Partnerships - a data model

[helene_t]

Joining a table in the main room together with my favorite p is clumpsy. First I have to ask my p-to-be if we should look for a table, then browse for a table, then ask the table host if he will accept me and my p. Then the table host must either reject all others, or he must reserve a seat for my p. Then I tell my p which table I found. If there is no "permission required", there is the risk that someone else will hook the opposite chair after I hooked one chair but before my partner, so I have to say "sorry I wanted to play with my own p" and ask my p-by-accident to leave. Besides there's the risk of mistyping nicknames.

 

Of course, opening a table myself will be the choice then, but then pairs of potential opps have the same problem. One can set in the table label that only established partnerships are invited to ask for seats. That filters out the loners but doesn't solve the problems described above.

 

With team matches it's smoother but still

- prospective players must ask the potential partner if he wants to play

- ask me to invite the partnership (they must type the nick of the parter)

- I must fill in the invitation form (typing the nicks)

- It takes some minutes before the invitations are issued. Usually the team match cannot start because at least one participant is not available anymore, in which case he must tell me, I must notice, and I must find a replacement.

 

Here's my suggestion:

 

Data model: "prospective partnership" is an optional 1-to-1-relation.

Establishing the relation: Mouse a friend of you to see if he's allready connected to a p. If not,

right-click to send him an invitation to become a prospecitive partner until further notice. Optionally

type in the invitation form the purpose of the partnership, i.e. "finding a team match, 12 boards".

If he accepts your invitation, the partnership is established.

Breaking the relation: becomes an action in the menu that pop ups when you right-click your own

nick. Also, if either partner has been logged out for more than x minutes, the partnership is broken.

In either case, a notification is sent.

Creating new table with p: if you have a relation, you can check "reserve a seat for my p" in the

Create-Table dialogue. Then your p gets an invitation to join your table. Or maybe he's simply

"sucked" to your table.

Joining table with p: if you have a relation you can click on "join with p" on any table that has two

opposing chairs idle. If permision is required, the table host is asked to approve both players with

a single button. Otherwise, you and your p are simply put at the table simoultaneously, and if one

of the chaiirs has been taken in the meantime you're both rejected.

Joining a team match with p: I think the whole team match setup procedure should be redesigned.

But as a patch to the existing model, prospective players could ask the host to invite "me and my

p", and then the host can do that by leaving the applicant's chair idle. When the host clicks to

issue invitations, it is first checked that all players with an idle seat as partner have relations, and

that those "implicit" partners are physically available.

[hotShot]

I remember a similar suggestion discussed here about 3 years ago.

 

Something like a separate lobby for pairs/ teams, so that 2 pairs/teams could combine to a table/team/teamgame just by one click of the "team/pair captain".