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Options and preferences: gameoptions.json, gamepreferences.json

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Revision as of 22:35, 26 June 2021 by R3z3nd3 (talk | contribs) (Change "Game preferences" to "User preferences" for consistency)
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Game File Reference



Useful Components

Official

  • Deck: a PHP component to manage cards (deck, hands, picking cards, moving cards, shuffle deck, ...).
  • Draggable: a JS component to manage drag'n'drop actions.
  • Counter: a JS component to manage a counter that can increase/decrease (ex: player's score).
  • ExpandableSection: a JS component to manage a rectangular block of HTML than can be displayed/hidden.
  • Scrollmap: a JS component to manage a scrollable game area (useful when the game area can be infinite. Examples: Saboteur or Takenoko games).
  • Stock: a JS component to manage and display a set of game elements displayed at a position.
  • Zone: a JS component to manage a zone of the board where several game elements can come and leave, but should be well displayed together (See for example: token's places at Can't Stop).

Undocumented component (if somebody knows please help with docs)

  • Wrapper: a JS component to wrap a <div> element around its child, even if these elements are absolute positioned.

Unofficial



Game Development Process



Guides for Common Topics



Miscellaneous Resources

In this file, you can define your game options (i.e. game variants) and user preferences.

Note: If your game has no variants or preferences, you don't have to modify this file.

IMPORTANT: after you edited this file and syncronized to ftp folder you have to go to the control panel and press "Reload game options configuration" for your changes to take effect.

Make sure you understand difference bettween options and preferences:

  • Game options - something usually in the rule book defined as "variant" (except for 2,3,X people - that is automatically handled - you can query it)
  • User preferences - personal choices of each player only visible to that specific player - i.e. layout, either or not to prompt for action, ether or not auto-opt in in some actions, etc

Game Options

Game options are selected by the table creator and usually correspond to game variants, for example if the game includes expansions or certain special rules.

These variants are defined in gameoptions.inc.php as the $game_options variable:

 $game_options = array(...); // exactly named that

Each option is a pair in the format: number => 'option description array'.

All options defined in this file should have a corresponding "game state label" with the same ID (see "initGameStateLabels" in yourgame.game.php)

            self::initGameStateLabels ( array (
                       ...
                       "my_game_variant" => 100,
             ) );

Numbers have to be exactly from 100 to 199 (there can be gaps).

That is how you access them during runtime:

   public function isSecondVariant() {
       return $this->getGameStateValue('my_game_variant') == 2;
   }

Or this

   $this->gamestate->table_globals[100]

The following are the parameters of option description array:

  • name - mandatory. The name of the option visible for table creator. Value must be wrapped in totranslate function.
  • values - mandatory. The array (map) of values with additional parameters per value.
    • name - mandatory. String representation of the numeric value visible to table creator. Value must be wrapped in totranslate function.
    • description - String description of this value to use when the name of the option is not self-explanatory. Displayed at the table under the option when this value is selected.
    • tmdisplay - String representation of the option visible in the table description, usually if variant "names" are On and Off, but the description would be same as option name when On, and nothing when Off. (Warning: due to some caching, a change in tmdisplay may not be effective immediately in the studio, even after forcing a reload of gameoptions.inc.php.)
    • nobeginner - Set to true if not recommended for begginers
    • firstgameonly - Set to true if this option is recommended only for the first game (discovery option)
    • beta - Option in beta stage on development
    • premium - Option can be only used by premium members
  • default - indicates the default value to use for this option (optional, if not present the first value listed is the default)
  • displaycondition - checks the conditions before displaying the option for selection. All conditions must be true for the option to display. Supported condition types:
    • minplayers condition ensures at least this many players
    • maxplayers conditions ensure at most this many players
    • otheroption condition ensures another option is set to this given values.
    • otheroptionisnot conditions ensure another option is NOT set to this given values
  • displayconditionoperand - can be 'and' (this is the default) or 'or'. Allows to change the behaviour to display the option if one of the conditions is true instead of all of them.
  • startcondition - checks the conditions (on options VALUES) before starting the game. All conditions must be true for the game to start, otherwise players will get a red error message when attempting to begin the game. Supported condition types:
    • minplayers condition ensures at least this many players
    • maxplayers conditions ensure at most this many players
    • otheroption conditions ensure another option is set to this given values. That works the same as in displaycondition.
    • otheroptionisnot conditions ensure another option is NOT set to this given value. That works the same as in displaycondition.
  • notdisplayedmessage - if option is not suppose to be visible because of displaycondition but this is set, the text will be visible instead of combo drop down

