Hi Caveman,
I understand your point of view, as it was mine for a long time, too.
What I’ve come to realize with this beta is that it’s so packed with options that it can be a source of genuine pleasure—or, conversely, it might just give players a bad case of indigestion.
Many of us are calling for greater simplicity and improved navigation comfort in the beta. I believe, however, that the developers are listening to this perspective—and we are already seeing some interesting changes being made in that direction.
Returning to the issue of having too many options: after spending all this time in the beta, I really feel that it’s up to each individual player to find their own ideal interface.
Take team lineups, for example. For a long time, I found the process tedious—I’d get lost, and instead of having fun, I’d just lose my patience.
Now, I use the "table" view, with the number of minutes played—sorted in descending order—as my primary frame of reference. It makes everything much simpler and faster.
All this is to say that, given the vast number of options, it is possible to find your own unique way to play.
On the other hand, there are so many options that they don’t really help players when they’re just starting out—it’s easy to get lost. As you mentioned, you end up wandering around without really knowing what to do.
I imagine the developers are aware that, in its current state, the lack of fluidity and simplicity would drive many players away—both existing BB players and newcomers, who would likely feel so lost after just a few minutes that they wouldn’t return.
I therefore find that the recent changes show things are moving in the right direction. However, it is clear that there is still a lot of work to be done before we can consider launching the beta as an official release.