Todd Astroth – CS 499 Log
Date	Hours	Activity
1/9/06 Mon	6	Designed User Manual for Quoridor. Included details about starting the game, how to set up players, how to play the game, how to quit and return to a game, and how to use other features to be included in the program.
	1	Designed remainder of User Interface mockups for project (mainly Client setup screens for networking).
1/10/06 Tues	3	Continued to work on User Manual. Finished up sections on setting up games over a network. These were my educated guesses on how this would work when we get to that part (networking).
	1	Created this log.
	1	Developed necessary use cases for testing the player setup screen for the semester. I picked the ones that would thoroughly test the needed possibilities of combinations of AI players and players on different machines.
	1	Started to revise timeline chart to reflect what each individual will be doing this semester.
1/12/06 Thurs	1	(EB 1010) Discussed with group the interfaces we would need for the program (in addition to our current ones). We also talked about how we need to change the subsystems to compensate for the interfaces.
	2	Drew up interfaces on Visual Basic from ones designed on paper.
Total :	16	WEEK 1
Date	Hours	Activity
1/17/06 Tues	1	(EB 1010) Went over website with Chris. Discussed possible visual improvements and if any content was needed. Also, proofread the User Manual with Chris, word for word. We changed some minor details regarding Networking and general rules.
	1	In the User Manual: Fixed some details about Network players dropping out, and moved sections around for clarity.
	4	Added content and detail to VB interfaces. Added functionality to changing labels/buttons/etc. when different player types are selected. Tidied up Introduction screen, game board, and menus.
1/18/06 Wed	3	Finished tidying up and functionalizing the Interfaces. Added menu options, and all forms now link to each other. Designed and added icons.
	2	Created PowerPoint slides for Verbal status report for next week. Redrew GANTT Chart with more details – Only an estimation.
1/19/06 Thurs	2	Finished all contents of GANTT chart and inserted into PowerPoint presentation. Added more details to presentation.
	1	(EB 1010) Met and discussed PowerPoint presentation and GANTT chart. Made a note to change GANTT chart – change who is doing what and when it will be done. Also discussed getting students to test the program later, and important copyright concerns were mentioned with Dr. Dooly and the group.
	2	Fixed the GANTT chart to reflect what the group had told me from the meeting. I changed some orientation aspects to make the chart more readable. I put the chart in the PowerPoint and sent it to the group via e-mail.
Total:	16	WEEK 2
Date	Hours	Activity
1/24/06 Tues	1	Added a crosshatch pattern to the timeline that represents the job progress of a particular job. Also lengthened Phase 1 and 2 testing times.
1/26/06 Thurs	2	Did internet research on if there’s a way to make a Help Menu using some included VB.NET tool. So far, I haven’t found anything easy or obvious.
	1	Added an “About” window to the Help Menu that explains about the Quoridor Team and our intentions of the project (not for commercial use).
1/29/06 Sun	3	Added a Help Menu to Quoridor. I just used my own method to create it. I took the contents from the User Manual and put them into a long string which has parts displayed depending on the Table of Contents selection I added to the Help Menu.
Total:	7	WEEK 3
Date	Hours	Activity
1/30/06 Mon	1	Trying to find a way to put newline characters into VB strings for Help Menu. My search is not coming up with anything clear.
1/31/06 Tues	1	(EB 1010) Met as a group and argued about several important topics. We went over the GANTT chart, discussed implementing remote AI’s, and our grade from the first status report. Also got advice about Help Menu.
	1	Formatted Help Menu to make easier to read. Got newline characters to work using trick from Mark in class.
	1	Updated GANTT chart to include more Client Acceptance and Fixing of problems after each phase. Changed format to make easier to read. Will need to be printed on paper to display entire chart now.
2/1/06 Wed	1	Formatted this log to look better on the web page. Removed any mention of Timer in User Manual and in program. Sent out new versions of all materials to group.
Total:	5	WEEK 4
Date	Hours	Activity
2/7/06 Tues	1	(EB 1010) Met as a group, and I discussed testing, status reports, interface updates, and GANTT chart.
	3	Worked on inserting Help Menu and “About” screen into updated Phase 1 program version. I changed some interface aspects of the main screen to better mimic the real gameplay. I wrote down things that need to be fixed, and things I fixed.
