Suggestion: direct access to scoreboard replays

[Cas]

This isn't a super necessary feature, but it would be very easy to implement and would make it more comfortable for pipsqueaks to check on public RPLs that have already been posted and learn and improve.

My thinking is that, in ZakStunts, when you're looking at the scoreboard, you see somebody got a very good lap and you wonder how. Then, what you have to do is go to All Results and go down the list carefully to identify the replay that corresponds to that lap. This isn't hard to do, but if there were some form of "direct access" to download straight from the scoreboard (not as a replacement, but as an additional choice), it could be even better. I imagine it perhaps as making the "Driven" and/or "Sent" fields links. Same way, when a replay is publicly posted and appears in the Shoutbox, that could be clickable too.

Again, I realise this does not add anything new but comfort, but sometimes, when I want to check several replays, I look at the scoreboard and try to memorise the sent times and laps of each of them to later look them up in the All Results sections and I noticed that in most races, I don't check all final replays and I've been thinking that I should; otherwise, I'm actually missing part of the race.

Another thing that might help would be if we could download a ZIP with all scoreboard public replays so far at any point in the race, but that does sound like a more complicated thing, isn't it?

Anyway, just thoughts and ideas. Thank you!

[dreadnaut]

Uhm uhm... that makes sense! I think I can add download links on the scoreboard. I'd rather create the zip file only at the end, not because it's expensive, but because it's meant for archival, and there should be only one version of it.

[dreadnaut]

Ah, trickier than expected. The "All results" page is new code, that loads a new and an old table. But to get the replays on the scoreboard, I need to convince older code to load the old and the data, which is not as straightforward.

It's probably time I move results to a new structure... it's been on my list for year but... "if it's not broken, don't fix it" they say.

[Cas]

Ah!  I know what you mean. That's why the last time, I chose to rewrite Race For Kicks entirely instead of patching the old one more and more. It had become so much of a mess inside that it was really difficult to make changes. Now version 2.1 is slowly getting to the same stage, ha, ha.

[dreadnaut]

The button to download a single replay from the scoreboard has been there for a few days, I forgot to mention it! It's at the end of the row, just before the points column.

It only appears if the replay is public of course, or after the race is over.

[Cas]

Ah!  Wonderful!  Thanks, this is a very nice addition! 

[Overdrijf]

Now the next level would be to have an online replay reader to watch the replays straight from the site.

[Cas]

That would be a dream, ha, ha...

[alanrotoi]

Now the next level would be to have an online replay reader to watch the replays straight from the site.

Duplode has a replay reader that shows the cars in the track from a top view. I don't know how he does it but sure half of the work is already done.

[Cas]

I think he uses a compiled part of Stunts, which generates a huge file with lots of information from the reply most of which is irrelevant. Then, he applies a second pass to it which selects the useful information and produces the desired results. I figure what you suggest is possible, but it must be a lot of work and especially, very hard to make it work well. The site would have to actually call an executable program when a replay is uploaded to produce the replay animation. That would take a lot of space and would demand some CPU from the server. Then these animations would be downloaded upon access, taking up bandwidth.... It's "no turkey slime", ha, ha.

[Overdrijf]

Would be cool though, a top down racing-line viewer. Add the winning line to the map preview.

[alanrotoi]

Is it possible to publish how many times was every public replay downloaded? It would give a hint to those who want to copy tricks or shortcuts.

[dreadnaut]

It's something I could add, but I don't think the numbers would be very meaningful. They would be very small, and higher near the top of the scoreboard. And would slightly suggest you to download replays... at the top of the scoreboard? And maybe some of the others? No more than we would already do, if I understand correctly.