Monday, November 22, 2021

Competitive Cribbage - Winter 2022 Season

Welcome to the Winter 2022 Season of Competitive Matchmaking for Cribbage Pro! Yes, it is still 2021 when we start this season, but I think we have had enough of 2021. The Autumn 2021 season has ended, and in a way that I honestly did not expect. So many new faces on the Top 50 leaderboard this last season, several of which came in at the "last minute" to make their way into the top rankings, and of course a new 1st place player as well! Please continue to tell your friends about competitive cribbage, and of course the chance to win the prizes! Thank you to all who were once again able to participate in this great game of cribbage!

As many will attest, it takes some significant commitment to achieve this, and so I want to very sincerely recognize that hard work here. I'm humbled by the individual effort put in by so many. That said, I also hear that it would be nice to lower that level of work a bit to allow more people a chance to participate. This season we are making some smaller changes, but won't be making the bigger changes until next season when I do plan to include more of your suggestions. Before I get into the more minor changes this season later in this post, let me take a moment to recognize the top players last season.

In 1st place, we have "ThreeG". Great job on achieving this rank and beating out some great competition! 2nd place is "iPeg", and I am sure you are all deeply saddened to see them fall from 1st place, after sitting there multiple seasons. In 3rd we have "Dhrun", which again I know took a lot of work to get there! There were several big improvements again this season, but we really saw a lot of new players in the Top 50, so congratulations to you all as well.

As with past seasons, everyone who finished the season in the Top 50 ("Recent" list), have been awarded both a special in-game "board peg" as well as Cribbage Pro Gold that can be used in the Cribbage Pro Contests system and then redeemed for cash (awards must be used at least once in a Contest to be cashed out to USDC, see the full terms and conditions for details). The top finisher is awarded the "crown" board peg, and all others in the Top 50 are awarded a "star" board peg. These pegs are shown to everyone when playing in online multiplayer games, and they are permanent, so if you see your opponent has one of them you can know that they have earned it by finishing in the Top 50 in competitive play. The Cribbage Pro Gold awards are as follows (not cumulative):

  • 4 Gold for Top 50
  • 7 Gold for Top 25
  • 10 Gold for Top 10
  • 20 Gold for 3rd Place
  • 30 Gold for 2nd Place
  • 50 Gold for 1st Place
Remember to complete your 10 matches per weekSee the FAQ for details. Play early, and play often!

Here was the final Top 50 for Autumn 2021:


1ThreeG264MrHand
2iPeg27glaicer29
3Dhrun28jkruger
4card5529ernie313
5flashmatt30gstorm77
6kcguy31Paxter
7Saskie32RatKing
8lbolt5833VGKnights
9WhyADuck34dkatz1877
10XLNC2135Linkup
11UberPooch360wl
12Domerzag37Br1Guy
13nob4one38cribberoo
14jwick6039jwr13
15hillchem40dph
16xdb113541Yompopo
17rattle1542DdsG
18nvsru91143shudbgolf
19chiyo144stephzzz
20beth022345gmax
21Cmoney42146airmark7
22jjonell47Trucha1
23mountains48Rhuby
24better6949Birddoggy
25Swodis50lovJesus


Important Changes This Season

Now to briefly go over some important changes this new season. First, we have changed the rule about how late you can come into the season and start playing. You now must have completed your placement matches 3 weeks prior to the end of the season. This should give enough time to let the ranking settle out the top players without the potential for a few lucky matches to drive rankings sideways at the end of a season.

Second, multiple pieces of the matchmaking system have changed. The biggest change is that we now will enforce a maximum CR difference between players once you get to the Diamond level. That means you shouldn't see someone who is 1000 CR lower/higher than you being matched at that point (and it is fairly unlikely at the lower levels too). The second change is a bit more complex to describe, but put simply it tweaks how the system determines if it thinks the matchup will produce a "good game" and let it through as a positive potential match. I think both of these changes will allow some more movement in the leaderboard in a good way, while also reducing that "risk" of waiting too long and being matched against someone too much lower than you. One of the real life "daily" impacts is that you may wait a little longer for a match, but also that you should not exit out of the matchmaking while waiting like before if you were trying to avoid that lower CR match. It will be fun to see how this all plays out, and note that we may make some tweaks throughout the season if it looks like it any of this isn't achieving the desired outcomes.

One last minor change is a tweak to how wait times are calculated. It is definitely far from perfect, but just remember it is based on what players of your similar level are seeing as wait times on average recently. As such, it will lose accuracy during slower times when fewer players are playing. I am honestly debating if this feature is very helpful, and so please let me know your feedback if you would rather that space on the screen be used for something else or just gone.

