme last night called "Oliver". Yes, the children were looking through the windows to see the Trustees eating well whilst they were waiting for their gruel.

Yes, it is a sign of the times that businesses are struggling.

Keep safe

[wouaf]

hello
I am completely in agreement with the "tds for a long time", now on BBO we are relieved in a small corner with constraining schedules whereas and limited sizes tournaments; for years we have helped volunteer to make live BBO , and now the virus seems to be synonymous with gain, long before helping the thousands of people who are confined and sometimes sick; while many companies or individuals have put their hand to the pocket (as Bill Gates) to help or support, bbo seems to have chosen another course. What J_with _A_B wrote is quite correct , we are helpless in the face of the distress of players who believe that we no longer want them when they are in high demand and SIR JOHN D also raised the financial problem of new unemployed, merchants and others who lose their income but remember, these people and we, Tds, were there before the virus ... I had at least 6 canceled tournaments at the start when people came to register hours before, and I tell them what? Why not block the creation of tournaments when too many mount? I know that the yellows who answer are not responsible but could you relay our messages of Tds on the distress that exists and that deepens even more this direction taken by the new leaders.
Thank you in advance
WOUAF

[j_with_a_B]

Now that a few weeks have passed and the new usage pattern at BBO has become known and stable could it not be time to further increase tournament sizes for free tourneys during the off peak hours? I think it is fine to not have any free tournaments during those daily times when BBO has 40,000+ people logged on and several dozen tournaments are running. Later in the day that number falls quickly to around 20,000 around 6-7pm ET, yet tournament sizes are limited to 40 tables. Six hours later, that number falls to less than 10,000 and maybe only a dozen or so tournaments running for a few hours after the Western Hemisphere goes to bed and Europe has yet to wake up. Surely at that time of the day when the system is only at a quarter of the load as 12 hours earlier it could handle much less restricted sized tournaments.

I think that BBO would be misguided when if it starts thinking that "Free" tournaments are an unproductive burden on the site. I manage 2 tournaments daily and approximately half of the players there in each have Masterpoint Awards showing they have spent considerable money on BB$ to earn them. They come to play in some of the free ones for a lighter, less serious, more relaxing game as a break from Speedball and others. Many new players come to the free tourneys to get used to the software and the site before risking serious money and frustration in the more serious events.

Now that a few more weeks have passed, please consider further changes to the limitations imposed during the off peak hours. The system has shown it can handle much more than is being allowed now.

John Branscombe

Hosting as j_with_a_B for the Happy Bridge Group (H B G) and Blonde Magic (BlondMagic)