@Sir Brennen:
The problem is when you make something that only barely requires human interaction, then what point is there to make it for a human to use in the first palce?
You need to know a bit about what you are doing to use any kind of productivity software, and at the least know why you are using it.
This thing tries to walk you through step by step, but in the process neglects to put some of those steps in the right order, and doesn't really indicate what to do as you move from step to step.
It would normally be a case of RTFM, but there isn't a FM to R in the first place.
It is cute that these buttons light up slightly, but I can barely tell when they are on or off. There is nothing that states what you should be doing at one of the steps, and nothing that indicates where you can or cannot click.
Say you want to pick powers and don't want to pick your at-wills first, but want to pick your daily's. Did you know you can click the Daily line at the bottom and switch to picking them first?
IF it worked to aid humans rather than try to do everything for them in the wrong order it would be different.
I have looked at the CB like any other piece of software and critiqued it for what it is. The flow of the software would not have passed to the public for even a closed beta in the state it is in.
I unwilling reinstalled the thing to point are exacts problems with the software for those that seem to think I haven't even used it just because I haven't found all the hidden sections on the poorly designed and colored UI so will just give you a few things when it loads that are bad places to start the software....
I already mentioned pulling the newest update info form a website when there is no feature to even update, so right now that should be something local rather than even load another process or two to pull it wil IE, and leave a portion of IE running and display it. The HTML file could be on the client machine and never have to go out, as its current state may lock up computers when it cannot find a connection to the server, when someone wants to use the program offline. I had this happen a few times and had to use the task manager to end all the processes started by CB.
Mouse over buttons when you start. They are cute, but the glowy crap was over in the early 90's. How about a more professional look rather than the latest electronic toy from TOMY. (Is Tomytronics still around? Maybe HASBRO owns it by now....)
Now you go right into choosing a race!
PHB, MM, FR...all there. God forbid you want something from some book that is hidden in the list.
PHB is at top and FR and MM races are mixed in alphabetically.
Here is where the options need to be or a welcome screen or something that will tell you what steps wyou will be taking like pages 29-30 of the PHB itself.
That way someone not owning any core books, but that may be using completely digital products to play on DDI would know what they are doing.
So where on this page/tab do I disable MM races?
There is a place to create a custom element, but I haven't use the program yet (assuming first time user again remember) to even know what to do, and have no instructions as to what this custom element will even do compared to the predefined elements.
I can minimize all races and not be able to pick any of them unless I open the list back up....
This would be nice if you had to....wait! There is no point in closing the entire list when you MUST choose a race!
The program should have not even began with the splash screen as far as that goes even to backtrack.
There is a start tab that can handle all that for you. Even has the Wax seal saying it is beta. Here the Welcome bit talks to you like an idiot instead of providing usefull information on the software.
I mean someone will not be going to buy this at a store and pick up the wrong thing because they stumbled on it. The should already know waht D&D and 4th edition is if they subscribed to DDI. That is where the update and patch information could be contained when the program loads.
But back to the race tab....
I click on human, then have to click choose Human, and it takes me to a new page. What is the Next Step button there for all this time if it is going to move me along myself? To annoy me and be useless?
If all it ever does is move to the next tab in order, then it is useless since the tabs are all at the top. Wasted resources.
No I am choosing languages. I already went over this. But languages don't need to be here. They are window dressing and not something that other things depend on or have language as a requisite for choosing.
Again I can close the entire list of choices, but then have to open it again or stare at it unable to make a choice since they are all hidden, FR and PHB alike.
Shall I go on, or do you think maybe I was judging CB for what it is? A part of a larger program in a service package and not a stand alone program. I am much harder on standalone programs that parts of a package, so If you want me to continue going over the faults of CB on its own merits, then I will be a lot harsher on it for its failings as a standalone program.
"Open Beta Demo (feedback welcome)"
Yes that is exactly what it is as was stated in an Insider by Randy that this was the demo version of the program. THAT being stated may get it les critical reviews because many people are seeing it and saying "That's it? That's all I get?"
You need to test the full thing, and maybe just calling it a Beta Demo rather than attaching open or closed would work better.
@Glyfair:
Your players will still need some understanding of the program, and how many people want to use a computer to slow them down by having to track down options and such so they don't have to sort through mountains of lists for things that they won't even use or want to. Wasn't that a long time gripe about countless splatbooks and the reason behind the "everything is core" philosophy of 4th?
