Theoritical way to virtually remove the 2000 limit

[decker]

First I’d like to express a big ‘keep up the good work !’ to all the card coders and developers which worked on My2000 or other Manalink tools.

So I have this idea, maybe many people had it already maybe not, just in case here it is :

“Have a program dynamically load the cards needed for the decks you play.”

To implement this idea, I believe we would need to :

1) Use an external program like MWS to generate “simple decks” comprised of card names and quantities alone, using a Main Base that contains all the Manalink coded cards (if it already exist please send it I’d really benefit from MWS search tools compared to the Deck Builder).

2) Make a managing program with My2000 functionalities (or a My2000 plug-in ?) that would take “simple decks” in input and would progressively build Manalink’s card and picture database with what you need to play them, dynamically outputting Manalink decks with the specific card code numbers.

3*) Optionally : Make a new launch game interface that pilots the whole thing, to avoid manually choosing decks in Manalink that don’t work because some of their cards were swapped out (would probably happen in my case once I have around 200-300 different decks).

4*) Optionally : Make a Manalink deck checker which flags the decks with cards swapped out.

[jatill]

We have had this idea before, but not since My2000 was written. I'll re-evaluate it now. I have a couple ideas that might make this possible. What I don't understand is what will happen once your decks contain more than 2000 cards total. The best I can think of is give you a report of which cards are use how often, and let you choose to not include those decks at launch. Is that what you had in mind?

In any case, thanks for your suggestion. We're always looking for fresh ideas.

[decker]

The way I see it : the database starts as empty as possible and starts filling itself each time you give it a deck.

Once your 2000 limit is full the oldest cards added/less used/ or random are swapped out dynamically to load the cards of the decks you are about to use.

How I see it is not important which are the cards swapped out, as they will be put back in next time you use a deck that needs them.

I see this as a way to pilot Manalink differently, not a way to create your 2000 list quicker.

What would be great is to be able to launch the Duel without launching Manalink by hand but automatically choosing the two decks.

[jatill]

Is there anyone out there with a good eye for design that would like to design a deck builder? Or is there already a good one out there we can steal the design from? Or even better, can we steal an entire deck builder, and somehow limit it to just manalink cards?

[decker]

The only one I know well is MWS, and it is possible to create a Master base with only the cards currently coded for Manalink. I'm pretty sure we can also use a deck editor made by someone in another section of the forum.

But I believe that it is not necessarily the first step if we want to work on this idea…

What I understand currently of My2000 is this (correct me if I'm wrong).

a) It contains a database with all coded cards and their pictures.
b) It has a function to list the cards in the Custom Manalink .dll file.
c) It can remove from that file a card and delete the picture.
d) It can add to that file a card and copy the picture.

I think what is needed to automate all this is :
e) A deck file parser that understand some classic formats like

20x Plains
4x Serra Angel
...

It should also understand Manalink deck formats but disregarding the Manalink numbers at this stage.

f) The Manalink number should be stored in the My2000 database for all the cards currently present in Manalink, to avoid loading the file to get them and a date they were last used in a deck.

g) An automatic card swapper that takes the list of cards needed and does :

Foreach card in newly loaded deck(s)
if has manalink number in My2000
then update the timestamp and flag the card
else nothing.

Foreach card in newly loaded deck(s)
if has manalink number in My2000
then nothing
elseif nb_of_cards with Manalink numbers < 2000
then (Add card to manalink using next free Manalink Number)
and (update the timestamp, Manalink number and flag the card)
else (Remove card not flagged with oldest timestamp from manalink) and (remove its number from My2000) and (Add card to manalink using next free Manalink Number) and (update the timestamp, Manalink number and flag the card)

Unflag all cards.

h) A Manalink deck generation that takes the freeform deck file and creates one with the Manalink numbers from the My2000 database.

i) A multiple file loader, that does the operation on a list of freeform deck files.

j) A synchronizer that updates My2000 with the Manalink numbers as currently present in Manalink.

k) A Manalink deck cleaner that quarantines decks that have cards that have been swapped out of Manalink or number changed.

l) I don’t understand very well how Manalink handles tokens and animated permanents, probably we would need a table with all dependencies and a function that adds temporarily cards in the decks like this :

4x Mishra’s Factory
4x Exalted Angel

=>

4x Mishra’s Factory
0x Mishra’s Factory Animated
4x Exalted Angel
0x Morphed Creature

Thanks for your interest... It would be great if there was an automated way to remove the 2000 limit and still be able to share decks...

[foolosopher]

Hello guys,
A good deck builder I 've come across is Magic Album, which might fit your purpose, but it will require some work to make it able to see between its own DB and manalink's (or manalink.csv) and translate between the two.
I may be able to contribute if you decide to go this way, or if the required development is in a language that I am familiar with like C,C++ or java, but probably not before July 5th.
Anyway I 'll try to keep up with the subject until then