ArtFight: Save Drafts & WIPs With Local Storage

Hey everyone! Let's talk about something that's probably bugged all of us while participating in ArtFight: the whole process of submitting attacks, especially when you're juggling multiple character IDs or just trying to keep track of your progress. It can be a real pain, right? Tabbing back and forth, grabbing those IDs, and then pasting them in – it's a workflow that could definitely use some improvement. The 'Attack!' button helps a bit, but even with that, managing multiple submissions can still be a bit of a headache. I was thinking about this, and the idea of saving drafts or works in progress (WIPs) locally, using something like local storage, could be a game-changer. Let's dive into why this is a good idea and how we could make it happen.

The Current Struggle: Why Drafts are a Must-Have

Okay, so let's be real – what's the biggest pain point? It's that constant tabbing and copy-pasting, especially when you're working on a mass attack. You find the character IDs, switch back to ArtFight, paste them, and hope you haven't lost your place. It's a flow that's ripe for mistakes and definitely slows down the fun. The current system, while functional, isn't exactly user-friendly when it comes to managing multiple attacks or planning out your strategy. That's where the idea of saving drafts comes in handy. Imagine being able to save your work, come back to it later, and pick up right where you left off. Sounds awesome, doesn't it?

Think about the possibilities! You could start an attack, gather all the character IDs, save it as a draft, and then come back later to finish the description and submit it. Or, if you're like me, you might tab out to check references, look up character details, or just take a break. Having a way to save your work ensures you don't lose all that effort. Plus, it would make the whole ArtFight experience a lot smoother and more enjoyable. It's all about making it easier for artists to focus on what they do best: creating awesome artwork!

Local Storage: Your New Best Friend for Drafts

So, where do we store these magical drafts? My thought is local storage. Think of local storage as a little digital notebook that lives in your browser. It's perfect for saving small bits of information, like the details of your ArtFight attacks. The cool thing about local storage is that it's super fast, and the data is stored right on your computer. This means you can save drafts instantly and retrieve them just as quickly. It's like having an always-available save feature for your attacks.

Why local storage specifically? Because attacks are typically created quickly. You're in the zone, sketching, and writing – and you need a way to save your progress without any delay. Local storage fits the bill perfectly. It's readily available, doesn't require any server interaction (meaning no waiting!), and keeps your data secure. Plus, it's a fairly simple technology to implement. For most users, it's a seamless experience, they won't even notice it's there, but they'll definitely appreciate the ability to save their work.

Pokemon Showdown: A Lesson in Implementation

If you're looking for an example of how this could work, take a look at Pokemon Showdown's teambuilder. It allows you to create and save multiple teams, which I believe is done using local storage. This is a perfect example of what we're aiming for. You can easily switch between teams, edit them, and save your progress without losing anything. This kind of functionality would be invaluable for ArtFight. You could have a list of WIP attacks, easily select which one to work on, and add characters to the attack directly from their character page. This would streamline the whole process, making it much more efficient and user-friendly.

We could take inspiration from Pokemon Showdown and create a similar system for ArtFight. The core idea is to have a list of drafts accessible from the attack creation page. When you start an attack, you can save it, give it a name, and come back to it later. When you're ready to submit, you simply select the draft, make any final edits, and submit. The user interface would be a key part of this, and we will get into the details shortly.

Mockup: Visualizing the Draft System

Here’s a rough idea of how this could look. Imagine a screen similar to Itaku's, showing all your saved WIP attacks at the top. When you're creating an attack, you'd see a list of your drafts, each with a title or thumbnail to help you identify it. You could select a draft, and its details (character IDs, description, etc.) would automatically load. This way, you could easily switch between attacks or continue working on a specific one. The mockup really helps to visualize how this functionality might work in practice.

Imagine the benefits: No more losing character IDs, no more frantic copy-pasting, and a much more organized approach to your attack submissions. The visual aspect of this is important, as it helps users quickly identify and manage their drafts. The main goal is to make the process as intuitive and smooth as possible. By creating a clear visual layout, users will immediately understand how to access and manage their drafts, leading to a much improved user experience.

Desktop vs. Mobile: The Server-Side Consideration

Now, here’s a thought: What about those of us who switch between desktop and mobile? Local storage is great, but it's specific to the device you're using. If you save a draft on your computer, it won't magically appear on your phone. To solve this, a server-side solution might be beneficial. This would involve storing your drafts on ArtFight's servers. This way, you could access them from any device, anytime. However, server-side storage comes with its own set of challenges, like needing to create a user account and potentially dealing with slower loading times. It's a trade-off: convenience vs. complexity.

For a lot of us, local storage might be the perfect solution. It's simple, fast, and works without any extra setup. But for those who frequently switch between devices, server-side storage would be a fantastic addition. It would offer a seamless experience, allowing you to work on your attacks from anywhere. The ideal solution might be a hybrid approach: local storage for quick access and server-side syncing for cross-device compatibility. This would provide the best of both worlds, catering to a wider range of users and their needs. The goal is to make the ArtFight experience as flexible and convenient as possible.

Implementation: Technical Considerations

Implementing this feature would involve a few technical steps. First, you'd need to add a mechanism to save the attack data to local storage when the user clicks a