Author: margolies,marc
Date: 05:52:44 04/06/04
Go up one level in this thread
the current shredder classic allows weaker players to use shredder enjoyably. the user can set shredder's rating for a game using a sliding bar that goes as low as 1200 uscf. therefore he won't be beat 20 times in a row unless he wants it that way. On April 05, 2004 at 20:07:28, Sune Fischer wrote: >On April 05, 2004 at 15:25:43, Dann Corbit wrote: > >>On April 03, 2004 at 05:51:09, Sune Fischer wrote: > >Woops, nearly missed your reply :) > >>>I'm sure those kind of people are out there, but I'm also sure that Arena will >>>be the least of their problems. >>> >>>They won't know what table bases are, they won't know how to google around to >>>find them, they won't know how to browse Bob's ftp. >>> >>>If you are at that level you will have problems using _any_ windows program. >> >>Any nincompoop can install Shredder or Chessmaster or Chess Assistant. Have you >>tried it? There will be one or two questions that require an "OK" and those >>will have defaults supplied. My description of how an install should go is >>basically exactly how all of the professional programs work. > >This is like Arena. >I think it asks the user if he wants to install the endgame tables, but >he can just click no of course. >Click-click and it is installed :) > >>Now, suppose that you want your users to answer lots of questions and tweak lots >>of paramters. You will be very sorry, because the technical support calls will >>instantly destroy any money you might have made. > >I'd expect a good product to come pre-tweaked, and most free engines do come >like that. > >>>I disagree. >>> >>>What use are they going to have of a chess engine if they can't manage to answer >>>these questions. >> >>They will play games against it. They might be able to go online and play >>against other people if it is stupendously simple to do it. > >I don't think they are going to have much fun playing against Shredder, not many >find it interesting to get beaten over and over again in 20 moves. > >They are going to want more than that, so they have to start browsing the menus. >I don't think they are going to buy it just to play on playchess.com, there are >already many easily accessible and free game servers on the internet running >directly with java which is even easier to get working. > >>>How will they ever figure out to setup a position for analysis, >>>how will they ever figure out to change the time control? >> >>They may never figure it out. Most people won't care about analyzing a position >>because they will not know what the analysis means anyway. > >And so they will have a limited use of the program. >There is only so much you can do with click clicks. :) > >>>You need some basic understanding before you can use programs. >> >>Point and click should be enough for any mass market product. > >Why? > >If people want to learn how to drive a car they take lessons, if they want to >program their VCR they read the manual. >Yet somehow people expect to be able to operate the most sophisticated of all >mans creations by nothing other than their godgiven intuition. > >Magic I say. At least until we reach the HAL9000 level, and even then you will >still have to face a large multibutton control panel. > >Let's face it, interfaces are not going to diappear in the near future. >They might eventually merge into some kind of standard but they won't disappear >I think. > >>>>But that's OK. They know how to curry a horse or to do titrations in resin >>>>columns or tune a Ferarri. They just don't know how to mess with computers. >>> >>>They will have to learn, there is no other way. Software can't do magic. >> >>There is no need for them to learn to edit ini files or to understand what a >>hash table is for or to know what pondering means. None of it is relevant for >>the average user. > >It is relevant if they want the most out of their program, if they can live with >less then they can do without. > >If you aren't willing to learn how to edit a line in an ini-file then you can go >and spend $50 to get one of those profi click-click devices. > >Lazy or stupid has its price. :) > >However, they are in luck as Arena is the best of both worlds :) > >-S.
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