[Lestrades.com] Nao 尚

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What's coming next to Lestrade's?
« on May 14th, 2017, 10:39 AM »Last edited on September 22nd, 2017, 08:39 AM
So... With the unveiling of list multi-editing, I have now accomplished most of the features that were deemed as 'urgent' by most BVG users.

I'm not done with the site, of course. I'll keep working on it. So I guess I needed to open a new topic to discuss what I'll be working on next. In the near future, and in a more hypothetical future.

First of all-- my plan for this morning. Well, that's quick... When it comes to multi-editing, I think there's only one limitation, store & quantity don't bother with the current store & quantity for all items in the default state. For instance, I should set an empty state for quantities by default, instead of 1, in case you want to reset a series of x0 to x1 (currently, you have to select them, then set them to x2 or whatever, then set them back to x1). Store doesn't matter as much since by default it's an empty icon and you probably aren't looking into resetting a store icon to 'generic key' status generally.
So I guess I'll be fixing the store thing to get the proper default icon for the store in case you select multiple games with the same store, and the quantity thing by selecting the proper quantity or an empty quantity in case there are different quantities.
:edit: Done!

Next: my plan for the following week. I'm only planning to work on two things, bundle handling and BVG syncing improvements.
I need to start importing ITAD bundles again, and automate it. :edit: Done.
Then write a bundle editor to allow for moderators to make changes to bundles. (Because I'm not going to import changes made to ITAD bundles after they were imported... I know it's technically possible, but I don't want to bother ITAD with more imports than strictly necessary.) :edit: Done! (Need to add ability to create new bundles without waiting, though..)
Possibly later, might also write a Steamgifts bundle importer, following the format currently being used, but I'm not sure I'll do it because I see differences between authors. (Maybe if I stick to bundles created by devotee... :P) :edit: Abandoned.
Also, bundle comments. :edit: Done :)

Regarding BVG, now that it's possible to get all your missing tradables from the site, it'd also be nice to be able to 'send' your LT games to BVG, given that tagging is way simpler on LT. It should be relatively hassle-free to facilitate the addition of games to Barter, but I can't send other data (store, quantity, tags) easily. I may have to do it in 3+ steps (sending the game, retrieving the tradable list to acquire the latest tradable ID, then send store/quantity/tags individually to that ID.) I suppose it's doable, but I'm not promising anything. :edit: Abandoned. Not technically possible in the current situation.

Next: my plans for the following month(s)... It's getting blurry now.

- Most certainly the addition of a custom game creator, allowing anyone to add their numerous itch.io keys from Groupees on the site. I know there are people who don't just collect Steam trading cards and also enjoy actually having games to play. :P[1]

- Premium features. They're already there, I'm just not offering them outside of beta testers. I could discuss them, announce them, rant about them all I want, but I'd rather keep that under veil for now. I just think it's nicer when you... get the surprise? And no, it's not just custom filters... There are multiple features being worked on, some in my head, some half-cooked, some half-ready, some ready. I use them daily. I just don't know when it's safe to start sharing them. Especially because they give a small edge to traders. :P

- (Should be quick-ish to do) Ability to undo / fine-tune farming times on libraries (rather than just set a game as entirely farmed.)

- (Never ending task) Improvements to the visuals. Try to ensure that all pages use a similar layout and visual code, rather than one of several building blocks I have in my toolset. I hadn't written interfaces in a couple years when I started work on Lestrade's, so I'd gotten rusty. It's only coming back to me slowly... :edit: Pretty much done...

- Redoing the profile page from scratch (or close to), putting the emphasis on trading-related features, and making them easy to set up.

- (Should be quick to do) Uncancel an offer, Undecline an offer. i.e. Create a new offer based on a canceled or declined offer. Just like Countering is the action of creating an offer based on an existing pending offer...

- Optional ability to require that traders with which you trade, immediately activate (within 10 minutes) keys you send them. It'll be a weird implementation (not technically complicated since it's just a matter of syncing libraries after 10 minutes, sending a reminder, and if not in there by the next day or so, auto-ban the user for a while...), but I know there are people who get really bored with 'professional' traders who never collect games to play them but just to have a +1, or worse, to make a $0.01 profit off them... (Suggestion found here, of all places.)

I... think that's all for now.
Well, it feels good to have a roadmap, at least for me...

I'll update this post as I implement new stuff, and think of new features. Feel free to comment, and have your favorite future features come first in implementation priority ;)

:edit: This is a rather old topic; most of the items in my to-do list have evolved beyond this list. I don't know when or if I'll implement those items then. Don't worry, as long as I add new features regularly, you'll be happy enough!
 1. My only issue with itch.io is that often, when a game is both on itch and Steam, it never gets updated on itch again... Why, I don't know, but I can quote one from memory (Whitewash), and more from experience.
Re: What's coming next to Lestrade's?
« Reply #1, on May 17th, 2017, 10:55 PM »
Working on ITAD scraping again. The whole process was broken by the recent redesign, which meant my code wasn't finding bundles automatically.

However I just noticed something of a problem... I can't find bundle start dates anymore..?! Only expiration dates (if they are known.)
Did I miss something? I can't even get that data for old bundles I already imported before... Shucks.

Maybe start dates aren't as important as expiry dates, I agree, but it's still bothersome to me. I like completeness!
Re: What's coming next to Lestrade's?
« Reply #2, on May 21st, 2017, 04:21 PM »
All of the urgent and semi-urgent features are now implemented at Lestrade's. :)

Now the question would be: what do you guys want next! I'm gonna reuse this topic for discussing suggestions just because I don't like unused topics. :^^;:

/u/humpaaa

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[Lestrades.com] Nao 尚

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Re: What's coming next to Lestrade's?
« Reply #5, on September 22nd, 2017, 08:41 AM »
Was re-reading this topic...
While I'm getting suggestions in the appropriately named Suggestions topic, I was thinking, does anyone have suggestions/ideas that pertain to the role of Lestrade's in the gaming community, something that would cement it as unmissable, rather than just a great site for traders?
Not that I don't have any... But it's a lot of work done in silence, and maybe I'm missing out on something that's easier/faster to do.