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Posted by u/vinaypai 3 years ago
Show HN: A web-based pool (billiards) simulator to improve your real-life gamemillionballs.app...
MillionBalls is a web-based simulator meant to improve your real-life game. This is targeted beginner-intermediate level players who want to learn to visualize shots better.

Unlike typical pool simulators this one constrains you to the views you see as a player at a pool table rather than overhead or other unrealistic views. You'll receive immediate feedback about your aim and historical performance.

Majora320 · 3 years ago
I tried the first drill (/drills/1), and I wasn't able to take a shot - pressing space did nothing. I was also able to aim while in c-mode, which the tutorial says isn't allowed.
GuyFromNorway · 3 years ago
Found a bug where if you press space when in aim mode, it will go into c-mode, but then you're not allowed to shoot the ball, and I need to do a page refresh. Seems to be the same as this user experienced.
vinaypai · 3 years ago
Thanks for reporting this bug, I managed to track it down and it should be fixed now. You might have to hit refresh to make sure you have the latest version.
vinaypai · 3 years ago
I know there are still bugs at this point, but it's weird that you couldn't even take q shot. If you don't mind, can you check the dev console in the browser for any errors?
Majora320 · 3 years ago
I tried again and it worked this time. I do get these two errors upon loading the page, though:

  Error: <line> attribute x1: Expected length, "NaN".
  Error: <line> attribute x2: Expected length, "NaN".

celaleddin · 3 years ago
This looks great! I'll play around with it more later this week.

A thought: I suppose Virtual Pool is a pretty popular game/simulation in the billiards circles. Maybe you can get insights for keyboard/mouse interaction and graphical interface.

I remember playing Virtual Pool and I really liked the way they designed the interactions with the game.

bradknowles · 3 years ago
So, how do you play this if you're on an iPad or other mobile device, and you can't use a keyboard?
vinaypai · 3 years ago
Unfortunately there isn't a way to do that yet. I still need to figure out the controls on touchscreens.
underratedbug · 3 years ago
You should absolutely prioritize mobile (after fixing any egregious bugs). I like pool but would rather actually play (real pool) if I’m at home on my computer. When I’m out and about and have a minute or two to spare is exactly when this would come in handy.
vinaypai · 3 years ago
Yeah, agreed. Mobile friendliness is definitely the next major update I'm planning on.
pyth0 · 3 years ago
This is very cool. It would be nice if you could aim precisely on the cue ball to impart spin onto it. Also a free form sandbox where you could place different balls down and setup your own scenarios to play would make this incredibly replayable. Great work!
vinaypai · 3 years ago
Yeah, that's definitely in the plan.

You actually can impart spin right now with an undocumented feature. Use WASD to move the bridge hand and/or IJKL to move the grip hand. You can even play jump shots by elevating the bridge hand a lot and increasing the speed with +. The UI does get very awkward though, so all that needs work.

Ball-rail interactions need some tuning though. Things generally work, but they don't feel right to the experienced eye, so I don't want to set up more elaborate scenarios yet.

It will be very cool to be able to play through scenarios and figure out the most reliable route etc. .