Mobile user volunteers - ready to try

[super_dipsy]

OK guys

If you go to http://www.playdiplomacy.com/dev and log in as a dummy, you can try out the mobile orders and feed back on whether you think it is helpful or not. I am most interested in your verdicts - if it IS helpful for mobile use, then we shall probably put it up for everyone to try.

So, I recommend you log in as dummya with a password of mob
If you want to try a different country, the dummies a-f are all in the game and you can log in as any of them with the same password. But dummya has more units and more possible orders to try.

The way you get to the mobile interface is click the Orders tab and then select

Mobile order entry

This will open up a new window that you can now use to submit your orders. The idea of a new window is you can keep popping back to the map window to take a look.

[V]

Works nice. No more fat finger issues, trying to touch “move” (not “support”). Thanks as always.

[SteveHybrid]

Thanks for this Dipsy. It's a great looking interface.

Perhaps there should be a notification when submitting an order on the mobile order entry. I found myself clicking submit a few times just to make sure the entry went through.

I like and dislike how when you move a unit it only shows the territory you can legally move to. Example: Moscow can only move to 5 adjacent territories and those are the only ones listed. This does two things; 1. Helps users quickly select where they want to go as there isn't a long list of territories to choose from and 2. This will prevent people from entering in illegal moves.

Preventing users from entering illegal moves is something that's been discussed before. It can change a few things. Especially in Gunboat when you're trying to signal to another country or you purposely want to 'mess up'. The flip side is having a huge list of every territory int he game when you're on mobile just trying to enter in quick orders.

This also creates another problem with support orders. I'm using DummyB playing as Germany. My Ber (Army) can't support anyone but their own territories. So I can't support Paris into Burgundy or anything like that. I can't even use Munich to support Kiel into Moscow. (Not that I'd want to but I should be able to)

I am also curious as to will this mobile function be forced upon mobile users or is it an option. I really like the interface and think it works great however I truly dislike it popping up a second tab. Personally, I like to see the map while I’m putting my orders in so I can double, triple check everything. Also, with more than just three or four units. I can see myself going back and forth quite often from the Map Tab into Mobile Entry order tab, then back to map to see my outstanding units that need orders then back to order entry etc just to get ten or so units all done.

The order Solver on the main site allows you to pull a full list of each unit that the country has and is in need of orders. Like this;

Is it possible the mobile entry order function can do something similar? Instead of giving us one territory to select from, it could list all the ones for our country and allow us to input orders then submit from there? I think this would help when people have more than just a few orders to enter.

[super_dipsy]

I like and dislike how when you move a unit it only shows the territory you can legally move to. Example: Moscow can only move to 5 adjacent territories and those are the only ones listed. This does two things; 1. Helps users quickly select where they want to go as there isn't a long list of territories to choose from and 2. This will prevent people from entering in illegal moves.

Whatever we do will ONLY be an option. The old mechanism will still be there. This also gets around the drawback of limiting the options to legal moves that you mention because you can always misorder and claim you were using the normal interface and not the mobile one. Of course, you are right that the reason it is done this way is it avoids huge pulldown menus of all the locations on the board for every unit.

This also creates another problem with support orders. I'm using DummyB playing as Germany. My Ber (Army) can't support anyone but their own territories. So I can't support Paris into Burgundy or anything like that. I can't even use Munich to support Kiel into Moscow. (Not that I'd want to but I should be able to)

Ah, yes that is a bug Thanks for bringing it up

can see myself going back and forth quite often from the Map Tab into Mobile Entry order tab, then back to map to see my outstanding units that need orders then back to order entry etc just to get ten or so units all done.

The order Solver on the main site allows you to pull a full list of each unit that the country has and is in need of orders. Like this; Image

Is it possible the mobile entry order function can do something similar? Instead of giving us one territory to select from, it could list all the ones for our country and allow us to input orders then submit from there? I think this would help when people have more than just a few orders to enter.

This is one of the area where I went through agonies trying to decide the best thing to so. I realize a separate tab on a mobile is irritation - you can't drag it around on the window like you can on a browser. I also considered the 'full list of units' approach you mention, like the orders solver, but I was worried that if you have a lot of units it is going to be messy.

Another option I considered was to have the separate window opening but then closing it when the order is entered. Then apart from when you are actually entering the order, you will be back to the map. But then I thought that wasn't much different than moving between the order and map window.

But I am open to suggestions. This was why I wanted to get a few people to try it

[NJLonghorn]

I spent a little time looking at the new interface, and I don't see myself as a user. I don't have much of a problem with the current interface (although bigger buttons would be nice) and switching windows would be a pain.

Regarding some of the comments above:

• I object to anything that prevents entry of illegal orders. That's a small but sometimes important part of the game.

• Some tweaking is needed to make sure all possible orders can be ordered. For example, support can be offered for a nearby unit or for a unit that is convoying all the way across the continent. And the recipient of the support might be one of your own units, or an ally's unit, or even an unwanted recipient.

[super_dipsy]

• I object to anything that prevents entry of illegal orders. That's a small but sometimes important part of the game.

So do I, which is why you can still claim to have misordered because you use the non-mobile interface! Remember this is only an option, so you can always say you don't use it.

[super_dipsy]

If I can find a way to show the menu interface in a dialog box like the current interface does and still trigger the mobile interface for selection, that might sort out the issue.

But let me ask this. Suppose the window closes after each order, taking you back to the map. Suppose it also triggers by clicking somewhere on the map. So the process would be
- click on map
- new window opens with the order menus
- on submit, the new window disappears and you are back on the map

Does that make it any better?

[NJLonghorn]

• I object to anything that prevents entry of illegal orders. That's a small but sometimes important part of the game.

So do I, which is why you can still claim to have misordered because you use the non-mobile interface! Remember this is only an option, so you can always say you don't use it.

I also think accidental mis-orders should remain a possibility. I gained a major advantage in a game the other day because an opponent tried to move from StP(nc) to the Norwegian Sea. Having a pre-selected number of correct moves would prevent that from happening.

[SteveHybrid]

So the mobile entry function is an option and users still have the ability to miss-order, thus a full list of territories a unit can act upon is not needed in the drop down menu. These are both great things.

After some further reviewing, I believe the way the mobile order window is a separate window is better than a pop up. We’re already short on space and having that window floating around may become too much. However, being forced to jump back and forth from tab to tab only to enter one order may become annoying after the 10th game where you have many units. So I still think being able to enter more than one order on that mobile interface would be nice.

Having the window close after each time you enter an order also sounds nice. Personally, I think I’ll end up double, triple checking every order just to make sure it did in fact go through unless there is a very clear confirmation that the order has been entered. A disappearing window may sway some to think “damn the window just disappeared” rather than “great the order was entered”.

Also, someone mentioned larger buttons and that makes sense, the buttons are a bit small and I can see how some may have trouble with it. Perhaps we can kill two birds with this update.

[super_dipsy]

We can give more than one order in teh window a try.

Also, someone mentioned larger buttons and that makes sense, the buttons are a bit small and I can see how some may have trouble with it. Perhaps we can kill two birds with this update.

Which buttons were you thinking of?