Gca

[sir_pudding]

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/charact...rt/update.html

[lachimba]

Originally Posted by Randalthor66

Well, mine doesn't have it and I just purchased it about a month ago. Where can I get the udate & patch?

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/charact...rt/update.html


You have heard of search engines right?

[Randalthor66]

Originally Posted by lachimba

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/charact...rt/update.html


You have heard of search engines right?

Why, when you were so much faster? ;-)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by lachimba

You have heard of search engines right?

Not to mention the "Check for Update" utility that comes with GCA.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by ciaran_skye

Considering even on my netbook using GCA is faster than a pencil and paper I don't see how it can be "too slow to be significantly useful". And if you have even a halfway decent computer that problem effectively goes away.

It's not just the speed of the computer (which is still definitely problematic). It's also the speed of inputting anything into the program, as the user interface isn't particularly user-friendly.

What I've used of GCS I've seen little to no support in the form of data files, which alone is a nail in the coffin. Considering how many items have to cross reference each other (like (Dis)Advantages that affect Skills, modifiers that changes how the underlying (Dis)Advantage affects other traits) I don't see how it would be useful at all without that basic level of support. Some of the most basic, and popular, GURPS books simply don't have a GCS data file to support them.

True, GCS doesn't have any extra data files you can download, but there's little need for them. It integrates all of the advantages from the Basic Set, Powers, etc. into the program, and adding new modifiers or changing the things an advantage modifies is easy to do.

[Lord Azagthoth]

Not user friendly interface?

Double-click and it adds the trait with all formulas attached to it. It couldn't be easier. You must know a little about the rules itself but it releaves you of doing all the math and cross-referencing all the modifiers.

Making new traits. Just make them and save them and copu the contents of the newly created gdf file into your own user created one for use of other characters.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Lord Azagthoth

Not user friendly interface?

Double-click and it adds the trait with all formulas attached to it. It couldn't be easier. You must know a little about the rules itself but it releaves you of doing all the math and cross-referencing all the modifiers.

Making new traits. Just make them and save them and copu the contents of the newly created gdf file into your own user created one for use of other characters.

You can do all this easier, simpler, and faster in GCS. The interface simply isn't user-friendly in GCA - it shows way too many modifiers when you try to modify an advantage, there are too many screens you have to go through in order to modify things, etc., etc.

[panton41]

Originally Posted by Langy

You can do all this easier, simpler, and faster in GCS. The interface simply isn't user-friendly in GCA - it shows way too many modifiers when you try to modify an advantage, there are too many screens you have to go through in order to modify things, etc., etc.

How about we sit down and do a GOMS or KLM analysis of these programs and see which one is easier? I'll do it, but I better get paid for it. They're not exactly quick and easy things to do.

From how I see it the time saved in GCS on streamlined trait editing will be lost on the fact you have to create so many traits to begin with. Also the automation of tasks in GCA would save a lot of time. You're really taking a corner case and using it as your entire argument.

The way I see it, GCA has most of the work done for you. You rarely need to crack open a book to use it if you know GURPS well enough. That's a major plus when you want to get a fairly simple character made quickly with the minimum of fuss.

GCS shines when you're willing to open the books and do the grunt work yourself. The interface makes it easy to create new traits, which is good because that'll be a large part of making even a fairly simple character. There's little support in the way of data files, which means stuff that's pre-generated in GCA will have to be manually entered in GCS.

Neither approach is better or worse and I'm not saying GCA has a brilliant interface because it doesn't. I'd rather not have to manually enter items since the point of using software is so I don't have to, so that takes GCS out for my use. On the other hand, when I do have to manually edit an item in GCA it's a exercise in frustration.

[Jerron]

The interface is a little clunky, but not too horrible when you get used to it. All you youngsters are spoiled and want everything seamless with your existing programs. My daughter was just complaining about about needing to hold the button down on the remote, to do something that didn't even exist when I was her age, and took years to get a remote at all, when it finally did.

Anyhow, joking aside, the reason the interface is less than perfect is because you can do so much with it. I've just scratched the surface of possibilities, usually getting some user created material instead of re-inventing the wheel, but so far I have not found anything I wanted done that GCA could not do. This is the one & only GURPS character creation program I could say this about. Also, messing around as much as I do, I have *never* broken it. That says a mouthful, I can break anything. I broke Maptool (build 80 if you care) after 1 day, the first time I tried something that wasn't in the tutorials. That's a great program, I'm just saying, I used to get paid to break things so I guess I'm considered a pro...

If you want basic, quick & easy character creation with no odd builds, the bells & whistles other programs give you might be your thing. Personally, I think the databases alone are worth more than just about all of the other programs combined. I used to use Thomas L. Bont's program in 3E, which had an add-on description database that included all the rules with each trait. I loved it, and finally switched to GCA when I switched to 4E because he no longer supports his program. I disliked the interface too. However, it's usable, and now I love GCA. It's just a learning curve thing, which isn't as steep as it used to be due to Windows commonality. I remember when there was 12 ways to print from 8 programs, and none of them were the same, so a little difference in database inputting isn't that big of a deal, and I soon found out I couldn't break it. (Not that I never had bugs- but they weren't show stoppers, just restart the program and you're back in business, usually with most of the data intact.)

[Langy]

Originally Posted by ciaran_skye

From how I see it the time saved in GCS on streamlined trait editing will be lost on the fact you have to create so many traits to begin with. Also the automation of tasks in GCA would save a lot of time. You're really taking a corner case and using it as your entire argument.

Not really. GCS has almost all of the traits already created for you. It's only when you get into characters with more esoteric traits (such as abilities from Psionic Powers or talents from one of the books not included in the default data files) that you need to do any trait editing at all.