Common options for all tables (reserved range 200-299):

  • 201 (const GAMESTATE_RATING_MODE) - ELO OFF (aka Training mode),
  • 200 (const GAMESTATE_CLOCK_MODE) - game speed profile, array(0,1,2) - realtime, values 11-21 - turn based

Example:

 $game_options = array(
     100 => array(
         'name' => totranslate('my game option'),
         'values' => array(
             // A simple value for this option:
             1 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('option 1')
             ),

             // A simple value for this option.
             // If this value is chosen, the value of "tmdisplay" is displayed in the game lobby
             2 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('option 2'),
                 'tmdisplay' => totranslate('option 2')
             ),

             // Another value, with other options:
             //  beta=true => this option is in beta version right now.
             //  nobeginner=true  =>  this option is not recommended for beginners
             3 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('option 3'),
                 'beta' => true,
                 'nobeginner' => true
             ),
         ),
         'default' => 1
     ),
     
     101 => array(
         'name' => totranslate('Draft variant'),
         'values' => array(
             1 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('No draft')
             ),
             2 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('Draft'),
                 'tmdisplay' => totranslate('Draft'),
                 'premium' => true,
                 'nobeginner' => true
             ),
         ),
         'displaycondition' => array( 
             // Note: do not display this option unless these conditions are met
             array(
                 'type' => 'otheroption',
                 'id' => 100, // Game specific option defined in the same array above
                 'value' => array(2, 3, 4)
             ),
             // Note: do not display this option unless these conditions are met
            array( 'type' => 'otheroption', 
                 'id' => 201, // ELO OFF hardcoded framework option
                 'value' => 1 // 1 if OFF
            )
         ),

         'startcondition' => array(
             1 => array(),
             2 => array(
                 array(
                     'type' => 'maxplayers',
                     'value' => 3,
                     'message' => totranslate('Draft option is available for 3 players maximum.')
                 )
             ),
         ),
     ),
     
     102 => array(
         'name' => totranslate('Takeovers'),
         'values' => array(
             2 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('No takeover')
             ),
             1 => array(
                 'name' => totranslate('Allow takeovers'),
                 'tmdisplay' => totranslate('Takeovers'),
                 'premium' => true,
                 'nobeginner' => true
             ),
         ),
         'displaycondition' => array( // Note: do not display this option unless these conditions are met
             array(
                 'type' => 'otheroption',
                 'id' => 100,
                 'value' => array(3, 4)
             )
         ),
         'startcondition' => array(
             2 => array(),
             1 => array(
                 array(
                     'type' => 'maxplayers',
                     'value' => 2,
                     'message' => totranslate('Rebel vs Imperium Takeover Scenario is available for 2 players only.')
                 )
             ),
         ),
     )
 );

Example of option that condition on ELO off

$game_options = array(

        100 => array(
                'name' => totranslate('Learning Game (No Research)'),
                'values' => array(
                        
                        1 => array( 'name' => totranslate('Off'), 'tmdisplay' => totranslate('') ),
                        2 => array( 'name' => totranslate('On'), 'tmdisplay' => totranslate('Learning Game') ),
                        
                ),
                'displaycondition' => array(
                        // Note: do not display this option unless these conditions are met
                        array( 'type' => 'otheroption',
                                'id' => 201, // ELO OFF hardcoded framework option
                                'value' => 1, // 1 if OFF

                        )
                ),
                'notdisplayedmessage' => totranslate('Learning variant available only with ELO off')
                ),

);

Example of condition that is only available for REALTIME game mode

'displaycondition' => array(
    // Note: do not display this option until these conditions are met - game speed is selected as realtime
    array( 'type' => 'otheroption', 'id' => GAMESTATE_CLOCK_MODE, 'value' => array(0,1,2) )
),

