frequently asked questions (faq)

What could be the reasons for the games failing to start?

If you have used these games before and have not made any changes to your system nor the web browser's settings recently, then try to clean the temporary files (cache) of your browser (you can do it in the settings/preferences menu), close it, run and try running games again.

If you are new to the games or have made some changes recently and after selecting a room to play, the game does not start (the window remains gray or white, often with a broken image in its top left corner), then it's likely your browser doesn't support Java applets.

In order for the browser to support Java applets, you need to install Java software, the latest version of which can be downloaded from the following address:

www.java.com

If after selecting a room to play the game window doesn't even open, then either your browser has JavaScript support turned off (you need to enable it in the browser's settings/preferences) or you have some sort of ad-blocking software that mistakenly prevents the new window from opening.

What could be the reasons for the games failing to connect to the games server?

The most common reason is (corporate) firewalls. If you have a firewall on your computer, then configure it to allow connections to x.playok.com server on port 17001. If you don't have any, then contact your network administrator and ask him or her to unblock those connections.

What port numbers are used for connections to the games server?

All games use common port 17001. If it fails, one of the alternative ports is tried (443, 23; all usually unblocked on firewalls).

Why does game time sometimes change unexpectedly after the opponent's move?

The reason behind that strange behaviour are connection lags. Unfortunately, nothing can be easily done to prevent it.

Why was my account and/or the ip address blocked and when is it going to be unblocked?

The most common reasons for blocking accounts are cheating (e.g. by inflating one's ranking, ladder manipulation etc.) and abusive behaviour (harrassing others, spamming etc.).

Blocked accounts are automatically removed after 12 months (just like inactive ones) and can be used for signing up anew. There is no way to have one's account unblocked before that period.

IP addresses are usually blocked for people who continuously cheat or behave abusively. The time of blocking an IP address varies from an hour up to three days.

How can I remove my account and/or reset all statistics?

There is no way to neither remove an account or reset statistics. If you want to, you can sign up with a new account and stop using the old one; after six months of inactivity it will be automatically deleted.

How can I change my user id and/or the password?

To change a password or an email address, enter a page of some game, log in, and click "account" located somewhere in the top right side of the page. This will open a page where you can change your account's settings.

There is no way to change a user id. However, you can sign up with a new id and stop using the old one; after six months of inactivity it will be automatically deleted.

How does the ranking system work?

Backgammon uses a FIBS rating system while all other games use a popular ELO chess rating system. Many web pages describe these systems in detail (find them with a search engine).

Why is there no high scores of all players in mahjong/balls?

There is no high scores list because it is fairly easy to cheat the score in single player games (easy for programmers but don't ask how).

How can I have some statistics corrected if something goes wrong on the server?

There is no way to do it. Absolutely no changes are made to players' statistics, games etc. by hand.

How can I change and/or cancel my private tournament?

Currently, there is no way to do that. Sorry.

When are there going to be tournaments in game X?

The reason for the lack of tournaments in some more than two player games is that there are no known easy pairing/tournament systems.

Could there be more (less) official tournaments and/or with different parameters?

Unfortunately no. Different players prefer different times and/or parameters and there is no way to satisfy all.

What should I do if I'm harassed by someone?

You can ignore selected users so that their messages will not be visible to you. To ignore a user, double-click his id on the list and select "ignore" in the window that will pop up.

Unfortunately, there is no way to report abusive users. They are only blocked semi-automatically.

When are users stopped being considered as new?

Users stop being considered as new to the site no sooner than a month from the sign up date and no sooner than after spending certain amount of time online in games (it's not public how much exactly though).

Are there going to be new games available soon?

This site is in constant development and it's very likely there will be new games in the future. Any more details about time and/or what games are unavailable.

When are players' names on the table displayed in gray?

It happens whenever a player switches his or her game window to another program. If you notice someone doing this before making each move, it's likely that he or she is cheating by playing with some sort of program.

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frequently asked questions (faq)

Running games, connections etc.

Passwords, accounts, blocked accounts etc.

Ranking, best scores, stats etc.

Tournaments

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