At last! I have fixed the final bug (right...) in the new board code and it is currently being uploaded to the test box.
Initially, just one person will be testing it, but by the end of the week I will open it up to all who are interested. Sorry if we have been through this process already, but if you would like to help, please post your name here and I will contact you directly.
Feature list and screenshots to follow. (and a list of remaining limitations on this beta that will be sorted out shortly)
For the second time (Grrrr, MS Word just crashed and lost all of this witter the first time around…dam you Mr Gates! 😉)
Main features
Flippable/invert board. : Flips board in realtime – no need for page to refresh.
Animated castling : the rook will appear to move before the move is submitted.
Animated en-passant : the capture will be visible before the move is submitted.
Material/captured pieces bar : This now updates in realtime as pieces are moved. Useful in board analysis mode.
Time control details : Available from the board view, presented textually.
Resign game : Option available at anytime from the board view.
Game analysis : This pages gets the most new features. Experiment with lines and then rewind to try alternatives. Complete history of moves retained until a new line is tried. Any piece can be added or removed from the board using contextual right clicks on the pieces/board. Again, this can all be undone with ease.
Board history : Far more comprehensive details are available when viewing other peoples games, including the material/captured pieces bar and links to game analysis. (and the time control information)
Other more general improvements
Better support for more varied pieces and board designs. Expect more (and more sensible) alternatives for sets to appear rapidly.
Sidebar on board view has had its presentation improved. (Icons tidied up, better form buttons through out the site.) Some of the existing information is presented in a more logical way too. Flags added, new icons for black and white players, with ‘to move next’ indicators when viewing board history.
New button bar presentation! (This was released last week, but it was part of this work)
That is about all I can think of for now. Other things that may be of interest: The board should be lighter now (less html, so less bandwidth.) There is a far greater dependence on JavaScript though, so some older browsers will not cope. I have tested on a number of browsers without any problems, including IE 5.0, but mobile devices that may have just about worked previously will be very unlikely to work once this beta is released. (Hence the more urgent need for a no thrills dedicated interface for mobile devices. 99.99% of moves are using a standard browser, so this is not that critical. )
This will be updated later in the week. If you are beta testing, you can jump between the live site and the beta site should you hit a critical problem. (Please notify me right away if you see something serious)
Originally posted by Russ Oh, that pawn shadow on the board is just a proof of concept, not a final board. (Although it could remain, I quite like it now!)
-Russ
Sign me up for testing.
I hate the pawn shadow btw, everything else looks super sweet.
Can the notebook be updated at any time without making a move now?
The beta board code is complete!
22 Jan '06 12:18
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