Finally, know that we are looking into some potentially bigger changes for the next season. If you have played a few seasons here and have some thoughts on what you would like to see done, please email us at support@FullerSystems.com with your suggestions. Similarly, if you have never played and something is holding you back, let us know. It is primarily what you all suggest that drives what I work on next, so let your voice be heard.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Older iOS or Android Device Not Connecting to Multiplayer?

Is your older iOS or Android device no longer able to connect to play online multiplayer games, but instead you get a general error about a potential account problem or other connection problem? If you have tried resetting your password and making sure your internet connection is working correctly, but still have problems, you may be experiencing a problem with not having recent security updates (or probably any updates at all recently) on your older device. If you are using an older iOS version older than iOS 10 or Android less than version 7.1.1 (with some exceptions), that older device does not have the latest security updates required to connect securely to the game servers. Without going into a lot of technical details as to why/how this has happened, know that there is this concept of a "root certificate" that your device is missing, but needs to be installed and trusted in order to be able to continue to connect to the game (and many other websites/apps in the future as well most likely). That root certificate is the one used by our website to secure it over HTTPS/SSL (again, skipping over most of the technical parts), and is provided by a company called "LetsEncrypt" (they provide our SSL Certificate). The solution is to add this root certificate to your older device manually. You need to use your device that is having problems to follow these high level steps:

  1. On your device having the problem, go to https://letsencrypt.org/certificates/
  2. Scroll down to the section below the image titled "Root Certificates", and under the "Active" listing the first item is "ISRG Root X1".
  3. Under "ISRG Root X1", to the right of that is the "Self Signed" item linked as "der".  Select and download that "der" certificate file.
  4. Open that file on your device and follow any prompts to install it as a root certificate. How you do this exactly will depend on your device. For example, here is how to install a certificate on an Android Pixel device. Other Android devices will require you to go to the Settings app and under a Security section to install the certificate, while most older iOS devices will guide you directly after trying to open the file.

Once installed, you may have to restart your device and then try again to use the game. If simply opening the certificate file you downloaded does not get you started on installing the root certificate, you may have to do a Google search for specific instructions for how to install it on your specific device. It is usually just a few short steps.

Finally, if you try this and still have problems, then this may not be what is causing your issue and you should email us at support@FullerSystems.com for further assistance.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Cribbage Pro Now Available on Windows & Mac!

After many requests, and a fair amount of work, Cribbage Pro is now available on both Windows PC and Mac!

Download Cribbage Pro for Windows If you have a Windows computer, download Cribbage Pro from the Windows Store now!
 
Download Cribbage Pro on the Mac App Store If you have a Mac, get Cribbage Pro on the Mac App Store!

You will find there are some fairly minor visual tweaks in this version of the game as compared to the current mobile version, but every features is there and ready for you to enjoy. There are a few new minor features, like the ability to log out and log back in easily and some new animations for cards when playing. We do hope to add even more in the future as we move to this new system that will eventually be used for all versions of the game, including on mobile devices.

If you use a Windows or Mac computer, please consider supporting the game by installing it and writing a review in the corresponding app store for it. As always, if you find anything that doesn't work as you expect or otherwise have any comments or suggestions, please email us at support@FullerSystems.com

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Competitive Cribbage - Autumn 2021 Season

Welcome to the Autumn 2021 Season of Competitive Matchmaking for Cribbage Pro! Competitive Cribbage Summer 2021 (Season 5) has ended. It is always great to see players on the Top 50 to end the season that were not in last season. Somehow you all manage to play more and more matches each season, setting a new record for players and matches this last season yet again, so the competition is definitely fierce!

Don't forget to tell your cribbage friends about competitive cribbage, and of course the chance to win the prizes! You have my permission (ok, a request) to brag to your friends about your placement and challenge them to see if they can do any better. In any case, thank you to all who were able to participate in this great game of cribbage.

In 1st place, we have (yes, again) "iPeg". 2nd place is "BigD4Life" (up from 23rd last season) and in 3rd we have "dkatz1877" (up from 9th last season). A close call in 4th is "236Postie", so a special shout out for that run at the top. This season's other honorable mentions go to 5th place player "ernie313" who came up from 30th last season, "Br1Guy" who was 21st last season and now 8th, and "DertyFerd" in 10th rising from 44th. I believe those improvements certainly represent some real hard work to get there. There were a lot of other big improvements again this season, including several new to the Top 50, so congratulations to you all as well.

