TripleA Lobby Games Suggestions

[Babubaer]

Hi Veqryn,

after spending several time on the TripleA Online Lobby some suggestions:

@ Feature Request “Register Players only” for Online Games
So the following situation happens sometimes. I create a lobby game, someone enter  the game, he does some silly things, and than quite the game. Thxs.
The reason why people can do this, is because it is to easy to login as anonymously, so here i would wish an option to “active” (checkbox) that when i host a game only registered players can join my game because these players are normal seriously.

@Feature Request “Edit Mode” confirm from your opponent
I´m a big fan from online games, and so its normal that in an online game i made some mistakes or sometimes a lot of mistakes, and that is it why i prefer so much this kind of game, because i have to live with my mistakes,  but what i really don´t like is when players all the time use the edit mode because they made a mistake and than use it to correct it.
Please note that, the edit mode is a perfect tool for me, but when i play an online game in the lobby, i wish an option that i can only edit the game if my opponent agree and confirm that i can use the edit mode. No more discussing, if my opponent denies that, i have to live with it, this is legal for both sites. Nobody seriously would deny to correct an error when there is a problem with the game engine or the rules.

@Feature Request " Save" confirm from your opponent
So if you decide to play a lobby game, you think your opponent has the same problems like you to decide what to do and how to move in a small windows of time. But i played guys, they need more than an hour for their turn. They save the game, transfer the save file to an notebook where another version of tripleA is running, test all their moves and counterattacks and than made their turn.
If they cant save without the confirmation from their opponent maybe this would help.
The other possibility is maybe a timer in lobby games. What do you think?
If both is not possible, maybe than i become at least an information that my opponent has saved the game. So one agreement can be no save before you complet your turn.
It is absolutly ok to test all moves and counterattacks in an email or forum game, but not in an online game.

@Feature Request “More Game Options”
I would like to see more game options, for example in global 1940 that inceptors hit with @2 instaed of @1. So it is clear Veqryn, that you can´t build in all variants that one player propose to you, but lets say what is when you open a tread in the lobby and when more than 20 or 35 players or what you think is a good number, wish this option you can implement it into the game options if it is not to much work for you.

@  more an improvement, than an Feature Request 1940 (2nd Edition)
I can activate in TripleA a territory with only an aa-gun, but it is not allowed in the normal rules. It is not a big thing, but nice if you can fix it in the next version.

[Veqryn]

@ register players only

• Bad Idea.  Registering a new player only requires 1 more step than an anonymous player.  All this request will do is fill our user database with lots of “fake” accounts with fake emails, etc.
  A better idea would be to have some kinds of stats system for registered players.  That is on the list of TODO, but probably won’t be coming anytime soon since it is a lot of work and I don’t know how to code it.

@ Edit Mode confirm

• An OK idea, but why does it need to be integrated into triplea?  just ask your opponent before you use it.  and if your opponent is using it, ask him to ask you (or put that in your comments section)

@ Save confirm

• Really Bad Idea, I am totally against this.  You should be allowed to save at any point.  I don’t know who you are playing, but if they take that long to do their turn you should ask them to play by email or forum instead. 
  I would much rather just make a timer for triplea.  A timer is already on the list of TODO, it just happens to be difficult to code for me (i’m not that experienced at coding btw).

@ Game Variants

• You can do this in about 5 minutes by yourself.  Anyone can.
  Unzip Global, or any game.  Go to the games folder, make a copy of the xml you want to change.  rename the copy of xml.  Open the xml and change the “game name” (name=) to something else like “Global 1940 2nd Edition: Stronger Interceptors Mod”.  Then scroll down til you find the line that looks like <option name=“airDefense” value=“1”>, and change the “1” to a “2”.  Done.

@ Global 1940 specific improvement

• I actually am not sure what you are saying here.  Are you talking about the friendly neutrals?  If so, it is clearly written in the game notes that you can not use an aa gun to activate a friendly neutral.  Remember to follow all rules, just as  you would in real life (i hope).</option>

[Babubaer]

@ register players only
Ok, thxs for your update Veqryn, you are right the idea is not the fill your database with fake account.
Stats System sounds great!

@ Edit Mode confirm
Yes i can ask them or him, but if they can do it, probably they do it.
And it is absolutely ok for email or forum games, but from my point of view i would really wish an option to confirm “edit” in an online game. It makes an online game to another experience if you know you can´t edit your faults if your opponent not confirm to edit them.

@ Save confirm
Copy that, no more discussion, the roots from tripleA is email game and there is it perfect if i can save all the time.
A timer would solve this problem, so if it is on your “ToDo” List than it is perfect for me!

@ Game Variants
ok i understand that everybody can modify the gamefile, but than all players which want to play with this option, have to download the modified map, right?  
And exactly that is not what i mean. My idea is to keep it simple especially for new players.
All this different version confuse them more than they would help. The idea is, that all have the same game version, lets say global 1940 (2nd Edition). Now if they want, they can activate an game option and play easily all together.

