Nothing has changed here. It is still pulling this info (counts) directly from the related DB tables that the parsers write to.

Well, I must admit, I was hoping for more responses to the poll at this point... but, I think there is enough support to continue at least some development. We'll try taking this horse to the old town road.

I'll lock the thread for now. Suggestions, ideas, or critiques are welcome. Feel free to PM them, or ask me to unlock the thread.

Shouldn't really be necessary. This is the reason a 'custom css' option was provided within the BPIP extension. You should be able to just set the extension's theme to 'custom - paste css below' and copy/paste the CSS you want to use in the box. (disclaimer: there appears to be a bug effecting this feature (in the stable release) which isn't allowing this to actually work, but this is why that option is there! )

Outside of that option, the choice is up to suchmoon on which themes to include by default.

Updated OP with modified designs, re-organized, and added a few more. I hid the playing card symbols for most of these.. and obviously didn't do anything yet with the dates in the upper-left corner.

edit: Removed watermark on sample images. Authenticity will ultimately be determined using the QR code.
Also missed a row of users I was going to include in these samples, so.. a few more added, again. 

Happy New Year (hopefully), Bitcointalk! 

They validate the HTML markup & CSS against the various standards set by W3C (depending on the version). Errors/warnings are somewhat common for most websites though. I'm guessing the links/icons are there because they are part of the footer SMF uses (forum software), unless theymos added them at some point.

They don't work because browsers don't automatically send the referrer when coming from https to http, so the URL would have to be included in the link:
(edit:.. or maybe https could just be added into the existing link)


As for your last question... I doubt anyone really cares about these links.

Doesn't look too bad. I'm not fond of the additional padding you have added to the header, since it off-centers some elements and takes up more vertical space, but overall not too bad.


Don't forget:
Bitcointalk Themes (CSS-Based): Dark Silver, Dark Purple

There are also two other regular/non-dark themes (Neutral & Enhanced) included in the BPIP Extension!

It sounds like you agree something is won in terms of security and doing it server-side, which is ultimately why we did it.. to make it as secure as possible and avoid client-side manipulations before a card is generated.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with some of your critiques, they are appreciated, and I will adjust. I was intending to go through various adjustments once the QR code was established, so I could work it better into the design. The main goal for the beta version was to just get this generator working and be able to put out usable images, which I think it does currently, and will ultimately do better with a new server.

That said, I didn't think I'd get this level of criticism on the design itself or I would have re-fined them, and would have had the QR code on them before ever posting. I really just wanted to gauge the current interest here before moving forward with additional developments, which could be started before the server is ready. I just felt like samples had to be shown to get an idea of what we are doing.
 
Nonetheless, you've shown enough interest to critique them in the first place, so I'll take this as a good sign.

Can't say I have anyone in my local circle that I'd trust to do this part. However, outside of my personal issues with using particular palettes or backgrounds, I do get what you are saying here with some of your critiques. And, for the most part, I'd have to agree with them. The designs will get refined.

---

Agreed. Memorabilia is definitely a great way these cards could be used.

Thank you both!  
And, I'm sure you'll have a card.. maybe many.

This thought has crossed my mind, but I don't think we're there yet. As for glass, sure, there are a lot of printing options which could be a possibility.

One reason I wanted to be able to hide/show the playing card symbols is to allow flexibility for other printing options. I've ultimately tried to find a good balance between a high resolution image that is large enough for bigger prints, but not so large it becomes too resource-intensive to generate.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.. to everyone in 2020. Been a rough year, but the year is almost over.
Wishing you all peace, love, joy.. and hope for a better 2021.

Thanks for the input here, I haven’t read up much about Lambda but we probably would want to stay away from proprietary solutions like this. Although, I believe we do currently have a decent plan in place with the new server to deal with the performance issues.

I actually did start out using a JS-based method of doing this, we moved to a server-side implementation in order to offer additional security for the stats which are overlaid on top of the image.. to minimize any client side manipulations. This overlay may be part of the issue with the fonts as well, as the site would use a different font than what I have on the design, based on the theme selection.

The stats you see overlaid near the top-left, I’m hoping, would become part of the QR code verification/hash in some fashion, which maybe shows just the ‘valid’ date under the QR code itself, and the rest of the dates appear on the verification.

These are not final versions of the cards, and I realize the copyright text on the backgrounds also hurts the presentation with these designs, so I'm not sure if they are the best samples to judge in this context.

Look, I’m not a “professional” designer by trade. Never said I was. Overall, I think they came out pretty good. I don’t really agree with the idea that there is supposed to be a cookie-cutter way to do art… meaning, I apparently haven’t used one of your approved and/or learned fonts, background styles, or color palettes.