2/8/06 Wed	2	Tweaked interface by moving each player’s information to his respective starting side of the board. Changed some colors to make everything easier to read. Added the word “GOAL” to the current turn’s player goal zone. Changed “Walls” text boxes to labels so there is no way to change them.
	2	Changed colors of Cyan player to Yellow/Gold (The Cyan was too much like the Blue). Changed wall placement indication color. Added a “Are you sure you want to quit?” box for during the game. Tried to find a way to make the tokens into pictures. Discovered a test case where a player can have no place to move and no walls to place.
	2	Worked on adding progress bars to GANTT chart, since crosshatch pattern is not showing up on website. Inserted and merged a whole bunch of columns to get a white progress bar within each duty bar.
	1	Created a contact information sheet for CS 140 students to fill out. It is for getting students to test our program in the HCI Lab this semester.
2/9/06 Thurs	2	Started on making written and verbal status reports. Added title page and timeline to existing written format. Added accomplishments and goals to both reports.
	1	(EB 1010) Met with group and discussed my revised program, the timeline, and the sheet for CS students to sign up. Suggestions were given to improve the program.
	2	Revised program from given suggestions. I made all colors definite, not based on a computer’s color scheme. I changed “Goal” to the player color goal for each player, and those goals are now displayed at all times.
	1	Added a “Your Turn” indicator for each player when it is their turn. Also, discovered that yellow and green tokens can not jump over a token into their goal zones. I e-mailed Matt about this to fix when he can.
	1	Further revised timeline to be able to print out on paper for next Status Report presentation.
Total:	18	WEEK 5
Date	Hours	Activity
2/14/06 Tues	0	Absent from class due to flu.
2/15/06 Wed	1	Worked on the PowerPoint presentation some more. Added slide with individual contributions and removed timeline slide in lieu of handout.
	2	Met with group at Dunham Hall to go over status reports and the current program worked on by Matt. I added more details to the status reports as the others explained in detail what they’ve been doing.
2/16/06 Thurs	2	Finished written status reports. I added details based on what I learned from the group last night and from the PowerPoint.
2/17/07 Fri	2	Went back through User Manual / Help Menu and proofread the content. I made some changes in both places where we have done something different. I still need to add a section about Game Logs.
	1	Changed some interface aspects after I got comments from the group.
Total:	8	WEEK 6
Date	Hours	Activity
2/21/06 Tues	1	(EB 1010) Met with group to discuss errors in game logs, getting students to do HCI testing, and we’re still waiting for the program to be fixed.
	1	Added the capability to restart from the Start menu after winning a game. Also, added group boxes to the setup screen in response to a student comment.
	1	Changed the GANTT chart – changed AI research from “All members” to Aaron, Matt, and Chris. Added Aaron to Phase 1 Testing. Changed Networking Research from “All members” to just Mark.
2/22/06 Wed	2	E-mailed 8 student volunteers to meet in the HCI next week for testing of the project. Added a signature section to the volunteer forms.
2/23/06 Thurs	1	(EB 1010) Met with group to discuss the latest program updates and comments from students on the last presentation.
2/24/06 Fri	1	Spent time calling students who didn’t respond to my e-mails. In total, I got a hold of 7 students to test next week.
Total:	7	WEEK 7
Date	Hours	Activity
2/28/06 Tues	2	Conducted HCI testing with Autumn, Phil, and Jared in HCI Lab. One major problem that came up was not knowing that you can move your token – not just place walls. Also, it was confusing as to whose turn it currently is.
	1	(EB 1010) Met with group to discuss results of HCI meeting. Also, we talked about the minor changes implemented to the program since the last meeting.
	1	In program, fixed some colors and made “Goal” words visible at all times.
3/1/06 Wed	2	Updated the User Manual – added details about Game Logs, and navigation after winning a game. Also, I updated the Help Menu and fixed the format of the Game Logs slightly.
	1	Put together a spreadsheet for Professor Klein and Tetzner containing the names of all their students who signed up to participate to help us test the project. Also included are students who signed up, but we did not choose.
	2	Put together another spreadsheet containing the data and questions we’ve accumulated from the last HCI test. I’m including target trouble areas and questions asking for comments and opinions on specific program aspects.
3/2/06 Thurs	2	Conducted HCI testing with Craig, Gordon, and Joshua in the HCI Lab. Some of the same problems came up, and some suggested that we have a button for Help on the Start screen.