I do have some potential inside information that may indicate iPeg could be taking a breather this new season. If you were sitting out and waiting for your chance to make a run at it, this may be your chance, or I suppose iPeg reads this and decides to not sit out! Should be a fun and exciting season either way. With that said, iPeg's accumulated Gold so far should make for a fun opponent in the Cribbage Contests system if you are looking for a way to make some extra cash. Maybe send iPeg a friend invite/challenge to put those winnings to good use! (sorry iPeg, you are about to get spammed with friend requests - the price of fame and fortune).

As with past seasons, everyone who finished the season in the Top 50 ("Recent" list), have been awarded both a special in-game "board peg" as well as Cribbage Pro Gold that can be used in the Cribbage Pro Contests system and then redeemed for cash (awards must be used at least once in a Contest to be cashed out to USDC, see the full terms and conditions for details). The top finisher is awarded the "crown" board peg, and all others in the Top 50 are awarded a "star" board peg. These pegs are shown to everyone when playing in online multiplayer games, and they are permanent, so if you see your opponent has one of them you can know that they have earned it by finishing in the Top 50 in competitive play. The Cribbage Pro Gold awards are as follows (not cumulative):

  • 4 Gold for Top 50
  • 7 Gold for Top 25
  • 10 Gold for Top 10
  • 20 Gold for 3rd Place
  • 30 Gold for 2nd Place
  • 50 Gold for 1st Place
Remember to complete your 10 matches per week. See the FAQ for details. Play early, and play often!

Here was the final Top 50 for Summer 2021 / Season 5:


1iPeg26cribfan44
2BigD4Life27Duane1952
3dkatz187728koala29
4236Postie29RedRickM
5ernie31330mbhenjum
6Gssj2131james500
7Shee723532c3polerud
8Br1Guy33MondoMan
9VGKnights34SH00TER
10DertyFerd35biyeme
11fisher1736Cmoney421
12kb9212937roberttt
13lbolt5838SASK03
14pegmstr7739Malbogia
15rattle1540nob4one
16cyrusg41auck
174KA42younggun9
18Numan143catslover
19dixietix44Freddie69
20dph45Yompopo
21jwr1346gtgplayer
22joekayak47Kev8888
23hunterIT48Tutti
24Trucha1492Fnbad
25dcpastore50scotiagir

Monday, May 24, 2021

Season 5 of Competitive Cribbage

Welcome to the Summer 2021 Season of Competitive Matchmaking for Cribbage Pro! Competitive Cribbage Spring 2021 has ended, and there was a lot of movement in the Top 50 this season. It looks like we had a lot of people using new strategies and everyone playing more often, with the most matches played in any season so far! At the same time, this season we have a lot of new faces in the Top 50 compared to last season. Don't forget to tell your cribbage friends about our competitive cribbage, and of course the chance to win the prizes, while seeing who the top players are!

As always, a sincere thank you to everyone who participated. You are the ones that make this so much fun to both play and spectate. A particular congratulations to the top finishers! In 1st place, we have "iPeg" (up from 6th last season). 2nd place is "cyrusg" (up from 100th last season, and pulled ahead at the end) and in 3rd we have "KenC456" (down from 2nd last season). Also, a few quick honorable mentions. First to our 4th place player "enaud58" who was also not in the Top 50 last season (up from 190th), then "VGKnights" who came up 6 places from last season to land in 5th, "lbolt58" who finished 6th and improved by 3, "flashmatt" finishing 7th while at 68th last season, and "Yompopo" improving 12 positions to finish 8th (just edging out "dkatz1877"). Many others had some significant improvements, so I could go on for a while (ok, one more, "Looie3nba" improving 15 positions to finish 13th), but see the full list below for the final Top 50 standings for last season.

As with past seasons, everyone who finished the season in the Top 50 ("Recent" list), have been awarded both a special in-game "board peg" as well as Cribbage Pro Gold that can be used in the Cribbage Pro Contests system and then redeemed for cash (awards must be used at least once in a Contest to be cashed out to USDC, see the full terms and conditions for details). The top finisher is awarded the "crown" board peg, and all others in the Top 50 are awarded a "star" board peg. These pegs are shown to everyone when playing in online multiplayer games, and they are permanent, so if you see your opponent has one of them you can know that they have earned it by finishing in the Top 50 in competitive play. We have increased the Cribbage Pro Gold awards for the lower ranks this time around, and so the new values are as follows (not cumulative):

  • 4 Gold for Top 50 (double last season!)
  • 7 Gold for Top 25 (+3 from last season)
  • 10 Gold for Top 10
  • 20 Gold for 3rd Place
  • 30 Gold for 2nd Place
  • 50 Gold for 1st Place
Remember to complete your 10 matches per week. See the FAQ for details. Play early, and play often!

