Release Sparrow Compo4all Manager and Puzzletube C4A-Edition [Betas]


Ziz

Ziz

Advanced Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2006
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Hi guys,

I made / improved two programs. First of all, I implemented C4A Support in Puzzletube. Unfortunately it is not tested yet. So I have no idea, whether maybe even the PND doesn't work at all... So some beta tests would be great. :D This is the link for the new Beta PND:

http://ziz.gp2x.de/downloads/puzzletube/puzzletube.pnd

It should find your C4A Profile, read your already committed highscores of Puzzletube (should be nothing at first start ;) ) and commit all highscores of the hard mode. Right after that you should see your scores here:

http://c4a.openpandora.org/#/puzzletube_points

http://c4a.openpandora.org/#/puzzletube_race

http://c4a.openpandora.org/#/puzzletube_survival

Every game mode has it's own highscore at skeezix server.

Of course every new score, which gets in the local highscore is committed, too. If you have no connection, the score is just added to your local highscore and is committed at next start (if network is available then) like described above.

The other program I made is the "Sparrow Compo4all Manager", short "Sparrow C4A Manager". In fact it does the same like skeezix Compo4all Manager. So why a new program? My program is made especially for devices without hardware keyboard like the gcw zero or Caanoo. Furthermore it tests the new functionalities of my network library sparrowNet. That does it looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qRmzUQX6cNk?feature=oembed
I wanted to give you a PND to test, but as I saw right now: The PND is empty. ^^' So I have to fix the build script and give it to you tomorrow. :)

However: Puzzletube and the Sparrow Compo4all Manager don't use skeezix' spaghetti client or even curl! I use only TCP packages of SDL_Net/sparrowNet to commit scores, read and filter highscore lists, create accounts, edit accounts and delete accounts. For the interested developer, that is the documentation:

http://ziz.gp2x.de/documentation/files/sparrowNet-h.html#Compo4all_stuff

I will do some little changes the next days, but the main principle will be the same.

The main features are:

  • Account management for every program. So if your user don't have any C4A Profile Manager installed, create a global account IN your program. :D
  • All C4A tasks (commit scores, read scores and account creating, editing and deleting) are threaded. So you can carry on while the network stuff works in the background
  • Easy multiplatform commitment implementation
As next I think, I will implement some kind of application independent score commitment cache. Unfortunately the cache will only work with applications made with this library, not for applications using the original spaghetti client. However I have two reasons for the Cache:
  • Saving commits if network not avaible
  • Saving commits for devices, which are not able to connect to the internet at all. Basic idea: You made a highscore, you want to commit it, but your device (e.g. a Dingoo) can't, so instead your score(s) is/are written in a file. If you are back on PC, you read this file and the scores are committed. :D
I hope you enjoy the video and the Puzzletube beta. As said, the Manager will be testable tomorrow. :)
Good night,

Ziz
 
In case anyone cares, this is blessed by me (for whatever thats worth) .. I've not received a GCW yet, so if this works on that unit, we may well be able to sue it for account management there (and other devices).. so great stuff :)

ziz .. can you build a GCW package and get that out here for a few peeps to test? Is anyone carrying a current-mame build for gcw, we coudl tald with to add in some spaghetti-client type sync action? (of if I get a gcw, I can build it, no problem.)

More competition for everyone here :)

jeff
 
Surely the platform name should be gcw0 or suchlike, given the possibility of GCW producing a second/different console?
 
Don't think so. If I talk about the "gp2x" everyone knows I mean the old one, not the "gp2x caanoo" or the "gp2x wiz". I would think about a new name for the second model. Like "gcw2" or similar. However, this is internal developer stuff, as long as the user don't have to know, that the platform name is "gcw" and not "gcw0", "gcw-zero" or "GCW" everything is fine. ;)
 
Its not like I've well-defined it; i have rather assumed case-insensitive single word token, but hadn't co sidered version; ie: i'm a fan of not locking a spec up with complexity before you've thought about it ..


So go with gcw and we can add a sub-version number later if needed
 
I made a new version, in which you get a little text, what C4A is and the possibility to have a look at the online highscores without the need of milkys or skeezix website. Furthermore you can filter the list of games. Would someone like to test it?

http://ziz.gp2x.de/downloads/Sparrow-C4A-Manager/Sparrow-C4A-Manager.pnd

That does it look like now:

c4a.png


c4a2.png


c4a3.png


c4a4.png


greetings, Ziz
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes, it runs fine on my Pandora, and produces screens like you've attached (except it helpfully indicates to use the A button rather than the AltGr key.