	1	(EB 1010) Met with group (w/o Matt) to discuss what to do over Spring Break. We talked about the results of today’s testing, and assigned Chris to fix minor HCI issues over break.
	1	Updated information on spreadsheet gathered from today’s HCI test. Deleted Carl Ross from the sheet since he did not show up. Added a couple questions based on ones Aaron asked today.
	1	Added screenshots and captions to the User Manual to give people an idea of what the program looks like. We plan to give this User Manual to students who help us test next time.
	1	Added topics to next written status report before Spring Break.
	2	Fixed RAD, SDD, and PPD from last semester. I updated materials that have changed since then, and cleaned up the formatting for the HTML versions for the website.
3/3/06 Fri	2	Fixed the PPD, Timeline, and User Manual. I created HTML versions of these documents for the website.
Total:	19	WEEK 8
WEEK 9: Spring Break
Date	Hours	Activity
3/13/06 Mon	1	Updated Written Status Report using e-mails sent by Chris and Mark, saying what they did over Spring Break.
3/14/06 Tues	1	(EB 1010) Group talked with Mark what he found during Networking programming. I asked what everyone had done to this point and where we are at in the Timeline.
	1	Updated timeline (GANTT chart) progress for upcoming presentation.
3/15/06 Wed	2	Further updated written status report. Added details to the report based on what the group told me at the meeting.
	2	Created verbal status report using PowerPoint. Based presentation on contents from verbal status report.
3/16/06 Thurs	1	(EB 1010) Went over written and verbal status reports with group. Some small details were changed. The group also continued to discuss networking and AI topics.
	1	Fine-tuned status reports based on comments at meeting. I proofread one more time for content.
Total:	9	WEEK 10
Date	Hours	Activity
3/20/06 Mon	1	Updated User Manual specifically for Intro CS students to use before coming to help us test in the HCI Lab. Basically, I took out all information regarding Networking and AI’s since we’re still working on those features.
	2	Updated Excel spreadsheet keeping track of what students have helped us test our program for extra credit. I added a “points” system to act as a way to compare/weight what each student has done (i.e. Helped us test; Unable to contact; Agreed to help but didn’t show up; Didn’t choose, etc.).
	1	Typed up and sent out e-mails to 6 more students asking if they can help us test our program next week. I included the special User Manual and asked them to please familiarize themselves with the game before coming.
3/21/06 Tues	1	Made up some signs to post on the walls outside the HCI Lab to make more inviting for HCI test.
	1	Tested the latest Phase 1 program and took note of some interface bugs. I e-mailed them to Chris.
3/23/06 Thurs	1	Spent some time calling the Intro CS students on the phone that I e-mailed on Monday but never got a response from.
	2	Tried going over bugs related to Phase 1. There are things I want to fix, but I can’t figure out how to write the code for the life of me.
	1	Added dialog boxes that pop up when a player has no more walls and when they try to click when there are no more walls. Added a Help Menu shortcut button on Start Screen. Changed the wall colors.
Total:	10	WEEK 11
Date	Hours	Activity
3/27/06 Mon	2	Added code to the program to show a picture of a player’s token when they hover the mouse over a legal highlighted position.
3/28/06 Tues	2	Straightened up the interface some more by aligning text boxes on board screen. Found a mistake in my code for displaying the “You placed your last wall” message.
	1	(EB 3048) Talked with Aaron about my changes to the Program. We conducted our first Client Acceptance test by asking Prof. Klein what he thought of the program we sent him (about a week old).
	1	Conducted HCI Test with Brandon and Richard. They understood the game much more since we required them to study the User Manual ahead of time. There was still some confusion on clicking the goal to win.
	1	(EB 1010, EB 2029) Discussed HCI and programming issues with other team members. I showed what I had done on Phase 1 (HCI) and Mark showed his progress on Phase 2 (Networking).
3/29/06 Wed	1	Fixed the survey for Intro CS students. Made it clearer how to fill out heir available times. Sent the form to Prof. Tetzner to give to her CS 140 class.
	4	Tried to work out found problems with HCI. I fixed the code for the “Last wall” message, but I just could not get the token to be displayed on the goal when a player hovers over it (to win). The token is not resizing properly, and the mouse hover events aren’t always working. However, I finally fixed a problem the program was having when a user clicks “No” to “Are you sure you want to quit?” when displayed after winning a game.
