Tileset storage location and KNewStuff

Hi, guys. I am working on scalable tilesets for KMahjongg,
as you know. My
plan is to also use these in KShisen also. My second plan is
to enable
KNewStuff on both, so we could optimize the payload of the
package, and
still maintain a good selection of tilesets in a central
location,
probably games.kde.org. Future games that use tilesets (like
a real
Mahjongg multiplayer-game, or one of the countless puzzle
variations like
Dragon Slayer) could also benefit from this shared
repository or data.

I considered several approaches for this, and need some
advice. One idea
is to create a new data-only module, and install maybe to
/usr/share/apps/tilesets.

Another approach would be to integrate this into
libkdegames, in the same
way card data is handled. However, the current approach for
card data does
not use KNewStuff. Also, apparently according to the docs
the packagers
are free to store card data separately, and Debian uses

/usr/share/apps/carddecks

for example, and make the package a requirement only for
kpat, lskat and
kpoker.

So I am looking for ideas. Anyone?

Regards,
Mauricio

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> not use KNewStuff. Also, apparently according to the
docs the packagers
> are free to store card data separately, and Debian uses
>
> /usr/share/apps/carddecks
>
> for example, and make the package a requirement only
for kpat, lskat and
> kpoker.

Correction: the location is set in CMakeLists to
APPINSTALLDATA/carddecks,
what is up to the packager is if it will be installed with
libkdegames, or
only when games that require it are requested.
Guess this is a good approach for tileset data. Need to
investigate if
this will conflict with Gnome, however, or if we need to use
kgametilesets
or something like that to avoid collisions.

Regards,
Mauricio

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> Guess this is a good approach for tileset data. Need to
investigate if
> this will conflict with Gnome, however, or if we need
to use kgametilesets
> or something like that to avoid collisions.

And answering my own question again , no it
does not conflict with
Gnome. Card and tileset data for gnome are stored at

/usr/share/pixmap/mahjongg
/usr/share/pixmap/gnome-games-common/cards

So I considered some locations

/usr/share/apps/mahjonggtilesets
/usr/share/apps/kdegames-common/tilesets
/usr/share/apps/kdegamestilesets
/usr/share/apps/tilesets

Any particular winner? Keep in mind that we will have to
offer backgrounds
as well, so a subdirectory scheme makes more sense to me

/usr/share/apps/kdegames-common/mahjongg/tilesets
/usr/share/apps/kdegames-common/mahjongg/backgrounds

Or simply

/usr/share/apps/kmahjongg/tilesets
/usr/share/apps/kmahjongg/backgrounds

which is more or less the current way, but make KShisen use
it as well. Or
yet

/usr/share/apps/mahjongg-common/tilesets
/usr/share/apps/mahjongg-common/backgrounds

These could be used by any current (or future) game based on
mahjongg
tiles, including the REAL mahjongg, which is not a puzzle
game iirc.

Regards,
Mauricio

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On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 mauriciotabuleiro.com wrote:

[...]

> /usr/share/apps/mahjonggtilesets
> /usr/share/apps/kdegames-common/tilesets
> /usr/share/apps/kdegamestilesets
> /usr/share/apps/tilesets
>
> Any particular winner? Keep in mind that we will have
to offer backgrounds
> as well, so a subdirectory scheme makes more sense to
me
>
> /usr/share/apps/kdegames-common/mahjongg/tilesets
> /usr/share/apps/kdegames-common/mahjongg/backgrounds

why not as follows:

/usr/share/apps/kdegames/common/mahjongg/tilesets
/usr/share/apps/kdegames/common/mahjongg/backgrounds

> /usr/share/apps/kmahjongg/tilesets
> /usr/share/apps/kmahjongg/backgrounds

seems less tidy that way but one of the distributions should
be able to
tell you if they would prefer a flatter or deeper more
organised directory
structure.  (I would err on the side of better organised.)

> These could be used by any current (or future) game
based on mahjongg
> tiles, including the REAL mahjongg, which is not a
puzzle game iirc.

Yes, the "real" mahjong is a 4 player game.
http://en.wikipe
dia.org/wiki/Mahjong

Gnome and KDE should probably be describing their games
Mahjong
solitaire.
http:/
/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire
I am reminded that it can also be a two player game.

