Reaching for the mouse to switch views, create characters and so on, is going to get very old, very fast.Īnother omission is the lack of a split view or second window. My biggest nitpick with the UI and navigation, is the lack of keyboard shortcuts. There's also an option to create your own, which I'm guessing is based on CSS, though I didn't take the time to experiment. The themes are pretty decent, and it was nice seeing some dark ones there for late-night writing. There is also the option to change the theme, which I immediately did, choosing fantasy for $hits and giggles. The View menu allows you to switch between pages. This menu bar is the sole mechanism for navigating between pages. So, looking instead at the menu bar, I see options for Characters, Relationships, Timeline, Character Arcs, World, Encyclopaedia, Worldbuilding Pack and the View and Help menus. There is minimal UI and no toolbar with which to interact. Once you've created a new project, you are shown a title page, and I was stumped for a moment where to go next. While I wouldn't recommend poking around in there, I was pleased to find the format is accessible and based on reliable, open-source foundations. It even opens in the open-source SQLite editor I use. Story creation formĪs a quick aside, I looked at the resulting project file and discovered the file-format is an SQLite database disguised with the. I created a new story and filled in the details using a form that looked like it came right out of a website. I'm not expecting an Electron app to look attractive, but this at least is a promising start. Once I activated the trial, the app presents a rather serene looking project creation window. Note, for this review, I am testing Campfire's macOS trial version, on a 2015 MacBook Air (i5, 8GB RAM) running macOS 10.15.5 First impressions and user interface Given Electron, why isn't Campfire on Linux? This would be trivial to do and gratefully received by the not-so-insignificant number of writers who prefer Linux. One glaring question arises, however, and it's my first bone to pick. So, I'm a bit hesitant about what I'll find as I use Campfire. My experience with electron apps is mixed performance isn't great apps don't feel native. This framework allows developers to create cross-platform apps using web technology. It will take a lot to convince me of its value.Ĭampfire is available for macOS and Microsoft Windows, thanks to its construction with Electron. That already puts Campfire at a distinct disadvantage. Campfire pricing (note the VAT disclaimer)Īt $75, Campfire Pro is more expensive than Scrivener and Scapple combined - and you can't write your story in it, the app is purely for planning. It's the world-building features I'm most interested in exploring. Standard is just for plotting, while the Pro version adds extensive world-building features. There are two flavours - standard and pro. Refreshingly, Campfire is available for a one-time purchase - no subscriptions. Given my 30 days of world-building series, I thought it was the ideal candidate for a thorough review, and I get to knock off another day! Pricing, platforms and electronsĪs with all my reviews, I like to start with the bottom line. So, when friend and fellow blogger/novelist Mark Timmony asked my opinion on Campfire, I thought it was time to do another.Ĭampfire is an app for planning novels and creating fictitious worlds. It feels like ages since I last wrote an app review where I can dive into the weeds.
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