3/30/06 Thurs	1	Conducted HCI Test with Robert (Mark did not show up). He understood the game well even though he didn’t “study” the User Manual. I found a bug in loading saved games when I was testing with him.
	1	(EB 1010) Mark fixed the bug I found. We talked about what is coming up in the next few weeks. Aaron will try to fix the bugs I found, and give that program to me. Mark will also get his version to me as soon as he is done.
	1	Changed the Yellow token name to “Orange” because it looks orange, and it was brought up at the test and by Aaron. Also, I updated my CS student testing spreadsheet.
Total:	15	WEEK 12
Date	Hours	Activity
4/3/06 Mon	2	Started writing the status report for next Thursday. I wanted to get an early start, so I could print timelines over the weekend. Also, I updated the GANTT chart using my educated guess.
4/4/06 Tues	1	(EB 1010) The group met to discuss the progress on networking, mainly. We basically discussed strategies on how to pass information using the network and AI’s. I edited the timeline and status report slightly.
4/6/06 Thurs	1	(EB 1010) The group discussed our future and other CS matters with Dr. Dooly. I also got feedback from the others on their input on the project.
	2	Worked on the Written and Verbal Status Reports, as well as the Timeline. All is now updated based on the information I have received.
4/9/06 Sun	1	Tested programs from Aaron and Mark with networking. I noticed a lot of interface bugs. I can’t test the connection at home since I have dial-up, so I’ll need to test on campus.
	1	Timelines for the presentation were not printed, so I put a condensed version on the PowerPoint for Thursday.
Total:	8	WEEK 13
Date	Hours	Activity
4/11/06 Tues	2	I spent time testing the Networking version of the program with some things fixed by Aaron. I tested in the Senior Projects Lab. There were numerous errors, both interface and networking. I wrote down all the test scenarios I could.
	1	I edited the website a little by fixing some wording, spell-checking, and making some things more consistent.
	1	Typed up a list of errors in Word that I found while testing. I sent it to Mark.
4/13/06 Thurs	2	Added networking details to User Manual. I already had most details written, but some needed adjusting.
	1	Did more testing of the program. I worked with Mark to alleviate some of the issues. He will work on networking problems and I will work on interface issues.
	2	Fixed up the website. I added HTML versions of things and tidied up a lot of text. I rewrote some of the details that no longer apply.
	1	Created GIF images of the Timelines using Photoshop because the Excel screenshots were of poor quality.
	1	Sent out e-mails to 8 more intro CS students to help test the program on Wednesday.
	1	Debugged program some more, working out interface issues. I plan to get Mark’s updated version in a few days, and add my changes to his code.
4/14/06 Fri	3	Spent time trying to fix several interface issues. I changed the way the token displays on the goal and I made new token images to improve clarity.
4/16/06 Sun	2	By request, tried to make an “illegal wall” symbol appear when a wall cannot be placed to block an opponent off. I created the symbol, but don’t know how to check if a full wall could be placed if not for the restriction.
Total:	17	WEEK 14
Date	Hours	Activity
4/17/06 Mon	6	Looked at the code some more to debug and fix several issues – mostly interface. Some major changes include: Fixing log display and coordinates, changed display of IP and Port on forms; changing wording of Help Menu items; changing player colors to match those on all forms. I couldn’t figure out why the token is disappearing when you click it on the goal to win. I’m also confused about why the Client versions do not display the proper winning token on the “Game Over” screen.
4/18/06 Tues	4	Debugged and fixed more issues. Some major changes include: Adding an “illegal wall” image to walls that would block off a player; adding “Are you sure you want to exit?” dialog boxes to all forms; adding code when beginning the game to check for name constraints and defined clients.
	1	(EB 1010, EB 2029) The team discussed AI and Networking functionality.
4/19/06 Wed	2	Added and fixed more checking code on forms. Also added Exit button to a menu and menu dividers for organization.
	1	Conducted HCI Test with Jillan. She was the only person to recognize the “Your Turn” indicator without me telling her. She liked much of the interface and had no problems.
	1	Started assembling documents for final documentation.
	2	Organized and typed up spreadsheets containing findings of the HCI testing. I put the notes and answers from the students in an Excel file, which I will put in the final documentation.
