I have to say, having a lot of styles and/or a lot of tracks (RealTracks or otherwise) is not exactly the worst kind of "complexity" to have. In fact, it's the best kind, meaning that it's good to have more options, in this case. However, it is a very good metaphor for the more general problem with the current state of BIAB. Let me explain.

Just like Musocity said, having a lot of tracks / styles is really a problem only if the search / filtering system is not helpful enough. And that is exactly where we're at now. If the had an efficient, content-aware search / filtering system, you could have a gazillion styles and tracks and you still would be able to enjoy the full benefits of such variety. But we don't. So, a thing such as "more tracks" or "more styles", which is obviously a great thing to have (and the reason many people keep upgrading every year), becomes for some (maybe many) an increasing source of frustration, because it is so time-consuming and difficult to find what you really want or need. And this is for two reasons: 1) it is objectively difficult to navigate such a wide variety of options with the current search tools 2) it becomes subjectively (psychologically) difficult to accept a sub-optimal solution, because while you search "you know" that there must be a certain track or a certain style "somewhere" in that vast ocean of possibilities that is "perfect" for your need, and more options are added, the more that feeling increases, so every year it becomes harder to stop searching and tell yourself: "ok, this is maybe not optimal at 100%, but it is good enough" (the psychologist Barry Schwartz wrote some great stuff about this phenomenon). Again, the problem is the lack of a good, efficient, content-aware search system.

Now, as I said, while I don't think that offering too many styles or tracks is the worst problem in BIAB (not even close ...), it is a good metaphor for the more general problem. What I mean is that, in its current state, BIAB provides a trillion fantastic features / options / functionalities, but not a good way to navigate such complex landscape of possibilities. This goes, really, to the very core of the problem, I think. BIAB offers too much in relation to the "navigation" tools provided. Simple as that. Add on top of that all the bugs (this morning I found a few more ... not a surprise), and you have the full picture.

Having said all that, like all of you, I can't wait to see what new RealTracks and Styles we're gonna have this year. But, frankly, I also hope to get an improved search engine (and, even more frankly, I increasingly "expect" to have that, as a paying customer: BIAB is great, but it's not cheap, let's not forget that). That would be a welcome step in the right direction - but again, that is not my main worry with BIAB at the moment; there are more basic improvements that I believe would help much more than that, but that's just my opinion of course.

Last edited by Jon Thomas; 12/03/23 01:55 AM.