Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!cogsci!micone
From: micone@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (Andy Micone)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Games & the Interface
Message-ID: <145@cogsci.ucsd.EDU>
Date: 29 May 90 09:16:26 GMT
Reply-To: micone@cogsci (Andy Micone)
Organization: University of California, San Diego
Lines: 24


Here's my pet peeve, and I'm sharing it on the net to see if I can get
feedback from others who share it.  I hate games on the Mac that seem to
disregard the user-interface completely.  For example, I have ancient art of
war, and I recently got synchronicity, and these games seem to be direct ports
from the PC versions...no menus, klunky inappropiate use of buttons.  Call me
silly but I bought a mac for the interface and I don't like dropping cash to
fuel some programmer who disregards it.  If game programs set a precedent for
poor regard for the user, won't the disregard spread?

Recently I've seen some new games for the mac floating around: two from
origins (the tank programming game and something about a galactic trader) and
Balance of Power 1990.  How closely do these games follow the interface, are
they just ports from the PC version (ergo avoidable).  Can we rate them?
Using the standard grading scale, here's some of my examples:

	Ancient art of War: C-
	Synchronicity: B-
	Theldrow: A-
	Life and Death: C+

These are just illustrative. What does everyone else think?

-- Andy