Re: [Openrpg-dev] Feedback and Suggestions

[Daniel H. <dan...@ya...>]

> Now, when do we get to see your hacks? :)
I delayed until after version 1.0 so I wouldn't get in
the way.  Now that that's happened, can I have checkin
access to the CVS repository?  If not, who should I
send my code to for review?

> Do you mean openrpg generated error messages? or
> wxPython error messages?  can you give an example. 
"Deletion of unknown mini attempted" is a prime
example (in miniatures.py).  I think that another user
causes this error and it gets reflected to every user
in the room.  As a user, I'm not sure why this is so
important that OpenRPG halts everything with a message
box to tell me this and I'm not sure what I'm expected
to do about it.  It seems like a debugging message box
but, as a user, I'd rather not know.

Taking a second look at all wxMessageXXX calls is my
gentle suggestion.  In a slow paced program, like a
word processor, message boxes are okay.  With OpenRPG,
where users are frantically typing and clicking, any
message box is saying, "Stop the game!  Something that
you've absolutely got to know about just happened and
you've got to deal with this right now.  You cannot
continue until you press or click Ok."  (And, usually,
I end up typing a few words meant for the chat line
into the message box while it wildly beeps at me,
similar to the Dice bar.)

> Again, some examples could help.  Or map a brief
> overview of how you'd like the map to work.
It is really just a design principle rather than a
specific "do-this, do-that" sorta thing.

Example #1: To select the whiteboard, I've got to
right click on the map (avoid a miniature), aim and
hover over Switch Mode, then aim and select Whiteboard
from the submenu.  Sure, it doesn't take that long
but, as a GM, it is a half-second extra that players
have to wait for action to take place.

Example #2: Clicking on and selecting each whiteboard
line to delete it.  It takes a second to create 3
lines with the whiteboard but 3 or 4 seconds of aiming
and right clicking (if you hit the line) to delete
them.

Example #3: To move miniatures, I've got to aim and
click then click on the destination.  Dragging would
be more natural and a little faster.  Even better,
Ctrl-T to move to the map from the chat line, Tab to
move among the miniatures, arrow keys to move the
miniatures themselves and Ctrl-T to move back to the
chat line.  That'd be fasssssssttttttttttt.

Ok, I've picked on OpenRPG a bit but I really like the
program.  Even if none of this stuff changed, I'd
still use it.

> I certainly agree.  Better workflow could make
> online gaming less, well, work.  Most of the stuff,
> like keyboard shorcuts, aren't too much troubel to
> code, but is just a matter of time.  If you could
> lend a hand that would be great.  We could use all
> the help we can get.  But if you can't help with
> code, then detailed feature requests are the next
> best thing.
I'll do my best to help.  But, like it is implied on
the OpenRPG homepage, programming OpenRPG can take so
much time that you don't have time to run or play in a
game anymore.  My priority is still GMing a game right
now.

As a professional programmer, I know what you guys are
up against.  I know how much time and effort goes into
coding something.  You've put an amazing amount of
time and energy into something that is basically an
act of charity.  And, I know how it can be frustrating
to hear a user (me) go nit-nit-nit, bug-bug-bug,
why-why-why, vague-vague-vague.  Thanks for listening.

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