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If you play on Yahoo, and have logged on recently, you're almost certainly aware that they're going to totally re-do all their classic games, 'updating' them to give a 'better' experience. Me, I figure their idea is, make it 'busier'...think Pogo or some of the other online sites. More distracting graphics and screen junk. Ugh. But we'll have to see.
BUT...the key point is, they said all the existing parlor game rooms are being shut down as of 31 March...and there's no relaunch date announcement that I can find.
Bleah....so depressing....cuz even with its warts, it's still vastly superior to every other site out there...
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I hope it works better and doesn't end up like pogo. Pogo has way too much going on.
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Change need not be feared... but you may want to cross your fingers anyhow.
It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life. -- Mickey Mantle
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04-01-2014, 03:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-01-2014, 03:14 PM by ToreadorElder.)
It's not that I fear change. The wording that scares me is when they say "give you a better Web experience." That almost inevitably seems to translate to graphics and motion and pictures, and tons of stuff unrelated to the information I'm looking for, or the activity I want to perform. There's maybe one visual enhancement I've seen, that has been generally useful...when I play poker online, I like 4-color decks, instead of 2-color decks. (IIRC, spades are blue, clubs are black, hearts are red, and diamonds are green.) Making it easier to isolate suits at a glance is useful in any game where the suit of a card is relevant...if nothing else, think reading meld.
To be sure: they should be able to improve security, so we don't have all the issues with the damn booters, but that wasn't a games problem, it was a Yahoo Messenger problem.
But, sad to say, checking over today...they are, indeed gone. Dead, casket sealed, covered with cement, and dumped into the Marianas Trench. And if you look at the games they've got up and running, while there are classical games like backgammon, most are graphical puzzles and the like. Largely braindead...which is fine at times. But if that's their focus, then who knows how long it'll be before they get even the big card games (bridge, spades, hearts) up and running, much less the 2nd tier games like pinochle. (2nd tier by popularity.)
EDIT
GAH!!! Here's a link to at least one of their chess games.
https://games.yahoo.com/game/ultimate-chess-flash.html
<whimper>
Maybe this is good for the casual player...but if you're at all serious about the games you play in general, this kind of thing is just AWFUL.
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Chess was pretty bad.
I played at PlayOK.com last night. Nice simple interface, could be better, but playable.
There are not as many players as Yahoo, BUT I find a really good boor of an opponent today.
As Pogo is pay for play, give this place a try. If we get 4 of us to play, we don't care about the rest of the tables.
Rick
Rick Hall
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If Yahoo! has pulled Pinochle off the shelves, couldn't we assume that the updated version is not long off? I mean, why irritate your visitors by prematurely withdrawing a game only to leave users empty handed.
Is Yahoo! receiving any advice on improving the experience? Or is all the design complete. I am sure they would get quite a lot of feedback if they asked for it.
Does anyone have any hyperlinks to urls that display the current status of the upgrade or Yahoo!'s intentions / timelines?
It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life. -- Mickey Mantle
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They pulled dozens of game off the system.
=I= would have announced they were to be updated and replaced them all at once.
That is, if it were that easy. There were probably many infrastructure issues.
I think it will be a long while before they all are back.
Rick Hall
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I got this off their website:
For over 15 years, Yahoo has offered a set of classic multiplayer board and parlor games for you to enjoy. Yahoo Games deeply appreciates the passion and dedication you've shown in that time. Now, we'd like to invite you to play the next generation of Yahoo Parlor Games! •Cross-platform: The games will be available on tablets, smartphones, and the web. You'll be able to take your games with you wherever you go
•Better Gameplay: You can choose quick play to match up with a random stranger, you can invite your friends to a game, or you can join a tournament
•In-app Purchases: You can purchase unlockables or power-ups with virtual currency, and some items for real money, like high-stakes pool tables and customizable card decks
•Additional Features: •Sharp new look and design
•Gain experience points and unlock new tables and levels
•Track your progress through goals and achievements within each game
•Multi-table action in Poker
As we modernize and improve Yahoo Games, we recognize that the current Parlor Games do not provide the quality that our users deserve. As of March 31, 2014, we will close down the existing Parlor Games while we transition to a newer, better technology platform that will provide a better, more consistent experience.
We will be posting more news and announcements over the next few weeks, so please like us on Facebook to keep up with the changes as they happen. Thank you for being a Yahoo Gamer. We hope you're as excited as we are to take part in the future of Yahoo Games.
- Yahoo Games Team
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04-03-2014, 05:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2014, 06:42 PM by ToreadorElder.)
And that message, I believe dates back to the early part of March.
mick, they pulled ALL the classic games that were Java-based and 'boring, 2D graphics.' The infrastructure is probably relatively common, but they have to re-implement the rules...like all the bidding rules for bridge...for each game, separately. I'd be surprised if all the games are back up, and bug-free, by the end of the calendar year.
I was just looking at PlayOK...some things looked decent, but there were some odd twists.
After melds, they show the meld and trick points taken by each player...but in 2 rows, with S and W on one row, then E and N on the other. Rather have them on the same row, or in the same column. Maybe that's because I was watching as a kibitzer, tho.
I didn't watch the bidding overly closely...but on one hand, the bid appeared to be won at 66. Uh...so bids over 60 are still by 1? Can't recall ever seeing that anywhere else, and that *could* have a significant impact on designing a bidding system...specialized bids like 63 to show 30 meld and aces, for example.
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Side point on PlayOK, if you've tried playing there...
Looking around, I couldn't find a link to the rules they're using...meld tables, bidding rules, scoring rules (20 meld to get on the board, 20 play points to save meld, or something different?) and the like. This is a pretty big omission, I'd say, if it's not there. Anyone find a button or link on the site? A web search just throws you to the pinochle page, and I can't see anything from there.
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