[Rain]

We have created a new version of BBO with a pretty big change and so hoping to get feedback from BBFers. If you are interested in helping in this beta test, this is the URL to use to launch the beta client. http://www.bridgebas...client/beta.php
Please discuss the changes in this thread.

What's new:

• You will notice a new button under "Featured Area" that says "Bridge Movies". This is our educational content project. Please visit to browse the available movies at various difficulty levels. We hope to add on to this, so any authors, feel free to create your own and submit them. We are publishing only free material right now.

• Human Declare tourneys no longer switch players to the North seat. Instead, the player will declare when sitting South like many here have requested.

• The big change is in tournament listing. Please play with this new way of sorting tournaments if you can. There is a search box (you can search for $5, Indiv, etc, anything in the visible field), tournaments can be filtered, they display a quick summary (click tourney itself to see details), and creator of tourney is now clickable in case you want to see his profile or ask questions.

[inquiry]

There is a tutorial on how to create bridge movies in the bridge library (film library?) for anyone wanting to create their own movies. If you have any general questions about the process we can start a new thread to deal with those, or you can private message me here or via email at inquiry at bridgebase dot com.

[Rain]

For any author interested, logging in at the "bridge author" link will also contain a help file with details. But the editor tool is meant to be simple to use.

[diana_eva]

It would be good to clear browser's cache before you try this new client:

http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache

[Bbradley62]

 Rain, on 2012-October-04, 09:03, said:

*The big change is in tournament listing. Please play with this new way of sorting tournaments if you can. There is a search box (you can search for $5, Indiv, etc, anything in the visible field), tournaments can be filtered, they display a quick summary (click tourney itself to see details), and creator of tourney is now clickable in case you want to see his profile or ask questions.

I don't see what problem you're trying to fix here. The search box doesn't do anything that that current format doesn't do. The current sortable table of tournaments is certainly more convenient than the upcoming "separate two-line box for each tourney".

[Bbradley62]

 Bbradley62, on 2012-October-04, 11:57, said:

The search box doesn't do anything that that current format doesn't do.

Ok... I just found the actual search box... it was beyond the right margin of my main screen box, and the header area is fixed-width, not variable. Still unhappy about the format and inability to sort.

[patroclo]

When a lin file movie editor.
Gigi

[mink]

Tourney list format: The title is white on blue and the details back on white. This requires a lot of visual adaption when reading. Title and details are in the same column without indentation. This makes it difficult to get an overview over the tourneys available. I would prefer host name and Register-button to be located at the leftmost position, as I am used to read host and title in this order. In the details I would like to know if it is a clocked or unclocked tourney. The German translation contains an error: "Matchpoints" are not "Masterpunkte" - better do not translate this term. On the other hand, some text that could be easily translated, remains in English, producing some language mixture. The running tourneys still do not display how long the tourney will last, so if I have a registration for a new tourney with a player still playing in an old tourney, I have no idea if this tourney will be finished before the new tourney starts. The info display of a running tourney is too narrow for most tourney titles.

As far as filters are concerned, it would be great if I was able to filter away all tourneys that I am not allowed to play in, because I am not member of that club, low tcr, etc.

Movies are just great.

Karl

[Rain]

Thanks. Translation I think we can fix for sure. Some valid concerns like the search box not being visible, but all have to wait for Fred. He'll read this when he's back.

[StanR]

 diana_eva, on 2012-October-04, 11:54, said:

It would be good to clear browser's cache before you try this new client:

http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache

That clears cookies, not the cache, and I would HOPE this new version wouldn't require clearing all cookies.

[dave251164]

The bridge movies are a wonderful idea and could well prove to be an excellent learning resource for players. Dividing the movies up by topic and ability level helps players find what they require to help them improve their game. My only concern would be why limit the possible audiences for the movies by charging for them? An alternative would be for authors and teachers to do it for the free publicity for their products/services - using hands from their books to advertise them or teaching hands along with their contact details? If a fee must be charged to look at what could hopefully be thousands of educational/interesting movies then it should be a nominal one of a few cents. If more were to be charged previews of the movies should be offered free to let players decide if it is suitable for their needs and worth paying for or maybe greatly discounted daily/weekly/monthly/yearly fees could be charged to watch as many movies as you wish in that time.