I used to think the 'gg' at the end of Mahjongg was a
Gnome thing but
apparently there are various acceptable spellings.


-- 
Alan H
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> why not as follows:
> 
> /usr/share/apps/kdegames/common/mahjongg/tilesets
> /usr/share/apps/kdegames/common/mahjongg/backgrounds

Seems sensible to me, and can be used in the future for
other shared 
artwork and resources needed by applications in the kdegames
module. I 
will ask around (IRC) and get more feedback on this.

> Yes, the "real" mahjong is a 4 player game.
> http://en.wikipe
dia.org/wiki/Mahjong
> 
> Gnome and KDE should probably be describing their games
Mahjong
> solitaire.
> http:/
/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire
> I am reminded that it can also be a two player game.

Yes, there are variations like Dragon Slayer and two player
puzzles. But 
all of these are really puzzle games that use mahjong tiles,
not real 
mahjong. The first one I played was Shanghai from
Activision, for the 
Macintosh. But I see now in wikipedia that the concept (for
computer 
games) goes back to at least 71.

Maybe we should rectify this for KDE4? We maintain the
module name as 
kmahjongg (directories, resources) for historical reasons,
but we add 
Solitaire to the title bar. And update the description to
"Mahjongg 
Solitaire", insted of "Mahjongg-like tile
game".


Regards,
Mauricio
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On Thu, 31 Aug 2006, Mauricio Piacentini wrote:

> Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:32:38 -0300
> From: Mauricio Piacentini <mauriciotabuleiro.com>
> Reply-To: KDE games development <kde-games-develkde.org>
> To: KDE games development <kde-games-develkde.org>
> Subject: Re: [Kde-games-devel] Tileset storage location
and KNewStuff
>
> > why not as follows:
> >
> > /usr/share/apps/kdegames/common/mahjongg/tilesets
> >
/usr/share/apps/kdegames/common/mahjongg/backgrounds
>
> Seems sensible to me, and can be used in the future for
other shared
> artwork and resources needed by applications in the
kdegames module. I
> will ask around (IRC) and get more feedback on this.
>
> > Yes, the "real" mahjong is a 4 player
game.
> > http://en.wikipe
dia.org/wiki/Mahjong

If you look at the Mahjong Solitare Talk page you will see I
removed a
reference to the latest Microsoft vapourware, it seems like
Vista might
include a Mahjongg game of their own.

> > Gnome and KDE should probably be describing their
games Mahjong
> > solitaire.
> > http:/
/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire
> > I am reminded that it can also be a two player
game.
>
> Yes, there are variations like Dragon Slayer and two
player puzzles. But
> all of these are really puzzle games that use mahjong
tiles, not real
> mahjong. The first one I played was Shanghai from
Activision, for the
> Macintosh. But I see now in wikipedia that the concept
(for computer
> games) goes back to at least 71.
>
> Maybe we should rectify this for KDE4? We maintain the
module name as
> kmahjongg (directories, resources) for historical
reasons,

Definately don't want to touch the directory structure.

> but we add Solitaire to the title bar. And update the
description to
> "Mahjongg Solitaire", insted of
"Mahjongg-like tile game".

Hard to know what is best, "Mahjongg like"
isn't a very helpful
description unless you already know what the other
"real" Mahjongg is in
which case you probably know about Majongg solitaire.  A bit
of both might
work "Mahjongg Solitaire, matching tiles game".

It might be worth changing the lable just to improve the
description.
After recent round of changes here is what Gnome is/will be
using:
"mahjongg	Dismantle a pile of tiles by removing
matching pairs "
http://live.
gnome.org/UsabilityTeam/Menu

Since there doesn't seem to be any popular real mahjongg
game for KDE
there isn't much benefit to changing the name/lables so it
might be
better/easier to leave well enough alone until someone asks
for it?

(Great to see someone working on KMahjongg.  I am (not very)
quiety hoping
you might have plans to work on the level editor, maybe even
make larger
level sizes possible so I can make another attempt at
copying layouts I
have seen in other Mahjongg games but that KMahjongg could
not support.)

Sincerely

Alan Horkan


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