>
> This game didn't last very long because
>apparently, kicking somebody is fairly processor-
>intensive on the server. Especially if lots of
>people try to kick somebody who's already been
>kicked (like, a second ago). After a couple of
>rounds, the screen blanked out for everybody. It
>was temporary, but scary enough to end the game.

I don't think it's that the process is intensive on the actual server (although what I said that night may have lead some people to believe that) so much as it plays havoc with the scripts that comprise RinkChat.

For instance, I was on one night when Darien was changing his title rapidly, typing out the lyrics to a song. This somehow caused random "people" to enter which were actually letters or words from Darien's title. These "people" sometimes even said things, and then they would mysteriously leave. At the time I thought Sam was messing with our heads, but it turned out it was just good old Darien messing things up again. ;-)

So I think I'd lean more towards the repeated and simultaneous (sometimes three at once!) kicks causing some internal strife in the scripts themselves, not really on the server they ran on. Although I suppose it's possible the increased bursts of action might have done something to the server, I don't find it nearly as likely as a simple script problem.

-- Dave