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Main => Suggestions => Topic started by: Corey Cooper on February 15, 2006, 01:52:22 PM

Title: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on February 15, 2006, 01:52:22 PM
Here are some of the things that are high on my to-do list for The Tournament Director.  These are by no means a promise of functionality or improvements, nor is this a complete list, but these are the things that I would most like to do with the software:

Internationalization
It's unlikely I will translate the application into any language, but I do intend to make it translatable.  This means removing all text from the main program into language catalogs, and would allow anyone to translate the program themselves if they chose to do so.  Besides, it's good programming practice.

Change to a clock window/settings window model
The clock page (or seating chart or rankings page) should always be visible, either full-screen or in a window.  The settings should be in another window (always-on-top of the clock window), and the user should be able to close the settings window at any time.  Many laptops have a standard TV output, and when connected to a display, show two desktops - one on the laptop, and one on the external display.  By having the settings in another window, the clock page could be displayed to the players at all times on the external display.  Plus, the tournament director (the person), could open the settings and make adjustments on the laptop's display while the clock is still displayed to the players on the external display.

Ad-hoc break
Add an option/hotkey for instigating an "ad-hoc" break.  An ad-hoc break would pause the tournament clock and enter a break for a predetermined amount of time.  When the break was over, the clock would resume exactly where it left off when the ad-hoc break began.

Player names
Remove restriction on unique Nicknames for players, and add an option to display users by their nickname, first name, last name, or any combination thereof.

More hotkeys
Add hotkey actions for going directly to any of the various tabs on the Settings page

Update the blinds suggestion tool
Suggesting blinds is a difficult process.  David Maybury has done some excellent work on this and I might try to implement some of his suggestions.


Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Ramjak on February 15, 2006, 02:33:19 PM
I fully agree with the nickname removal . I find it very hard to put in names for the nicknames, bu overall a great new version!
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Doctor_XXX on February 22, 2006, 11:31:51 AM
Any chance (or am I missing it in the current version?) you could look into adding some sort of "network capability" for the program?  Meaning, all of the locations where our league plays have wired/wireless networks, but not all have easy access to multiple TVs.  We'd love to be able to send the program info (screen shots/sounds) to multiple laptops, spread throughout the playing floors, for ease of visability from different locations.  Output to TVs works just as well, except that we have much more (easier) access to laptops and PCs than TVs...plus, you can do it all wirelessly with the network setup, as opposed to running S-video and RCA audio cables all over the place.

It isn't a huge deal...the program is GREAT as it is!  Just something we'd like to see (if possible) in the future.

Thanks!  Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: cousguy on February 23, 2006, 04:11:16 PM
Here's a vote for the Ad-hoc break feature.  When we collapse to 2 tables or to the final table i always have a break since everyone has to get up anyway.  Up to now, i've been using the hand timer.
 
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: sean on March 01, 2006, 12:10:09 PM
i agree with the nickname removal i am currently trying to think up 430 of them to fill in the reqired fields. overall a good program
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: MattBurlew on March 06, 2006, 11:46:12 AM
Re: Points Formula options

Would love to be able to either use IF statements in the points formula or to enter a multiplicative formula.

For example, imagine these categories:

People Beat - 0 1pt, 1 2pts, 2 3pts, 3 4pts, 4 6pts, 5 8pts, 6 10pts, 7 13pts, 8 16pts, etc.
Finish Bonus - 1 10x, 2 7x, 3 4x, 4 2x, 5-end 1x (no bonus)
Tournament Type - Feature Event 5x, Regular Tourney 2x, Misc. Tourney 1x


Although I do like the suggested formula with square roots.  We may switch to that next season.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: UPT on March 10, 2006, 04:45:23 PM
I want to put in a serious vote for "Change to a clock window/settings window model".

How fantastic would this be. Many times I have players hollering to see the clock or blinds while I am doing some housekeeping.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: _Hithere_ on April 01, 2006, 01:03:49 AM
Just a suggestion for everyone not liking the nicknames column,  Just put the player's real name in there. 
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: TimDugan on April 03, 2006, 02:10:06 PM
Just a suggestion for everyone not liking the nicknames column,  Just put the player's real name in there. 

