Author: John Merlino
Date: 16:56:19 06/23/04
To respond to Geoff's request that I give my thoughts regarding the Chessmaster
10th Edition demo, I have put together the following:
I have played with the demo now for several hours, and here are my
slightly-better-than-gut reactions (some of which are based on conjecture
regarding features that are not in the demo but that I either know very well or
am making assumptions about).
Pros:
-- The interface is much prettier, no doubt. It also LOOKS slicker.
-- Additionally, the interface appears to be less scary and more fun. I think
this will help it to sell well.
-- The automatic post-game analysis feature is pretty cool, especially the chart
that shows the progress of the game.
-- The improved player statistics are nice as well, although it is very easy to
get a nice winning streak. Checkmate your opponent, take back a few moves, then
checkmate your opponent again. Instant winning streak (i.e. BUG)!
-- I like the highlighting of the square that the mouse is over. Too many people
have complained over the years about knowing which piece they are selecting when
they click the mouse. This solves that problem nicely. (I also hope it can be
turned off.... :-)
-- I can't wait to see what tutorials GM Larry Christiansen wrote. Even if it is
only a word-for-word porting of his well-known books from the "Attacking Chess"
series ("Storming the Barricades" and "Rocking the Ramparts"), I think it will
be a valuable addition to the already terrific tutorials available in CM. The
feature does have the name "Attacking Chess", so it is probably safe to
assume....
-- "Josh Waitzkin's Academy" also sounds new and interesting, although I
question the effectiveness of his unique speech style in teaching people how to
set up the board and move the pieces, which are the only portions included in
the demo. :-/
-- Online looks seamlessly connected, but you will have to create a Ubi.com
account (like with CM9000). It looks like great strides have been made here.
Cons:
-- The interface is really nothing more than a new skin on top of the same
features (and, in most cases, the exact same dialog or menu). So, anybody who
was expecting a "completely redesigned" interface will probably be disappointed.
-- The "room" metaphor has been lost, or so it appears at first glance. However,
IMHO, they have made the less-related features harder to jump between. To get
from the "Single Player" area to the Database feature, you now have to leave the
"Single Player" area entirely, go back to the top-level dialog, click on the
"Learn" button, then click on the "Database" button. In CM9000 all you had to do
was click on the Database button. So it seems like, in some cases, what you used
to be able to do in one click now takes three or more (plus extra load time).
-- Right-clicking on the board brings up a massive and confusing context menu. I
don't understand why it was implemented this way.
-- As somebody else pointed out, I also don't understand why users are forced
into using specific board/piece combinations. I think this is a VERY bad idea.
Only FIVE 2D sets?
-- I'm also surprised that the pieces don't look better than they did in CM9000.
Honestly, we thought the 3D feature looked pretty good compared to the "Fixed
View" sets, but we didn't have time to put in REALLY nice features like dynamic
lighting or anti-aliasing. (Note: I did attempt to turn on 1X anti-aliasing and
saw no discernible difference). I would have thought that the new team would
have spent some time on improving the quality of the 3D sets.
-- Additionally, the chess sets that are provided with the demo are not good
choices at all. The "Expert" 2D is the only set that I think is playable
(although the pawns are way too big). The "Paint" 2D set is actually painful to
look at. "Classic Glass" 3D is also tough on the eyes. "Classic Wood" is ok, but
"Staunton Marble" is tough. The animated "Rubber" set is cute, but I would have
thought they could have picked a better set to show off the new feature.
Unknowns:
-- I wonder what the "Current Situation Report Window" will have? Sounds
intriguing....
-- Simuls sound cool, but who will use them?
-- One feature that sounds very good is the ability for any user to give an
online tutorial. If this is true, and it is well-done, this will be a VERY big
feature, I think.
There it is. Comments and dissenting opinions are welcome....
jm
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