4/20/06 Thurs	2	Read through all required documents for points which may not may correct. Several things in networking and AI’s have changed. The Design Document is probably going to need a lot of work. I created the shells for the new documents – Retrospective and Coding/Testing Specifications.
	1	(EB 1010) Met with team to discuss meetings and tasks for next week.
	1	Discussed requirements of final documentation with Dr. Blythe.
	1	Did research into past Retrospectives and coding and testing specifications for help in starting ours.
	2	Went over all old documents with Chris to clear up some areas I was unsure of. Text about AI’s and hardware design were some of the major issues I wanted to clear up.
4/21/06 Fri	2	Went over documents some more and added tables of figures to sections. Add contributions of Chris to documents.
	5	Got Networking code from Mark and added all of my interface changes to that program. It took a long time since VB complicates matters with forms and code. I sent out the new version to all, with a few bugs remaining.
4/22/06 Sat	2	Developed first introduction slides of Final presentation. Made basic layout and design for all slides.
	1	Found more problems in the program, so I fixed them and re-sent the program to all.
4/23/06 Sun	4	Worked on final presentation. Added slides about timelines and some slides on retrospective. Also made slides about testing.
Total:	38	WEEK 15
Date	Hours	Activity
4/24/06 Mon	1	Went over User Manual and Design Document to highlight sections that may need fixing. I gave those to Chris to look at.
	5	Continued working on PowerPoint presentation. I created a slide with a chart of risks – how we planned to deal with them and how we actually dealt with them. I rearranged some slides to mix in the retrospective rather than letting the audience down at the end. Updated screenshots. Added “Final Thoughts” and “Alternative Plan” slides.
4/25/06 Tues	4	Started on Retrospective Document. Laid out the basic sections. Wrote about the risks we encountered and how we dealt with them. Also wrote about the project timeline, team training, and the positives of the project.
	3	(EB 1010, EB 2029) Met with team to discuss the where the program stands. The program is near completion, but has some bugs here and there varying in type. Mark will do any changes in code from now on. I also talked with the team and especially Mark about the presentation. I removed a lot of negative statements involving the retrospective.
	2	Tweaked presentation some more. Color-coded each slide depending on who will present the slide. Condensed sections on retrospective and negative comments.
	1	Converted User Manual to Help Menu string to make sure it works in the program. I will first update the User Manual, then the Help Menu.
	1	Sent some code snippets I had implemented before to Mark.
4/26/06 Wed	3	Continued working on the Retrospective. Added the Testing section that discusses what we planned, and how we actually tested.
	2	Got “Creating AI’s” section from Chris for the User Manual. I added it in and formatted it to make it easier to read.
	2	Started on the Testing Specs Document.
4/27/06 Thurs	3	Finished the Testing Specs Document. Added sections about three types of testing. Discussed HCI testing and typed up scripts from notes.
	1	(EB 1010) Continued going over presentation and final program with the group. The final plans were discussed.
	2	Designed and printed out the final poster required using a PowerPoint slide. I gave it to the CS department secretary.
	2	Edited User Manual and PowerPoint presentation based on comments from the group meeting. Added updated screenshots.
	1	Added details about our lifecycle model to the Design Document and Retrospective. Put in details about the Sashimi Model.
4/28/06 Fri	2	Created Coding Specs Document. I looked through our code to see what rules we had practiced. This is a short document.
	3	Worked on combining finished documents together. Also worked with Mark to answer questions about installation and system design.
	1	Practiced presentation with Dr. Blythe and Dr. Dooly. Changes to the slides were noted and will be fixed.
4/29/06 Sat	2	Finished typing and formatting final document. Went through and double-checked contents for consistency.
	1	Went to Kinko’s to get final documentation printed. It’s $50.00. I hope nobody writes on it like Waxman did…
	2	Fixed final presentation based on suggestions from the practice presentation. I made new timelines that display the plan at the beginning of the semester and the actual plans.
4/30/06 Sun	1	Formatted the presentation some more and sent it out to the group.
	1	Reprinted pages that somehow became incorrectly formatted when I assembled the Final Document.
	2	Worked on making HTML versions of all Word documents. This is A LOT MORE COMPLICATED than it sounds (thanks to Microsoft)!
	2	Completed tabs and complete assembly of final document. Printed out labels, made a cover page, and spine label.
Total:	50	WEEK 16