Author: John Merlino
Date: 10:15:32 06/24/04
Go up one level in this thread
On June 23, 2004 at 19:56:19, John Merlino wrote:
>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
Clarification: What I wrote above concerning multiple clicks to get from one
feature to another is not quite as bad as I originally thought. Cleverly hidden
down in the bottom left of the screen is a navigation control that I thought was
just an "exit back to main menu" button. I had completely missed the two arrows
(one pointing up and one pointing right) that allow you to choose which
feature/room in the game to jump to. The right arrow allows you to choose
features in the current "room", and the up arrow allows you to select from
features in other "rooms".
So, while it will still take a few extra clicks to get from the Game Room to the
Database, it is still possible to jump directly there without having to go back
to the main menu first.
jm
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