NullpoMino League Beta has begun!

[belzebub]

Ok guys,

A LOT of the UI problems with input lag, crashing game field etc are solved by upgrading to Java 7 (UNLESS you are using mac, NullpoMino doesn't work on mac + java 7, since Apple stopped Java support and Oracle is taking over, OR *Nix because old lwjgl library). So please upgrade your Java if you are not at 7 yet before reporting problems.

I worked around the chat problem too and testing things now in Windows.

I sent a PM a couple of days ago to all the people who reported problems.

I need a few testers to test out the new stuff before I'll up a new client download, so feel free to ask me on Skype.

Thanks for all the beta testers already! Let's work together to get this ready for the real seasons start!

What is the difference between ekpt and kpt?  I can't find a definition of ekpt anywhere.

On top of the answers already given I'd like to stress the fact that ekpt is a stat that gives a good representation of your stacking style. 6-3 stackers have generally lower ekpt then tetris stackers and freestackers can have an even lower ekpt. The ekpt says a lot about the efficiency of your stacking. Minimizing the ekpt means minimizing the needed rotations and needed moves and thus in the end end up with higher speed by taking good stacking decisions.

A cool badge to add would be a 100-tetromino sprint for finishing with an all clear.

Yes, Sir. I will make that badge.

[qmk]

overall i think this game/site/setup is really awesome, works for me.

gameplay-wise, i think the combo chart needs to be upped though. other than (center gap) 4-wide openings, the previous nullpo-toj was a pretty balanced game (1v1). i think the new combo chart, while perhaps preventing 4-wide openings, has too strong a side effect mid-game which makes games a bit longer/more stagnant and lower in pressure.

if 4-wides are still a big concern, maybe combos after 9ish (the point at which they usually kill mid-game but not at the opening) can be greatly weakened from old nullpo or something (the combo chart can go down, like 0,1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4,4,3,3,2,2 or something), or at least somewhere between now and the old


reasons:
with clean garbage and no delays, you can downstack through a nullpo field pretty fast; the current game makes it too difficult to spike/ko an opponent, from what i've seen. stronger combos solves that.

mostly, decently strong combos add an extra dimension in sending lines/optimizing piece placement. you can optimize (down)stacking/t-spins/b2b only so much; after that, it's mostly a question of who can (down)stack/t-spin/b2b faster. combos allow you to optimize your stacking further, which i think is more fun/interesting: two placements that are equivalent with weak combos become differentiated when combos can legit send lines. the new chart mostly takes away this dimension.

that said, game is fun either way, and if people generally prefer the new chart/tradeoffs, that's good. my perspective might be too narrow.

[donggyu]

Mac user here--how do you get it to work? D: I tried clicking on the .jar file but it wouldn't launch

[joeyjoejoe]

Thanks very much for working on this new version, it looks and plays great, so far!

Rather than just have this new Nullpo be a "1337" league game, can you please include practice modes, to help people improve their games?

I watched this video from Belzebub's "Nullpomino exercise modes" thread last year, but were these modes ever released to the public?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpFgLeN24Uo

I would really love to have some modes for practicing placements of particular pieces, practicing typical combos, etc. It seems like they've already been developed - why not include them??

[Paradox]

other things will be added eventually but the focus was the league + ranks for the beta release and might continue to be so for season 1.  There are actually tons and tons of requests from people but bug fixes are the #1 priority before new things are added.

[joeyjoejoe]

That makes a lot of sense. I'm glad you guys are thinking about extra modes, though! Thanks for the response.

A question I have after playing around with the new single-player sprint for a while tonight - why do you locate the "view" option (basic, normal, advanced) pre-game, rather than in the main options menu from the welcome screen? I looked all over the place trying to figure out how to get my PPM/finesse readings to show up. Might make more sense to have that in the main options menu?

[belzebub]

...combo chart...

this discussion is still open

Mac user here--how do you get it to work? D: I tried clicking on the .jar file but it wouldn't launch

use the play_slick.sh (@see FAQ)

A question I have after playing around with the new single-player sprint for a while tonight - why do you locate the "view" option (basic, normal, advanced) pre-game, rather than in the main options menu from the welcome screen? I looked all over the place trying to figure out how to get my PPM/finesse readings to show up. Might make more sense to have that in the main options menu?

the view option is only for the sprint mode, the finesse coach is for every mode

[DST]

Hey, is there a way for me to change my password for the NullpoMino site(at celer.be) ?

