Dice Roller

1.0 stars

"Substandard follow-up to Dice Roller 1.0"

October 13, 2010  |   By progan01

Version: Dice Roller 2.0

Pros

Snazzy-looking interface; big numeral displays.

Cons

Clumsy use of multiple entry fields to simulate multiple dice; only standard dice numbers available; confusing modifiers; weak random-number generator.

Summary

I like and use Dice Roller 1.0 for its simple interface and infinite mallebility. If I need to roll, say, 3d7, I can do it with three Tabs and an Enter. Until DR1, rolling a calendar date was a cumbersome process of 1d12 for the month and then a welter of dice to figure out the exact day, since there is no such thing as a d31. But that's simple to simulate in DR1. So I was looking forward to extending the possibilities in DR2. It was not to be.

In DR1 you entered the number of dice, then the sides, and hit 'Enter'. In DR2, you have to enter each die separately, up to a total of six. Oh, and you have to first check off above each die that you're using that slot. You have the option to add a modifier, plus or minus, per die. You can use the two buttons provided to 'Check All Dice' or 'Uncheck All Dice,' but if you're in a 3d6 system, you have to manually check three dice. You can, however, save the resulting combination as a 'Preset', so I suppose you can use that -- but why aren't there presets already provided for so common a roll?

Global Modifiers are also provided -- Drop Lowest Roll, +1 to Highest Roll, +2 to Highest Roll -- and that's it. Where are the global negative modifiers? Even in the latest Traveller, a body pistol does 2d6-8 damage. Surprise! You can't use DR2 to generate that number.

Put in a non-standard number of sides to a field, though, and try to get a result, and you'll get a big 'zero.' Does not compute. Good-bye one-shot date-rolling. That's a big and unpardonable step backwards in desktop die-roller design.

I can't recommend this product to anyone but the designer, who I will point in the direction of Dice Roller 1.0 and say, 'See how easy that is? How useful?' DR2 seems to have been put together by a part-time D&D player who expects to use it on his laptop at the gaming table, as if this were preferable to dice. Guess what? Use this at the table and the DM will be demanding to see your screen AS you punch the numbers. It offers no advantage over, say, simply cheating.

I'm disappointed in this product. It's worse than the original and far, far more complex and baffling. I'm particularly irritated that in a hobby that puts a premium on imagination, somebody would try to foist this most unimaginative dice-roller on people. All you'd have to do to make the original better was make the displays bigger, and it would push this awful waste of code to the curb, where it should stay.

Tell Pulsar Software to pull this turkey before it damages the reputation of gaming software everywhere. Niclas Magnusson (author of DR!), where are you when we need you?

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