FD Tutorial

[Mike_P]

Is there some sort of basic tutorial or help file for the Full Disclosure capability somewhere? I understand from other posts that this is not totally supported, but I'm having trouble doing basic things, like removing conventions from the default list, or figuring out what "use" means, and whether I can "un-use" it until I get my act together, etc., etc.

 

Thanks and, BTW, really impressed with the whole Bridge Base environment. Well done.

 

-- Mike

[Rain]

No tutorial, and I think FD isn't for the faint of heart (anyone without time and some programming experience).

 

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showforum=33

 

this forum has more threads and info, user experience, tips, etc

[Mike_P]

Thanks, and yes, I had previously fought my way through most of those trees but could not find the forest. :P

 

As a newbie poking around in BridgeBase I had the feeling I was being encouraged to use FD -- indeed, I can see the utility and, like much of BB, it seems cleverly implemented. I thought I was an idiot since everyone else could apparently use the thing without any specific explanations.

 

If this capability is a test bed and not a resource suggested for everyone, I think that needs to be better publicized.

 

-- Mike

[inquiry]

Hi,

 

The HomeBase Bridge Club has a tutorial in each of its newsletters on some aspect of computer bridge. So far, it has been on how to use the free homebase bridgebrowser program all club members have access too. These are printed in PDF format with illustions and step by step guides.

 

We have a tutorial in the works on using FD, complete with some screen capture images to illustrate what to do next when using FD. This was undertaken in an effort to help our tournament players adopt this program. I will see if the authors (which include me) will hurry along the progress on this document and post a link to it as a stand along document here on this forum.

 

In the meanwhile if you want to see what our tutorials look like in general, you can check out issue 2 or issue 3 of our newletter at http://www.homebaseclub.com/newsletter (isssue 3 will be posted in the next day or two). The other thing there is issue 1 of the same, and the first issue of our newsleter that highlights bids and plays by our members. In that All STAR update, you will find the play of the issue by ppilot, a great hand played by jlall, and hands by some BBF regulars like echognome, sceptic, Gerben42, MrDodgy, lukewarm, and others.

 

The next issue has two funny bridge stories in it and more plays/bids by BBO members, as well as the announcement of two new "fun" contest open for Homebase club members.

[barmar]

While players are encouraged to use FD, unless you've got lots of time and are good at figuring things out it's best right now if you can make use of the predefined systems and conventions, rather than trying to create your own FD convention card from scratch.

[inquiry]

While players are encouraged to use FD, unless you've got lots of time and are good at figuring things out it's best right now if you can make use of the predefined systems and conventions, rather than trying to create your own FD convention card from scratch.

While the tutorial for a future issue of our newsletter is not complete, I have attached the draft article to this post (needs some editing, and I think some demonstations of FD in action, as well as how to copy bidding trees). When it is completed, I will post a copy or a link to a copy in the FD forum.

 

Please send any comments/suggestion for what else you might like to see in the tutorial to me at members AT homebase club dot com. Please remove the space, replace the AT with the at symbol @ and dot with a period.

 

Note this is a pdf file, rich in graphics to aid in the discussion. You will need adobe reader to read the file format. The file is just short of 1MB in size due to the graphic (6 pages I think), so if you have a dial up modem, it may take a little while to download.

FD1.pdf

[Mike_P]

Thank you! I've just had a chance to glance at it but it appears to be the result of a lot of work. I'm very optimistic.

 

I have the feeling that I represent a large class of user that is trying to slowly accumulate mastery of all of a common card, such as SAYC, and just want to strike out those elements that I haven't learned yet. Perhaps that's already fairly easy to do and the real complexity/hassle happens only if you have a unique convention/personal convention (or, say, a non-SAYC convention) that you have to try to define. If THAT'S the sticky problem we've been talking about, then the problem is not relevant to me. Perhaps this distinction will come out in the tutorial (as well as discussions in the forums).

 

-- Mike

[hrothgar]

I have the feeling that I represent a large class of user that is trying to slowly accumulate mastery of all of a common card, such as SAYC, and just want to strike out those elements that I haven't learned yet. Perhaps that's already fairly easy to do and the real complexity/hassle happens only if you have a unique convention/personal convention (or, say, a non-SAYC convention) that you have to try to define. If THAT'S the sticky problem we've been talking about, then the problem is not relevant to me. Perhaps this distinction will come out in the tutorial (as well as discussions in the forums).

The Full Disclosure application is still very much a work in progress. I expect that the application will change rather dramatically over the course of the next few years. For example, in theory, it would be possible to design a Graphic User Interface (GUI) that would drive the application. The GUI would be deisgned to look like the ACBL (maybe the WBF) convention card. Players would build a Convention card by check different options on the card (For example, if you checked the box on the ACBL cc that individated you were playing Jacoby transfers, this would "build" a cc with all the necessary code to support Jacoby xfers)

 

Unfortunately, there's a fair amount of development work that would need to be done to create this happy little world. Building a graphical front should be quite easy. (Fred and Uday are good at releasing code. I suspect that they could knockout something like this relatively quickly). Where life gets complicated is creating bidding modules that the FD file could use. COnsider the following: If I go and change the range of my 1NT opening from 15-17 to 12-14, this creates ripples all through the system. For example, the range that I promise in a "vanilla" auction like 1m - 1M - 1N or 1m - 1M - 2M changes dramatically.

 

I suspect that the best way to proceed would be to create a series of standard chassis that folks could then customize with different conventions or options. I'd start with five basic models:

 

1. 5 card majors with 15-17 NT

2. 5 card majors with 12-14 NT

3. 4 card majros with 15-17 NT

4. 4 card majors with 12-14 NT

5. Polish Club

 

(It would certainly be reasonable to provide a template for the strong clubs, however, short term i figure that they should can for themselves)

[JRG]

A new release of the Online Help has now been activated. You may want to try browsing it.

 

Invoke the Help system from anywhere in BBO. Select "Contents" and then "Topics". Browse down to the "Full Disclosure" section and check out what is available.

 

If you have questions or suggestions for improvement to the Help (in this case the portion dealing with Full Dislosure), send an e-mail message to support@bridgebase.com.

[DenisO]

Invoke the Help system from anywhere in BBO. Select "Contents" and then "Topics". Browse down to the "Full Disclosure" section and check out what is available.

 

I've tried this in V4.8.3 but can't find a topic for Full Discosure - has it been missed out?

[luke warm]

Thank you! I've just had a chance to glance at it but it appears to be the result of a lot of work. I'm very optimistic.

 

I have the feeling that I represent a large class of user that is trying to slowly accumulate mastery of all of a common card, such as SAYC, and just want to strike out those elements that I haven't learned yet. Perhaps that's already fairly easy to do and the real complexity/hassle happens only if you have a unique convention/personal convention (or, say, a non-SAYC convention) that you have to try to define. If THAT'S the sticky problem we've been talking about, then the problem is not relevant to me. Perhaps this distinction will come out in the tutorial (as well as discussions in the forums).

 

-- Mike

i can tell you how i do it, others have different ways... i suspect my way is more like richard's than like anyone else's... i create several different FD files for a root system.. for example, in my 2/1 system i have an FD '2/1 minors', a '2/1 majors', a '2/1 no trump', etc... then from my base system i just merge all of those... in that way, i can change something in one of the auxillary files and remerge...

 

for example, i might have a 2/1 majors that uses bergen raises, one that uses fit jumps, etc etc... i can just merge depending on what partner wants to play...