Displaying whether players are ready for the next turn?

Post by **korexus** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:03 am

So I'm playing my first game in who-knows-how-long and I'm finally getting a chance to see bits of the site from a user's point of view. Here's a little thing which would make life nicer for me, I'd be interested to hear what people think:

I've clicked that I'm ready for the turn to run early in GM Lardy's game, but I have no idea if it will as I don't know how anyone else voted. How about if another column was added to the players table indicating if they were ready for the turn or not?

This would not be the same as indicating whether a player had sent orders as it is quite possible that a player has sent orders but wants to wait till the deadline, but it would give players a better feling of when the next turn would come out.

What do people think?

Chris.

Post by **Lardmaster** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:58 am

It would help the GM too, I say go for it.

Calidus · Post by **Calidus** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:35 pm

Oh, just greaet! Now I will be bombarded with emails from over-zealous generals waiting to crush the life out of my little armies!!

BRING IT ON!!!

(Sounds like a great idea to me!)

Post by **korexus** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:04 pm

I've added the option to the players' page. Green for players who are ready, yellow for players who are not.

Feedback on the layout would be nice. - Is the word "Ready" really enough at the top of the table? Do the colours make sense? Does the column need to be spaced a little further from the RIPed by section?

I'm toying with the idea of yellow for not ready until the day before when its red for not ready, or even fading from yellow to red over time, but that's all gimmiky stuff, more because I want to see if I can do it than because it would significantly add to the site...

Once we have the players' vesion sorted, I'll also add this to the GM's page. - No point me having to update two lots of code while we finalise stuff!

Chris.

Post by **Lardmaster** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:46 am

For me it needs moving slightly to thr right of ripped by. And I would just have green and red. Not fussed for the yellow at all, don't see too much point in adding a traffic light system.

Post by **trewqh** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:52 am

Great idea!

Looks ok the way it is now, but how about switching the Ripped by and ready columns? We would get rid of the gap that way.

Vortan · Post by **Vortan** » Tue May 01, 2007 11:41 am

Seems like a dangnabbit good idea to me. It will show the growing army of eager newbees just which of you 'veterans' (cough...) are holding up early processing.

Faster turns? Huzzah!!!

Saladin · Post by **Saladin** » Tue May 01, 2007 12:37 pm

Well to be honest i think that this option will lead people waiting with sending in their orders to the very last moment to see if their opponent have put in orders. Or to people not pushing the 'i'm ready button' to give disinformation to their opponents.

Anyway, i hope i'm wrong but knowing who pushed the 'run turn button' and who didn't can be powerful info in a game.

Vortan · Post by **Vortan** » Tue May 01, 2007 2:33 pm

While I can understand what Saladin is saying you can still re-submit orders even after clicking I'm ready as I have discovered in previous turns already (being the decisive individual that I am!). So it really doesnt matter if they click early on UNLESS they are intending major changes last minute after political bargaining has been done.

I suppose one advantage will be attempting to figure out who may be about to miss the turn and subsequently weaken their position. That said I am assuming that if you dont press your orders dont count. Am I right?

Post by **Lardmaster** » Tue May 01, 2007 2:39 pm

Not sure I agree with you there Sal. It's not like you can't re-submit orders right up to the deadline after all.

Post by **korexus** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:33 pm

Your orders count, even if you don't press the button. I thought about possible information given away, but I reckon it's low.

A player could be not pressing the button because they haven't sent orders, or because they have but want the chance to change them, or because they're going away at some point and don't want the game to run too quickly, or because they want someone to think that one of the above is the case.

If the table showed who had sent orders then waiting till the last moment could give you the advantage of knowing an M-1 (except that even in this case, the other player could be doing exactly the same thing, watching your status!) As it stands if you assume someone who hasn't said ready will miss the turn you run a big chance of putting yourself at a disadvantage for being wrong. Not to mention not getting your own orders in because you went too close to the deadline yourself.

A note to players who submit orders and then click "I'm ready" on the assumption that they can change them later: If everyone has clicked "I'm ready" then the turn will run early, so you may not get that chance. Beware! - It's best only to click the button if you're reasonably sure that your orders are in the final form.

I think this option might lead to Sal waiting till the last minute, but I'm not sure anyone else will bother!

Chris.

Post by **korexus** » Tue May 01, 2007 7:20 pm

trewqh wrote:Great idea!

Looks ok the way it is now, but how about switching the Ripped by and ready columns? We would get rid of the gap that way.

Done. I've also added an "NA" option for RIPed or QUIT players, currently in red but I guess green would make more sense.

Chris.

Post by **trewqh** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:14 pm

korexus wrote:"NA" option for RIPed or QUIT players,

Post by **korexus** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:36 pm

NA (N/A) - Not Applicable. If a player is RIPed or QUIT, the engine doesn't bother checking the ready status, so reporting "No" would be misleading. I went with a red colouring to match the RIP/QUIT font, but can see an argument for green as this implies the turn will run...

Chris

Vortan · Post by **Vortan** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:39 pm

trewqh wrote:

NA is Not Applicable. Meaning they dont count anymore.

and Kor is just showing off really.

Just cos he can do html. Smarty pants!

Post by **trewqh** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:43 pm

Green or simply white, then, if you ask me.

Post by **korexus** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:58 pm

Vortan wrote:Kor is just showing off really. Just cos he can do html. Smarty pants!

Not just because I know html, but because I know how to make php write html! Seriously, knowing where to write "color=red" is not quite as easy as you think!

Making the colour green would make things easier for an at a glance look. - 10 green slots means the turn will run imminently, I'll switch to that when get a chance. On that front, if I go with the gradual colour shift, should "No"s begin red and shift towards green as time progresses. I feel it would be rather cool, If totally pointless...

Chris.

Post by **Donut** » Tue May 01, 2007 10:36 pm

Not a fan.

1. What Sal said. I don't think it's a big problem knowing who has or hasn't pushed the button... but there have been several things that have been advantageous that nobody thought of until they were exploited.

Sure you could just not hit the button... but then whats the point of having the button if you could possibly be at a disadvantage for pressing it.

2. You're going to end up having 1 person not do orders right away and get harrassed to do them. A deadline is a deadline, if you want it run earlier set the deadline earlier.

3. I for one will never hit the button. Too often something happens where plans change. If the turn were to run earlier because I was "Ready" for it... then I'd be super pissed.

Having the option there isn't a big problem... I'm just saying that its rarely going to be used. How often does everyone send orders for a given turn? How often do people wait till the last minute?

Post by **korexus** » Wed May 02, 2007 6:17 am

Early game, not often. (I also tend to like time to revie my orders.) However, later in the game it is more likely. If 5 players are just waiting for NAPs to expire then they may not have that much to do in a turn. When Sal and Smashy were fighting it out for a solo they were doing up to three turns a night!

I'll make this the new poll on the front page. (As soon as I can find the add poll button, it seems to have disappeared.)

Chris.