(Ranked 304 on Scrabble (Zone) Ladder) on October 26, 2002 at 15:41:33:In Reply to: Re: They think this junky graphic board site is better? posted by yackydoodle1 on October 26, 2002 at 09:08:12:
Well said....you put down exactly what I was thinking but failed to convey in words here.
I forgot about the observing games part and it was certainly a treat just watching GIjoel and fisher play. It is fantastic learning tool to watch any of our country's high rated players (or world players for that matter) play each other and see their ability in the game. These guys make lemonade from lemons for the most part.
: : Some people are plain weird..irc.com site is the worst grpahics i ever saw and i rmeoved the download as soon as i saw how horrid it was.
: As one person said to us about our initial reaction to the isc site, "should graphics get in the way of playing a great game?" After getting used to it, it's terrific. I quickly got tired of the unctuous cowtowing to higher-ups (even known cheaters) here on the ladder, not to mention the non-reporters who get, at most, slaps on the wrist. It's just an incredible hassle, and an annoying hassle, to play on the ladder.
: The isc site, on the other hand, allows you to set your desired parameters: preferred dictionary (not just our [actual unexpurgated] tourney dictionary, but also SOWPODS, or even French or Romanian), length of game, and the ratings level of those you want to play, not to mention having both a buddies list and a noplay list, so you don't have to give a thought to obnoxious people you don't want to play (a huge plus). The only downsides at isc are that you can't shuffle your rack by clicking on a button, only drag and drop (I don't find this to be a limitation, since I like to control where the tiles are on my rack), and it would be nice if the board was bigger. These are minor limitations which are more than offset by the great features, and the fact that disco queens (of whatever sex) are non-existent, since a discoed game is adjudicated in favor of the remaining player after several minutes.
: We initially were put off by the site, but now rarely play even on basic, not to mention version 1 (want to talk about bad graphics!?). One other really great feature at isc is the ability to watch games between high-ranking players; a real learning experience. Last week all were even able to watch a 4-game match between GIJoel Sherman (Nat. Champ) and his English counterpart, Andrew Fisher, playing SOWPODS. Don't try this on the Zone.