I intentionally tried to vary the designs in order to cater to other tastes outside of my own. The Golden/Dark Silk are also my personal favorites.. and, I admittedly spent a little more time on those designs. My least favorite, personally, is probably the first card I started making which was the techtro/blue card (no offense to Vod who I used for that card in this thread, just happened to be the theme I was using when generating the card!), but there are a handful of people I've shown these cards to (outside of this forum) and one of them liked that one way more than the others. *shrug*. I'm fine with that.

I do realize most people are not going to like every design but keep in mind I designed these in my personal time, and there was never intention on making a profit. Please feel free to recommend someone you know that will fit your perception of someone with “substantial experience in graphic design” who will be willing to design the cards for free. I can overlay the text/stats wherever they want them on the design.

^ webtricks was the one I was thinking of but I couldn't find the thread, until now.

Thanks, you definitely had one of the better attempts I have seen as a generator. I also remember a few interesting card designs created by some others around the time of the art contest as well, but unfortunately those were only for specific sets of users.

There are several future plans that could develop, which go along with my prior post and the potential for various series of cards/decks. There could be a few ways to go with it using BPIP's ranks, using various design changes, and/or different backs of the cards, etc.

So valuable you can't get one *anywhere*.   I'll probably generate some more samples after the poll runs its course, unless there are any objections, haven't had much time.. trying to get ready for the holidays.  

Interesting..  I can't say I really thought of this odd angle you would take against me because you have a grudge.. nor would I ever really think anyone would have an issue with their avatar being used.  *shrug*

.. I seem to recall you having a site which used a background image that had a collage of avatars.. including mine..? *shrug* .. must be someone else I'm thinking of.

.. Are you willing to offer some recommendations? It'd be helpful to see a real-life example of what you went through, being able to sell those t-shirts for all these years with Ron Burgundy on them.


Most stats included on the card do not involve the trust network at all. How are these heavily influenced by DT members?

What announcement?  This is a poll with examples.

Are you on a power binge again, Og?  Get some rest.

Thanks to everyone for the compliments!

We've kicked around some ideas but nothing has solidified enough to be deemed official.  At this point, the intent is to allow a person to generate images which are capable of being printed, and ultimately provide a way that the contents of the card can be verified.

Baseball cards are usually based on a specific snapshot in time of a player's statistics.. is printing them a waste?   OK OK, this is debatable if you don't like baseball, but I'd think having it based on certain periods of time could potentially add value to a card, make some cards more unique than others, etc. Whether or not the date actually has to be displayed or not might be debatable, depending on the verification process.

Everyone may have a different reason for wanting to print an individual card or deck of specific users, that's kinda why I wanted the generator to produce an image that can be sent directly to a printer, to sort of put the power into an individual's hands, with a secondary goal to also potentially offer a way to have us print it for them, in some specific fashion. But, initially it would just be a digital image, capable of being printed.

At risk of having my post deleted, I can't go off-topic and talk about who I'd pick as a joker. lol
And.. it's king of clubs.. for obvious reasons.    

OK OK, seriously, I did specifically pick a few for fun, but my main goal was to just show some of the various ways to generate the cards and what they look like with different position names, trust colors, playing/poker card symbols, etc.

I think there could be various uses for the stats to create a game, but I haven't created one myself. My thoughts on doing something like this are more along the lines of a collectible card game. But no, I'm not an expert in this realm.

My general thoughts on the potential trading value of a card would start with the stats and/or status, rank, etc. the user has at the time of printing, but maybe the theoretical trading value fluctuates based on the history of that particular user?

Again, no mechanics have been laid out here, but I believe there are ways it could evolve before being 'official', assuming there was enough interest. Designs (or which stats show) could be altered to fit specific game mechanics. The generator could even potentially have various collector series which are selected and generate different designs, or only show specific stats, etc. Assuming its all verifiable and foolproof.

There are ways we could evolve, but this thread/poll is part of this, to try and gauge the overall interest. I've heard there may be some ideas out there on potential game mechanics by other members already, but I haven't seen any of these yet.

Card information is based on the stats BPIP has collected at the time of image creation, these would not be randomized, and would be specific to the user shown on the card.

Won't make the website heavier at all, it's currently designed as a separate button on the BPIP profile page which pops-out a menu to set the options of the card, then generates when hitting 'generate'. It's the back-end resources that get hurt creating the image when it is requested, which could slow down the overall site, but that's why we are waiting to release the beta until those issues are sorted.

