BINGO software
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:41 pm
I an working on some BINGO software. When a game is played it will pick the numbers and display them on the screen using REALLY HUGE characters that can be seen from quite a distance. In addition there is a grid of all possible BINGO numbers on the screen and as the numbers are picked they will change color in the grid. This will allow monitors to check winning cards against the grid to make sure the numbers were actually picked.
The program will print BINGO cards. The cards can be generated randomly or the program can crerate and store a series of randomly created cards. For example you will be able to generate a set of 3000 random cards, all of which will be different. (You may set the number of cards in a series when the series is created.) The cards in the series will be numbered and you can pick out a card from the series either at random or you can pick a card by number.
If you print out random cards (not from a series) the program will insure that on any one day that no two cards are exactly identical.
The cards will print a header of whatever you want and the date. It will also print a serial number which will be different for each day.
OK, now what? I have never been to a BINGO hall and have no idea how it works. Do you pay for one card and then use it for many games? Is one card good for only one game? If it is "one card, one game" can you pay extra to use the same card for several games? How do you tell which cards can be used for which games? It would seem to me that it would be more efficent to use the same card for several games so that you do not have to print out so many. What do you want printed on each card to indicate which games it is good for?
What else should be printed on the cards? Cards will be printed at one card per sheet of paper.
Would it be a good idea to network this so that one computer picks the numbers and the other computers are displays only. This will allow many computers to be placed around a huge room, or many rooms, and everyone could keep track of numbers picked. If the space bar is pressed on any computer the "picking" computer will freeze to check for a BINGO.
Of course the computer picking the numbers would not be the same one printing cards. Should the printing computers be networked also so that all the computers can make sure that no identical cards are printed?
And last, does anyone care about this or is this a huge waste of my time?
The program will print BINGO cards. The cards can be generated randomly or the program can crerate and store a series of randomly created cards. For example you will be able to generate a set of 3000 random cards, all of which will be different. (You may set the number of cards in a series when the series is created.) The cards in the series will be numbered and you can pick out a card from the series either at random or you can pick a card by number.
If you print out random cards (not from a series) the program will insure that on any one day that no two cards are exactly identical.
The cards will print a header of whatever you want and the date. It will also print a serial number which will be different for each day.
OK, now what? I have never been to a BINGO hall and have no idea how it works. Do you pay for one card and then use it for many games? Is one card good for only one game? If it is "one card, one game" can you pay extra to use the same card for several games? How do you tell which cards can be used for which games? It would seem to me that it would be more efficent to use the same card for several games so that you do not have to print out so many. What do you want printed on each card to indicate which games it is good for?
What else should be printed on the cards? Cards will be printed at one card per sheet of paper.
Would it be a good idea to network this so that one computer picks the numbers and the other computers are displays only. This will allow many computers to be placed around a huge room, or many rooms, and everyone could keep track of numbers picked. If the space bar is pressed on any computer the "picking" computer will freeze to check for a BINGO.
Of course the computer picking the numbers would not be the same one printing cards. Should the printing computers be networked also so that all the computers can make sure that no identical cards are printed?
And last, does anyone care about this or is this a huge waste of my time?