@ Global 1940 specific improvement
I think because i´m not an native speaker it was not so clear what i want to say, so please give me another try. You veqryn are an expert and the developer from TripleA, you know this game so much better than other players. See it as a compliment, not all new players know all the rules, so like me sometimes they miss something because of all this changes from Larry from OOb to Alpha 1,2 and 3+. Now they download TripleA and than they notice, hey i can activate an Pro Allies with an aa gun only. And because, your engine is so amazing, they believe this is allowed. Yes you are right it is in the game notes, but believe me not all players read them, maybe they speak English not so good.
You can read a lot of topics here in the forum, where people ask: i can do this in TripleA is it not allowed? Again, this should be a compliment for you because you do a so great job that players say, if this is possible in TripleA than it must be an official rule. That is the reason why i ask you to fix it, to help that TripleA gets better and better, and get more accessible for newer players which are not an expert and knows all the rules, and no problem because TripleA handle it for them. Â

[Zhukov44]

1. Anonymity….  it’s true there are some douches on the lobby that play risky opens and then bail out on the 1st turn and blame it on the dice.  But you get the same thing over at GTO or anyplace else.  There is a relatively small pool of players for each particular game, so eventually you learn who is a good sport and who isn’t.

If an oppo bails on the 1st turn, consider it a win for you and a learning experience.  It’s liberating to not have to worry about whether a W/L will effect your record.  It’s all about state of mind–have fun!

If you thrive via competition, take advantage of the TripleA ladder and the forum league here.

What I’d like to see is a comment/ratings/kudos section for each account, so we can rate accounts according to their skill and sportsmanship.

2. If you host your own game, just put “no edits” in the title, or make it clear before you start there will be no edits allowed.

Personally, I’m used to the TripleA style of allowing ncm edits (within reason)…to the point where playing on GTO is frustrating to me, because some small dumb error attributable to a timer could cost me or my opponent the game.  I’d rather give my opponent the opportunity to play his best possible game, although obviously there should be rational limits on edits.

3. A timer option is a good idea.  As someone who started off playing online A&A on GTO, initially the lack of timers seemed like a big drawback to me.  There’s no question that timers would attract more gamers so getting them should be a priority.

But since then my attitude has flipped–nowadays I want to give my opponent enough time to make his best possible move and I appreciate the same courtesy being given to me.  It’s a relief to be able to attend to things happening in my house instead of being tied down to a computer and a timer.

Playing A&A with a timer is a skill in itself.  The player with more experience playing with timer swill have a big advantage.

As a child I preferred speed chess to clockless chess…but the catch is speed chess is only fun when opponents are evenly matched.  If opponents are not evenly matched, no timer is more appropriate.

[Zhukov44]

Now they download TripleA and than they notice, hey i can activate an Pro Allies with an aa gun only. And because, your engine is so amazing, they believe this is allowed. Yes you are right it is in the game notes, but believe me not all players read them, maybe they speak English not so good.
You can read a lot of topics here in the forum, where people ask: i can to this in TripleA is it not allowed? Again, this should be a compliment for you because you do a so great job that players say, if this is possible in TripleA than it must be an official rule. That is the reason why i ask you to fix it, to help that TripleA gets better and better, and get more accessible for newer players which are not an expert and knows all the rules, and no problem because TripleA handle it for them.

You are right that because the engine is coded so well, most players will assume the engine works according the official rules, unless you can quote directly from the rulebook to contradict them.  It’s an issue.  The solution is for users to report bugs and help get them fixed.

[Babubaer]

Quote
**@**Playing A&A with a timer is a skill in itself. The player with more experience playing with timer swill have a big advantage.

Yes Zhukov I agree definitely, I grow up with playing in the warzone and there it is normal that you have a timer, so i´m missing one :-).
After some games with TripleA in Global 1940 I agree to play without a timer when I play with new players, but sometimes I would really love to see one, because if I have, lets say 4-5 Hours time, and than one player needs more than 1 hour to finish his turn that is hard and painful. �

@)…to the point where playing on GTO is frustrating to me, because some small dumb error attributable to a timer could cost me or my opponent the game. I’d rather give my opponent the opportunity to play his best possible game, although obviously there should be rational limits on edits.

I agree again Zhukov, one small dumb can cost you the game, but that is the reason why I love it.
I think against a fair sportsman or in a fun game, it is not necessary to activate a timer but if you decide to do it that can give the game this special character with an adrenaline kick.
The biggest problems which I can see with a timer at the moment, is to move and load/unload all your tranny´s, because you need really be used to with the TripleA game engine.
I need a lot of more testtime maybe than I will give a feedback, for the monent I have to learn to used it properly.
Is there an faq outside for new players how to handle (Move, Load and Unload) Trannys, with examples because exact with this have most of the newest players problems.

