Re: [Rails-users] [Rails-devel] rails' user properties

[Stefan F. <ste...@we...>]

To Jim and all (pbem) users in general:

Some comments about some choices for the new version:

1) Configuration profiles and files:

I took the deliberate decision that each profile is always linked to 
a configuration file: Rails does not allow the application of a profile 
without providing a storage location. 

This might surprise users a little, the reason for this is easy: Otherwise it 
cannot be guaranteed, that settings are still available next time.

To simplify the usage the profile/file combinations are stored automatically 
to the working directory of rails (if this is writable for Rails).

Another advantage is that this allows even to run Rails out of dropbox and 
each user can still define its own profile and profile location.

This profile can be selected by adding a -Dprofile={profilename} 
(e.g. -Dprofile=myOwnProfile) to the start command for Rails. 

Remark: If someone uses the old configuration (my.properties) files, they can 
be imported directly from the configuration window. The support of those will 
end from the next version on. 

2) Game history

Here I assume that the usage pattern is: Take action and then add the comment. 
So comments always relate to the previous action and the quote is attributed 
to the last action owner.

Going back in game history is similar to the one already available in Rails: 
Crossing the boundaries of players/companies requires a "forced undo".
As soon as game position in the game history is selected that crosses this 
boundary, all Rails windows are disabled and one has to issue the additional 
command "play from here". Another advantage from my point of view is that it 
avoids accidentally restarting at a past situation without that intention.

Any comments or proposal for change are welcome.

Stefan


On Thursday, August 19, 2010 08:12:25 pm Jim Black wrote:
> I noticed that there's been substantial effort to add a
> configuration/properties system to Rails, and also look forward to seeing
> this in the next update.
> 
> (I think the most critical update is the fix of the diesel-upgrade/tradein
> bug, fwiw-  we always need to downgrade to 1.2.2 when the diesels come
> out, which disables the most useful/difficult phase of 1.3's automated
> route-calculation.)
> 
> Along the lines of user preferences and properties, here's some more
> comments re: differences from a pbem user to a hotseat/moderator user--
> 
> - I load pbem Rails games, from my dropbox, all day.  The usage pattern is:
>  launch rails, load game file (the last two can be munged), make move,
> save game file, exit rails.
> 
> ==>  Note that loading/exiting rails for each game is awkward (and
> unusual)- I'd rather leave it running all day- loading games as they're
> updated, saving & moving on to the next game, etc.
> 
> - Also, once I load a game within Rails, I repeat my next sequence of
> operations too:  I open most of the separate Rails game windows (map,
> stock-chart, report window), and, resize and position these windows for my
> current display.
> 
> ==>  Note that having to reconfigure my desktop for each game is also
> awkward- I wish Rails maintained a record of my last window layout for
> each title/game- and. defaulted to that, when I [re-]load that title/game.
> 
> For extra credit, it should keep separate copies for different display
> sizes- during the day, we may switch computers, or, we may simply switch a
> laptops from the builtin display, to a larger external display.  (These
> things directly affect the way we config our windows, for each particular
> title.)
> 
> There's nothing magic about any of this- but the awkward thing is, we have
> to repeat these exact little steps, /all day long/, in many standalone
> Rails sessions.  It gets tedious to do these same tweaks every time we
> reload a game- it would be great if Rails just remembered our last window
> placements for each title (or, game), and little desktop stuff like that.
> 
> best,
>  - jim
> 
> 
> 
> 
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