drneau.com

[drneau]

Just wanted to give everyone an update.

I've squared away the restructuring of the console. I think all will be overjoyed with the improved editor.

I'm now focusing on the best way to implement the ability to handle different types of tournaments, such as "standard" (what you all know and love), "heads-up", "shootout", etc.

Sometimes, the best way for me to think is to just stop working for a little bit, and I think that's really helped here. Originally, I thought of these all as completely different types of tournaments, but after some thought I've found similarities that don't make them that different at all.

So, I'll share a bit of what I'm thinking and you can say, "yeah, that makes sense", or "you're nutzo".

A tournament is a tournament is a tournament, regardless of whether it is standard, heads-up, shootout, or whatever. The tool should be able to handle whatever you come up with...even something like this: "I want to have 8 players in a single-elimination heads-up sub-tournament and the winner goes on to play with the 7 other champs in a single table shootout!" Right? (That's my championship format for my home game...and it's the standard for what I want the tool to be able to do).

So, here's what ALL tournaments have in common:
- A tournament has an associated player database
- A tournament has a payout structure
- A tournament has tables
- Here's the new part: A tournament has one or more "matches"

What's a match? A match could be a pairing of two players in a heads-up tournament. It could be a five-player table in a multi-table shootout. It could be a 21 player freezeout. Essentially, a "match" is a sub-tournament.

What got me thinking along these lines were the fact that there's really no difference between a 16-player 4-table shootout and an 8-player heads-up tournament. Each tournament has players sitting at a table playing. Each has matches with the winner of a match moving on to the next match and the losers being done. The only difference is how many people are at the table.

Then, consider that what we're calling a "standard" tournament isn't really that different either...just that it is really one match with a lot of people.

So, a "match" has the following attributes:
- Has a subset of the players from the containing tournament participating in it.
- Takes place at one or more tables
- Has its own betting schedule
- Has meaningful links to other matches, such as "the winner moves on", or "the top two move on while the loser goes to a consolation match".

Matches are linked together into a "bracket". A standard tournament just has one match with a simple (basically non-existant) bracket. A 64-player heads-up tournament has 63 matches linked together into a bracket that looks like the NCAA basketball bracket.

Anyway, that's the kind of stuff that's going through my mind right now.

Related to this, I want the main console to have the ability to display information for multiple matches at one time.
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Dr. Neau (not a real doctor)
http://drneau.com
http://home.comcast.net/~jneau

[Dix]

{Phones his broker to increase holdings of Procter & Gamble}
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- Dix

[elefsea]

As a player and tourney organiser (about 18 players every 2nd Friday) over here in the wild desert of poker they call Germany, I would just like to say SOUNDS GREAT
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LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB 5 X EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS

[ledge]

Doc,

Makes sense to me. I think that whatever you do, someone - somewhere will have a problem with it. That being said, don't let it upset you. As long as the program does what you want it to do, then that is all that matters.

Keep up the great work man!

Ledge

[rastapete]

So I had this long reply that I thought I had posted but I look and it's not there. Probably just as well, what it boils down to is that no-one has spent as much time thinking about this stuff as you have, Doc.

Our initial hypothetical reactions are not likely have much that you haven't already thought of. Until it's in our hands and we throw all our real world weirdness at it, our analysis will be of very limited value.

BTW, the title of this thread made me think there was an updated beta coming out on December 6.

[Addicted]

You're a genious doc. Can I make a request along these lines? I frequently start with two or three tables in which the top two or three people from each table (or match) move on to the final table. To that end, is it possible to designate more than one winner from each match to move on to the next round?

And good luck in Vegas.

[drneau]

[rastapete]

I want to add that part of my original lost post was dedicated to an appreciation of the level of customer support that Doc delivers.

I use a Palm calendar application called DateBk, the customer support for which I've always considered the gold standard from all the developers, large & small, whose products I've purchased. Doc runs him pretty close though.

[pfapfap]

You're exactly the sort of person I want writing tournament software. Looking forward to it!
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[clay]

Doc,
The match idea is very interesting.
As I was reading it one scenario I couldn't quote envision is a "best of" series.
You know how head-up matches on TV are 2/3 or 3/5.
So inside the match there are "games."
Can your match system handle this? Maybe these would be sub tourneys.
Anyway, sounds very interesting. Rock on Good Dr.