Below are two things I think would make helpful additions to the Contact Map window:
(1) When the mouse goes over a location on the Contact Map, list the (x,y) coordinates for it (x=horizontal residue, y=vertical residue). Also, when moving the mouse over a residue of the protein makes parts of the Contact Map turn grey, have the coordinates (x,y) listed be equal to each other and equal to the residue number the mouse is hovering over.
(2) On the little chart with 5 squares with colors ranging from white (GREAT!) to red (OK), list the distance cutoffs between each square. On puzzle 620, I think the cutoff between red (OK) and white (GREAT!) squares is 8 Angstroms.
Thanks!
Another idea is that when (x,y) with x different from y is shown with the Contact Map, the present distance between the alpha-carbons of residues x and y is also be shown.
Another idea is to graphically display the distances between pairs of alpha-carbons (CA) using the at-present empty upper-left triangle of the Contact Map. Squares there could be shaded white for the shortest distance and black for the longest distance. A continuum of grayscale shades could show intermediate distances. Near this upper-left triangle could also be listed the shortest and longest inter-CA distances within the protein. Having such a display would help players decide which regions of the protein require the least amount of change to best fit the constraints of the Contact Map.
When the mouse is moved and parts of the lower-right triangle of the Contact Map get marked, the equivalent positions in the upper-left triangle could also get marked.