I do, but it's not much more helpful.  It's the fact that the nicknames are used in so many ways in the program that actually makes the nickname feature less helpful.  I just put everyone's full name in the nickname box in the (Last Name), (First Name) format because when adding players to the tournament, slugging through 90+ names would be amazing hard without doing that.  That being said, the same format appears on the seating chart and the under the hitman column on the player rankings.  I'd personally like to see just a setting where you change what part of the database is used to display names at different parts of the program.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Ramjak on April 06, 2006, 02:07:20 AM
There is one thing that I am frustrated with.  I cannot add breaks or new rounds where I want to.  the moving the breaks up or down one at a time is frustrating if you add it at the end of the rounds....I am not being really clear I know.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on April 06, 2006, 10:42:11 AM
There is one thing that I am frustrated with.  I cannot add breaks or new rounds where I want to.  the moving the breaks up or down one at a time is frustrating if you add it at the end of the rounds....I am not being really clear I know.

Right-click on an existing round/break and use the "Insert round..." or "Insert break..." option.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Crimson on April 08, 2006, 04:03:47 AM
I'm interesting in a network option as well. Right now I'm using VNC to display the tournament on two different computers. I am also in favor of the separation so I can keep my layout up at all times. I have the same problem as UPT with people whining when I'm doing housekeeping.

I usually just pause the clock for ad-hoc breaks but having the option to make it a real break is great as well.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: asathler on May 22, 2006, 10:08:35 AM
Hi.
First of all, congratulations for this great job!

Well, as a Brazilian Software Developer i wish ask (or vote) for Internationalization. I can and liked help you to translate TD to Brazilian Portuguese. As soon is possible.

If apply, send me all texts, error messages and strings used and I will reply the same list with correct Portuguese translation.

Contact me
Anderson Sathler
asathler@gmail.com
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: jcornel7 on June 19, 2006, 08:58:11 PM
I definitely vote for the network / multiple PC option.....LOVE THE PROGRAM...HUGE SUPPORTER!
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Johno on March 22, 2009, 12:06:01 AM
Ad-hoc break
Add an option/hotkey for instigating an "ad-hoc" break.  An ad-hoc break would pause the tournament clock and enter a break for a predetermined amount of time.  When the break was over, the clock would resume exactly where it left off when the ad-hoc break began.

Is this now a feature?

If so where would I find it?
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on March 23, 2009, 10:31:21 AM
Not yet - it's still on the list.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Mecheng on March 30, 2009, 11:02:49 AM
Big vote for the Clock/Game/Tournament screen enhancements. I’ve been experimenting with using a computer monitor as an extended screen through the VGA port on both my laptop and desk top computers. I’ve not been able to display the Clock/Game/Tournament screen on the extended screen or both screens at the same time. I can make either the lap top or the second screen the primary screen 

I’d like to be able to show the Clock/Game/Tournament screen on the extended screen or preferably both the extended and lop top screens and the settings screen and dialogue boxes would come up on the lap top for maintenance and tracking the tournament. If I can do either of these now, please advise how?

Great Program – thanks for the time and consideration.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on March 31, 2009, 10:30:58 AM
You can do these now.  Starting at version 2.5, the Settings screen was separated from the main window, and now opens in its own window.  So there is a "Game Window", that displays the tournament screen and various other screens, and a "Settings Window" that opens and closes independently of the Game Window.  You should be able to put the Game Window on your extended display, and leave the Settings Window on your laptop display.  There are preferences on the Preferences tab for controlling how and where dialog boxes open.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Mecheng on April 02, 2009, 10:43:04 AM
I am runningTD Ver. 2.5.8 amd XP Pro with the latest updates on both my lap top (Dell D630)  and desk top (HP dc5750). I've tried various configurations using on both computers using computer monitors and TV's as the extended dispklay and I get the same results. First, I go to the "Preferences Tab" and the "Extended display" button.  When I try to move the game window, either manually or with the move button, the game window disapears. The only way I've been able to make it work is to make the "Extended Screen" the #1 or primary screen and then I have to drag the settings screen and dialogue boxes to the other screen. What am I missing?

Also, how would you program an event to start 30 seconds before the clock starts at the begining of the tournament?

