Due to demand we've allocated the 1pm tournament to US 8 Ball, and the 3am tournament to US 9 Ball.

Currently 10 times as many players play the new US games compared with the older pro game.

Current Breakdown:
40.1% 8 Ball UK
28.4% 8 Ball
_2.0% 8 Ball Pro
27.2% 9 Ball
_2.3% 9 Ball Pro

Its coz the Pro games are harder obviously. And less fun. Its like going from playing pool on a regular table to trying to play in on a snooker table. Just aint much fun.

i didnt like the pro games at first but ive started playing them and you know what- if you can play the arcade version well then you can play pro as well. not that difficult and you hit the ball in the same place its just down to accuracy. hopefully there will be 8ball uk pro soon?

Unlikely. I see what you mean mike, but percentage wise, less pots go in on the pro version, no matter how good you are. Everyone likes potting balls!

R.I.P 8Ball Pro

I don't know if it's just me but i used to prefer 8ball pro to any other games

nick I dont like you

Edited by forum moderator spinner, at 23:49 Fri 20/04/07 (BST)

OK putting it more rationally - what's the point in spending time getting good if you're going to remove the game where you've got to be good to win?

The pro tables are the best tables and without blowing my own trumpet I'm a good player and I can handle the pro tables like all the best players.

If we're only allowed to play one 8 ball pro and one 9 ball pro tournament a day then please make them happen at times when I can play them, not when I'm at work or in bed.

More clone tournaments have taken away the variety. Why can't you remove 8 ball UK from the schedule and have it seperate so there can be one US tournament per hour and therefore have more pro table tournaments?

You're alienating the best players by this move and most people i.e. the ones who can only play on the small tables only come here to try and pull via msn anyway!

I can understand the reasons for this change. Those percentages speak for themselves; It's obvious that most players prefer the non-Pro games.

I personally prefer the Pro versions of the US games - more challenging and generally higher standard of opponents. Yet everytime I check the Pro game lists, they are usually empty, and no more than 20 enter the tournaments, so this change seems only wise.



No need for that personal attack on nick though. He's doing these changes for the benefit of the players, and I'm sure he would add more Pro tournaments again if people actually entered them.

In the meantime I suggest that you edit that first post before you get in trouble .

Edited by forum moderator spinner, at 23:50 Fri 20/04/07 (BST)

oh shut up, I'm not here to brown nose and I'm sure nick knows how I intended that comment to be taken.

Regarding those infamous stats - well as I've said before it's hard to get a ranking game in the pro games because most people hang out in the other game and it's kind of procreative because the more people there are in those games the more people like me play the smaller table because we can see that's where to get a game without waiting too long. The fact remains that most people who prefer the pro tables probably play more small tables games because of this fact.

As for only 20 people playing the pro tournaments, well I can assure you that's not true. Every pro tournament requires at least 4 rounds to get to the final barring byes which isn't much less than normal tournaments, plus the fact that they take place at ungodly hours means generally less people are online to take part anyway.

The whole thing is one huge mistake and I'll not be subscribing now.

My point exactly. It's irrelevant why they are playing non-pro games; they are, and that makes the non-pro games much more popular (as the stats show).

I, for one hope that you are right that this is 'one huge mistake'. I want to see the pro games back to how they were before the non-pro games were released: A full list of games, and a better turnout for tournaments. The way things have been lately though, I can't see that happening anytime soon.

I'm not trying to start an argument mate, I just don't want this 'Queries' thread to become a rant .

i gotta back bringing back more pro tourneys they are the best test on here.

and me bring bk the skillfull ones

i also say bring back more 8 ball n 9 ball pro games

a quick look at the stats from players posting in this thread says it all really. I rest my case.

Ok. As we discussed before, sentimentality or "i wantee my gameee" are not logical or practical arguments for the retention of the Pro games.

If you look back to when the new tables were introduced, you will see i was a strong supported of the old tables. But facts are facts.

Lets see some suggestions to help keep the pro tables.

I suggested before about seperating the ranks. So you would have normal game ranks (inc overall) and Pro game ranks. A pro UK game could be added using the arcade snooker table, thus providing incentive for good players to try to top the normal game tables, then move on to try to top the pro tables.

At the moment, with no seperation, there is no "step up" to playing the pro games, and therefore no incentive.

Another option is to change the rank adjustment on the pro games, so you risk more, but win more...

These are just a couple of ideas, i'm sure there are many more out there.

It would seem rather daft to introduce a pro uk version if you're cutting back on the pro us.

Anyway, I still want nick to acknowledge my suggestion (which I've said countless times) about seperating off the uk 8 ball to a different schedule and have a US pool tournament every hour.

The uk has 40% of playing time, I never play it because I don't like it. With 40% it speaks for itself so why not have a uk tourny every 2 hours or so and have a US tourny every hour? That way you can mix up all the disciplines - long matches, quick matches, pro and small table.

I like 9 ball over longer distances because it rules out luck which can happen in race to 1 or 2 but seeing as they always immediately preceed 8 ball pro I end up not playing in them.

I see nicks statement in this thread as the next stage in phasing out the pro tables in funkypool. If you can devise a way spinner of making them popular again then I'm all for it.

Anyway spinner, why edit my post? Nick I said "I hate you" but I'm sure you can see that comment for what it was - i.e. me being disappointed rather than anything personal.

I despair at the way some people moderate forums on the internet. It's like all the censorship in the world brought on by people like Mary Whitehouse has morphed into a new beast. Quite scary really considering how tame it was and how it was meant.

awwww... r.i.p pro games
pro was betta the whole time

Tournament changes are planned but for now the tournament schedule is 1 per hour.

The tournament schedule simply reflects user choice which is a fair way to allocate them. Currently Pro games have slightly more than their share, they are played 4% of the time, yet occupy 8% of the available slots.

Fact is, the pro games were never very popular, the only way to play the game is through maximizing the game window which is not always available to people. Next week the total number of games played on the new table will exceed the total number of games played on the Pro table, which says a lot considering the Pro table was out almost a year before.



It's just the forum rules. It's obvious to me (and without doubt spinner) that this was you venting your disappointment but remember there's a lot of young members who don't know the difference. If you added a smiley it usually becomes apparent the way it is intended.

Edited at 14:12 Sat 21/04/07 (BST)

To clarify, yes, i know you didnt mean it maliciously, but i edited for the reason Nick stated.

Back to the games;

I appreciate what you are asking for, but moving the pro games to thier own schedule without making a proper seperation would make things worse.

At the moment, when a pro tourney comes round, 100% of people who want to play a tournament at that time have to play it.

However, with its own schedule, pitted opposite one of the new games or UK, there will be much fewer players, rather than more.

I'm on your side believe me, but you need to put a proper case. Given your obvious passion for the game, that shouldn't be too hard.

My suggestion would, correctly, mean the pro games were the ones people worked towards and the games that show you are the better player. Surely thats what you want too?