One bug I've spotted: if you scroll to the bottom of any game's high score table, as soon as the bottom score goes past the bottom of the screen, the list disappears.


A couple of usability comments: In the account management, it tells me I can press A to add a letter. On Pandora you can just type straight away.


Up and down arrows work to scroll the high score table, but in other places you need to use the bumpers. That's a little inconsistent, and for me scrolling using bumper buttons, at least on the Pandora, feels a little strange.


After filtering and selecting a game in the game list, I expected to be able to select it using one of the standard action buttons, but actually you require us to hit Start. Even though this is documented on the page, it took me a few moments to notice.


In the account management screen, it wasn't clear that the Start button would connect to the server and record your edits. Labelling it something like '(Start) Save changes' might be clearer.


But even with those issues it's still much nicer than Skeezix's old client ;) And as far as I can tell the backend is fetching and pushing all the right values.
 
I removed the thing about pressing A. You are right, this makes only sense, if you need to use the onboard keyboard. ;)

The shoulder button thing I could change for the Pandora. However I think it is better to have to same input method on every device. And on GCW and Co you need the D-Pad for entering letters. :)

But thanks for the test! Cool, that it works. :D

About the empty list: Hm, maybe you are right and I should change this, too...
 
I slept a night about your suggestions, Levi, and implemented more. :D

Levi said:
One bug I've spotted: if you scroll to the bottom of any game's high score table, as soon as the bottom score goes past the bottom of the screen, the list disappears.
Click to expand...
I fixed that. Now you see at least the last score. :)
A couple of usability comments: In the account management, it tells me I can press A to add a letter. On Pandora you can just type straight away.
Click to expand...
This is fixed, too.
Up and down arrows work to scroll the high score table, but in other places you need to use the bumpers. That's a little inconsistent, and for me scrolling using bumper buttons, at least on the Pandora, feels a little strange.
Click to expand...
On system without the need of the onscreen keyboard the D-Pad now works every time. However, you can still use L and R if you are used to on other systems like the gcw. :)
After filtering and selecting a game in the game list, I expected to be able to select it using one of the standard action buttons, but actually you require us to hit Start. Even though this is documented on the page, it took me a few moments to notice.
Click to expand...
Fixed that.
In the account management screen, it wasn't clear that the Start button would connect to the server and record your edits. Labelling it something like '(Start) Save changes' might be clearer.
Click to expand...
Changed it to your suggestion.
But even with those issues it's still much nicer than Skeezix's old client ;) And as far as I can tell the backend is fetching and pushing all the right values.
Click to expand...
Thanks! :D
greetings,

Ziz
 
Awesome! It's all working great now. Can't think of anything to change, except it might be nice if we could left-right through text when editing it on Pandora (though I appreciate that wouldn't work on GCW0, for example).


I take it there's no way to see the current month's high scores yet? All time scores are essential, but most of the time I'm competing against only recently scored scores to give me more of a chance ;)
 
Atm there is no way. However I will implement your suggestion, when I am at home as I thought about it, too. :)
 
Implemented it. Just update your PND. ;)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great!  Very slick!

I'm slightly surprised that the month view seems to go back in time indefinitely, rather than looping back to the year view once there are no more scores to show (but I don't know if that's the sort of information you can get off skeezix's apis easily).  But that's only something you have to learn once, and it means there's only one way out of the all-time view back to last month's view, which makes sense.
 
As you may know, to not spam the C4A server with bad scores, but to ensure, that every score, that shall be send, is actually send, I do two thing:

  • I send only the score, if you made it to the local high score
  • At start of Puzzletube I check, whether your local highscore is already at the C4A server. If not I resend it.
This works perfect for the eternal highscore. But C4A does also support showing only scores of a specific month. Furthermore there are sometimes competitions to get the best score in a specific month. With this your good scores of a month will not be send, because you were better sometime earlier in another month.So I implemented a function to delete every third place of the hard mode (easy mode is not send anyway). With this you can send your best score of Puzzletube of C4A every month. :D

Edit: Oh and I need translations for "Delete every third place (for C4A)" for Finnish, Italian, Dutch and Norsk. Furthmore I put an "other" to the sentence "Any button: back", so it went to "Any other button: back". I need the change in the sentences for the languages above, too. This is, what I have:

fi:poistu painamalla mitä tahansa nappia

it:premi tasto per: Indietro

nl:Elke knop: terug

nb:Vilkårlig knapp: tilbake

Thanks!
 
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