HCE feature requests

[Mark Uniacke]

Switching sources is a very useful and regular function if one is preparing for an opponent. I know a number of strong players who use it regularly.

I use it regularly too, with the right database or filter this can be very powerful.

However, we have addressed the spacing on the Mac and improved the layout so that should ease the concern.

[michaelmatthews]

It is nice to be able to add "start comments". It would be great to be able to enter them before any move, so that the beginning of a variation could be labeled. It would also be very nice to be able to force a variation to begin on a new line in the notation. This way one could more clearly see variation trees.

1 d4
1.1 1...Nf6 2 c4
1.2 1...d5 2 c4

It would be even better to be able to indent variations as in outline form.

1
1.1
1.11
1.2
1.22

etc.


Thanks!
Michael

[JamesCoons]

This is not a high priority, but the ability to do board annotations:
coloring or labeling squares, colored arrows etc would be nice.

Supporting chessbase PGN annotation comments would probably be more useful than creating a new comment format, or supporting SCID PGN format.

[Fehlzeichen]

Hello,

i am using Chess Explorer mainly for Game Analysis via "Game -> Analyze Game".

Generally i am using 30 seconds analysis for each move. I would like to see more information in the "Analysis Explorer Window" in realtime during this process like evaluation, history, etc... Unfortunately only one single status line is shown in this window. The button on the right side called "show analysis history and statistics" has no great effect in "Game Analysis" Mode.

There is another thing - I like the possibility to walk through the moves (notation) during "Game Analysis" and think about single positions.

But i would like to have an option like "Cursor follows Game Analysis", which can be checked/unchecked during the "Game Analysis" process.

[Mark Uniacke]

It is nice to be able to add "start comments". It would be great to be able to enter them before any move, so that the beginning of a variation could be labeled. It would also be very nice to be able to force a variation to begin on a new line in the notation. This way one could more clearly see variation trees.

1 d4
1.1 1...Nf6 2 c4
1.2 1...d5 2 c4

It would be even better to be able to indent variations as in outline form.

1
1.1
1.11
1.2
1.22

etc.


Thanks!
Michael

You can already add start comments on a variation, these comments appear before the move.

New variations on the main line do get started on a new line as far as I recall. Subvariations (variations on variations) are not started on new lines.

We are looking into using indents for variations, previously this was tried but there was a problem. We now have a working prototype of this and it does make viewing complex variations much easier. We will try to get into v1.1.

[Patatov]

Hello,

I use HCE quite often now and I like it a lot... However I have a few small requests regarding HCE.
It would be great if we could switch to small icons on the tool bar... or even better have an option to access their functions via menus instead.
I think the icons are too big.

Another small change would be for the GUI to remember my engine settings when I selected to see the best 3 moves.
If I shut down the application, the next time it switches back to only the best move line.
btw I'm using the Mac version

Thanks!

[Mark Uniacke]

I am very pleased you like HCE a lot.

I think all icons functions can be accessed from the menus and most if not all via keyboard short-cuts. The initial feedback was for larger icons (in beta), but I think this is the second request I have had for smaller ones, we will look at it as an option for the future.

The engine settings are all saved, however the number of Lines for analysis of any engine is not as it is seen as a separate setting that changes often (hence it's position in the AE pane). The issue for saving as a setting would be that the lines can be set differently in each PGN database tab so that gives alot of flexibility of use, but if we set one value for lines then that will be prevented. So it is difficult unless the lines setting is remembered on a per DB basis but I am not sure if that is a good idea.

[michaelmatthews]

You can already add start comments on a variation, these comments appear before the move.

New variations on the main line do get started on a new line as far as I recall. Subvariations (variations on variations) are not started on new lines.

We are looking into using indents for variations, previously this was tried but there was a problem. We now have a working prototype of this and it does make viewing complex variations much easier. We will try to get into v1.1.

Thanks for your reply, Mark. Regarding start comments, I was wondering if they could be placed not only before variations, as is currently the case, but before any move.

Example below. I would like to be able to put a start comment before move 5.Be3 in addition to the one which I can currently put before the variation ( 5Bg5 d6 etc.).

Since 5.Be3 is the main line and not a variation, I currently cannot (as I understand it) put a start comment before this move.


