New Chess Server - Looking for Feedback

This forum is for general discussions and questions, including Collectors Corner and anything to do with Computer chess.

Moderators: Harvey Williamson, Steve B, Watchman

Forum rules
This textbox is used to restore diagrams posted with the fen tag before the upgrade.
ChessPro50
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2014 4:19 pm

New Chess Server - Looking for Feedback

Post by ChessPro50 »

I would like to announce a new Chess Server -- http://www.funnode.com/games/chess

The server, although still in beta, has been online for several months now. We would like to invite anyone and everyone to play a game or two on the server and let us know what you think about the site -- We appreciate all comments/criticism.

Here are a few things Chess on FunNode has to offer:
  • Ladder Tournament!
  • Totally free (no premium / pay-to-play garbage)
  • Easy signup (although you don't need an account to play!)
  • Completely HTML5 / CSS3 / Javascript
    • i.e., nothing to install and works on most smartphones and tablets
    • i.e., "instant play" (no refreshing or opening new tabs/windows)
  • Play Humans or Bots (p4wn and Stockfish)
  • "Undo Move" and "Offer Draw" options available
  • Personalized Player Pages to keep track of Ratings and Ranks
  • Private Games (useful for teaching)
  • All games are Saved - Reviewable and Downloadable in PGN format
  • Chatting allowed Globally, In-Game, while Spectating, and while Reviewing
    • offline and private chatting also available
Please feel free to leave comments/criticism either here, in the chat windows, or the forums (http://www.funnode.com/forums). Thank You!
User avatar
Cyberchess
Full Member
Posts: 658
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:10 pm

Post by Cyberchess »

:idea: Sounds good to me! I will check it out when I get to my PC.

Online G-10 Regards,
John
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: New Chess Server - Looking for Feedback

Post by Hasimir »

ChessPro50 wrote:I would like to announce a new Chess Server -- http://www.funnode.com/games/chess

The server, although still in beta, has been online for several months now. We would like to invite anyone and everyone to play a game or two on the server and let us know what you think about the site -- We appreciate all comments/criticism.

Here are a few things Chess on FunNode has to offer:
  • Ladder Tournament!
  • Totally free (no premium / pay-to-play garbage)
  • Easy signup (although you don't need an account to play!)
  • Completely HTML5 / CSS3 / Javascript
    • i.e., nothing to install and works on most smartphones and tablets
    • i.e., "instant play" (no refreshing or opening new tabs/windows)
  • Play Humans or Bots (p4wn and Stockfish)
  • "Undo Move" and "Offer Draw" options available
  • Personalized Player Pages to keep track of Ratings and Ranks
Hmm, that name looks familiar. So, aside from games other than chess and the use of HTTPS across the site, what does your site have that lichess.org doesn't?
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
ChessPro50
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2014 4:19 pm

Post by ChessPro50 »

Cyberchess: do let us know what you think - we are always looking to improve the site.

Hasimir: why are we ignoring HTTPS and other games? The fact that there are 7 other board/card games you can play is a pretty big difference. Anyways, there's also global/private/offline chatting, ladder tournaments, private matches, challenging players, 24-hours per move clocks, ...
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post by Hasimir »

ChessPro50 wrote:Cyberchess: do let us know what you think - we are always looking to improve the site.

Hasimir: why are we ignoring HTTPS and other games? The fact that there are 7 other board/card games you can play is a pretty big difference. Anyways, there's also global/private/offline chatting, ladder tournaments, private matches, challenging players, 24-hours per move clocks, ...
I'm not ignoring those things, I just wanted to know if there was anything major which it offered which lichess didn't (with regards to chess, the other games interest me less, though Go might if I was any good at it). The answer, though, is there are some significant differences, particularly the private matches and 24hr/move clocks.

Now, having jogged my memory on the x13420x username ... I assume your site doesn't allow that nasty 0+20 bullet game rort you uncovered on lichess last week? ;)
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post by Hasimir »

Alright, I've signed up ... anyway, two points of feedback regarding the registration process:

1) You should mention that the passwords are limited to alphanumeric characters rather than leaving it to the error message to gradually narrow down the acceptable characters.

