BOUNCED FAQ

This FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers), is supposed to answer most of the common questions. If it (and the rest of the help section) does not answer your questions, e-mail help@dipbounced.com.

I forgot my password. What do I do now?

You can get a new password. It's easy.

How do I play?

Go to the registration page and sign up for an account. Make sure you enter your e-mail address correctly. You will receive an e-mail with your initial password (something completely unrememberable). Go to BOUNCED and select "login." You will be asked for your username and password. Enter them and you'll find yourself at the main page. On the main page, follow the link "account information." From here you can change your password to something more memorable. Welcome to BOUNCED.

So I have an account, what do I do now?

At the top of the main center, you will find your statistics and a link to the rankings of all of the users. Under that, you'll find links that allow you to change when you receive e-mail (the default is only when a game you've registered for begins) and the look of the interface, to request particular types of games you'd like to play in, and to change your username or password.

The main part of the page contains two lists. The top list is the list of games in which you are currently participating. The bottom list is of other games on the system. Both lists can be filtered to based on the status of the games listed (pre-game, during game, post-game).

To play in a game you need to do the following:

Make sure that the "new" checkbox in the "Other Games" list is checked (if it is not, check it and select "refilter").
Look down the list of games that have not yet started (ie their status is listed as a fraction of the number of people who have joined compared to the total number needed).
Find a game you like (or think you might like) and select the name of the game.
You should now see a description of the game. Read the description carefully.
Read the options carefully.
If you feel that you can commit to the game and like the options, register:
1. Enter a preference list (if needed).
2. Select Join
Once registered, wait until the game fills up (this might take seconds or weeks depending on the popularity of the game).
When the game has begun (ie the last person has signed up), you will receive an e-mail.
Go back to BOUNCED and you should see the game in your top list (if not the "running" checkbox needs to be selected).
Select the name of the power you've been assigned for this game and you will be taken to the game page for that power.
Read the press you've received so far.
Send press to your game master (GM) to let him or her know you've arrived.
Check back when you can (usually at least once a day) to read press, send press, and write orders.

What do the abbreviations in the "options" column on the game listing mean?

The first letter is an 'S' if the game is for statistics. The next two numbers are the average time for movement phases and the average time for retreat and build phases respectively (in hours). The next block of three letters (or dashes) indicates the press options for players. The first letter is 'W' for white press and '-' if there is no white press. The second letter is 'G' for gray press and '-' if there is no gray press. The last letter is 'P' for partial press, 'B' for broadcast-only press, and '-' if there is no press. The final block of letters is the set of press options for observers indicated in the same way (but prefaced with the letter 'O').

There aren't any games open with options I like. How do I get a GM to create one?

The best way is to go to the "game preferences" page off of the main center and check the options you'd like (and the "I would like to play a new game" to insure your vote is counted). This information is available to game masters (as counts of the number of users picking each options) to help them decide which games would be popular.

After you register for a game, the "I would like to play a new game" option is automatically changed to "no" (it is also automatically changed to "no" after 30 days). If you would still like to play in yet another game, go back and select "yes" again.

Why is there no "reply to" function for press?

It is a deliberate choice. Without the "reply to" function it is (almost?) as easy to quote someone's press untruthfully as it is to quote it truthfully. There is also usually little reason to quote someone back text they just sent to you. It is best not to clutter up other people's in-boxes with redundant text.

Why is the syntax for orders not checked automatically

This is also a deliberate choice. Entering correct orders has always been an important part of the game. Were the orders checked automatically, this part of the game would change significantly. For example, the "purposefully incorrect order" tactic (whereby a power misorders a unit so as to get it to hold or do something else and then claims it was an accident) would disappear.

What does the "index" part of the supply center summary mean?

This is there for historical reasons (and is incorrect at that). BOUNCED was originally designed to be as similar as play-by-e-mail systems as possible. To that end, the supply center summary listing includes the "index" number of each year as many e-mail judges do.

The index number is the sum of the squares of the number of supply centers owned by each power, divided by the number of powers. However the e-mail judges divide by the total number of powers and BOUNCED divides by the number of remaining power.

The number has little use (or maybe none at all?). If it were divided also by the square of the total number of supply centers in the game, it might have more use, but probably not.

It is safe to ignore it completely.

What are the numbers next to a replacement position?

After a replacement position listing, there are three numbers (separated by colons). They are (from left to right): the number of supply centers the power currently owns, the number of supply centers the power would own if the year ended immediately, and the number of units the power owns.

Why doesn't my "player games started" statistic count currently running games?

Your statistics are updated in such a way as to preserve anonymity. Therefore, not until a game has completed will your player statistics be updated for that game. Similarly, GM's identities are known to all, so their "games started" statistic is updated as soon as the game fills up.

While not currently implemented, this is done so that the statistics for number of games and wins and the like can also be displayed publically (just as the ranking and commitment scores currently are).

Why are games played anonymously?

Only games that are for statistics need to be anonymous. Those games are anonymous for a number of reasons. The main reason is that it makes it easier to control externalities or effects outside of BOUNCED. It insures that people are playing on an even ground. The anonymity help pages have more information on this and what is meant by anonymous play (without getting into too much of a philosophical discussion on the meaning of identity).

Why aren't player's identities revealed after the game has finished?

Players are encouraged to reveal their usernames or other information after the game has completed. This allows players to learn about other's strategies and gain a sense of community. However, it is not required so that users may play completely anonymously and try new approaches without hurting their "reputation."

Why aren't the GMs' e-mail addresses shown?

Every user's e-mail address is private information and is never revealed to anyone other than the site administrator. The game master's username is shown so that players can pick games based on the GM. If you cannot get ahold of the GM using the game's press interface (ie the GM is not responding to press), then the GM is not available. It is doubtful that e-mail would solve this problem. You can always contact bounced@dipbounced.com if you have a problem with a game and the GM isn't replying to your press.

I keep getting e-mails from BOUNCED. How do I make them stop?

There are two ways you can get e-mail from BOUNCED. The first is an automatic e-mail that is sent when a particular event occurs. The interface preference page shows these events and allow you to pick which ones you would like to trigger e-mail messages. The default is for none of the events to trigger e-mails. The only exception is the "game started" events: if you are the GM or a player in a game that is starting you will get an e-mail.

Therefore, if you are receiving automatic e-mails it is because either you signed up for a game, or you asked to receive them. You can change these settings at the interface preference page.

Non-automatic e-mails can be sent to you from a game's game master. In doing so, the game master is never informed of you e-mail address (or even user name); the GM selects the recipient by their power destination only. GMs are asked only to use this sparingly and only if absolutely necessary. If you feel this ability is being abused, contact the site administrator at bounced@dipbounced.com and the matter will be dealt with.

What improvements are planned?

There are a large list of changes to be made to BOUNCED. All time-critical ones are dealt with as soon as possible (eg adjudication problems). At some point the site administrator may get around to posting a list of what else is planned. On the list are updates such as new variants, more game options, and tweaks to the user interface. The administrator reads the full court press message boards (usually silently). Multiple requests for the same features generally won't do much to change things. When there is time, more changes will be made.

How do I get a variant on the system?

Variants come in many forms. Map variants are the simplest to add, but still require a non-trivial amount of work. The administrator has heard requests for pretty much every variant at some point. Hopefully he'll have the chance to put up some in the near future. However, it would be unwise to hold one's breath.