1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 O-O
[start comment here] 5.Be3
[start comment here] ( 5.Bg5 d6 6.Qd2 ( 6.h3 ) )
5...c5
( 5...d6 6.h3 ) ( 5...c6 6.h3 ( 6.e5 Ne8 ) 6...d5 7.e5 Ne4 8.Nge2 )
6.dxc5 Qa5 7.f3 *

Indents would be wonderful, as would the possibility of starting subvariations on a new line.

Thank again for the wonderful software!
Michael

[hana]

I also vote for smaller icons. It is much better to have a larger windows than icons, especially when one is using a laptop with limited screen size.

I would very much appreciate if you allow me to disable switching moves with scrolling. When using trackpad on my MacbookPro, this feature is practically useless for me. I much more prefer ordinary scrolling than switching moves.

Is there a way to change the directory of HIARCS folder? Right now it is under Documents folder, but I don't like a folder of specific software directly under my Documents folder. Also, there are way too many HIARCS related folders under Applications.

[Mark Uniacke]

You can already add start comments on a variation, these comments appear before the move.

New variations on the main line do get started on a new line as far as I recall. Subvariations (variations on variations) are not started on new lines.

We are looking into using indents for variations, previously this was tried but there was a problem. We now have a working prototype of this and it does make viewing complex variations much easier. We will try to get into v1.1.

Thanks for your reply, Mark. Regarding start comments, I was wondering if they could be placed not only before variations, as is currently the case, but before any move.

Example below. I would like to be able to put a start comment before move 5.Be3 in addition to the one which I can currently put before the variation ( 5Bg5 d6 etc.).

Since 5.Be3 is the main line and not a variation, I currently cannot (as I understand it) put a start comment before this move.


1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 O-O
[start comment here] 5.Be3
[start comment here] ( 5.Bg5 d6 6.Qd2 ( 6.h3 ) )
5...c5
( 5...d6 6.h3 ) ( 5...c6 6.h3 ( 6.e5 Ne8 ) 6...d5 7.e5 Ne4 8.Nge2 )
6.dxc5 Qa5 7.f3 *

Indents would be wonderful, as would the possibility of starting subvariations on a new line.

Thank again for the wonderful software!
Michael

You can put a comment after 4...O-O which will place it before 5.Be3 with the current software.
v1.1 has an even better presentation of complex variations so it is very easy to follow.

[Mark Uniacke]

I also vote for smaller icons. It is much better to have a larger windows than icons, especially when one is using a laptop with limited screen size.

I would very much appreciate if you allow me to disable switching moves with scrolling. When using trackpad on my MacbookPro, this feature is practically useless for me. I much more prefer ordinary scrolling than switching moves.

Is there a way to change the directory of HIARCS folder? Right now it is under Documents folder, but I don't like a folder of specific software directly under my Documents folder. Also, there are way too many HIARCS related folders under Applications.

Icon sizing has been requested and I will add your vote for it.
The Magic Mouse and Mac Book Pro trackpad response has been improved dramatically in v1.1. We have also changed it so scrolling of moves is only possible in the Board view. The Game Notation pane will scroll the pane.

The folder in Documents can be moved, you will need to tell HCE where it is after you do that and the Recent files will not work since they will all point to the old location.

[hana]

Icon sizing has been requested and I will add your vote for it.
The Magic Mouse and Mac Book Pro trackpad response has been improved dramatically in v1.1. We have also changed it so scrolling of moves is only possible in the Board view. The Game Notation pane will scroll the pane.

The folder in Documents can be moved, you will need to tell HCE where it is after you do that and the Recent files will not work since they will all point to the old location.

Thanks!

[JamesCoons]

I agree wholeheartedly with the desire for toolbar resizing. In general anything which increases the amount of useful information visible to the user I am in favor of. I prefer the Board to be as large as possible and still be square. The remainder of the display I prefer to be used for PGN display, analysis, opening data, and other useful information. For the most part, space such as toolbars and other icons which are used to perform control functions I prefer to take as little room as possible. In fact if the toolbar commands were also available with menu selections then the ability to get rid of the toolbar entirely would be a nice option. Also purely decorative space such as borders I would prefer to be minimal.

Thanks for getting rid of the scroll move selection in the PGN display.

[Patatov]

Hello,

Can we remove the side to move icon (white or black)?
It will save us some real estate.
And I'd love to be able to rename the engine name in the engine list

Thanks

[JamesCoons]

Hello,

Can we remove the side to move icon (white or black)?
It will save us some real estate.
And I'd love to be able to rename the engine name in the engine list

Thanks

I agree, remove it, make it narrower, or move it somewhere like the toolbar where it won't take up room.