Norm Wattenberger: CVBJ V4 beta test

[Norm Wattenberger]

CV Blackjack V4 is now in development. If you are interested in joining the beta test program please contact me. Also, if you have any suggestions/requests now is the time.


Serious Blackjack Software

[MJ]

My #1 suggestion would be to add 2 additional dealer errors I mentioned a while back into the software(you said they made sense). Here they are again:

Dealer stands on multiple card 15 or 16:
Once in a while, a dealer may intentionally(or unintentionally) stand on a multiple card 15 or 16 and call out 17...especially when an ace is in the hand. It happened to me a while back in AC but fortunately another player at the table caught the error and made the dealer draw another card to bust!

Dealer busts with multiple card 22 or 23 but calls it 21:
Every once in a while a dealer will draw many cards for a total of 22 or 23 but call out 21!! Many players do not even take the time to add the dealers total and take it for granted the dealer never makes a mistake. Some counters are so busy counting they dont even add the dealers cards!

I know for a fact the MIT Blackjack teams put a GREAT deal of emphasis on catching dealer errors and it is a crucial part of their skills test! If the dealer rips you off even once that constitutes automatic failure! If you add in the two suggestions above, now a player can practice guarding against ALL dealer errors.

Another suggestion would be instant replay when counting down a deck in the counting drills. The EXACT same sequence of cards which were flashed on the screen prior should be replayed in the next round in case some specific order of cards throws a player's count off. Just add a button that says "Replay" or something.

I would like to be able to set a time for the BS drills and see how many plays I can make in a certain time limit(say 20 seconds)like on HitorStand.net bonus round. Even more important, rather then display the players cards horizontally set them diagnally just like you would see them in a real casino.

Also, it would be great if the user could specify how many hands would be flashed per round in table drills. I think the way it is now there are always 6 hands flased at a time.
Give us the option to set how many hands are flashed on the table please.

Thats all for now. Hope this helps.

-MJ

Dealer

> CV Blackjack V4 is now in development. If you are
> interested in joining the beta test program please
> contact me. Also, if you have any suggestions/requests
> now is the time.

> Serious Blackjack Software

[Norm Wattenberger]

> My #1 suggestion would be to add 2 additional dealer
> errors I mentioned a while back into the software(you
> said they made sense). Here they are again:....

Yep I intend to improve dealer errors. I've always thought players do not spend enough time at this.

> Another suggestion would be instant replay when
> counting down a deck in the counting drills. The EXACT
> same sequence of cards which were flashed on the
> screen prior should be replayed in the next round in
> case some specific order of cards throws a player's
> count off. Just add a button that says
> "Replay" or something.

Makes sense

> I would like to be able to set a time for the BS
> drills and see how many plays I can make in a certain
> time limit(say 20 seconds)like on HitorStand.net bonus
> round. Even more important, rather then display the
> players cards horizontally set them diagnally just
> like you would see them in a real casino.

That should exist in one of the timer modes. But it doesn't stop the drill now, it just wanrs that you ran out of time and starts to count overtime.

> Also, it would be great if the user could specify how
> many hands would be flashed per round in table drills.
> I think the way it is now there are always 6 hands
> flased at a time.
> Give us the option to set how many hands are flashed
> on the table please.

Makes sense.

Thanks. The main area for improvement in this release is reducing practice time, or conversely getting more out of your time practicing.

[Todd Macaluso]

Do you know where I can find a windows based program where I can enter cards as they are played and get a true count?

Thanks

[MJ]

I very much like the ultra real mode graphics!! How about setting up a heads up ultra real mode feature where the discard tray is MUCH CLOSER to real time size and the players cards appear larger just like in the heads up game you have now. The primary feature I am looking for is the same graphic quality the ultra real mode has now added into the heads up game.

Also, in the ultra real mode that accomodates 5 players, the cards are dealt vertically instead of diagnally. Can you just set it up so the cards are dealt diagnally instead of vertically? Otherwise, I always get confused between the 6 and 9. No casino deals cards vertically anyhow. If you need to make the cards smaller, so be it.

Lastly, you might want to create an MP3 available for dl off your site that gives the sound of a real casino environment...slots, shouting, etc. Just an idea. Otherwise the radio and tv will suffice. But it would be nice to have casino music to play while practicing, even if it is not actually a part of CV.

If I think of anything else I will let you know.

-MJ

> CV Blackjack V4 is now in development. If you are
> interested in joining the beta test program please
> contact me. Also, if you have any suggestions/requests
> now is the time.

> Serious Blackjack Software

[Norm Wattenberger]

> Do you know where I can find a windows based program
> where I can enter cards as they are played and get a
> true count?

