I’m starting my first failware review, since I first mentioned it like two or three years ago, lol.
I’ll try to keep these reviews as short as possible, since mostly I want to cover how bad an app can be without dissecting it. Just a few screens will do the trick very nicely.
Disclaimer: By no means this is an attack to the developers, which I’m extremely thankful that they made a free application for me to use, but sometimes a good reminder called keep it simple it’s my best way to pay for it.
Information about the app
PCGen is a very ugly and slow Java based software that helps an user to make a tabletop RPG character, upgrading it, etc.; and for Game Masters, it allows them to make the whole experience a lot easier.
Theoretically.
First Experience
Starting with the dreaded first user experience! Or the loss of virginity, how I’d like to call it.
So, I start the program.
MSRD! Yeah, that’s so… acronymous! Pathfinder for Players? Oh, but it’s a WIP version, I want the completed version, that why I downloaded PCGen stable. There’s no other choice, though.
So, the first horror. I have a "Load” button, and an “Add” button. What’s the difference? What does this mean? Should I load? Should I add? Should I call 911 to help me resolve this endearing situation?
We, people, have 8 (eight) buttons on the very first screen of the program, 9 if we count the Windows 7 “X” button. That just sucks.
And let’s not forget that I have a Source selected, and:
- I can’t delete or modify it. That fails.
- The unhide button is not greyed out. That über fails.
See, I’m not asking much. Just keep it simple:
A question… “Are you a player or a game master?”.
A system… “Select from one of this Systems” (System seems like a better word than Source).
And that’s it. You don’t even need a button! (in the sense that every selection is a button, or maybe a “Back” button). Limit user choices. Make everyone happy. Please.
The Main Screen
So, I think I clicked on load and somewhat the program loaded the Pathfinder stuff. I clicked on “Unload All”, first, so I can customize what to load. So, my first true action, I double click on Paizo Publishing.
…
Where are the Core Rulebooks? I know that Pathfinder is made by Paizo Publishing. So why it isn’t there? I also know that in the changelog of this 5.16.4 version of the program, the Advanced Rulebook was added. Where? WHERE!?
Oh. They were on Alpha Datasets. Alpha Datasets. Alpha Datasets. Yes, that’s very helpful, I just start a program and I have to look for the Alpha Datasets, that seems logical.
Man. This is not a suggestion. This is practically an order. Everything Pathfinder is made by Paizo Publishing. Not by “Alpha Datasets”. So, please encapsulate them in a logical place! Thanks again.
What I like is that the Core rules are in black, and correctly tagged “Core Rules”, so I have to load them first, and the “Supplements” later. That’s really great, a very good move from the devs. So let’s add the Core and the Advanced.
So here is my other critique of this software. When I double click on them, the program expects me to “Load” the Sources.
Why? I already double clicked on the sources. It’s obvious that I want to load and use them. And why, having LOTS of space left, it says “N”?. Why “No”? Was there a problem? Maybe the developer has a phobia with syllables or hates “yes” or “no” confirmations?
A check box should have been used instead, to simplify all the process, delete some buttons and streamline the process.
From there, luckily, I was able to use normally the program. There were some quirks, but nothing too complicated or that required a major redesign.
Conclusion
This software fails. Not in a sense that it’s unusable, because it can be normally used after you learn the UI. But really, a user should never have to actually learn and study a program to use it. I hope that future iterations of this software can change a hassle to use, to a pleasure to use. And we know it’s a hassle, and we use it, because we don’t have any other free choice.