As I casually alluded to here, a beta version of BPIP's card generator is coming, but is currently waiting for a new server to hopefully deal with some of the performance/resource issues the current server infrastructure creates.

As it stands now, it generates 7 different card designs (with a bleed), and with or without playing card symbols. I tried to mix them up as much as I could, while still providing a general template which the stats had to land on, in the same spot across each design. It displays various BPIP stats on the card, avatar, title, name, etc. (obviously, you can see the examples below). Designs are based on the BPIP website themes.

The general idea here is that the designs are generated at a high enough resolution and proper dimensions to produce a physical card, or full deck. I haven't attempted getting any produced yet. I'm kinda curious myself what they will look like as physical cards.

Anyhow, there are potentially more plans with these cards after the beta release.

A decent thread/poll was started here by Welsh, but I am curious if people are [still] interested.

.. which brings us to the poll question:
Is it worth it for the BPIP team (a.k.a ibminer & suchmoon ) to devote any future development efforts towards this project?

Admittedly, there are other planned features and implementations for BPIP on the TODO list which would be seen as a higher priority than playing / trading cards. However, the discussions for this project started a long time ago, and I began work on it not long after. It is something a lot of accumulated time & effort has been put into.

Note: I've only included two full resolution samples below (at the bottom), and everything is currently watermarked. Stats are slightly old, I generated these cards a ~week ago. You'll notice the cards currently generate a hash based on the stats displayed.. with the intent to make it verifiable via a QR code or something along those lines (..one possible future development).

EDIT 2/1/22: UPDATED designs

old designs:

---

(clickable images)

---

Still technically an API (client-side), but could something like IndexDB be used?  The extension would just be pulling the trust list from whoever is logged in, I don't think it would need to know who is logged in?

Why are we still talking about Lauda?.. why not sing..?  
Ya know, for full effect... The Irish Rovers.. Lauda I hardly knew ye.

While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy
A stick in me hand and a drop in me eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry,
Lauda I hardly knew ye.

[chorus]
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh darling dear, Ye look so queer
Lauda I hardly knew ye.
[/chorus]

Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ye run from me and the child
Lauda, I hardly knew ye.


[chorus]

Where are the legs with which you run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Lauda, I hardly knew ye.


[chorus]

Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg
Ye're an armless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye'll have to be left with a bowl to beg
Lauda I hardly knew ye.

----

OK.. I must stop here.  

Sticking with the current theme of icons:



.. but then I felt like that was getting a little boring, so I created this manifestation:


This is my favorite.. even has a BTC logo and everything.. even if it is a little tough to see at 16 pixels!

Use whichever you think is best.  


Go on, move.

Trump vs Biden....  I went with Brewster on this election..


Time for some real facts...

Tom MacDonald - No Lives Matter

 

Thanks, the merit information does show in the merit count of the profiles, and the s/merit log shows the merit transactions.. but under the counts it is indeed saying 'has not earned any merit'. Looks like a bug in the stored procedure.. should be able to fix later today/tomorrow.

Update:
Thank you!

Looks good. I'd have left more merit, but my supply is all dried up at the moment... you should be honored you got my last smerit though!  
Seriously, can't say it enough, thanks for all of your effort.

I wonder how many accounts it effects?.. not sure if it is worth doing or not but we could modify 'refresh profile' to start including a check of the last posts page, only if the account is marked as banned on BPIP, and then update it if the last post is more recent than the banned date, and is outside of Meta. We'd have to modify a few things in the DB/SP.. and mark the meta log to distinguish that it was detected with a manual profile refresh. Might be overkill, depending on how many this issue might actually effect, but this might take the burden off of updating them all manually. Just a thought.

Sec/mod log does pull the date from the forum's seclog.
However, the meta log of BPIP is essentially telling you the date that BPIP noticed the change and parsed the post. It doesn't use the date of that post itself, just the date that it parsed it and noticed the change, which should normally be within seconds/minutes of the actual change.. assuming parsers are running efficiently.

So, technically, I'd interpret this as:

You logged in to your account on 10/17/2019 8:19:32 AM (based on seclog)
You made a post on 10/18/2019 8:16:35 AM (based on the forum's info)
BPIP parsed/captured the post on 10/18/2019 7:21:31 AM (based on BPIP's DB)

^ why this last date is recorded as before your actual post date, I'm not 100% sure... maybe some sort of timezone issue/difference that happened on the recording of this entry?
I'd guess BPIP actually noticed/parsed the post at 8:21:31 AM that day, not 7:21:31 AM.