2) You should clarify the EULA regarding which information or materials it affects. For example, it currently states that all material belongs to you. You should clarify whether or not that applies to game records (e.g. PGN) and chat/message data. Without an explicit statement from content creators (users), there's nothing in those terms which transfers copyright of such data to you from all users (so I'm inclined to operate under the assumption that I can do what I like with my own game records and I still own my words).

Also, you should probably include a link to the EULA so it can be reviewed following or prior to the registration process.
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
User avatar
Cyberchess
Full Member
Posts: 658
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:10 pm

Post by Cyberchess »

After repeated attempts to register, I've yet to receive the required confirmation email. :(

I did successfully log onto the US server as a guest. Neither of the other 2 players accepted my offer of a game, however.

Will Keep On Trying Regards,
John
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post by Hasimir »

Cyberchess wrote:After repeated attempts to register, I've yet to receive the required confirmation email. :(

I did successfully log onto the US server as a guest. Neither of the other 2 players accepted my offer of a game, however.

Will Keep On Trying Regards,
John
Check the spam or filter folder. I run my own mail server, so once it gets past the greylisting it's fine, but some servers might not like the fact that the PTR record for mail.funnode.com still points to the linode hostname. If your host uses SpamAssassin, it might depend on the thresholds they use, the activation email does trigger a few things (including sending HTML only instead of multi-part MIME with both HTML and text, as regular MUAs sending HTML do). Which is a round about way of saying that funnode have a lot more server configuration ahead of them, as well as a refresher course on SMTP and DNS.
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
User avatar
Cyberchess
Full Member
Posts: 658
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:10 pm

Post by Cyberchess »

Thanks for the info, Hasimir.
Nothing from funnode has gone to my spam folder or my inbox. Logging in as a guest has never been a problem, so I will stop by from time to time and see how things are progressing.

Fun Node Regards,
John
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post by Hasimir »

Cyberchess wrote:Thanks for the info, Hasimir.
Nothing from funnode has gone to my spam folder or my inbox. Logging in as a guest has never been a problem, so I will stop by from time to time and see how things are progressing.
Well, I suppose it does say it's beta, we can't expect it to be entirely bug free. Perhaps in time they'll work the kinks out and maybe even build a user base. I suspect it might take a while, though. Every time I've connected you could count the number of other users on one hand, including guests.

So while it might have certain features which lichess.org doesn't have, lichess does have one very important quality: opponents.

As for the future, well, I have yet to see any project go anywhere near what I'd like to see, but there might be one or two out there which could be prodded in the right direction. That, however, is a topic for another time (things are a little hectic here at the moment).
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
User avatar
Cyberchess
Full Member
Posts: 658
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:10 pm

Post by Cyberchess »

Hasimir wrote:
Cyberchess wrote:Thanks for the info, Hasimir.
Nothing from funnode has gone to my spam folder or my inbox. Logging in as a guest has never been a problem, so I will stop by from time to time and see how things are progressing.
Well, I suppose it does say it's beta, we can't expect it to be entirely bug free. Perhaps in time they'll work the kinks out and maybe even build a user base. I suspect it might take a while, though. Every time I've connected you could count the number of other users on one hand, including guests.

So while it might have certain features which lichess.org doesn't have, lichess does have one very important quality: opponents.

As for the future, well, I have yet to see any project go anywhere near what I'd like to see, but there might be one or two out there which could be prodded in the right direction. That, however, is a topic for another time (things are a little hectic here at the moment).
This is understandably true. Being that I’ve been playing online chess since the pre-public internet days, I thought I’d check out funnode and contribute some insight. I’ve seen sites -- such as the long defunct U.S.C.F. Live -- go viral, while other completely free sites have come and gone without garnering much traffic. I’ve also been a longstanding member of the premium I.C.C., though canceled my membership when I received a commensurate membership on US Chess Live.

