VASL - Questions for/of spectators

[von Marwitz]

I enjoy watching VASL games from time to time as a spectator for various reasons:

• You can watch how other people tackle a scenario you have played in the past.
• It might give you a first impression of a scenario you are interested in playing.
• Sometimes there are very experienced players involved which offers you a good chance to learn some of their techniques.
• Not to forget - the 'programme' usually better than what TV has to offer, why I like to call doing this 'watching ASL-TV'.

Others may feel similar. But despite being active on VASL for a decade now, I don't know everything. So this is the reason I have created this thread as a pool for questions that spectators of VASL games might have (technical questions, etiquette, etc.)

True to my prior remark of not knowing everything, I will follow up with the first question...

von Marwitz

 

[von Marwitz]

When joining a VASL room, I know that I must not meddle with the counters of those who play and NOT string any LOS (neither open nor blind, as sometimes the LOS tool can hang if more than one person uses it at a time - at least this has been a problem in some past VASL versions, so I have cut the habit long ago).

What I am still not sure of is whether the following does affect what the participants of the the game see:

1. Are they affected if I zoom in and out?

2. Are they affected if I use the button to blend in/out units/overlays?


3. Are they affected if I use the 'Show/Hide overview window'?


4. Are they affected if I use the a) OBA, b) Info, c) Day/Night, d) Rain, e) Casualties Bin buttons?



TIA,
von Marwitz

 

[A_T_Great]

When joining a VASL room, I know that I must not meddle with the counters of those who play and NOT string any LOS (neither open nor blind, as sometimes the LOS tool can hang if more than one person uses it at a time - at least this has been a problem in some past VASL versions, so I have cut the habit long ago).

What I am still not sure of is whether the following does affect what the participants of the the game see:

1. Are they affected if I zoom in and out?

2. Are they affected if I use the button to blend in/out units/overlays?
View attachment 15504

3. Are they affected if I use the 'Show/Hide overview window'?
View attachment 15505

4. Are they affected if I use the a) OBA, b) Info, c) Day/Night, d) Rain, e) Casualties Bin buttons?
View attachment 15506


TIA,
von Marwitz

I don't think they are affected by any of those buttons, unless you actually click the updated casualties buttons. Then the new casualties figures will be shown in the chat.

 

[ASLAddict]

I was allowed to be a spectator at some of your games. In general I don't use keys to avoid disturbance but just listen and watch.

 

[von Marwitz]

I was allowed to be a spectator at some of your games. In general I don't use keys to avoid disturbance but just listen and watch.

You were very welcome to do so and you acted just fine. I handle it the same way except if I know the players and know that they don't mind making a remark now and then - without kibbizing, of course.

However, if some keys can be used without affcting the play (what the other see), then I reckon it is fine to use them (for example zoomin in/out, etc.) This exactly was the point of my question. I did not know if using some keys would affect what others see and refrained from using them. Now that I know that using the specified keys has no effect on how they see the game, I can.

Cheers,
von Marwitz

 

[Michael R]

Someone said “I don’t think” there is an effect. No one said “I am certain there is no effect”. FWIW, I have never touched any of those buttons when observing a game.

 

[von Marwitz]

Someone said “I don’t think” there is an effect. No one said “I am certain there is no effect”. FWIW, I have never touched any of those buttons when observing a game.

Fair point.

I reckon to confirm this, one would need to get three people into a room and have one of them try this out while the other two observe. My guess is as well, that nothing will happen, because if two people are involved in a game, then if I zoom in/out or do the other specfic things listed above, this does not change the view of my opponent. It would come as a surprise that it would if done by a third person. But still verification and confirmation is called for to make sure.

von Marwitz

 

[bprobst]

My guess is as well, that nothing will happen, because if two people are involved in a game, then if I zoom in/out or do the other specfic things listed above, this does not change the view of my opponent. It would come as a surprise that it would if done by a third person.

It would not come "as a surprise", it would be sheer unadulterated astonishment. VASL doesn't know the difference between "spectators" and "active participants". All users are equal. If you're playing the game and something you click on affects the game in a way that would be noticed by your opponent, then it will be equally noticeable if you are just a spectator. Conversely, if something you click on is an "invisible action" to your opponent, it is equally invisible if you are a spectator. The software can't behave in any other way, because all other users are your opponents.

 

[Pacman Ghost]

The software can't behave in any other way, because all other users are your opponents.

It's software, so it can be programmed to do whatever you want. In this particular case, it's nuts that in this day and age, Joe Random can enter any room and be able to affect what's going on in there. After a room has been created, anyone entering should be read-only, unless otherwise allowed by the room owner (e.g. by way of an invite). This should be relatively easy to do - all clicks, drops and key-presses are intercepted and ignored except for white-listed operations (e.g. scroll, zoom, expand stack, etc.).

Right now, we have to lock our rooms, which is not particularly conducive for building a community i.e. a new user logs into the server and sees 30 rooms, all locked :-/ We should be actively encouraging people to join rooms, to chat, to learn, not playing behind locked doors with our own little silo of friends.

 

[bprobst]

It's software, so it can be programmed to do whatever you want.

The question wasn't "how would the software behave if it was written differently", the question was "how does the software behave right now?".

 

[Michael R]

The question wasn't "how would the software behave if it was written differently", the question was "how does the software behave right now?".

Nothing wrong with making a suggestion for improvement.