I would like to give Microgaming a few tips to improve their tournaments.
Here they come:
1. Disable the timer.Why?
* Because its useless.
The amount of coins is already limited, so why is there a timer?
* Because it gives players with a top-of-the-shelve PC a huge advantage over others. Some players can easily play twice the amount of spins others can. And did I mention unstable internetconnections? Severfailure on the casino side?
No big deal if you play a free tourney, but it sucks when you paid for it.
2. Enable quickspin on all tournamentgames. Why?
* Because there is a timer counting down!!
* Because I can hardly finish a Hitman tournament without falling asleep.
* Because playing a tourney should more thrilling than watching a painting dry.
3. Limit the number of continues available.
But I do realise that 3. is more up to the casinos to decide.
These tips are basically free of charge, altough a voluntairily donation to my Neteller account would ofcourse be highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Microgaming don't give a %^$£ - I have mentioned the same things many times, and MGS KNOW about these issues, but when they revamped the tournaments, the ONLY thing they did was to add "autoplay" to save on the finger clicking.
They probably like the timer because it is an extra feature, so they can boast TWO features (timer & coins), instead of just one (coins).
Players have OBVIOUSLY been drifting away from these tournaments, and this is probably down to all the problems.
Once you have played a few times on a "value" computer, you quickly realise it is NOT a fair contest, so will either get a decent PC, or just not bother PAYING for any tournaments. I have noticed a sharp fall in the number of players entering, and MGS has reacted by making the prizes WORSE, hence even FEWER players enter. The other trick is the "1000 continues". Great if you have a fast PC and time on your hands. Slow PC & a day job - forget it, you don't stand a chance.
When you are up against a timer, there is only ONE tactic, play max coins as fast as you can. This is very mechanical and boring, and to make things even WORSE, the games play 10x SLOWER than in the lobby. Paint actually dries FASTER than many MGS tournaments take to play.
The ONLY timer needed is the overall duration of the tournament, so if one ends at midnight on the 31st, this is the ONLY countdown timer needed.
Getting rid of the timer would solve ALL the major points either directly, or indirectly.
Benefit of ditching the timer.
1) It doesn't matter what PC or crappy internet connection you have, everybody will be able to play the same number of spins.
2) Visible level playing field, no-one need feel at a disadvantage because they don't have the "right kit"
There are other improvements that would make the tournaments much more exiting, because they would give freedom to use many tactics.
1) Make the games faster - less boring, and would make players WANT to carry on buying further continues.
2) Allow variable COIN values, and give a "play dollar" amount. This would give the option of playing steadily, or going for a quick knockout by hoping to catch a bonus round on high value stakes. This would be just as thrilling as it is in normal play when you catch a bonus after raising your bet.
3) After a certain point, have rebuys and continues inflate the prize pool. As the pool increases, more players would be attracted, and those already playing would be more inclined to rebuy and continue. It will be a positive feedback loop in some cases, and many tournaments could end up filled to capacity with very substantial prize pools going to the top players.