PS: How can I insert quote text?

[Panther]

@Babubaer:

…
PS: How can I insert quote text?

Just hit “Quote” in the upper right corner of the posting that you want to quote.

[Babubaer]

Thxs P@nther, I have not seen it  :-D

[lozmoid]

Veqryn, here is what I think would make a nice touch to the TripleA game system: on your turn, after the Mobilize New Units phase, it would be very cool to see a ‘Collect Income’ screen appear, which would merely require you to click ‘Okay’ in order to move to the next power’s turn.

This screen would show how much income you’ve received from your territories, any National Objective bonus income, and/or Convoy Disruption penalties. I think it would really help players get a handle on their financial situation.

What do you say? Thank you for your time.

P.S.  what do the ‘T’ and ‘F’ stand for/mean in the the National Objectives side window? Thank you.

[Hepps01]

The objectives panel simply show all of the available options available based on the game design.

If the panel is used for “National Objectives” (this panel can be used to display many different things) then they are listed there.

The T/F mean True or False.  This indicates whether the criteria to gain the reward for a National Objective have been met (True) or have not been met (False).

[Veqryn]

T = true
F = false
xF/T = number of times available that are left (ie: 1F or 1T means you have 1 more left)
F/Tx = number of times you have met this objective this turn (ie: T4 means you have 4 of whatever the objective is)

[lozmoid]

Thanks for the info guys. I take it no chance of a ‘Collect Income’ phase window appearing in the near future then? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I personally like to know how much income I’ve received/where I’m being convoy raided etc at the end of my turn. Helps put things in perspective…

[Panther]

@Lozmoid:

Thanks for the info guys. I take it no chance of a ‘Collect Income’ phase window appearing in the near future then? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I personally like to know how much income I’ve received/where I’m being convoy raided etc at the end of my turn. Helps put things in perspective…

I see your point, of course. As a workaround - until this feature may or may not be implemented - you may want to use the “Game History”-feature at the end of your turn. There you can see convoy raid results as well as the income.

[Babubaer]

@Lozmoid:

Thanks for the info guys. I take it no chance of a ‘Collect Income’ phase window appearing in the near future then? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I personally like to know how much income I’ve received/where I’m being convoy raided etc at the end of my turn. Helps put things in perspective…Â

I like also as Lozmoid, to see an additional “Collect Income Window”, where I can directly see how much income I have and where I´m being convoy raided especially if there will be a timer function in the near future.
Because, than time is valuable and it will cost time to search and look in the game history! Please keep that in mind Veqryn.

Damage Marker
To see how much damage a factory has, I can´t see it by pressing “I” or in the territory tab, I need to look in the game history right?

Blockade optinal
There is no option at the moment, if I wan´t use blockade right now or?,
Example, I have 1 Carrier with 2 Fighters in SZ 109, but I wan´t use blockade in SZ 109 and I don´t want move the carrier away, because I would like to occupy London next turn and I want all the PUs.

[Panther]

@Babubaer:

…
Blockade optinal
There is no option at the moment, if I wan’t use blockade right now or?,
Example, I have 1 Carrier with 2 Fighters in SZ 109, but I wan’t use blockade in SZ 109 and I don’t want move the carrier away, because I would like to occupy London next turn and I want all the PUs.

I don’t get your point here. Do you mean Convoy Disruption when saying blockade? Convoy disruption in SZ 109 is done in the Collect Income phase of UK (assuming UK is still British and there are German warships in SZ 109). If you want to occupy London - assuming with Germany - you do that in the Combat Move phase of Germany.
Or did I misunderstand something?

[Panther]

@Babubaer:

…
Damage Marker
To see how much damage a factory has, I can’t see it by pressing “I” or in the territory tab, I need to look in the game history right?
…

You can see the number of hits just above the damaged factory on the map.

[Babubaer]

Ah ok, thxs a lot P@nther i haven´t seen it before, but good to know!  :-)

[lozmoid]

A small suggestion, if I may… would it be possible to amend the colour of the number displayed above a damaged facility to be brighter/more eye-catching? Maybe yellow, red or orange? As it is at the moment, the number displayed is just black and I think it needs to stand out more. What do you think?

Thank you very much.

[lozmoid]

Yes? No? Maybe?

It’s just that the black number digit sometimes gets lost in the black smoke rising out of the facility and I think it should be clearer. An easy fix, surely…

[Veqryn]

@Lozmoid:

Thanks for the info guys. I take it no chance of a ‘Collect Income’ phase window appearing in the near future then? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I personally like to know how much income I’ve received/where I’m being convoy raided etc at the end of my turn. Helps put things in perspective…

see here:
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=28112.msg1082527#msg1082527