From: Rainer M. <rai...@we...> - 2007-01-07 15:42:38
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Hi, =20 as I discussed with Brett and Erik I would like to make some small = changes to the startup-sequence and the UI in general. Here is a small summary for the thinks which I want to do. =20 Motivation for me: Get familiar with the code by doing thinks I'm very familiar in and do = not disturb the on going implementation of the other too. Later on I would like to help implementing the AI and/or Internet-Interaction, maybe starting by calculating the revenue or which ever will have the higher priority. =20 Why changing the startup-sequence: 1) I want to start the program with a small disclaimer about = copyrights. Possible text would be (from Brett): "Rails is a Java clone of the "18xx"-style games produced by Mayfair Games(tm), Avalon Hill(tm), David Hecht, John Galt, Francis Tresham, and various other authors. All rights reserved by the respective owners. No challenge to their status is intended. Rails is intended as a play aid = for owners of each respective boardgame." Maybe adding: "If a copyright owner wish a removing of the play aid of = his 18xx-version, we will do so." =20 2) There is no check for the number of players selected and the maximum number of players allowed in a game. =20 3) If we want to load a game we need an other entry-point. Same later on = for PBEM and Internet-Games. =20 Conclusion: Start with the main window and the disclaimer dialog. Alternative with parameters, too speedup testing.=20 Choose game-version and players in different dialogs (alternative check = it on OK). =20 I like the UI of rails in general, but there are a view thinks left to optimize it. I like the concept of MDI, but will not loose the opportunity of free windows. We had a little discussion about MDI in rails because of the = great windows there, so the MDI could maybe not the right solution, if you = will not have the choise. Having Eclipse in mind I have looked for an open = source MDI framework. Found one, but that one will not give as the freedom of changing InternalFrames into Windows and back. Checking Eclipse I found = out, that they use an own GUI-Framework instead of Swing - SWT and JFaces. I don'nt think, that this is worse a change of the hole GUI-Framework. So = may changes would be small. 1) Make a rails-window-framework, with will include the MainMenu, a ActionButtonToolbar and a InformationLine 2) Transform the current Windows to use the rails-window-framework 3) Add Preferences to choose look(&feel), which windows are permanent, = save window-positions, languages and other thinks, which are easy to = implement (wishes welcome) =20 After this changes I should be familiar with the code (and it will be = march I guess) and would like to do thinks, I have'nd done yet. =20 Regards Rainer =20 =20 |