Username/password is plainly visible in the URL (my php is rusty but i think it's because you're using get or post? ).


like so:
celer.be/profile/login.php?username=xxx&password=yyy
 


I'm having fun with it anyway, it's cool to see graphs of my games etc

[jezevec10]

I made my personal sprint record when i was offline. Is there a way to get that online?

[Barneey]

I made my personal sprint record when i was offline. Is there a way to get that online?

I don't think there's a way to do that, I don't see how you would do that without making it possible for people to use other's sprint games.

[JimmyX]

hey, what is this sprint coach in the new beta 0.5 vesion and what does the number after it stand for ?

Is there any other improvement in the new version ? and how can i transfer my records in the old one to the new one?  I know it's all on the website but i'd like to see them on the leaderboard in the game.   Would it be a good idea if it can synchronize the in-game leaderboard wherever you log in?

[bigwig]

hey, what is this sprint coach in the new beta 0.5 vesion and what does the number after it stand for ?

Is there any other improvement in the new version ? and how can i transfer my records in the old one to the new one?  I know it's all on the website but i'd like to see them on the leaderboard in the game.   Would it be a good idea if it can synchronize the in-game leaderboard wherever you log in?

I notice something flashes on the left side briefly when the game starts. I'm not sure it's wokring right.

This sounds really whiny to say, but patch notes would be nice. Just so we know how to thank you!

[XaeL]

I notice something flashes on the left side briefly when the game starts. I'm not sure it's wokring right.

This sounds really whiny to say, but patch notes would be nice. Just so we know how to thank you!

Yeah, just have a f()ck off huge patch list going in reverse chronological, it helps u know how far ur software has come

[Paradox]

There are multiple improvements in the latest release:

Memory leak
chat bug
some aesthetic changes
some website changes
etc.

Belze should be giving his official statement of the patch notes when he has time.

[belzebub]

I was gonna announce that but you were ahead of me. So here is a non-exhaustive list of changes that where done after the initial beta release, I'll try to group and summarize a bit here. If you are on Windows please use Java 7 for a best experience.

chat

• fixed chat input is now possible when in a game
• fixed chat lag
• fixed chat window now independently movable to other more convenient place/screen

layout

• major look and feel and layout changes to the multiplayer part
• added new blockskins with block outlines, contributed by Blitz
• fixed layout problems some people had on windows (scrolling, minimizing, etc)
• fixed flickering effect some people had when leaving the chat
• fixed a lot of minor layout issues in the game canvas (text falling off, etc.)
• fixed removed or fixed settings that could be chosen that included bugs

gameplay

• when players leave before the game ends, the game is then won by forfeit, so now you can see match reports like 2-3 Won by forfeit and get the ranking points you deserve
• changed the combo tables as combo tables where a bit too nerved, instead of the 0,0,1,1,1 it is now 0,0,1,1,2. This gives more credit to midgame combo's. General responses received up to now is that it feels "perfect" now.
• there is a garbage indication when there is incoming garbage (on top of the numerical representation). The garbage indicator is on the left/bottom side of the field.
• I introduced an improved version of the sprint coach of my mod. In the options you can set the target seconds you want to sub. Then a speed curve is calculated that you should keep. If you drop under that curve the big remaining lines number under the field turns red. So if you want to sub40, you just put it on 40S or 41S or so and try to keep it out of turning red. Because it is following the speed curve you can now recover when it turns red for a few seconds when you go fast enough. Just broke my record with this thing two days ago. I just got feedback that the S of Seconds looks like a 5 in that font, so this might be confusing. I'll change in the next release!

website
general improvements and bug fixes like (on top of my head):

• added a calendar for upcoming events, like Parkzer's stream!
• added download section
• ranking graph now scaled so you can get a more clear view of how you are doing

Performance / smoothness of the game

• fixed memory leaks: with fumen recording turned totally off the game should take much less memory now, especially when playing long
• upgraded to the latest opengl drivers (lwjgl/slick/...) for better support of graphics cards and better/smoother/faster rendering
• fixed things that were sometimes causing lag (like also the chat)

hey, what is this sprint coach in the new beta 0.5 vesion and what does the number after it stand for ?

Is there any other improvement in the new version ? and how can i transfer my records in the old one to the new one?  I know it's all on the website but i'd like to see them on the leaderboard in the game.   Would it be a good idea if it can synchronize the in-game leaderboard wherever you log in?

You can not transfer your results for now. I could fetch them from the site when you download a new version, but then it would not include the results of the records you have when playing offline. What we actually need is an automatic update feature.