Difference between revisions of "Player's Guide V2.6"

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* Hit the refresh button before making a move.
* Hit the refresh button before making a move.


== Getting Started ==
== The Log In Page ==
=== The Log In Page ===
The entry point to BOARD18 is a page with some introductory text and a log in form. Once you have a player ID and a password, you should enter them on this form and press the '''Login''' button to start a BOARD18 session.
The entry point to BOARD18 is a page with some introductory text and a log in form. Once you have a player ID and a password, you should enter them on this form and press the '''Login''' button to start a BOARD18 session.


To get a player ID and a password press the '''Register''' button on the log in form. This will present you with a registration form that you can use to create a player ID and a password. You must enter a first name, a last name and an email address on the form. The email address will be used to send you some automated Emails for situations such as lost passwords and notification that you have been added to or removed from a game. Also a site administrator will be able to use it to contact you in problem situations. '''<span style="color: Fuchsia">But no other player will have access to your email address.</span>''' The first and last name fields will help other players to find your player ID and to add you to a game that you have agreed to join.
=== Getting a Player ID ===
To get a player ID and a password press the '''Register''' button on the log in form. This will present you with a registration form that you can use to create a player ID and a password. You must enter a first name, a last name and an email address on the form.  


==== Email Address Field ====
The required Email address must use all lower case letters. An Email address is case insensitive, so a lower case version will work even if you usually use upper case. <br>The BOARD18 database is not case insensitive and this restriction helps us to avoid duplicate Email addresses.<br><br>
NOTE: The email address will be used to send you some automated Emails for situations such as lost passwords and notification that you have been added to or removed from a game. <br>Also a site administrator will be able to use it to contact you in problem situations. '''<span style="color: Fuchsia">But no other player will have access to your email address.</span>'''
====Name Fields ====
The first and last name fields are required to help other players to find your player ID and to add you to a game that you have agreed to join.
=== Help ===
Pressing the '''Help''' button on the log in form will transfer you to this WIKI page. Use the back arrow button to return to BOARD18.
Pressing the '''Help''' button on the log in form will transfer you to this WIKI page. Use the back arrow button to return to BOARD18.


=== Forgot your Player ID? ===
Pressing the '''Forgot your Player ID?''' button on the log in form will present you with a form for requesting that your Player ID be Emailed to you.
Pressing the '''Forgot your Player ID?''' button on the log in form will present you with a form for requesting that your Player ID be Emailed to you.


Pressing the '''Forgot your Password?''' button on the log in form will present you with a form for requesting that a temporary password be Emailed to you.
=== Forgot your Password? ===
Pressing the '''Forgot your Password?''' button on the log in form will present you with a form for requesting that a temporary password be Emailed to you. You will be required to replace this temporary password when you next log in.


Checking the '''Remember Me''' box on the log in form will cause BOARD18 to track you via a cookie and to log you back in automatically if you get accidentally disconnected or if your session times out.
=== Remember Me ===
Checking the '''Remember Me''' box on the log in form will cause BOARD18 to track you via a cookie and to log you back in automatically if you get accidentally disconnected or if your session times out. This is an optional convenience that you may ignore. Depending how you have set your security options on your browser this feature may be disabled.


== The BOARD18 Main Page ==
== The BOARD18 Main Page ==
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[[Player's Guide V2.4 Miscellaneous Action Page|"Miscellaneous Action Page"]] for that game.<br>
[[Player's Guide V2.4 Miscellaneous Action Page|"Miscellaneous Action Page"]] for that game.<br>
Clicking on '''MENU''' and '''Make New Game''' will link to the  
Clicking on '''MENU''' and '''Make New Game''' will link to the  
[[Player's Guide V2.4 Creating A Game|"Start a New Game Session"]] page.<br>
[[Player's Guide V2.5 Creating A Game|"Start a New Game Session"]] page.<br>
Clicking on '''MENU''' and '''View All Games''' will link to the
Clicking on '''MENU''' and '''View All Games''' will link to the
[[Player%27s_Guide_V2.0_Viewing_All_Games|"View All Games in the Database"]] page.<br>
[[Player's Guide V2.5 Viewing All Games|"View All Games in the Database"]] page.<br>
Clicking on '''MENU''' and '''Administration''' will link to the  
Clicking on '''MENU''' and '''Administration''' will link to the  
[[Player's Guide V2.4 Player Profile|"Modify Player Profile"]] page.
[[Player's Guide V2.6 Player Profile|"Modify Player Profile"]] page.