If I had to sum up the defining characteristics of a successful chess or shogi site, I think it pretty much boils down to the site’s graphics and customizability. Chess and shogi players travel in their own respective online news circles -– such as the H.I.A.R.C.S. forum -– and will promote/advertise a popular site for the owner. The early and highly successful premium I.C.C. has long been popular with serious chess players as they are frequented by the greatest number of GMs, IMs, and boast the strongest membership base on the internet. It wasn’t all that long ago when they were a totally free site with only a handful of regular players.

Online Gaming Regards,
John
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post by Hasimir »

Cyberchess wrote:This is understandably true. Being that I’ve been playing online chess since the pre-public internet days, I thought I’d check out funnode and contribute some insight. I’ve seen sites -- such as the long defunct U.S.C.F. Live -- go viral, while other completely free sites have come and gone without garnering much traffic. I’ve also been a longstanding member of the premium I.C.C., though canceled my membership when I received a commensurate membership on US Chess Live.

If I had to sum up the defining characteristics of a successful chess or shogi site, I think it pretty much boils down to the site’s graphics and customizability. Chess and shogi players travel in their own respective online news circles -– such as the H.I.A.R.C.S. forum -– and will promote/advertise a popular site for the owner. The early and highly successful premium I.C.C. has long been popular with serious chess players as they are frequented by the greatest number of GMs, IMs, and boast the strongest membership base on the internet. It wasn’t all that long ago when they were a totally free site with only a handful of regular players.
Yeah, I played on a few sites in the late '90s and early part of the century. I can't remember if that included ICC, but it definitely included FICS (I still have records of some of those games in my old Rebel files). I spent more time on correspondence matches back then and there's at least a couple of my losses in the IECG archives, though I played through both IECG and IECC. I also had a brief(-ish) stint with traditional correspondence chess through CCLA (which, much to my surprise, has actually survived).

I tended not to spend much time on FICS and sites like it (i.e. ICC) because it was completely impersonal and everyone seemed to want to play blitz or lightning games, which I can't stand.
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
ChessPro50
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2014 4:19 pm

Post by ChessPro50 »

Hasimir: Thanks for the feedback..
  • There are no 0+20 bullet games - 1-min is the minimum for the initial timers
  • Removed the password requirement for alphanumeric characters - you can have any combination of characters now
  • We haven't spent much time writing up the EULA - I guess it does need some revisions. In the meantime, copied the EULA to https://www.funnode.com/about for easier access
Cyberchess: Sorry to hear you're having trouble registering. We've updated our SPF records to include all servers for emailing. Could you please try again? https://www.funnode.com/registered. If not, what is the username you registered with? We can activate the account manually.

Thanks for the feedback guys - please do feel free to suggest improvements for the site - we're always looking to improve.
User avatar
Hasimir
Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:24 pm
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post by Hasimir »

ChessPro50 wrote:Hasimir: Thanks for the feedback..
  • There are no 0+20 bullet games - 1-min is the minimum for the initial timers
  • Removed the password requirement for alphanumeric characters - you can have any combination of characters now
  • We haven't spent much time writing up the EULA - I guess it does need some revisions. In the meantime, copied the EULA to https://www.funnode.com/about for easier access
Cyberchess: Sorry to hear you're having trouble registering. We've updated our SPF records to include all servers for emailing. Could you please try again? https://www.funnode.com/registered. If not, what is the username you registered with? We can activate the account manually.

Thanks for the feedback guys - please do feel free to suggest improvements for the site - we're always looking to improve.
Cool. I'll try to remember to stop in from time to time and see what's up. For now I have an impending tournament match (90+30) on lichess.org tomorrow evening to gear up for. That ought to be interesting.
Website: Organised Adversary - ICCF: 30667
OpenPGP/GPG Key: 0x321E4E2373590E5D - BTC address: 18Ua6y7D65QatEDZ36dtWNWpG9Ttrd4eqy
ChessPro50
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2014 4:19 pm

Post by ChessPro50 »

Hasimir: hope your tournament match went well. Have you gotten a chance to visit recently? We've made some changes over the past few weeks: www.funnode.com/news#changelog
Post Reply