delayed notes

ecz

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as I ever do I have saved the location of my hip unit(s), mines, etc. in the delayed notes. I have sent the setup containing this note.
Then my opponent made his setup and after a couple of days we are ready for the live play.
Sadly at the moment we are ready to begin the note has disappeared . My opponent sees the note by "ecz" (of course he cannot open it), but I cannot see anything, the window is clear, as it was not there.
This has happened in my last two playings. Not a tragedy for friendly games but I would have this tool working properly for tournament .
I have used the same machine for setup and playing, and here's my current configuration with extension in use:

VASL versione 5.9.2
- Caricata Estensione 5HP v5.7
- Caricata Estensione 5KIA v5.7
- Caricata Estensione 5LAA v5.4
- Caricata Estensione 5OVHv51 v5.1
- Caricata Estensione 5PER v2.0
- Caricata Estensione 5SMC v5.2
- Caricata Estensione 5SV v5.8.2
- Caricata Estensione 5VG v5.7
- Caricata Estensione Berserk v1.0
- Caricata Estensione BFP v2.0
- Caricata Estensione corpses v0.2
- Caricata Estensione OBAFlowchart v0.1
- Caricata Estensione PBr Terrain v0.4
- Caricata Estensione SecretDR v1.0
- Caricata Estensione Tournement v0.0
- Caricata Estensione Tray v0.0
- Caricata Estensione twister2[1] v1.0b04
- Caricata Estensione VASL4 v5.7

VASSAL engine is 3.1.14

any help?
thanks
 
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Carl_Alex

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Why don't you use VASL's hip mechanism instead of making notes ?
It is much easier to use - and you won't forget when the oponent blunders into them.
 

ecz

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Why don't you use VASL's hip mechanism instead of making notes ?
It is much easier to use - and you won't forget when the oponent blunders into them.
the VASL delayed notes works exactly as the written piece of paper you must provide in a FtF tournament game with the relevant infos about hips, bore sighting etc etc.. The opponent will be sure you are not cheating because date and hour of the creation appear in the message you save. Besides it avoids any possible embarass when you unhips that AT gun for a PB shot at the enemy tank parking in front of you... Why leave your opponent with a doubt?
In fact the VASL hip mechanism is something you can use as help for memory, but is not enough to make the setup "safe" from any suspect. Thus this tool is more than welcomed in competitive playings, and sometime it is necessary.
I always use it and expect my opponent do the same.
 

Carl_Alex

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Why play people you don't feel you can trust not to cheat ?

How do you ensure the non-trusted opponent doesn't do illegal pre-game LOS-checks ?
And what do you do when palying CG's ? Write 100 page essays containing all replenishment rolls, sw repair rolls, depletion rolls, purchaes etc. as notes in VASL ?
 

ecz

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Carl
there are many ways to cheat playing ASL and in VASL there's always one more.
Using the delayed notes at least this easy and primitive trick is avoided at no cost for anyone. In any tournament you often plays against people you dont' know. And sometime happens you have to play against people you don't like very much. This is more true when a tournament is big as VASLeague, with more than 140 people playing from all continents. Delayed notes are the best way to avoid any suspect about this important part of the game and also helps to "attract" the same kind of competitive players that, for example, avoid PBeM games for the same reason ( i.e. they are not happy to HAVE to trust EACH player they must play against).
On the other hand I'm sure you agree that most people in a tournament FtF game would be very unhappy if the opponent does not write in advance a note where his hips and mines are reported. Same happens in any internet tournament, of course.
For this reason I strongly suggest to use the delayed notes in VASLeague, and for this reason I'm asking if someone knows why the named tool apparently does not work at the moment.
 

Carl_Alex

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In FtF I would always write it down in order not to forget stuff.

I totally agree that in any case the features of VASL should do what the specification says they should do.

IIRC there is a formal place to report bugs - have you done that ?
 

ecz

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if you play by the rules you have to write a note for HIP ( see A.12.3) and other secret infos. The fact that usually in VASL games this does not happen and fair play reigns does not change the rule.
In all cases for tournament purpose anyone can pretend his opponent prove the hip location is recorded in advance, and the delayed notes are the simplest way if you play VASL by internent . Assuming they works properly...

All kinds of bugs are usually reported here. The VASL deities read this forum :)
 

MajorDomo

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No objection to delayed notes, why not have the attacker save the initial setup and after the scenario is over, give the defender's password for that setup?

Rich
 

ecz

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interesting, but how it works?
I make my setup as usual, with hips and mines hidden. Then my opponent save the original file I have sent him. After the game he loads that setup using my username and the password I will give him just at the end of the game to see everything hidden.
Correct?
The only problem I see is the continue change of password game after game... a little annoying...
Must try some experiment...
 

MajorDomo

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Yep, that should work, I only think he needs your password, not your user name.

I once sent a VASL file to my FTF buddy, he had the same password, so everthing was visible.

I would recommend you do your defensive setup, save with your password. Next change password to your password for the next two months VASL setups with some date added to save file, record password for the two month period.

You can easily delete the save files with dates attached to them and you still have you original setups using your original password.

Rich
 

Will Fleming

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Pretty sure delayed notes is working for me. I will ask my opponent next time I reveal something using them.

VASL 5.9.2/VASSAL 3.1.15
 

salisbury58

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I have had mixed results using delayed notes with PBEm. It seems that the delayed notes stick around for awhile and then disappear. Seemed as if I saved the game file before I closed the log file it seemed to work though I did not really test it.

I agree it would be a nice thing to have work.
 

Der Fleischer

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Another way to handle this is to write down each HIP unit in a separate Word document that you password protect. You forward those documents to your opponent prior to the start of play. When you reveal a unit, you send your opponent the password for that particular document. They open it, see that it is correct, and play continues. that avoids having to provide a username/password combination for game setup files and it has worked well for me. just my thoughts. :D
 
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