Example of using condition on your own option

        102 => array(
                'name' => totranslate('Scenarios'),
                'values' => array(
                        1 => array( 'name' => totranslate('Off'),
                                'nobeginner' => false  ),
                        2 => array( 'name' => totranslate('On'), 'tmdisplay' => totranslate('Scenarios'),
                                'nobeginner' => true  ),
                        
                ),
                'displaycondition' => array(
                        // Note: do not display this option unless these conditions are met
                        array( 'type' => 'otheroptionisnot',
                                'id' => 100, // learning variant
                                'value' => 2, // 1 if OFF,2 is ON
                                
                        )
                ),
                'notdisplayedmessage' => totranslate('Scenarios variant is not available if Learning variant is chosen')
        ),

User Preferences

User preferences is something cosmetic about the game interface which however can create user wars, so you can satisfy all users by giving them individual preferences. You should use this only if it significantly improves the interface for a large proportion of users.

$game_preferences = array(
    100 => array(
        'name' => totranslate('Notation style'),
        'needReload' => true, // after user changes this preference game interface would auto-reload
        'values' => array(
            1 => array( 'name' => totranslate( 'Classic' ), 'cssPref' => 'notation_classic' ),
            2 => array( 'name' => totranslate( 'Tournament' ), 'cssPref' => 'notation_tournament' )
        ),
        'default' => 2
    )
);

There is two ways to check/apply this. In java Script

 if (this.prefs[100].value == 2) ...

This checks if preferences 100 has selected value 2.

Second, if cssPref specified it will be applied to the <html> tag. So you can use different css styling for the preference. Note: it seems needed to set needReload to true for that class change to be effective.

As user you have to select them from the Gear menu when game is started. On studio only user0 will have it actually working (bug?).

The following are the parameters of preferences description array:

  • name - mandatory. The name of the preference. Value will be automatically wrapped in totranslate if you don't.
  • needReload - If set to true, the game interface will auto-reload after a change of the preference.
  • values - mandatory. The array (map) of values with additional parameters per value.
    • name - mandatory. String representation of the numeric value. Value will be automatically wrapped in totranslate if you don't.
    • cssPref - CSS class to add to the <html> tag. Currently it is added or removed only after a reload (see needReload).
  • default - Indicates the default value to use for this preference (optional, if not present the first value listed is the default).

Listening for preference changes

The BGA framework lacks any callback to notify your game when a user preference is changed (see proposal #36), but you can create your own if you need to run some UI code in response to a preference change.

In ggg.js
    setup: function (gamedatas) {
      ... // your setup code here
      this.setupPreference();
    },
    
    setupPreference: function () {
      // Extract the ID and value from the UI control
      var _this = this;
      function onchange(e) {
        var match = e.target.id.match(/^preference_[cf]ontrol_(\d+)$/);
        if (!match) {
          return;
        }
        var prefId = +match[1];
        var prefValue = +e.target.value;
        _this.prefs[prefId].value = prefValue;
        _this.onPreferenceChange(prefId, prefValue);
      }
      
      // Call onPreferenceChange() when any value changes
      dojo.query(".preference_control").connect("onchange", onchange);
      
      // Call onPreferenceChange() now
      dojo.forEach(
        dojo.query("#ingame_menu_content .preference_control"),
        function (el) {
          onchange({ target: el });
        }
      );
    },
    
    onPreferenceChange: function (prefId, prefValue) {
      console.log("Preference changed", prefId, prefValue);
      ... // your code here to handle the change
    },

Updating preference from code

The BGA framework lacks any method to update a user preference from the code (see proposal #36), but you can create your own if you need to.

In ggg.js
    updatePreference: function(prefId, newValue) {
        // Select preference value in control:
        dojo.query('#preference_control_' + prefId + ' > option[value="' + newValue
        // Also select fontrol to fix a BGA framework bug:
            + '"], #preference_fontrol_' + prefId + ' > option[value="' + newValue
            + '"]').forEach((value) => dojo.attr(value, 'selected', true));
        // Generate change event on control to trigger callbacks:
        const newEvt = document.createEvent('HTMLEvents');
        newEvt.initEvent('change', false, true);
        $('preference_control_' + prefId).dispatchEvent(newEvt);
    },