Documentation for DScores

DScores is a web page to keep track of your disc golf rounds and trainings. The functionality includes possibility to play alone or in pools, run competitive series and events as well as getting statistical information of your rounds and progress.

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Users

There are three different kinds of users.

Official
Guest
Virtual

User: Official

When you create an account, an official user is created. This is the normal actor in the system and may play games and record scores in to the system.

If you have recorded scores as a guest user and later decide to create an official user, you can mark the score as yours.

User: Guest

A guest user can be used for friends that just join to play with you. You can record their scores the same as for official users.

A guest user is created when selecting players to your game. A guest user will get a username starting with Guest_ and ending with a running number (eg. Guest_234).

NOTE: You can not login as a guest user in to the system. A guest user can not be selected to another game - it can only be used once.

User: Virtual (aka VU)

A virtual user is a guest user that can be used as an official user without the need to create a user account. A virtual user can be selected for multiple games and events.

A virtual user can be created by selecting the guest user into a serie event and closing the event. The system will automatically change guest user to a virtual user. The user name will change to have a VU_ prefix.

Promoting the guest user to be a virtual user

<TBD>

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User settings

User settings can be changed under your profile.

Username/Password: Self explanatory. These are the only mandatory options.
First name, last name: Self explanatory. These can be hidden in case you just want to use your username.
Email address: Self explanatory. Email address is used as the password recovery.
Show real name: If checked, your name will be shown when showing your username.
Use location/GPS data: If checked, browser will use location data. See Location/GPS data
Favourite disc: The disc that has the warmest spot in your disc golfing heart.
Location: Your home town, city, area.

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Score and game

Game attributes

Score attributes

State: Official / Draft
By default a single player score is marked as official. When playing in a pool with one person marking scores for others, these scores will be marked as draft. Once you login to the site, you can accept all draft scores or take a score to editing mode and change the state there. This way you immediately see scores that might have been entered incorrectly to your user.
Score is included in the statistics (IIS): Yes / No
By default an entered score will have an effect on your statistics. Set this to No if you have played with eg. multiple putts per hole where you don’t want the score to mess your statistics.
Did you finish the round?: Yes / No
When you had to stop playing in the middle of the round (DNF, did not finish), set this to Yes.
Special: When you play a special round with a set of discs (eg. only putter), you can mark these scores with additional information. You need to decide yourself if these scores are to be included in the statistics.

Normal : This is the default for a normal ordinary round.
Putter round : A round played with only a putter - driving, approach and putt
Mid range round : A round played a mid range disc (and a putter).
Three disc challenge : Choose three discs to play with and don’t use any other discs.
Best of two : Play two discs each time you throw. Continue from the better position.
Other : Something else not listed above.

Event: The event linked to the score. This is set when playing a serie.

Serie functionality

Serie

Event

Serie with HCP

Rating

Ratings were invented to give us a way to rank players and courses. The algorithm is created inhouse and may, without a notice, be changed to something else. The higher the rating value, the better player or harder the course is. Note also that this has nothing to do with PDGA ratings.

Rating takes different kinds of attributes in consideration when counting the final number. The algorithm uses both constant information (eg. course length and par) as well as changing information (eg. user scores) and this will result in a value that is living.

NOTE: Anything regarding rating might change.

Rating levels

>250 Very hard course, PRO player
200...<250 Hard course, Very good player
150...<200 Medium course, Good player
100...<150 Easy course, Average player
<100 Very easy course, First time thrower

Rating also has a quality to it. If the quality is marked as ‘low/bad’, the rating should be looked at with a grain of salt. The quality gets better with more scores – this is true for both user as well as course rating.

If you want as a player to raise your rating, the way to do it is to play better. Each time you play better than your average, your rating will go up. Also, below par scores are valuable and especially if you’re playing on harder courses.

Handicap (HCP)

Handicap can be used to ... for better players to compete with not-so-good players.

The lower the handicap, the better the player. The handicap can go to negative.

How is the handicap counted

There is a (secret) formula that estimates a handicap for each player from their reported scores. In disc golf there is no official way of counting such a value so the implementation in DScores is the developers own creation. The more we have data in the database, the more we can analyze the values and get a better understanding on how it should be.

So, as this is experimental, the formula for counting might change.

How does the handicap work while playing a game?

Once you start a game, you have the possibility to activate hc. DScores have counted a handicap for you and suggest this as the one to use. You still have the possibility to change the used handicap for the game to whatever.

While playing, you enter scores as you play them and DScores will automatically count the effect of handicap to player score.

How does the handicap work while playing an event?

The HCP-value defined in the game is used in event.

Event has the setting and game has no effect.

Different handicap modes in series

Default
Serie
Kokkola HCP aka KHC

Friends and Pools

Friends are the users that are of interest to you. As the amount of users grows, the scores that are important to you, are hidden under in the score amount of all of the users.

Friends can be used as a filter to show only those scores that you want to follow. The friend list is collected from users collected to pools.

The pools, which you can have multiple, are a collection users that you play regularly with or follow. By creating a pool you can quickly start a game and collect the users there.

Course

States

Editor

Location/GPS data

DScores can use your location data for different purposes. Currently these are:

Show nearest courses in the course list
Get weather data for training scores (TBD)

Enabling location functionality

Mobile: Enable Location in your mobile device. This will activate your GPS.
Desktop: Location data provided is an estimate based on your IP address.
Go to your DScores profile and check Use location/GPS data
Logout and login
Once you login, your browser should ask for allowing DScores to access your location data. Accept that.
If location data is properly available, this will be seen in the footer of main DScores page.

Errors

After activating location, you may see error dialogs.

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Refreshing location

DScores will follow your location periodically. If the period time has passed, entering the front page will refresh the information. You can also refresh your location by doing a re-login.

Currently the refresh period is one hour.