how do you show your melds?

[marya]

In another thread, Tigre asked the question

Quote:what is the general preference on display of meld?

I'm curious about this too!

I've never played a real-live game of Double Deck Pinochle. When I developed that game for World of Card Games, I looked around for a place in my area that runs them, but couldn't find one (usually I search via meetup - I wouldn't know where else to look).

If you try some Google searches you won't find diddly. I tried doing a Google image search for "pinochle melds". There are just a few results that turn up pictures of real cards. There are many more that are screenshots of some game site or app.

In the end, I tried out a few different game sites and decided on a particular view of the melds that made the most sense to me...

I would like to see a variety of photos taken where the physical cards are shown in melds. I'm sure different people do this differently. Post your pics to this thread, please!

[rdwrites]

What you have going is probably better, but what I did and do is display the meld as text descriptions:
Aces Around
Double Pinochle
40 meld

background: I wrote Double Deck Pinochle for TRS-80 and CP/M (Z-80) back in 1981-1983. Rewrote in DOS (8086) in 1987, in Java in 2004, and in RPG (IBM i) last year. That was a single player with computer partner and players. My current effort being served off my IBM i is at (login not active yet): http://www.rdwpin.com/IBMi/ddpin

I will go live this year but don't know when yet. Am working on it hard in my spare time.

I am open to displaying cards as would happen in real life but in real life the player is announcing the meld I think. It's probably been 32 years since I sat at a table and played. I don't remember. For sure we laid cards out in a heiarchy with some creativity of lining different melds that shared cards. But we also voiced at least the most significant melds while doing it.

So the text is not unlike the real experience as far as what was being put forth. From your screenshot you had both I think, cards and a list of meld points, and when you remove those zeros will be pretty good.

Probably will display the cards above and follow with the text descriptions below. I just show one player's meld per screen.

Thanks for your efforts on Double Deck Pinochle and I enjoy the questions and discussion. Can't add much to what the others have said who cover things pretty thoroughly.

[marya]

(08-23-2015, 11:55 PM)rdwrites Wrote:  What you have going is probably better, but what I did and do is display the meld as text descriptions:
Aces Around
Double Pinochle
40 meld

I think it's okay without a visual, although I do think a visual key is also nice to have. The one thing I would also like to see is what each meld was worth. I think it would help beginners who are training to recognize meld. I guess there's a danger that they might use it as a crutch.

(08-23-2015, 11:55 PM)rdwrites Wrote:  So the text is not unlike the real experience as far as what was being put forth. From your screenshot you had both I think, cards and a list of meld points, and when you remove those zeros will be pretty good.

Yes, here's a recent screenshot:

(08-23-2015, 11:55 PM)rdwrites Wrote:  Thanks for your efforts on Double Deck Pinochle and I enjoy the questions and discussion. Can't add much to  what the others have said who cover things pretty thoroughly.

Thanks! I am still itching to see photographs of how different people do the display of melds "in real life". I may have to find some local Pinochle groups, to get this! If I can find any... Anyone out there in the Boston area who plays Double Deck Pinochle in person?

[marya]

A player from World of Card Games sent me an example of the melds shown in a real life game, a while ago. She has given me permission to post it here - I thought it was interesting and would like to see more

[rakbeater]

That's pretty normal/similar to how we do it when we play.

[rdwrites]

yep, that's a good pic, marya. Pretty much how its done. Programming wise, to identify the longest meld displays and side cards to add missing meld, that's way down on my list. I will get site launched before I get to that, but defiinitely adds to the ambience.

[mickmackusa]

I concur.  The arrangement is how our tribe generally laid things out during offline games.

General Observations:
 Meld units are grouped to provide ease of counting and easy of portability from and to the player's hand, but not necessarily in horizontal lines based on suit (like online games usually deliver).
Legs of Pinochle, are often positioned diagonally with the   s being on one level, and the   s being pulled down slightly to form another level with the same row.  This is shown by the East player in your photo.  This is literally iconic to the game.  Most online Pinochle games and offline products (decks and such) will tap into this well known visual by simply designing the icon as a   near the top left corner and the   in the lower right corner.

One thing that I do differently (compared to the photo) has to do with presenting multiple Marriages or a Run with a Royal Marriage in a single row.  For the sake of portability, I smash suited meld units together in a single row.

For a Run + a Royal Marriage, I lay:
  instead of    or         

Similarly, for a Double Marriage, I lay:
  instead of 

This thread is great for online designers who are considering the best way to present meld.  Programmatical layout is complicated slightly, because in Pinochle some cards can be shared by multiple meld units.  Examples in the photo: North's Pinochle, East's : , South's partially cropped Kings Around, and West's  .   

Well done for raising this discussion and drilling down for the "why" and "how".

[rdwrites]

Good point, mick. I didn't notice that in the picture. Definitely the 19 pounders displayed as you do in my experience.