Thanks, keep up the good work with a great program.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Johno on April 03, 2009, 10:50:32 AM
I have to manually move it to the extended display, and just before its all the way over, I need to manually resize the window, and it then appears on the 2nd monitor. Works for me though, so never worried about it.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on April 03, 2009, 10:59:44 AM
Here's the skinny on how extended screens work.  I recently explained this to someone in an email support request - so forgive me if that happens to be you.

Assume your screen is a typical 1280x1024 size, for the sake of this example.  That means your screen is 1280 pixels wide and 1024 pixels tall.  The screen is a coordinate system described by (x,y) where x is the horizontal pixel number and y is the vertical pixel number. The coordinates start at the top-left with (0,0).  So in this example the bottom-right corner would be (1279, 1023).  This, however, isn't the entire desktop.  The entire desktop is actually very big, something like 65536x65536.  Your "display" is more like a "viewport" onto the entire desktop.  You can only see a certain section of the entire desktop at any time - however big your physical display is (1280x1024 in this case).  And it's always positioned at coordinates (0,0).  If you start at (0,0) and go one left and one up, you're at (-1,-1), which is a perfectly valid desktop location.  Likewise, from the bottom-right you can go right 1 and down 1 to arrive at (1280, 1024).

This is all most applications know, and definitely all the TD knows.  It knows you have this giant sized desktop, that your display size is 1280x1024, and it is positioned at (0,0).  If you have a second display configured to be to the right of the main display, then really you've got a second "viewport" onto the entire desktop.  It's top-left coordinate would be (1280,0).  But the TD has to be configured to know this - it can't detect it.

To open dialogs only on the "main" display, the TD must simply position the dialog within the center of the (0,0) to (1279, 1023) coordinates.  That's all it can do.

What this means is that it is up to you to (a) configure your extended display properly within Windows, and (b) correctly explain to the TD how you've got it setup.  This is unfortunate in that it would certainly be easier to have the TD figure all of this out by itself and save some people some configuration headaches, but it just doesn't have access to that sort of information.

So here's what I would do.  Configure things the way they "should be".  That is, configure your extended display to be to the "right" of the main screen (so if you move your mouse off of the right side of the main display it ends up on the left side of the extended display).  Start the TD in window mode (Preferences -> Miscellaneous -> uncheck "Full screen mode").  That way you can use the mouse to drag the Game window like you can most other windows.  Open the "Extended Display" dialog (in the TD).  Note in the Game Window section at the bottom, where you move around the Game window, it also shows the Game window's current coordinates (at least where the TD thinks it is located).  Move the Game window around, to the extended display and back.  Use the "Move to Main Display" and "Move to Extended Display" and "Manually Move Game Window" buttons to do this, or close the Extended Display dialog and the Settings window and move it by dragging with your mouse if you need to.  Note the coordinates each time.  Make sure that your "main" display has coordinates starting with (0,0) in the top-left corner and your "extended" display has coordinates that would place it just to the right of the main display.

Then make sure you've configured the TD's extended display settings appropriately.  Let us know what you find out.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Mecheng on April 03, 2009, 11:18:19 AM
Corry, Thanks it worked fiine and I always knew the easy way was to minimize the game screen to be able to drag and drop it onto the extended screen. I totally missed the full screen box on the preferences tab.

Thanks again.

How about the second question about starting an event 30 seconds befort the start of the tournament?

Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Johno on April 03, 2009, 11:28:48 AM
Really keen for an ad-hoc break.

But have been using the hand timer.
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on April 03, 2009, 02:01:41 PM
Sorry, forgot the 2nd question.

To be able to fire an event 30 seconds before the start of the tournament, the TD must know when the tournament will start, and therefore you've got to start a pre-tournament countdown.

On the Events tab:


I would move the new event to the top of the list to make sure some other event doesn't override it and get fired instead at the 30-second mark.  Since the Conditions of this event specify the countdown (state=1), it won't fire during the tournament, so no chance it will in turn override some other event.  So.... definitely move it to the top of the list.

Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Corey Cooper on April 03, 2009, 02:03:19 PM
Ad-hoc break is on the list (and has been for some time).  Because of the number of requests, it has moved up, and should make it into the next planned release.  There's still a good amount of work to be done on that release, however...
Title: Re: Future directions
Post by: Johno on April 03, 2009, 07:19:16 PM
Thanks Corey.