Re: General Opinion on a how to?

You could store the name of the algorithm in the database along with some
params for it. I have done this two ways in the past successfully. First,
you could store the params in a TEXT field as xml. Second you can create
another detail table with key value pairs. Either way you would not have to
change the database as you add new algorithm to the system. We used a
system similar to this for calculating holidays for a calendar. Almost all
holidays on the calendar could be calculated with a few basic algorithms.
<holiday name="CHRISTmas" algorithm ="date" day="25" month="12"/>
<holiday name="July 4th" algorithm ="date" day="4" month="7"/>
<holiday name="Thanksgiving" algorithm ="weekday" month="11" week="4"
weekday="5"/>

however easter was different so we had create a special algorithm for it.
<holiday name="Easter" algorithm ="easter"/>
<holiday name="Good Friday" algorithm ="relative" relativeHoliday="Easter"
metric="day" distance="-2"/>

All in all we have arround 5 algorithms and almost 100 holidays. This came
in very usefull this year because with daylight savings time changing we had
to only change the xml file.

Hope this helps

Jamey

"Daniel" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23O$hy%237QHHA.1200@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That part is already done and complete. The issue is more the back end
storage of the prize pool break dowm to hard code in code as your method
suggests or not?

If i have a database table that reads the variables out then that to be is
the only way forward.

As Jamey said, a interface and a factory sounds a good plan and i can
instatiate each from the database in advamce choosing the one needed at
run time.

The way i see my calculation working with the aid of Jameys tips is this:

- load a game
- Retrieve Tournament placed winning positions from database as a %, top
30%, top 1% (winner takes all), etc
- Load into a prize pool object instance for that game

My biggest issue is the distribution of that prize pool. Rather than hard
code, "if 3 prize positions then break down as follows", "if 4 etc".

I would rather some form of algorithm for or setting in my database to say
that for this game use this ditribution, for this one use another one, and
eaxh distribution be stored in a back end db table.

But how do you store a 'distribution'? I guess its an algorithm, if so i
could store in the db which algorithm to use etc? this is where i am
stuck....

Any ideas?


"Peter Bradley" <pbradley@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23%23qm4i7QHHA.1860@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seems to me you need to do some analysis.

Some obvious objects are:

Game
Player
Prize
PrizePool

Now, can you say what state variables and methods these objects should
have? Does thinking about that suggest to you that you may want an
inheritance hierarchy, or an interface for some of these objects? E.g.

Could there be different types of Games (Pool, Poker, Darts, Domines,
Cribbage)? Would they have extra/different state and behaviour?

What about prizes? Would an interface work best here? Then a PrizePool
could hold objects that implement the interface?

Will a Game hold a collection of players? Presumably a PrizePool will
hold a collection of Prizes. Since the Prizes may be different, will
they be different in an inheritance sense, or in an interface sense?
Will a PrizePool need a reference to a Game (i.e. need to know which Game
it is the PrizePool for)? Will a Prize need a reference to a Game, too?
Or could the same Prize be used for many Games.

There's no substitute for good analysis.

HTH, IMHO, YMMV, Just my 2c etc etc


Peter




"Daniel" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:O$8rOP6QHHA.4916@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi guys

I have a requirment to calculate a prize pool for a competiton similar
to a poker tournament. But i am stuck on best ways or even if i have the
right ideas, so:

Players pay to play, total paid is prize pool and is distributed to top
3 or so winners.

Variables are number of players who will win, if a lot enter i increase
number of winners. i think a standard top 30% rounded off would work for
calculating paid positions? So 10 players. 30% would be 3 of them
(rounded)

Now to calculate the actual amount of prize each gets i'd like to be
able to vary it. So i could offer or be versatile enough to offer
different distribtuions. Such as, a winner takes all, a top 2 get the
most and then 3rd gets a fair bit less, or a 4 out of 10 get
prizes.....etc

Also i'd like to be able to offer prizes where say first place can get
cash AND a car for example. But other 2 places just cash etc etc

This is where i am stuck, do i go for a hard coded table in database and
read off it when my prog loads into a struct and just reference that
when doing calculations? One way forward, but then if a number of
players enters that i havent accounted for, then what?

Alternatively as i said above i calculate winning positions based on a %
but then how do idecide which of those positions wins what?

Very stuck and confused, i keep thinking this must be simple. any ideas
or pointers welcome?

Thanks









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