You can do this with CVBJ by clicking on Stack the Deck on the OPTIONS-SETTINGS-EXPERT METHODS folder. But, it wasn't really made for this purpose.

[Norm Wattenberger]

> I very much like the ultra real mode graphics!! How
> about setting up a heads up ultra real mode feature
> where the discard tray is MUCH CLOSER to real time
> size and the players cards appear larger just like in
> the heads up game you have now. The primary feature I
> am looking for is the same graphic quality the ultra
> real mode has now added into the heads up game.

Thought about it. I don't think I'll do it this release but it's on the list. I like the whole table format.

> Also, in the ultra real mode that accomodates 5
> players, the cards are dealt vertically instead of
> diagnally. Can you just set it up so the cards are
> dealt diagnally instead of vertically? Otherwise, I
> always get confused between the 6 and 9. No casino
> deals cards vertically anyhow. If you need to make the
> cards smaller, so be it.

That table format is gone in V4. Replaced by a six seat diagonal format with smaller cards and a larger card offset. The split animation is more realistic alowing more hands in a tight space just as in a casino. This is a major change and I'm quite happy the way it turned out.

> Lastly, you might want to create an MP3 available for
> dl off your site that gives the sound of a real casino
> environment...slots, shouting, etc. Just an idea.
> Otherwise the radio and tv will suffice. But it would
> be nice to have casino music to play while practicing,
> even if it is not actually a part of CV.

Ages ago I made a deal with Uston's publisher to get a high-quality recording. It fell through (not surprising if you know him.) I decided it was fluff anyway. TV and/or radio and/or life around you is much more distracting than lo-fi sound from your PC. You can play your own CDs. Music you like is always more distracting than background noise (assuming you're a music lover.) The mind filters out repeatitive noise. For real distraction, you have to have background sounds that either you love or hate. Both are easy to find

[MJ]

> CV Blackjack V4 is now in development. If you are
> interested in joining the beta test program please
> contact me. Also, if you have any suggestions/requests
> now is the time.

> Serious Blackjack Software

How will the beta testing program work? How long do you think it will be until V4 is released?

The other suggestion for V4 which I forgot to mention was the size of the discard tray in ultra real mode. The tray just looks so tiny...not more then an inch. I realize this is difficult, but is there any way to make the tray appear closer to actual size like in the discard estimation drills?

If its not possible I can understand that. I just want to be able to practice in ultra real mode with a realistic looking discard tray. That is why I suggested a heads up game in real time mode. Now that would be cool!

One other minor point, when the betting chips are placed in the circle, maybe they shouldnt go in to exact same spot within the circle every time. In real play, players just place a bet inside the circle. Perhaps you could give the player 2 or 3 spots within the circe to place the bet(just thought it adds even more to the realism).

-MJ

[pm]

Hey, one thing in CVDrills that always seemed off is when you use the numpad to enter the count in a full-table drill; the numbers' positions tend to jump around. Like you might see "0" at the number 4 position one time, and then at the number 8 position the next. This usually ends up adding maybe 2-3 seconds to your total count time because you might have to search for a number. It would be easier if the counts always corresponded to a particular number on the numpad.

pm

[Norm Wattenberger]

> How will the beta testing program work? How long do
> you think it will be until V4 is released?

The nice part of being the only developer is not having to stick to a schedule But, I'm running out of manuals so it shouldn't be long.

> The other suggestion for V4 which I forgot to mention
> was the size of the discard tray in ultra real mode.
> The tray just looks so tiny...not more then an inch. I
> realize this is difficult, but is there any way to
> make the tray appear closer to actual size like in the
> discard estimation drills?

The size is relative to the table. It's actually based on a photo of a table.

> If its not possible I can understand that. I just want
> to be able to practice in ultra real mode with a
> realistic looking discard tray. That is why I
> suggested a heads up game in real time mode. Now that
> would be cool!

That'll take some thought.

> One other minor point, when the betting chips are
> placed in the circle, maybe they shouldnt go in to
> exact same spot within the circle every time. In real
> play, players just place a bet inside the circle.
> Perhaps you could give the player 2 or 3 spots within
> the circe to place the bet(just thought it adds even
> more to the realism).

Problem is there are actually about 18 different chip stacks per player (bet, win, DD, DD win, splits, side bets, tips, insurance, DAS, BJ half win, etc.)

[Norm Wattenberger]

Have to do this since there are more counts than keys.

[pm]

Couldn't it be done so that it would always show up as one of these sets:

11 12 13
8 9 10
5 6 7

or

2 3 4
-1 0 1
-4 -3 -2

or

-7 -6 -5
-10 -9 -8
-13 -12 -11

etc.? Or something like that, so that the position of a count never changes (when it needs to show up)?

[Norm Wattenberger]

Have to think about it. The problem was to avoid giving a hint.