n3phrit wrote:One more thing. I quite dont understand why me as a player should have problem with GM proposed layout as long as it is intuitive and gives mi every function I need. I am sure that in flexible environment, there can be group of smart people in community, that can come with beautiful and functional layouts that we all love. I would't take that possiblity away.
I would have a problem with it, as a player and a GM. On the player side, as mentioned above, there's no way to predict what I'm using to play the game in hardware terms, so the UI would need to be manipulable on my end in case my screen is small, large, has two screens, whatever. Furthermore, as a player, I should get to decide (let me rephrase: I
feel that I should get to decide) what elements are important, and where they go on my screen. After discussions with my players (not related to this, just happens to be talking about it), none of us use even close to the same layout when we play over MapTool, so I'm not sure how generic an interface can get before you might as well be using the basic windowed thing.
As a GM...I don't want to spend my time designing an interface for the user. I will grant that framework writing is, in effect, designing an interface of sorts, but that part of it...I don't like. In any case, I didn't say
you needed to have a problem with it, I said
I had a problem with it.
Regarding trends in UI in software. There are still trends to move away from standard interfaces, as they are not context friendly enough. Just take Maya 3D package, that is industry standard. It is full of buttons, but if you dont know where is something hidden, you have to study guide. On the other hand Zbrush is next generation modelling software with completely unorthodox UI. Now everybody is using it and nobody complains as long as everything is in place and provides contextual menus (only things that are allowed are accessible). This way you make less confusion to users.
Again. Dictate is not good, but open possibilities are.
All of your points are sound. I'm not against options, I'm just not particularly in favor of nonstandard interfaces. If MT goes that way, I guess I'm just not going to like it as much.
Edit: or maybe I will; it's just that the experiences I've had with VTTs using "weird" interfaces were frustrating and ungood.