[pbmserv-dev] Invalid moves and undo and such

[Randall Bart <barticus@att.net>]

I'm playing Antipod with Cameron.  We're discussing how the board should be 
numbered, and Cameron decided to change the numbering to eliminate the left 
and right designation.  Unfortunately, I moved using the old syntax when 
the program was already looking for new syntax.  I moved "d2r", which the 
program took as "d2".

Q1:  What should a program do when there is an extraneous character after 
an otherwise valid move?  I think it should always be rejected, because the 
chance that there is a typo is high.

So I immediately issued an undo.  A few hours later, Cameron checked his 
email.  He read his email sequentially, and replied to the move before he 
read the undo request.  The program discarded the undo and accepted his move.

Q2:  Should a program accept a move when there is an undo pending?  I think 
not, because it will normally happen just this way.  The player will always 
see the original move before seeing the undo, and may send a move 
immediately.  I know that some games reject moves when an undo is pending 
because it has happened to me.
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