Reducing the amount clicking
Submitted by granger44 on Mon, 2009-04-06 16:02
It seems like there's a lot of clicking in this app. For instance, I click Start Round button to start the new PC/NPCs turn. If they damage or heal soemone, I have to click on the PC/NPC(s) to apply the damage/healing to, set the amount, and then click damage or heal button and then click back on the PC/NPC whose turn it is and then click End Round.
It seems like some of those clicks are necessary but others are not. I definitely need some way to tell the app who the damage and healing go to, but it'd be nice if I didn't have to click back to the person at the top of the order. I think the "End Round" button should always be available and always apply to the PC/NPC whose currently taking their turn. And instead of "End Round", the button could be "Next Turn" or "Next Combatant" to make it clear that it's not app
Is there a reason for the start round button? It seems like once a person's turn is up, you can just delay, ready, or end their turn. Removing the need to click Start Round would also remove a click for each turn.
I've got a couple other thoughts, but they deserve (or already have) threads of their own.
Bookmark/Search this post with
Delay requires the start round
One short cut that is kind of hidden is Crtl-F will send you to the first combatant. Having End Round button always available could make things easier. Another thing that could be done is automatically advance to the next character is no one is delaying. But to me clicking on start makes me remember of doing the start round operations (on going damage). This is currently working in with the dead combatants.
The only real reason for the Start Round is the Delay. Delay is a special case, you can't delay until you are on your turn, but you can only delay in the turn. When someone is delaying he goes back to the initiative order after some combatant ends his turn, and the next one starts the his turn. This is the main reason for the Start Round button.
Internally starting a round does more things, like expire power, and eventually deal with on going and regeneration.
As for the clicking issue, this is something I also feel is happening. I am personally fan of the 102 keys in the keyboard. I would rather have a keyboard driven menu. So when you end a round, it prompt you: "Which is the next combatant? (n) Next combatant up, (1) monster x [delaying], (2) PC z [delaying]". This would mean one key pressed and presto, most of the cases it would be 'n'.
While I have experienced a bit with the idea, it would take some time to create and test this. The other problem, is that I'd like to have a Web version of the tracker and a sophisticated keyboard entry system may be trickier.
Delay doesn't require a start of round
I do see the utility in having the reminder of start-of-turn effects though I think all of the start-of-turn stuff could happen when you transition to the new combatant. If you need a reminder, how about a little pop-up message that lists the start-of-turn effects?
It doesn't seem to me that you really need a start round for delay. I don't see what you are enforcing by making someone choose to either start taking their turn or delay. If the purpose is to enforce that someone chose to delay before doing something, I'm not sure I'd have the application do that enforcement; that's probably something a GM can handle. With regards to effects, start-of-turn effects happen regardless of starting to take a turn or delaying. The special cases are wrapped around end-of-turn effects and what happens when you delay and your normal turn comes around again. The delay button would be another action that only affects the actor whose turn is up. Am I missing something here?
In any case, removing the need for a start round button was just a thought to help solve the issue of having to make several clicks to execute a particular turn. Maybe it'll turn out to be not workable.
I agree that having a keyboard driven interface would be great. However, I use a tablet PC when I'm gaming and thus I'd like the on screen interface to be as usable as possible as well. As for keyboard interfaces on the web, they are possible; Google does it with Gmail and Google Reader, to name one case.
Problem is not delaying but coming back to sequence
Start Round is not required to enter in delay, but to return to the initiative order. Once a combatant is delaying he must return to the initiative order after the end of some other combatant and before then one that would be the next combatant acts (see Player Hand Book page 288, "Coming back into the initiative order"). That's the main reason for not starting the combatant's turn automatically. If someone is delaying the next up can be either the next in the sequence or the one of the delaying combatants.
Now when you delay, you delay the entire round. That's why you have the option of delaying or starting your round. Internally Delaying will fire of a start round, and a special case of end round (to handle effects). You could have delay as another action, but I tried to be strict.