<span style="color: Fuchsia">This same '''MENU''' button appears on most BOARD18 pages but the menu choices
<span style="color: Fuchsia">This same '''MENU''' button appears on most BOARD18 pages but the menu choices
and menu style will be different from page to page.</span>
and menu style will be different from page to page.</span>


== Features Common to Main Menus ==
== Features Common to most Main Menus ==
* Pressing the '''Help''' button in a main menu on most pages will open this "Player's Guide" in another browser tab.
* Pressing the '''Help''' button in a main menu on most pages will open this "Player's Guide" in another browser tab.
* Hovering on the '''Help''' button in a main menu on the map and market pages will open a sub menu.
* Hovering on the '''Help''' button in a main menu on the map and market pages will open a sub menu.
Line 158: Line 169:
== Additional Pages of this Guide ==
== Additional Pages of this Guide ==
The following is a list of the Player's Guide pages that are linked to from this page.
The following is a list of the Player's Guide pages that are linked to from this page.
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Creating A Game|Creating A Game]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.6 Creating A Game|Creating A Game]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.0 Keyboard Shortcuts|Keyboard Shortcuts]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.0 Keyboard Shortcuts|Keyboard Shortcuts]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.4 Miscellaneous Action Page|Miscellaneous Actions]]  
* [[Player's_Guide_V2.6_Game Session Edit Page|Editing A Game Session]]  
* [[Player's Guide V2.4 Player Profile|Player Profile]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.6 Player Profile|Player Profile]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Snapshots|Snapshots sub-menu]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Snapshots|Snapshots sub-menu]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Viewing All Games|Viewing All Games]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Viewing All Games|Viewing All Games]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Cookies|Board18 and Cookies]]
* [[Player's Guide V2.5 Cookies|Board18 and Cookies]]

Latest revision as of 17:05, 26 August 2020

Introduction

This is the player's guide for BOARD18 Version 2.6.x. This guide should be read by new players. It should also prove quite helpful as a reference for all players.

This page of the Player's Guide should be read by everyone who wishes to use BOARD18.
At the bottom of this page you will find links to pages that contain supplemental information about BOARD18.
Once you are a little familiar with BOARD18, you should look over at least some of these supplemental pages.

Please note, if you are just getting started, then you may want to use this link to access the document How to set up an 18xx game using BOARD18.

Cautions about Live Play

Lately, people have begun to use BOARD18 for live play. IE: Not using Email. People playing live instances of 18xx games on BOARD18 can experience some synchronization problems. Moves that have been made and saved can subsequently disappear from the BOARD18 display. This is caused by the type of database locking BOARD18 uses. BOARD18 was not designed to support a large number of simultaneous updates to the same game record from multiple people. This is usually not a problem for people playing a game by email. But when people try to use BOARD18 in a “live play” mode problems can occur.

To avoid problems when using BOARD18 for live play, please:

  • Use some form of inter-player communication [Discord?] to avoid doing things at the same time.
  • Do not use more than one window on your device to access the same BOARD18 game.
  • Hit the refresh button before making a move.

The Log In Page

The entry point to BOARD18 is a page with some introductory text and a log in form. Once you have a player ID and a password, you should enter them on this form and press the Login button to start a BOARD18 session.

Getting a Player ID

To get a player ID and a password press the Register button on the log in form. This will present you with a registration form that you can use to create a player ID and a password. You must enter a first name, a last name and an email address on the form.

Email Address Field

The required Email address must use all lower case letters. An Email address is case insensitive, so a lower case version will work even if you usually use upper case.
The BOARD18 database is not case insensitive and this restriction helps us to avoid duplicate Email addresses.