Here was the final Top 50 for Spring/Season 4:


1iPeg26hunterIT
2cyrusg2731four14
3KenC45628gsosin
4enaud5829RedRickM
5VGKnights30ernie313
6lbolt5831tassie08
7flashmatt32dcpastore
8Yompopo33cribberoo
9dkatz187734nob4one
10KJ201835auck
11RatKing36SharksFin
12UberPooch37Moondog44
13Looie3nba38cribfan44
142fast4you39WhyADuck
15catslover40oddsmaker
16Dpac41mgottit
17duganbr42BrutusSt
18Domerzag43herman605
19pscohen44DertyFerd
20Aureate45Trucha1
21Br1Guy46jim1551
22silentmax47wightness
23BigD4Life48BahaShark
24Roget49biyeme
25CT39850Muldeezee

As a reference, the levels in Competitive Matchmaking are as follows:

Bronze - 1 - 1499 CR
Silver - 1500 - 1999 CR
Gold - 2000 - 2499 CR
Platinum - 2500 - 2999 CR
Diamond - 3000 - 3499 CR
Master - 3500 - 3999 CR
Grand-master - 4000+ CR

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Season 4 of Competitive Cribbage

Welcome to the Spring 2021 Season of Competitive Matchmaking for Cribbage Pro! Although spring here in the northern hemisphere doesn't officially start for a few more weeks, I think many have had enough of winter this year. Competitive Season 3 has ended, and the involvement of everyone once again exceeded our expectations. I keep saying this, but it is really a lot of fun to watch everyone compete for the top placements and I hope you all feel the same way. Spread the word to your friends about this competitive cribbage format, and get them to join in the fun to see who is really the top player! Once again, this season grew and there were more matches played this season than before, and even more players who participated. We also had the most Grand-Master finishers in any season so far, so maybe we will have to add a new tier in the future.

A big thank you to everyone who participated, and a special congratulations to the top finishers! In 1st place, we have "ThreeG" (up from 16th in last season). 2nd place is "KenC456" (new this season) and in 3rd we have "TC2" which is someone who is becoming a regular top 10 finisher! As our regular reminder to keep improving and fight your way to the top, we recommend reading through the cribbage strategy tips and the many related blog posts to sharpen up, and if you're serious about improving there are tons of great strategy books out there that you should really consider.

As with past seasons, everyone who finished the season in the Top 50 ("Recent" list), have been awarded both a special in-game "board peg" as well as Cribbage Pro Gold that can be used in the Cribbage Pro Contests system and then redeemed for cash (awards must be used at least once in a Contest to be cashed out to USDC, see the full terms and conditions for details). The top finisher is awarded the "crown" board peg, and all others in the Top 50 are awarded a "star" board peg. These pegs are shown to everyone when playing in online multiplayer games, and they are permanent, so if you see your opponent has one of them you can know that they have earned it by finishing in the Top 50 in competitive play. The Cribbage Pro Gold awards are as follows (not cumulative):

  • 2 Gold for Top 50
  • 4 Gold for Top 25
  • 10 Gold for Top 10
  • 20 Gold for 3rd Place
  • 30 Gold for 2nd Place
  • 50 Gold for 1st Place
Remember to complete your 10 matches per week. See the FAQ for details. Play early, and play often!

Here was the final Top 50 for Season 3:


1ThreeG26yvanobc12
2KenC45627Doksboy
3TC228Looie3nba
4Gssj2129konadive
5fisher1730nob4one
6iPeg31Mharold
74KA322fast4you
8BigD4Life33jimmy15
9lbolt5834MTBiggs
10rattle1535MyLuckSux
11VGKnights36180558
12cribfan4437Domerzag
13jmath71438Br1Guy
14CT39839cbx1000z
15calgary994047don
16jjonell41better69
17Task42Dpac
18dcpastore43jwr13
19canucount44jmbird989
20Yompopo45Aureate
21gsosin46Duane1952
22WhyADuck47Birddoggy
23rocks1948sums11
24LePone49Cribbfest
25scout350charron

As a reference, the levels in Competitive Matchmaking are as follows:

Bronze - 1 - 1499 CR
Silver - 1500 - 1999 CR
Gold - 2000 - 2499 CR
Platinum - 2500 - 2999 CR
Diamond - 3000 - 3499 CR
Master - 3500 - 3999 CR
Grand-master - 4000+ CR