Feature request: per-game chat for watchers

[njx]

Would be great to have a per-game chat window that only watchers can see, for kibitzing purposes :)

[chaitu236]

That'd be great to have. The problem is fitting it into the UI. Any ideas are welcome.

[TreffnonX]

Server side, this is no problem: Chat messages can be categorized, by using not jsut the 'Shout' but also 'Ingame' as additional message type, where Ingame would be sent with a game id, in the same fashion as moves and such. The Server would then write messages in the following hierarchy:

• Observers of a game get all messages in and outside the game.
• Players get all, but the Observer messages.
• People outside of games only get global shout chat. The server would filter, who gets which messages (observers are listed in a game object, so they can be addressed separately).

As for the client side. This is a thing that can be implemented in a variety of ways. If the above chat-modes would exist server sided, I would probably implement them in the same chat window, by applying different style-ids to the received messages. Then I would probably add a filter button to the chat window (at the bottom somewhere) to toggle all/shout chat. That hidden state would then not be applied, if a players name was included in a message. Last, I would make two additions: A button (left) next to the chat message box where to click, to change the chat mode of chat messages currently sent: Shout, Ingame/Observer The Observer chat does not need to be specifically selected, as it is the same as Ingame for the observers (though treated as observer). Then I would also implement that if someone started a chat message by typing: '/s ', '/g ', '/i ', '/o' or '/a ' it would automatically change to the corresponding mode:

• '/s ' and '/a ' are both shout/all chat.
• '/g ' is game chat and, depending on my relation to the current game either ingame or observer chat.
• '/i ' is ingame chat.
• '/o ' is observer chat. This is extremely space-saving, as it only requires two new buttons (one of which is sort of a dropdown menu) instead of an entire chat window with separate chat box and so forth...

Of course, different clients can handle the messages in a different fashion, the above is just what I would probably do with my fork.

Oh I forgot: Joining a game (as player or observer) should automatically switch you to the specific mode. They reenter all chat, after the game ends (as the game gets deleted server-side and cannot be used as a relay anymore).

[TreffnonX]

I added this to the pull request I had already going. It is practically implemented server side. Client side yet to come.

[njx]

On the UI side, I think it might be better if global and per-game chat went to different "rooms", controlled by tabs on the chat window, instead of just filters on a single chat stream, and that new messages you type always go to the current room you're viewing (global or per-game). Decoupling what you type from what you're reading could lead to errors like accidentally sending to global chat when you meant to send to per-game chat, which would be bad since players would see it.

[TreffnonX]

That is easiely enough implemented this way. It is a question of how the filters and buttons apply to the chat. What you describe as 'Tabs' are ultimately just selectors for filters AND chat targets then...

[njx]

Yup, I don't think it changes anything on the server and is mostly a little tweak on the client from what you described.

[TreffnonX]

I for one would prefer the separate filter though, as I want to see world AND ingame chat at the same time. When ingame chatting is possible, the global chatter will hopefully reduce anyway.

Ultimately this is entirely up to Chaitu. I can just apply the way I want it to my client fork. What chaitu does with the master is his buissness =D - I am gonna write him a suggestion though. He may or may not want to work from that then...

[chaitu236]

I agree with @njx . It would be confusing to everyone but the developers to have all chats on same window.

[TreffnonX]

I plan to color them differently on my end. You do what you want ;)

[chaitu236]

Sure. The way I'd probably implement is have small tab selectors on right for global chat, game chat, and one-to-one player chat which can be toggled through with something like a tab key. Non displayed tabs can be highlighted when a new message arrives.

[TreffnonX]

one-to-one chat? like whisper?

[chaitu236]

like i can chat directly with some logged-in user Edit: who may not be playing a game with me

[TreffnonX]

Edit: You mean who may not be observing my game? - Why would you forbid p2p between active players?

I am working suggested changes in the client from the master. How you configure the filters/mode-selectors, i leave up to you. For now, I add a class to the different chat messages and select the mode via slash-character. The specifics I leave to you. However It'd be cool, if you could see over the sever changes I made so far. I can add the p2p chat, if you want.