NOTE: The email address will be used to send you some automated Emails for situations such as lost passwords and notification that you have been added to or removed from a game.
Also a site administrator will be able to use it to contact you in problem situations. But no other player will have access to your email address.

Name Fields

The first and last name fields are required to help other players to find your player ID and to add you to a game that you have agreed to join.

Help

Pressing the Help button on the log in form will transfer you to this WIKI page. Use the back arrow button to return to BOARD18.

Forgot your Player ID?

Pressing the Forgot your Player ID? button on the log in form will present you with a form for requesting that your Player ID be Emailed to you.

Forgot your Password?

Pressing the Forgot your Password? button on the log in form will present you with a form for requesting that a temporary password be Emailed to you. You will be required to replace this temporary password when you next log in.

Remember Me

Checking the Remember Me box on the log in form will cause BOARD18 to track you via a cookie and to log you back in automatically if you get accidentally disconnected or if your session times out. This is an optional convenience that you may ignore. Depending how you have set your security options on your browser this feature may be disabled.

The BOARD18 Main Page

After successfully logging in to BOARD18 you will enter the Main Page.
The Main Page contains a table of the Active games that you are currently playing.
Completed games will not appear here. But they will appear on the View All Games page.

Board18Main.png

Clicking on the name of a listed game will start a game session for that game.
Clicking on the Edit button for a listed game will link to the "Miscellaneous Action Page" for that game.
Clicking on MENU and Make New Game will link to the "Start a New Game Session" page.
Clicking on MENU and View All Games will link to the "View All Games in the Database" page.
Clicking on MENU and Administration will link to the "Modify Player Profile" page.

This same MENU button appears on most BOARD18 pages but the menu choices and menu style will be different from page to page.

Features Common to most Main Menus

  • Pressing the Help button in a main menu on most pages will open this "Player's Guide" in another browser tab.
  • Hovering on the Help button in a main menu on the map and market pages will open a sub menu.
  • Pressing Player's Guide on this sub menu will open this "Player's Guide" in another browser tab.
  • Hovering on Useful Links on this sub menu will open a sub menu of useful links relevant to this game.
  • Pressing the About BOARD18 button in any main menu will open the "About BOARD18" pop-up window.

Playing A Game

The actual game board and stock chart do NOT support drag and drop functionality. But they do support use of both the left and right mouse buttons.
Most movements of tiles and tokens are not saved to the database until the move is Accepted.
The active tile or token will appear transparent until its move is Accepted.
Accepted moves can be backed out using the Undo Move menu option.

The Trays

Selecting Trays

The left sidebar on the Game Board and the Stock Market pages contains the active tray beneath a tray selection drop down menu. Clicking on the name of a tray in this drop down menu makes that tray the active tray.

Selecting Tiles or Tokens from the Active Tray

The tiles or tokens in the active tray are displayed with a count of available items in the upper left corner. (But there is no such count for stock market tokens.) If the count is zero then the tile or token is greyed out and cannot be selected. Clicking on a tile or token in the active tray will select that tile or token and it will be highlighted with a red background.

Dropping Tiles on the Map

When a tile on the active tray is highlighted with a red background (selected), it can be dropped on a map hex by clicking on the hex. The tile will be automatically centered in the hex. The dropped tile has NOT yet been permanently placed and can be further adjusted (rotated) before it is permanently placed with the accept move command or the ENTER key. If there is already a tile on that map hex then that tile will be removed when the dropped tile is is permanently placed.

Dropping Tokens on the Map

When a token on the active tray is highlighted with a red background (selected), it can be dropped on a map hex by clicking anywhere on the hex. The token will be placed at the point that is clicked. The dropped token has NOT yet been permanently placed and can be further adjusted (flipped or moved) before it is permanently placed with either the accept move command or the ENTER key.

