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Options and preferences: gameoptions.json, gamepreferences.json: Difference between revisions
Victoria La (talk | contribs) m (→Game Options) |
JoeProgram (talk | contribs) (Added picture of where user preferences shows up, added note about colorblind mode for other people who search for it in the future) |
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User preferences is something cosmetic about the game interface which however can create user wars, so you can satisfy all users | 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. | by giving them individual preferences. You should use this only if it significantly improves the interface for a large proportion of users. | ||
[[File:century_preferences_menu.PNG|400px|The user preferences menu for the game Century]] | |||
These preferences appear in the three-line hamburger menu in the top corner of the bga menu. "Display game logs" and Display tooltips" are baked-in by default, but you can extend this list as below. | |||
<blockquote> | |||
''These preferences are a good place to put accessibility options - as Century did for its Colorblind Support.'' | |||
</blockquote> | |||
<pre> | <pre> | ||
Revision as of 15:21, 22 February 2022
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 in the lobby. Usually if a variant values are On and Off (default), the tmdisplay would be same as description name when On, and nothing (empty string) 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.) Pro Tip: You can use this as a pre-game communication by adding fake options that just do nothing in the game but make it easier to find other player wanted the same game configuration (see the crew deep sea for example).
- 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.
- gamestartonly if you have options that are exclusive, for example for a solo mode: you can have a maxplayer of 1 for one option and a minplayer of 2 for an other option and you will be stuck. See below for an example.
- 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 (technically <10 realtime but you cannot define range in php), values >=10 - turn based (currently 10..21)
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')
),
Example of gamestartonly:
102 => array(
'name' => totranslate('Mode'),
'values' => array(
1 => array(
'name' => totranslate('Normal')
),
2 => array(
'name' => totranslate('Solo'),
),
),
'startcondition' => array(
1 => array(
array(
'type' => 'minplayers',
'value' => 2,
'message' => totranslate('Normal mode is 2 for players or more'),
'gamestartonly' => true,
)
),
2 => array(
array(
'type' => 'maxplayers',
'value' => 1,
'message' => totranslate('Solo mode is for 1 player'),
'gamestartonly' => true,
)
),
),
)
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.
These preferences appear in the three-line hamburger menu in the top corner of the bga menu. "Display game logs" and Display tooltips" are baked-in by default, but you can extend this list as below.
These preferences are a good place to put accessibility options - as Century did for its Colorblind Support.
$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);
},
Accessing User Preferences on the server
Surprise, surprise - this is lacking too. Mostly. There is a variable you can acesses called $this->player_preferences. This contains table of user preferences, ONLY accessible in setupNewGame(). You can use this to populate a table that you manage yourself. The table has to be updated when user changes preference (and you have to hook up a lister and initiate a special axac call out-of-turn). Check the code of Agricola for details but this should work:.
- In dbmodel.sql
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `user_preferences` ( `player_id` int(10) NOT NULL, `pref_id` int(10) NOT NULL, `pref_value` int(10) NOT NULL, PRIMARY KEY (`player_id`, `pref_id`) ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;
- In ggg.game.php
protected function setupNewGame($players, $options = array())
{
// TODO: Save $this->player_preferences: key is player_id, value is array with pref_id as key and pref_value as value
}
- In ggg.js
setup(gamedatas) {
...
this.initPreferencesObserver();
},
initPreferencesObserver() {
dojo.query('.preference_control').on('change', (e) => {
const match = e.target.id.match(/^preference_[cf]ontrol_(\d+)$/);
if (!match) {
return;
}
const pref = match[1];
const newValue = e.target.value;
this.prefs[pref].value = newValue;
this.onPreferenceChange(pref, newValue);
});
},
onPreferenceChange(prefId, prefValue) {
prefId = parseInt(prefId);
if (prefId === 101 /*TODO: You probably want to send only some preferences*/) {
// TODO: Code your own action in ggg.action.php and send it prefId and prefValue
// The on the server side you can save it all in the user_preferences
// table you created above.
}
},