Author Topic: Developing a mobile scoreboard  (Read 5726 times)

Tnsol

  • Guest
Developing a mobile scoreboard
« on: February 09, 2015, 08:36:40 AM »
Hi everyone,

I'm currently developing a mobile web-app for a Carcassonne scoreboard and in order to create the best experience for all users I'd like to get your feedback on the pourquoi planned features.

My primary concern is about the way to enter scores, here are three options :

1. Simple type : you enter the score for each player (and maybe the kind of feature : city, road, cloister, etc).
2. Advanced type : you enter the score along with detailed bonuses like fairy, gingerbread man, etc.
3. Beginners mode : you enter the kind of feature (road, road with inn, city, city with cathedral, etc) and the number of tiles along with detailed bonuses (as above).

Hard to choose between those options... Details would help to create detailed game stats but may slow down scoring with lots of manual actions on the app.

Ideas and comments are welcome...

Thanks !

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1515.0

Offline danisthirty

  • (not thirSty!)
  • Owner
  • Chatelain Grand-Croix
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 6940
  • Merit: 293
  • "First to 4 points wins?"
    • View Profile
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2015, 09:42:47 AM »
Hello!

Of the modes you've suggested, I think I'd prefer Simple. It only takes 3 or 4 games to get comfortable with how much each of Carcassonne's features are worth, but entering the type of points does at least allow you to present a breakdown by feature at the end of the game. Advanced type may be just as easy to use, but that would depend largely on how many/ which expansions you were using. Beginners mode seems a bit cumbersome, even for beginners.

Ultimately, regardless of how you choose to implement it, the most important thing to bear in mind is that this needs to make the gaming experience easier and/ or more enjoyable. If it doesn't do that then you need to ask yourself why people would use it?

Admittedly I've only used a couple, but I've never seen a Carcassonne scoring app that would make me want to ditch the score track. That's not to say that yours wouldn't though, and I look forward to seeing how it turns out so good luck with your project!  :(y)

Offline obervet

  • Authors
  • Count
  • *
  • Posts: 362
  • Merit: 36
    • View Profile
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2015, 10:18:55 AM »
I would choose Simple mode for scoring in my games. I could certainly see the benefits of the Beginners' mode, as long as it didn't take too many keystrokes to enter a score. I never get very interested in stat tracking, so Advanced mode wouldn't hold any real appeal for me.

Offline Paul

  • Marquis Chevalier
  • ***
  • Posts: 2491
  • Merit: 86
    • View Profile
    • sydby.com
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2015, 12:28:40 PM »
I belive all three are valid options. Hence you should make all three versions as one app.
World record holder for a single game of Carcassonne using 10 007 tiles!

Offline Murno

  • Vagabond
  • *
  • Posts: 5
  • Merit: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2015, 02:32:10 PM »
Hi Tnsol,

I'd also be more inclined to go with your 'Simple' option.

Goodluck! :green-meeple:

Offline DaFees

  • Nobleman
  • ******
  • Posts: 111
  • Merit: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2015, 04:52:14 PM »
If I may, I made a post in another thread (about the iOS version of Carcassonne, http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1130.msg19033#msg19033)

In that post I mentioned two expansions, The Messages and The Robbers. Typically all digital adaptations of Carcassonne use the same method of displaying score by simply tallying what the player's current total score is and displaying that number. Typically this works fine but that wouldn't work fine when you are using these two expansions. With The Messages expansion you are given a second scoring follower and now every time you score you choose which one scores. If which ever one you choose lands on a multiple of 5 then you get to draw a message tile.

With the Robber expansion, when you draw a tile with the Robber symbol you (and ever other player) gets to place their robber next to another player's scoring follower. When that follower scores then, so to does the Robber.

You probably already know how both of these work but my point is that by using traditional means of digital recording and displaying a player's score then neither of these expansions can be supported. I'm not suggesting that you go out of your way to support these two expansions but I do think doing so would definitely help separate your scoreboard from all others that may be available.

I do not know how best you would do this or anything but it is certainly something to at least think about.

That aside I do think, based on your poll choices, I'd have to agree with most others and choose the "Simple" option.

Offline CarcinFool

  • Vassal
  • *****
  • Posts: 83
  • Merit: 2
  • I enjoy a good game o' Carc!
    • View Profile
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2015, 01:37:26 PM »
Cool idea!!

While I agree with others that the Simple mode would be easiest to use (and develop), I don't think it would provide much/any benefit over using the score track since you still have to calculate your own scores.  Your Beginner mode sounds almost as easy to use and also like something that would actually make your app a helpful scoring tool rather than just a novelty.

Not sure how you are designing the app, but I envision several large buttons with all the possible tile-scoring options for the expansions you are playing with (selected when you start a new game). When you tap one (e.g., road) the tiles disappear and you see a large numeric keypad to enter the number of tiles. After that you are prompted if there is another feature to score and repeat if necessary. If not you then see icons of other scoring mechanisms (again, depending on what expansions you selected -- fairy, mage, witch, gingerbread man, etc.).

Having that detail allows you to visualize game stats/summary info at the end, which I feel would be another fun reason why I'd try an app like this.

If playing with the Messages expansion the app could keep track of your two scores, show them after it computes your score so you can select which one you want to add to.  Then it could flash the messages tile if your score is a multiple of 5.

Another question, if it's a web app, what happens when my phone falls asleep during the game or I need to use another app? There'd need to be a way to store the info in the browser so the score isn't lost, right?

Offline Paul

  • Marquis Chevalier
  • ***
  • Posts: 2491
  • Merit: 86
    • View Profile
    • sydby.com
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2015, 03:36:16 PM »
Maybe it's time to amp the technology up a bit.

Using a camera with software recognision, that scans the board, no matter what angle the camera is at, and calculate the score automatically.

It tracks meeples on the board and thus knows how much is left in stack for each player.

Software will detect completed cities in real time as well as farms and roads etc. and also give an error if a player ends his or her turn with an illegal move.

 8)

Offline rfielder

  • Marquis
  • ***
  • Posts: 475
  • Merit: 10
  • Carcassonne Beginner
    • View Profile
    • Cool Country Nights
Re: Developing a mobile scoreboard
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2015, 06:56:50 AM »
I would suggest looking at existing Carcassonne scoring apps.  Many have already faced the challenges you see, and have found some very elegant solutions.

The one I use is Carcassonne Scoreboard on Android, found at:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ab.carcsb.

This one seems to have stopped development in 2012, which is too bad, since it is an excellent way of keeping score.  Works well, and deals with expansions very well - at least, those that it knows about.
Robert Fielder
Brampton, Ontario, Canada  EST


Share via delicious Share via digg Share via facebook Share via furl Share via linkedin Share via myspace Share via reddit Share via stumble Share via technorati Share via twitter

  Subject / Started by Replies / Views Last post
xx
Humble Mobile Bundle:

Started by Decar

1 Replies
2025 Views
Last post November 08, 2016, 03:36:27 PM
by Rich_The_Fish
xx
mobile-CAR

Started by Paul

10 Replies
5542 Views
Last post May 24, 2017, 07:14:01 PM
by DaFees
xx
Fanmade electronic scoreboard

Started by Paul

2 Replies
8408 Views
Last post May 16, 2014, 06:27:58 PM
by evmillan
moved
MOVED: Custom scoreboard

Started by Whaleyland

0 Replies
1125 Views
Last post February 25, 2021, 10:42:37 PM
by Whaleyland
xx
[WTB] clothbag with scoreboard on it

Started by Valheru

11 Replies
4837 Views
Last post May 24, 2017, 04:15:14 AM
by danisthirty