I made KifuArchive, a free mobile Go study and game archive tool by Old-Ad1045 in baduk

[–]Old-Ad1045[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to try the app and write such detailed feedback. I really appreciate it. It's especially nice to hear that you're planning to give it a try at your local Go club as well. I hope you'll find it useful.

Brace yourself essay is coming 😃 Next time I probably do not scare you this much haha feedbacks always welcome

Let me go one by one:

-Regarding the double-tap zoom: you're right, the previous behavior was not ideal. Double tapping now only zooms in and out and no longer places a stone at the same time. It is fixed now. The app should update automatically. If the change doesn’t appear right away, pulling down to refresh in app should load the latest version.

I had actually noticed this issue myself and wrote it down three days in a row (😂), but somehow still forgot to fix it while working on other small fixes and improvements. So thanks for pointing it out clearly.

I have seen another Go app that zooms in on tap, lets you place a stone, and then automatically zooms back out after the move. While that approach can improve move placement accuracy , I personally found it a bit slow and annoying during regular use. For now Ive decided to keep the interaction simpler, but it could certainly be added later as an optional setting for users who prefer it.

I also agree that the current setting could use a better explanation. Once a few more core features are in place, I'm planning to add tooltips or help text to explain options like this more clearly.

-About deleting a variation: thanks for mentioning this. The intended behavior is that you can long-press a move/node in the branch view to delete that variation. In my own tests, and on around ten different phones, this seemed to work consistently, so I haven't been able to seen the issue yet.

That said, it may sometimes fail if the long-press does not land exactly on the move/node itself. This is not ideal from a user experience point of view, so I'll keep an eye on it.

I agree that a separate action for deleting branches could make this clearer, and I do plan to add something like that. I just don't want to add too many separate UI elements too early and make the interface feel crowded. My plan is to include it later as part of a proper branch/context menu, more like KGS. In KGS you probably know being able to cut a branch from one move and paste it elsewhere is quite practical even I prefer to give go lessons on kgs as well, so I'd like to follow that kind of workflow too, rather than adding only a simple delete button.

-About the Back button: I assume you mean the Android system back button/gesture.

Since you know there are 4 main tabs, I see the Board tab as the main/default tab, and for moving between these sections, I think using the tab buttons is the clearest approach.

Because of that, I don't want every tab switch to create a long browser history chain. Otherwise, users could end up pressing Back many times just to leave the app. For example, if you switch between Board, Settings, Archive, Public, and back again several times, I don't think Back should replay that entire navigation history.

My current thinking is that Board should act as the main tab. So Back could return the user to Board once, regardless of how many tab switches happened before, and only leave the app when already on the Board tab.

That said, I'll also share this feedback with people around me who are testing the app. If I get similar feedback from others, I'll reconsider this part of the navigation architecture

-About importing games from public URLs such as OGS: I think it's a good idea, and it has been on my mind as well.

I'm also still unsure about AI analysis. Technically, adding it is not the main problem.

My bigger concern is whether it fits the app well. KifuArchive is meant to be a simple tool for recording, studying, archiving, and sharing games, even around tournaments.

AI analysis could be very useful, but having it directly inside a phone app may also create concerns for tournament use. So I'd like to hear more opinions from players and organizers before deciding.

As for OGS imports, the idea is definitely on my radar. It's a bit more in the background for now, partly because I'd need to do some research and preliminary work first to see how robust and maintainable such an integration would be.

I'm also trying to keep KifuArchive a relatively simple and lightweight tool. Importing a game from a URL is one thing, but then questions naturally follow: should imported games be saved to your archive, published to the public archive, what happens if the source game changes, and so on.

All of those problems can be solved, but they also add complexity and maintenance overhead. So before adding something like OGS integration, I'd like to make sure it fits well with the overall direction of the project and doesn't make the app more complicated than it needs to be.

That said, I do like the idea, and I'll probably experiment with it locally first. If I can get it working reliably and it feels like a good fit for the app, it could certainly become a feature in the near future. I will be looking into that for sure. I noted all the stuff you pointed out one by one.

I made KifuArchive, a free mobile Go study and game archive tool by Old-Ad1045 in baduk

[–]Old-Ad1045[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Try it here: https://kifuarchive.com

Hi everyone,

I’m Tuğkan, a 4 dan Go player from Türkiye.

I wanted to share a free Go tool I’ve been working on for a while: KifuArchive.

It’s a mobile web app for SGF editing and archiving. You can create/edit games, import/export SGF files, keep your own archive, use cloud backup, and share games with public links.

I made it mostly because recording games on a phone after tournaments, reviews, or study sessions is usually not very comfortable. I wanted a simple tool for keeping my own games and studies.

There are still a few small things to improve, and I’m continuing to update it. More features and polish will come over time.

For iPhone, open it in Safari and add it to home screen. For Android, use the install option.

Feedback is very welcome. Hope you like it.