Random Number Shuffle Fault

[Greg the Yeti]

Hi Richard,
first thanks for working on a few things I'd mentioned previously!

I was investigating the Shuffling and exploring the Random Number Shuffle and I noticed a clear fault.
I was still using version 9.3.1.7, so I upgraded to the NEW 9.4.1.3 to make sure that my comments wouldn't sound already out of date! (Runtime 4.0.30319.34209)

The fault is clear and is as follows.
With a Deck larger than 100 ( I happened to be experimenting on the Ling Qi Jing ) and I was using the Free Selection Mode to be able to see what was going on better. Using the Random Number Shuffle I noticed quite quickly that there were more than one of the first card "000" (Orphalese File Number "00") parked at the end of the Free Selection Bar. To see what was what I counted how many of them there were and it turned out to be exactly 25, the number of cards beyond 100. I later also checked if that card was present anywhere else, and indeed, on one of my shuffles it was present one time earlier in the "Shuffle". A total of 26x of the same card!

I wondered if this was just a display artefact, so I did a largish Spread, which would use those cards at that end of the Deck. The Spread turned out 10 all of the same!!! So It's not a display artefact!

I wanted to return the Deck to it's normal state, and tried the sort in order option, Ctrl + Shift + Z. This didn't put the Deck back to normal, but just put all those Zeros at the start instead!!

My next attempt to return the Deck to normal was to go to another Deck and then back. That worked.

Note:- All this behaviour is exactly the same in both the versions of Orphalese. I guess no one has noticed before.

It looks as if this might be a fairly easy fault to find. Whether it is as easy to sort out I don't know. I hope you can and I hope you will.

Regards
Greg the Yeti

[Greg the Yeti]

Just for reference, the fault does not apply to the normal shuffle, which seems to work as it should!

Also a thanks for the new Continuos Shuffle, which I've just noticed. I like it, so thanks!

Regards Greg the Yeti

[Greg the Yeti]

I've also noticed for the Regular Shuffle another interesting thing (positive I think).

Leaving the Deck Shuffling and pressing the Space Bar to deal, you can Deal as many cards as you want, while the Deck is still being shuffled. This probably adds another - truly random - level to the Shuffle, so if what I'm seing is the way it really works, this has to be a very positive feature.

Does it make the Random Number Shuffle obsolete??
Don't know! Any comments anyone?

Regards Greg the Yeti

Could this (Very Good) behaviour be applied in a Spread?
I tried this out with the Free Selection Mode on. Starting the Spread alllows the user to manually fill out the Spread. However it also seemed to terminate the Shuffling. So it doesn't work that way at the moment. This might be an interesting new development?

[Greg the Yeti]

Should you like this idea of using the "Continous Spread" with Spacebar Drawing of Successive Cards into a Spread, then I have a comment about my prefered manner of implementing it.

I'm not a fan of the Dialogue Box which pops up if you do a Spread in Free Selection mode. "Not Nice!" - to quote Gollum/Smeagol.

Instead a method, which I think should be both intuitive and easy to implement?

1) Select Deck
2) Start Shuffle
3) Select a Spread, which if it detects the Shuffle still in operation, simply waits for successive "Spacebars" from the user.
4) These "Spacebar" presses then automatically fill out the Spread with no intervening (Nasty) Dialogue Box.

Well I suppose if the user is not familiar with the Spread then they might need to be prompted with how many cards need drawing.
A custom "Waiting for..." Windows Icon should be all that is needed? Perhaps a Spinning or Flipping Card Icon? Then when the number is complete it dissapears...
Or perhaps a simple message box, "Next Card \n Spacebar"
I'm not a fan of un-necessary pop up boxes, so could the reminder text be put in the Orphalese Title Bar?

I think this would work, while allowing the normal Spread behaviour, if the Shuffle has been manually stopped before the Spread is Selected.

Hope you like
Regards
Greg the Yeti

[Programmer]

Hi Greg,

First of all, I think it is important to make clear that what you are referring to as the "random number shuffle" isn't in fact a shuffle at all. The feature is actually called "new random deck" and it creates a deck from scratch with the cards in random positions. A shuffle starts with the deck in a certain order and moves them around. It might seem that this is splitting hairs but I have had long conversations on the forum here with random number purists who have argued that if you start from the deck in a certain order and then apply shuffle algorithms there will be some permutations you can never arrive at. I am not sure if they are right but the new random deck feature was to satisfy them.

I found the bug you mentioned, as you say the random deck should only go up to a hundred cards. I have fixed that with a message telling the user that new random decks are limited to a hundred cards and fewer should they request one that would need to use more. I also like the idea that you can deal with the space bar while shuffling. I hadn't actually planned it like that so it is quite serendipitous.

As far as dealing a spread in Free Selection Mode goes, the idea is that it gives the user a way to manually create a spread card by card, with the user consciously picking which card goes in each place. For example they might have done a spread for someone with a physical deck of cards and they want to send the readee a computer image as well, so they can set the exact same spread up and do a screen capture. So there would be no need to bring shuffling into that process, in fact it would be counterproductive to say the least! Re the dialog box with the spread positions, it might be possible that other users also dislike it (although you are the first person to mention it), but I can guarantee you 100% that if I changed it for no better reason than that there would be plenty of people complaining. It is like when you go into the supermarket and the beans aren't where they normally are. Why did they move the beans?? I think the golden rule has to be "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

[Greg the Yeti]

No, no need to change the existing Dialogue Box for Manual Spreading from Free Selection mode. As you said - and I have no wish for you to be pilloried by other users on my account!

I only even mentioned the Free Selection Mode, because that was the tool I was using to explore the Shuffling. You can see what's what better.

No leave that and, if you like it, then impledment my idea as a new method of doing a more Random Shuffle with greater User Input. It could be completely optional. I don't see that anything alse would need to be changed...

And once again, thanks for the interest you show in user comments and for changes you've made!
In what other program is the Programmer so responsive and helpful? - Precious few!

Keep up the good work!

Regards
Greg the Yeti