The change in the method of listing tournaments is a backward step which I really don't like at all. The double line listings take up alot of space so you see fewer of what's coming up without reducing the size of your chat box and the colours and format are not as easy to read and to take the information in as before.

[inquiry]

 dave251164, on 2012-October-05, 17:20, said:

The bridge movies are a wonderful idea and could well prove to be an excellent learning resource for players. Dividing the movies up by topic and ability level helps players find what they require to help them improve their game. My only concern would be why limit the possible audiences for the movies by charging for them? An alternative would be for authors and teachers to do it for the free publicity for their products/services - using hands from their books to advertise them or teaching hands along with their contact details? If a fee must be charged to look at what could hopefully be thousands of educational/interesting movies then it should be a nominal one of a few cents. If more were to be charged previews of the movies should be offered free to let players decide if it is suitable for their needs and worth paying for or maybe greatly discounted daily/weekly/monthly/yearly fees could be charged to watch as many movies as you wish in that time.

The change in the method of listing tournaments is a backward step which I really don't like at all. The double line listings take up alot of space so you see fewer of what's coming up without reducing the size of your chat box and the colours and format are not as easy to read and to take the information in as before.

There are free movies right now from Mike Lawrence (only one posted, but other one could be posted at anytime), Larry Cohen, Fred Gitelman, Phil Addler, Billy Miller, Danny Kleinman and Nick Straguzzi. The concept of charging for movies is to provide authors the choice. Of course, they could offer them for free, or they could try to charge for them. That would be up to the authors. Of course, I don't think every bridge movie someone writes will get published, there will surely be a review process, and perhaps the ones that cost money will get a more rigorous review.

[Jimmmy2]

It would be nice to have a forward button as well as the back button. To speed up navigating. Also in the standard play layout the word "Table" is too hard for new people to find and realize what it does. Much chatting trying to explain how to use it. Something like "Click here for display of Table controls, dealer only" instead of just "Table". Often the player thinks the chat's word "Table" is the click on point.

[FM75]

I would recommend bifurcating this topic.

The new tournament part of the beta client is poor. It has a very bad GUI and reduced functionality. It is troubling that this even saw the light of day.

The "movie/store" part is an exciting step forward. It promises tremendous advances in that art, as well as an interesting glimpse into a new business model.

[Rain]

Free movie for consumer does not mean it's free to produce. And it probably will be possible to get the highest movies only by allowing those authors to charge for their service or gain benefits in some other way. We're not near getting paid movies though, only interested in free ones at all levels for now.

[Rain]

What do you see a "forward" button doing Jimmmy2?

[c3cummins]

when I log out and back in it reverts to the old version

[Maurice]

The first thing I'd like to see is a different color for each type of tourney - for instance, I click on Robot Tourneys, and there is a mass of the same blue for every style of tourney. Make the ACBL tourneys gold color, the robot races green, the bingo black, etc... as it sits, it's tough to distinguish the variant of tourney you want to play. I do like how the search filters the tourney very quickly, but then I have to type! How about adding a drop down list with each style there so I can filter without typing?

As someone else mentioned, I'm not crazy about the two line style of advertising the tourney - seems cluttered. BUT, I do like having the Register button right there, rather than having to click twice to register.

[Moonchild4]

The free tournament listings are too busy. Perhaps the private tourneys & ones with language/country restrictions could be listed separately or in different colours? The beta tourney listing format makes it harder to pinpoint a specific tourney & some like the free robot ones (only 10 spots available) are very time sensitive.

[Bbradley62]

 Maurice, on 2012-October-08, 13:42, said:

BUT, I do like having the Register button right there, rather than having to click twice to register.

I don't understand this comment. You still have to click the "Register" button and then "Register to Play!", which is the same as it is now.