[quote name='sarsen' date='Nov 2 2008, 11:58 PM']Comments about Flash version follow:
First of all thank you for all the time and effort you've put into the software and for the hours of enjoyment it has brought me. It seems ungrateful to make suggestions for improvement, but since it was solicited, I will offer my humble comments.
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Thanks for your feedback, Sarah. Answers and comments below...
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1) I hope the "old" version will not be retired and we will continue to have a choice which version we prefer when we play.
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If we ever retire the Windows client, it is not going to happen any time soon. It is also unlikely that we will be improving the Windows client in the foreseeable future.
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2)I love the option for private chats. But, if there is a chat room, where multiple people can chat, I was unable to find it.
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At this point in time the Flash client does not support chat rooms. Not clear if and when we will work on this. This is not among our highest priorities.
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a) I love the "you hold, you bid" feature on the windows version. Very useful, would hate to give that up.
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If and when we do support chat rooms in the Flash client, I think it is a safe bet that we will support these features as well.
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4) I miss the table options of the windows version. or maybe i literally missed them as in unable to find them
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I am not sure which options you are referring to. You can access some options that allow you to customize the table interface via the "Options" button at the top of the screen. Other more obscure options can be accessed only by right-clicking on the table surface.
If you are referring to "table options" as opposed to "user interface options while at the table", you can access these through the "Table" button below the table surface.
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2) playing robot tourneys the auto play singleton option comes in real handy. could not find it if it is there.
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It is not there now. It will be there in the next version.
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5) I really really dislike how results are displayed, with the hand squashed at the bottom of the window. I like the windows version and do not mind having to click on a tab to see it.
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Sorry - most people seem to like this.
The next version will be smarter about allocation of space. You can change the allocation of space yourself with various "sliders". The next version will do a better job of remembering your settings.
Unlike the Windows client (which comes in only 2 sizes), the Flash client is designed to fit into whatever space you give it. If you have a high screen resolution (as more and more people do these days) I expect you will really appreciate this. But the fact that there are such a wide variety of screen resolutions (and screen aspect ratios) out there means that it is hard for the Flash client to "know" what reasonable default settings are for a given screen configuration.
So for some screens the defaults may be less than ideal. By experimenting with the sliders you should be able to come up with a configuration that works well for your monitor.
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6) Teaching tables are important to me. They are great not only for teaching, but if you want to replay a hand, you can load it in a teaching table, sit in all 4 seats and see where you went wrong when you played/defended originally. That feature alone will keep me from switching to flash.
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Sorry - the Flash client does not really support teaching tables yet. This is fairly high on our list of priorities, but it will not be included in our next release. I am hopeful that the Flash implementation of teaching tables will be superior to the implementation in the Windows client in several respects.
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7) I was unable to find options for recording chat if they are there to be found. Turn it off, turn off some not other etc.
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There is no such option and this more complicated than you might think since Flash programs are not allowed to write files to the user's local hard disk. I am guessing that we will eventually create a web based facility whereby people can log their chat if they want, but this is not high on our list of priorities.
The good news is that, unlike the Windows client, the Flash client allows you to cut and paste from the chat areas.
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8) I know the common answer when someone comments about something new, is it's a matter of getting used to it. And I agree to a certain extent, but I find the flash version to be counter intuitive and once i finally find something, i have to repeat the search the next time i use it.
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It's a matter of getting used to it
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9) I was unable to open the new cc button so I don't know if that is easier or harder than the windows version.
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Convention cards are different in the Flash client. I expect you will be able to figure out what to do by reading the Help files. Convention cards can be accessed through the "Convention cards" item in the menu that appears when you click "My BBO" at the top of the screen.
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10) I don't like the cards. Even the big ones are just too scrunched together.
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Sorry, but we had a "real artist" (as opposed to me) do the design work for this program. I personally think she did a great job. This might be just another matter of "you will get used to it". If you are using Internet Explorer, you might want to try to hit the F11 key. That will make everything on your screen (including the cards) bigger. If you are using some other browser there is probably some way to accomplish the same thing.
This is another area you might be able to improve for your particular monitor by experimenting with the various sliders.
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11) Will we be able to make movies in the flash version?
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I am not sure what you mean exactly by this question. Some aspects of the Windows MOVIE window are available already. Some will become available in the future (this is relatively high priority). Some will be difficult or impossible to accompish due to Flash's inability to access your local hard disk.
If you have not done so already, I suggest you try "Hands and results" in the "My BBO" menu.
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12) Picky detail, I don't like the sounds, and cannot figure out how to change them.
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No way to change them. All you can do is turn them off. Maybe we will make some changes in this area one day, but I doubt it will happen soon.
Sorry the answers to most of your questions are either "no" or "not yet". The Flash client is still very much a work in progress. I expect it will continue to improve for many years to come. As you have seen, there are already several areas in which it is superior to the Windows client. Hopefully we will eventually be able to achieve this throughout the program.
Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com