What's wrong with current BBGs?

[JonO]

Browser based games also suffer from a malady common to numerous post-postal PBM games - namely, interface issues. Often times, interfaces for games are not very intuitive, and the player invariably struggles with the interface. Interface issues can ruin an otherwise interesting sounding game. The interface can be a real interest killer, at times.

That isn't the fault of the concept. A lot of programmers, even highly-paid one who have been doing web or desktops for a long time know diddley-squat about how to create a user-interface. Indeed, most of them look down on the interface as some sort of tail that cannot be allowed to wag the data-dog.

A few years ago, I was asked to beta test (and beta program) Microsoft's tablet concept. My response after using it for awhile (computers are too big and heavy, basically Windows XP with so-so handwriting analysis, not capable of being used while being held) was not well received by the boyos at M$FT who talked about all the impressive programming (and it was!) under the hood. When tablets didn't take off, for pretty much the reasons I had cited - the concept was pronounced a niche market in Redmond. Then along came Apple and the I-Pad. Most of the innovative programming in it is in the UI. The focus was on making it intuitive, and easy. . . Now tablets are the fastest growing segment of the market, and may relegate laptops to being the niche in the not too distant future.

One thing good modern game programming (desktop and on-line, computer and game-box) understands is that the GUI makes or breaks the game. Heck, that is true of turn-sheet gaming, too. If you cannot figure out how to give orders, or it is a PITA to give them, you are far less likely to keep playing.