The game interface offers numerous facilities to the players.In the Game Management option or Game Controls on the created table there are four buttons. The first and the last one are used to switch between the interface panels. The question mark moves a player to the help file and clicking X makes the player leave the game.
There are two dots on the right.
The upper dot shows the state of server connection:
Dark green - active connection
Orange - ping over 30 sec.
Red - no connection (in a while the connection will be restored automatically)
Light green - restoring the connection.
Clicking the lower dot will disconnect and reconnect to the server. It is useful when problems with connection or breaking the connection occur.
At the top of the window there are also buttons referring to the chat look, table settings and filters:
Sorting:
Sorting the tables according to the numbers,
According to the table type with a challenge (the other tables according to the numbers);
According to the player (the other tables according to the numbers),
According to being occupied - unoccupied, occupied, occupied with an observer, occupied, private;
Sequence:
Decreasing - according to the decreasing results;
Increasing - according to the increasing results;
Filter:
Off - displays all tables
Unoccupied - displays the tables to be joined to start the game only
Public - displays public tables only
Private - displays private tables only
With challenge - displays the tables with challenge only
Player - displays the tables with the player marked on the players' list
TIPS
To facilitate the service and to make the interface more intelligible the so-called TIPS have been introduced. They are small descriptive windows which are displayed when the cursor is moved to some elements in the interface, e.g. a player's nick in the player's list, table parameters setting indicator, etc.
CREATING A TABLE
All the table preferences one wishes to create are set here.
Table Settings
A player can choose between three different table settings:
Private table - a closed table which can be joined by a player only when he is invited to the game.
Public table - an open table which can be joined by any player.
Challenge table - a kind of a public table; the possible setting when a player does not wait for a particular opponent but wants to challenge any opponent. Such tables are marked with different graphics design just to distinguish them from the other ones.
If the results of the games played at the table are supposed to influence the players' rating, mark the Rated Game. Otherwise it is a parlor game whose result influences the statistics only but does not change the rating.
Selecting the Rating limit option enables players to define the range of the rating of the opponents they wish to play with.
Time/Move is the number of seconds a player is offered to consider one move. If the time is over and the player does not make a move, the computer will make a move automatically. It is also possible to set the Time Increase for each movement that follows
Time/Round is the number of minutes a player is offered to play the whole round. If the time is over, the player cannot make a move and loses the game.
If a player does not want any company while playing, the option No Watchers can be set.
No immediate returns using it does not allow the opponent to return to the previous position in the next move. The stone can be moved to the position in a subsequent move.
Escape=Pause - players can use this option and save the result when e.g. one of the players is disconnected from the game. Also, when the game is being played, the window which allows a player to select the time of pausing the game is displayed after the pause has been clicked. The precise description is to be found below at the SafeGame module.
LOCAL SETTINGS
It is also possible to select Simple interface (the graphics with fewer colors).
Switching on and off the Audio Alert option means switching on and off the sound while playing.
If a player wishes no invitations to the table from other players, he can set the No invitations options. In that case all invitations will be rejected automatically.
GAME INTERFACE
A player can change the game interface choosing between a small and a big table.
SAFEGAME
The game is equipped with the so-called SafeGame mechanism.
The option operation includes:
1. Searching
If a player is disconnected while playing, there are 7 minutes to reconnect to the table; a counter is displayed at the opponents' and the countdown starts.
When a player is logging on to any room, the window with the information that the game is started in room …… at the table …… is displayed. If the player accepts the offer to return to the table, he returns to the game. Otherwise it is regarded as an escape.
2. SAVING GAME
If the option Escape=Pause is switched on in the table settings, the game will not be stopped but paused when one of the players is disconnected from the game. The current game situation will be saved in the game server..
3. Pausing the game
If the opponents wish to pause the game for some time and continue it later, the Pause Game option in the Game Controls is set. The player asking for a pause can choose between the definite pausing time (the possibility of setting the number of minutes) and pausing for an indefinite space of time. Having paused the game, the information to the players and the Continue button which resumes the game are displayed. In case of the limited pause time, the game will be resumed after that time. If the game was paused for indefinite time, each player can leave the table. The game is not paused then but it is saved at the server like in case of Escape=Pause.
4. Resuming game
If players with an unfinished game sit at the table, the suggestion to resume the game will be displayed. If accepted, the game will start where it was paused. If rejected, the game will remain saved at the server until a new game is started by the players.
THE LIST OF ROOMS AND PLAYERS
Room list
There is a list of rooms here among which a player can switch the main chat just clicking the room. If a player is already playing at any table, the game remains in the room where it was started.
On the right of the room name there are two numbers, e.g. 98/15. The first one marks the number of players in the room and the second one the number of tables. If there is an asterisk in at the numbers, it means that the room has an admin. It is possible to create the definite number of tables in each room. If the number of tables in the room is equal to this number, the room name is displayed in grey.
The room list includes the public rooms exclusively. The league and private rooms are not included
The list of players in the room
When a player's nick is double-clicked, the precise information about him is displayed:
Player: nick
Rating: the current player's rating
Games completed: the number of games the player participated in
Games abandoned: the number of games paused by the player
Wins: the number of games won
Loses: the number of games lost
Draws: the number of draws
Streak: shows the ratio of winnings and loses (e.g. for a player with 5 winnings and 10 loses the series is -5 )
Tables: the number of tables and the table numbers the player is currently playing at
Inactive: the time for which a player has not performed any operation (playing, chatting)
Ping: shows how much time it takes for player's move (or a chat message) to reach the opponent.
Double-clicking the right mouse button a player's name enters the nick into the chat line.