Really a better option would be to list that at the end of the game, if it's just so you can choose not to play with them in the future. Name and shame sure I get that but this really can effect the game much more.

@ Strider :
Some games last many months, sometimes more than a year. That is why it is useful to know immediately who has CDed in a game.

Sometimes even four years.

Seriously in a gunboat fog & anonymous anyone thinks that's right!

@retilion
I've played a few games here and yes months maybe not quite a year. No noob so to speak. Why do we need such blatant display to point out a NMR or CD during the game can't we see that it's happened and count for ourselves.

Well consider you Play France and Russia goes CD in year one. You wouldn't know about it otherwise and it is crucial Information to know that there is a huge power vacuum in the east now.

That could still be noted before. Missed turn CD was already there not gain really. This introduce more meta gaming than ever before. Outside influences are brought directly into the game. YCHTT will mute these players with out any further regarde to working late, car acident... hardware failure. The list those on.

Actually strider, it would be a block, not a mute, and only after looking at their overall record of CDs and NMRs. I don't use that as my only criteria for blocking.

I agree with @God's perspective - more often than not, it's really useful for all players to know for sure if a power has been abandoned or not. Though perhaps an option should be given to players who want 100% absolute anonimity like in some PBEM gunboats, where evil GMs wouldn't tell you who CD'd. =P

Does anyone disagree with the fact that showing nation size is in violation of Fog of War variants? Knowing who CDed mid game is debate worthy but gaining additional information regarding the other nations that can't normally be gotten is a serious flaw.

True and true YCHTT it's a block and to much information. I'm handling that much better now in truth you a have clarified my position.

Even with gunboat a power is listed in 'chat' when they are replaced by a new player, are they not?

The main issue is, as several have stated, that it lists nation size even for Fog games. If that can be corrected (preferably only for Fog maps if that's easy enough to code, given it's still productive information to include for regular games) then the idea in general seems a good one. Even anon games - it only lists people who have dropped from CD, not those who have just missed a phase, so by definition they are no longer in the game and thus have no need for anonymity.

In typical VDiploacy fashion another debate goes down a mole hill and comes up in a patch of weeds. What if we just enforced harsher penalties on NMRs and CDs? Harsher penalties would chase away the shitbag players, and encourage those on the fence to get their act together. I'm not dismissing the concerned noted above.
I am simply pointing out that stricter enforcement and punishment of irresponsible and disrespectful behavior would reduce occurrences like the one being discussed to such a rarity that no one would really need to bother with it. In healthy Diplomacy communities NMRing and CDing games is shunned not only by the administrators and GMs, but by the body of players as well. In PBEM Diplomacy communities your reputation and reliability is what gets you invited to play. We at VDip should really exercise patience in starting up games, and take the necessary time to fill out a roster of players for games full of players with a proven track record. Obviously there will occasionally be new players with no capacity to prove reliability. But if getting into games is made difficult without it, new players will see the value in earning a reliable reputation.

Someone recently surmised that there are 500+ active players here. That sounds a bit high to me, but for the sake of discussion, let's use that figure. If stricter policies chased away 50% of the active player, but left 250 responsible players who seldom to never CD, and rarely NMR, wouldn't the overall result on game quality be better? I think what we'd see is an initial exodus of those who cannot cope with disciplined enforcement, but we would also see many slackers tightening up their behavior

@RUFFHAUS

Players who dislike NMRs very much already have a few options at their disposal in game creation:

- One can set high RR requirements. (Though the point can be made that RR isn't always accurate. For example, I haven't missed a single phase for years, but my RR is still R94 because I CD'd at the start of my vdip 'career'. Other players who consistently NMR once a game or so can have the same RR as I have.)
- One can even create a game with settings such that when anyone NMRs, that person immediately goes into Civil Disorder and the phase gets extended.

So I don't really see the need.

I'd like to add, though, that I would applaud the addition of some rules-page describing RR and its effects it can have on your ability to join games, that can be easily found by new players. That may help to reduce the number of NMRs.

@ruffhuas what are examples of harsher penalties for CDs?

On a sidenote and almost entirely unrelated: the numbers of active players, running games etc. can always be found at the very bottom of the site, even if you aren't logged in.

Also +1 for Mercy, all the tools are available.

The fog map issue is bothering though, that's quite right.

Right now I see "Playing: 521"

So does that mean that 521 different accounts are in at least one active game?

>does that mean that 521 different accounts are in at least one active game?

Yes. Not sure if Paused games count though.

>Not sure if Paused games count though<

They do. =P