Dropping Tokens on the Market

When a token on the active tray is highlighted with a red background (selected), it can be dropped on a market box by clicking anywhere in the box. The token will be placed at the point that is clicked. The dropped token has NOT yet been permanently placed and can be further adjusted (flipped or moved) before it is permanently placed with either the accept move command or the ENTER key.

Clicking The Board or Market

If you left click on a hex with a temporary [transparent] tile then the tile will rotate 60°.
If you left click on a hex or box with a temporary [transparent] token then the token will move to the position clicked.
If you left click anywhere else then you may get a context menu. Right clicks can also cause context menus to be displayed.

The Context Menus

A right click on the game board (or the stock market) can cause a context menu to be displayed.
A left click on a hex or market box that is not selected can also cause a context menu to be displayed.
Whether this context menu is displayed at all and the selection of items in the context menu are both dependent on the context of the click event.

The context menu that is displayed may support accept move, cancel move, rotate, flip, re-position, delete, multi-item and other tile and/or token commands.
Try right or left clicking on hexes (or price boxes) which have various items on them to familiarize yourself with these menus.

Clicking The Main Menu

The primary [but perhaps not the best] way to navigate and take actions in BOARD18 is the Main Menu. This menu can be accessed by clicking on the "Menu" button that appears toward the upper left of most BOARD18 pages. The menus on the "Game Board" and "Stock Market" pages are over-viewed in this section. Keyboard Shortcuts for many menu items are shown (in parenthesis) in these menus.

The Game Board Main Menu

MenuMap51.png
MenuMap50.png

The images to the right show the main menus for the game board. The upper image shows the menu that will be displayed when there is no active tile or token. The lower image shows the menu that will be displayed when an active tile or token exists.
As you can see, only the first two menu items are different in the second menu.

Clicking on MENU and Undo Move causes the last change to the database to be backed out.
Clicking on MENU and Redo Move causes the last backed out change to be redone in the database.
Clicking on MENU and Accept Move causes the active tile or token to be added to the database.
Clicking on MENU and Cancel Move causes the active tile or token to be discarded.
Clicking on MENU and Hide/Show hides the tokens and tiles on the map or re-shows them if they are hidden.
Clicking on MENU and Go To causes a Go To sub-menu to be displayed.
Clicking on MENU and Snapshots causes a Snapshots sub-menu to be displayed.
Clicking on MENU and Help causes a Help sub-menu to be displayed.
Clicking on MENU and About BOARD18 will open the "About BOARD18" pop-up window.
Clicking on MENU and BOARD18 Project will open the "BOARD18 Web Site" in a separate tab or window.

You can avoid using this menu for common functions by using the Keyboard Shortcuts instead.

The Stock Market Main Menu

The main menus for the stock market are similar to the main menu for the game board.

Clicking on MENU and Undo Move causes the last change to the database to be backed out.
Clicking on MENU and Redo Move causes the last backed out change to be redone in the database.
Clicking on MENU and Accept Move causes the active token to be added to the database.
Clicking on MENU and Cancel Move causes the active token to be discarded.
Clicking on MENU and Go To causes a Go To sub-menu to be displayed.
Clicking on MENU and Snapshots causes a Snapshots sub-menu to be displayed.
Clicking on MENU and Help causes a Help sub-menu to be displayed. See below.
Clicking on MENU and About BOARD18 will open the "About BOARD18" pop-up window.
Clicking on MENU and BOARD18 Project will open the "BOARD18 Web Site" in a separate tab or window.

You can avoid using this menu for common functions by using the Keyboard Shortcuts instead.

The Help Sub-Menu

MapHelp5.png

On the game board and stock chart pages, the Help menu choice works differently than it does on other pages. On these two pages hovering over it opens a sub-menu like the one shown to the right.

Clicking on Player's Guide will open this "Player's Guide" in another browser tab.
In adition there may be more menu choices below the -- Useful Links -- line.

There are two potential sources for these useful links. Some can be provided as part of the game box. Others may be created for this specific game via the "Miscellaneous Action" facility.

Additional Pages of this Guide

The following is a list of the Player's Guide pages that are linked to from this page.