Year: 2015

Remote Hybrid Connections and Processing Speed

NighthawkPlayer updates
1. I appear to have fixed a problem with the server software, where the server gradually becomes slower over time. I wont know for sure until I leave it running for a while, but for now it appears ok.
 
2. The encryption is now fully configured and working, but I’ll need another day to get it working for all servers. It’s a matter of duplicating the server files, changing some config values then testing it. By the end of tomorrow, everyone will have their access details except for some partners, but they’ll be soon after. The encryption slows down communications slightly, but not enough to matter.
 
3. In most of October I’ll be interstate and taking the main server with me, and running on a 4G connection with much higher speeds. I’ll be testing different connections too, and there will be brief downtimes during the transitions (minutes). No config changes will be needed for users although the connection should be better while I’m away as I’ll be further north.

Hybrid remote server connections

NighthawkPlayer updates
Most of this week I’ve been testing connections from the other side of the world, to the server. If your connection is good, there would be no problems. But sometimes the connections will be bad, and this is where you’ll have problems. So some changes are being made to reduce the size of the video and audio. This will make a big difference, and will be done before Monday, but more may be needed in extreme cases. As it’s development work, timing is unpredictable. It just depends on feedback I receive from users. So if you get bad video and audio, you need to let me know.
 
Also I’ve succeeded in setting up “end to end” encryption. This is where everything is full encrypted between every part of the hardware. I’ll implement it soon, but for now we’re focusing on the issues explained above. The current servers only use the half encryption although encryption isn’t essential anyway.

Assistance from long-time player

NighthawkPlayer updates
As I mentioned earlier, a long-time player / partner is taking over part of the sales part of my company. This starts tomorrow. It isn’t a complete take-over because I’m not prepared to give over full control, and some parts are not practical to handover anyway.
 
A few things that will change are pricing options for new players, and written material on the websites, but this doesn’t affect existing players.
 
The most significant changes that affect existing players are most of the support issues through the help desk will be handled by someone else. Any issues they cannot respond to will be forwarded to me. You can still email me directly at the usual email address. Please always use the help desk before emailing me.
 
Depending on how things work out, he may take greater control. Whatever the case, the support to existing players will not be compromised in any way. In fact I’m expecting support response times to be enhanced.

Hybrid server access

NighthawkPlayer updates
There are a few Hybrid servers running at any one time. Each user is assigned to one server. The majority of time, they aren’t being used. You aren’t going to be playing 24/7. So all servers aren’t left running continuously, users should let me know approximate times they need the server available. Please use the form at http://www.roulettephysics.com/hybrid-access/
 
Unless you have specifically let me know a timeframe, your server will remain off.
 
If you don’t know exactly when you will need access, I can just leave it running but I’d rather you at least let me know when you wont be using it at all. Otherwise if you’re on vacation or something, the server will be left on for nothing. One server by itself doesn’t waste much energy, but multiple servers does.

Hybrid remote data encryption

NighthawkPlayer updates
Some users have requested full encryption of the video and audio, so this has been applied. I only just got it working (4:15pm) so wont be able to send details to users until tomorrow. Now not even the ISP (or network owner) can see the video or hear the audio. You could even use the casino’s own wireless internet against them, and they wouldn’t have any idea. It would be very unlikely that someone would be inspecting the data on a network, but it is better to have the encryption than not.
 
It’s not an excuse to break any laws though. Remember it is a strict term that you must not break any laws. I’m not saying this in code or anything – I mean what I say. There are plenty of legal places to play and I don’t want legal troubles.

Hybrid remote

NighthawkPlayer updates
The modification that allows multiple users to be connected is now complete and works perfectly. To make sure nothing has been missed, I testing everything from start to finish on my wheel through the phone / GSM networks at my residence. The reception is very poor (rural area) and unpredictably switches between 1 bar, 2 bars, or no reception at all. The 3G (standard mobile internet) connection is even worse, and there is no 4G (faster mobile internet) at all. This is much worse than you get in most casinos, so perhaps it’s good for testing.
 
Testing revealed an issue where if the connection is very bad, the video won’t play properly and predictions wont be accurate. The issue is being worked on and should be resolved within a week or so. The end result will be if the internet connection is very bad, the result is only delayed predictions, not inaccurate predictions (delay depends on quality of connection). This is is already the case for average connection quality, but not if the connection is extremely bad.
 
But I’ll still make the server available to players tomorrow (Wednesday). You just need to be aware of the issue. I suggest when you first have access, only test at home. Do not play in a real casino until this issue is fixed.
 
I couldn’t find any other issues but will continue testing after the issue is resolved. If any users find problems, let me know details. If you have been waiting for access, send me an email and I’ll send what you need by the end of Wednesday.

JAA system phone

NighthawkPlayer updates
The programmer who was working on this completed about 85% of it, then went on vacation for weeks without telling me, and came back promising to finish it, but hasn’t. He was reliable with other projects, but not this one. I’m tired of waiting and will use another programmer. This kind of situation is common and it leaves me having an unfinished program and a lost investment. It happened numerous times while developing the Hybrid, which was a nightmare to develop, before I found a programmer with ability and integrity.
 
For the system phone, it’s not as simple as just getting a new programmer to finish the last 15% because it takes a lot of work for the new programmer to first understand how the previous programmer structured the source code. It is actually quicker, cheaper and easier to have another programmer start from scratch, which is what I’ll be doing. But I’ll be using a programmer I’ve worked with for a while, and he’s very reliable. For now though, my focus is on finishing the remote Hybrid. All things considered, I expect the system phone will be available in around 1-2 months.

Hybrid remote

NighthawkPlayer updates
I tested the latest version this morning. As far as I can tell, everything is working for multiple users except:
  • Only the main user of the hybrid will receive predictions (soon any amount of bettors will be able to receive predictions too, just as it is with the earlier version)
  • The audio is not being transmitted
We knew these would be issues. We just needed to test one change with another part of the software to see if it will work for multiple users, which it did. So now it just needs to be applied to the parts of the hybrid. These will probably be done over the weekend. But then I’ll need to test fully and finish some network configurations, and do other work in between. So it is looking like around Wednesday (at the earliest) it will be available.

Hybrid remote access

NighthawkPlayer updates
All that’s left is for some minor modifications so multiple users can connect at the same time. It is an easy mod but it wont be available this week because of the programmer’s schedule. The updated written instructions are finished. Once the software mods are done, I’ll test them then record some instructional videos which will make everything easier to learn. I understand players are eager to access the latest version, but I’ve done everything I could do to move things along faster. At this stage I estimate it will be available around Wednesday, but again it depends on the programmer.