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Subject: Impossible Games

Date: Mon Sep 25 12:06:44 2017
User: Plckahuna
Message:
What purpose does it serve to have games that are not possible to be won? On some boards there is not even an intiial move possible.

Date: Mon Sep 25 13:57:36 2017
User: hotnurse
Message:
Pickahuna, these games are just randomly selected by a complex program. I'm sure one of the powers involved in the programming can explain it further.

Date: Mon Sep 25 16:08:27 2017
User: Kumquat-of-Conciliation
Message:
A little rain every now and then makes the sunshine that much nicer.

Date: Mon Sep 25 16:26:36 2017
User: Punster
Message:
If you don't like the "impossible" to come up, try playing the Winnable games, that's why they're there !!!

Date: Tue Sep 26 01:56:31 2017
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Plckahuna *has* played some winnables - 18 of 'em - and none within the last 8-10 days or so. So he/she is aware of them. Also, he/she has played nothing harder than regular 7x4. So.....draw your own conclusions.

Date: Tue Sep 26 06:30:52 2017
User: TitanicTony
Message:
Maybe he doesn't know that the "winnable" variants are exactly the same games as the corresponding "regular" variant, except that the un-winnable games are not dealt (a huge aid in streak building, imo). Also, there are only 10 "winnable" variants, whereas there are many more variants that have lots of un-winnable games!! I have always wondered why all of the other variants with un-winnable games don't also have a "winnable" version????

Date: Tue Sep 26 10:04:03 2017
User: TNmountainman
Message:
"I have always wondered why all of the other variants with un-winnable games don't also have a "winnable" version????" It was a tremendous undertaking to compile the winnables lists by free@last. The 10 variants were chosen fairly carefully. It would have just been too much of a time sink to do them all -- not to mention no one knew how much they would be played. Even tho they've been played quite a bit by some, according to Denny, their play still represents only a small minority of games played on the site.

Date: Tue Sep 26 11:50:21 2017
User: TitanicTony
Message:
I'm guessing that all variants, EXCEPT 8x4, are played less than 1% of the time!! And, I'm guessing that there are a bunch of variants that are played less than the winnable variants! Anyway, I for one, VERY much appreciate the "tremendous undertaking" -- I much prefer the winnable variants! With the exception of 11x1, if a winnable variant is available, I no longer play the corresponding regular variant (ever since the SSC ended).

Date: Tue Sep 26 12:52:30 2017
User: TNmountainman
Message:
With just a very quick look, 525,000,000+ games have now been played on this site. Approximately 300-350,000,000 have been 8x4, cumulatively, with about 230,000,000+ of those being 8x4-5. Many, many variants have been played more than 1% of the time. I could list them, but there's too many. You can go check them out, if you wish. And yes, you are right, obviously, that some variants have been played less than the winnables - for example, less than 50,000 5x4s have been played. Same for 4x5, 4x6, and 4x7, among others. (And as a 'curiosity', no one has won a 4x5 or 4x6 beyond climate 5.) But so what? Most quickly realize that those variants don't give the required reward often enough. I wasn't AT ALL badmouthing the winnables. Been there and done that. Made my points. And as I've said before, I'm "glad" that they found as much favor as they have. They've obviously filled a need and a niche for some, such as yourself. Obviously your playing "style" lends itself completely to winnables. I was only answering your question as to "why" only some variants were winnowed. I hope I was able to do that.

Date: Tue Sep 26 15:03:44 2017
User: hotnurse
Message:
Not at all a comment on *how* or *what* anyone here plays, to each their own. But just an fyi; as a person who is not getting any younger...and I mean mentally more than physically...I come here to play, mainly, to keep my grey matter in motion. I am not one for physical exercise so I need to do as much as possible to stay sharp. I ,imho, can hold my own against those in *my age bracket* but I feel that I am heading down a slippery slope. So, if one wants to play winnables or 4x4's or with simple aides then so be it. I admire anyone who comes here to play. Since we don't keep track of the rankings I find myself playing *only* against my own best. I like to chase some of the better players but I get more pleasure playing against my own previous best. Anyway...have a nice day everyone and enjoy this site for as long as we still have it. Btw, I have an uncle who STILL drives at the age of 97 in Dec. He goes to the local K of C to play cards with his cronies about 5 days a week plus goes to Mass about 3 days and a drive to the local cemetery to talk to my deceased aunt and my mother, (his sister) and our grandparents. He is not as forgetful as I. Keep playing everyone!~

Date: Wed Oct 11 01:07:19 2017
User: dcn21
Message:
I play mainly because I'm completely addicted (I wasn't totally joking when I called myself "Theaddictformerlyknownasdcn" for a while) but also because I, too would like to keep my brain, if not sharp, at least not dull. I was really glad the winnables came along and I thought most players would play them. I didn't know it was free@last who did all the ground work but I'm so glad he/she did. So thank you very much for that tremendous undertaking. As for the percentage played I would think the 13x0 has been played quite a bit, both the winnable and normal, I think it has been played more than any but the standard.

Date: Wed Oct 11 05:23:42 2017
User: TitanicTony
Message:
TN was correct (and I was wrong), a total of 6 games have been played >1% of the time! dcn21: 13x0 comes in 3rd, on 2.99%. 9x5 is 2nd, on 6.0%. 10x6 is a 'close' 4th, on 2.97%. According to the Cumulative Game Stats, the 10 most popular games, by # of plays, are the following: Rank .... Var. ............... Plays ................ % . 8 .......... 8x3 .......... 3,572,704 ........ 0.68% . 1 .......... 8x4 ..... 372,311,970 ...... 70.75% 10 .......... 8x5 .......... 3,309,310 ........ 0.63% . 6 .......... 7x4 .......... 5,924,300 ........ 1.13% . 2 .......... 9x5 ........ 31,578,897 ........ 6.00% . 4 ........ 10x6 ....... 15,646,605 ........ 2.97% . 5 ........ 12x1 .......... 7,811,643 ........ 1.48% . 3 ........ 13x0 ....... 15,744,062 ........ 2.99% . 9 ........ 13x1 .......... 3,387,533 ........ 0.64% . 7 ........ 13x3 .......... 4,951,862 ........ 0.94%. It might be interesting to know how many different players (not nics) have played each variant. Huffy has played 10x6 455,573 times, and counting!

Date: Wed Oct 11 19:23:51 2017
User: dcn21
Message:
I had no idea 9x5 was that popular, I never play it.

Date: Thu Oct 12 10:22:53 2017
User: TNmountainman
Message:
I would proffer that likely much of that 'popularity' is due to the fact that Denny included it in his "Popular Games" in the drop-down menu as "Nine to Five". I can't see it as having any inherent attractiveness. Same with "Ten to Six", as those two choices appear immediately below "Standard" in said menu. I can somewhat more see "Bakers[sic] Dozen" having some amount of innate pull. Slightly further still.........9x5 and 10x6, due to their ease, allow a player to rip off a hundred or more games in the time it would take to play a dozen or so 7x3s, 11x0s, 10x0s, 8x2s, etc. (CS and a couple others excluded in that statement of course). So "overall amount of time spent playing each variant" might be somewhat enlightening - and would likely give a moderately different list. But I don't think that data is available or calculable from what Denny publicly provides.

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