I won't comment on bowling, other than to say I have tried it(many times) and just didn't care for it. But, to each their own. I will say that where I live, they finally did opening up a bowling complex, but feeling they got themselves a regional monopoly, priced themselves in a way where they drove all their business to another facility that is a short drive away. But, there's a reason why places stay in business and others fail.
The MyDMX product is about providing a feature-rich product that is still in the entry-level category. As a result, some things don't get added that some people may want. So, in regards to improving the product, it's about maintaining compatibility with service packs, hotfixes, OS releases and things like 32/64 bit. It also includes fixing stuff that's broken, fixing stuff that is suppose to be in there but isn't working right, and stuff like that.
(Side note: I don't DJ. I handled A-list talent for 18 years as a FOH and monitor mix engineer, and have been an indy sound production company for 10 years)
I definitely agree that "set it and forget it" is the best way to go. Even if your front desk folks are technical, they have their hands full.
Your pre-set playlist though, that's got some potential for use with Compu Show. Another option could be using MyDMX as a slaved machine if Virtual DJ can provide some sort of MIDI triggering. I don't use Virtual DJ, so I can't comment on what it can or can't do.
Now, a note about Freestyler based what you said:
DJ's love cheap.
But, even so, if it has SOMETHING you need, your hands may be tied. I mean, business is business, and that's what this is all about. As much as I like MyDMX and will stick with it, that's what I'm gonna do.
But, keep this in mind: free is free and you get what you pay for, like lack of support and maintenance and if they decide to just stop supporting it, you're out of luck if it stops working.
Onto your suggestions:
Start and forget: If you want to take the time to set it up, you CAN do that. It's not that difficult. It just depends on how much work you want to do, but you do have to realize that synchronization won't be possible. MyDMX simply won't support it.
Pause/blackout/ then restart easily: Well, you have to make your own blackout scene, but you can switch to your EDIT page and the show will pause, and then you can go back to the USER page and the show will resume. It ain't perfect, but it does the same thing. HOWEVER: if you choose blackout, it EXITS whatever you're doing and goes to that scene(which I feel should recalled via a hotkey). Resuming is a matter of clicking the scene you think you were on last.
ALL good sound cards do have line in and out. ANd they all tend to suck. But that's another issue all together. But even adding a pro interface, the issue with microphones ins't a bit deal. I mean, I deal with large mixes and many open mics on a frequent basis and I don't have issues. I mean, if I wanted to, I could bring in a mic, insert an EQ, dial in what I want to listen to via harsh slopes and narrow bands(I'd actually want to use a parametric instead of a graphic for this with a narrow Q), then chug that into a gate/compressor/limiter/expander with a key or sidechain input. And then I can adjust the gate thresh-hold to where it works good as well as compress the holy crap out of it to totally nuke the dynamic range using the limiter, then take the sidechain output into a trigger to MIDI converter. I mean, easy, no big deal. The box I'm talking designing would just simply incorporate all of this into a head-end device to simplify the whole process and then provide a line out or USB interface into the computer.
Now as far as your idea of PROPERLY labeling stuff(You wouldn't believe how many people refuse to do that!), then your next step is easy. You can have the program LEARN either MIDI commands on a per scene basis or use keyboard hot keys. Also, organization is key. A lot of guys don't do that too. This is also a major strength for MyDMX, with the ease of organization and labeling.
With proper organization and labeling, you can train someone to run lighting in a few minutes. It won't be fantastic, but they could get something happening. Again, this is a strength of the MyDMX product being so easy to use.
Say, using your example without a MIDI interface:
Blackout, I like to use the "-" for my snap blackout. I use "f" for my 10-second fade to black and I rarely use my 3 second fade to blackout so I can just get it real fast.
Dim could be the D key, setting a scene with 75% intensity but you also call have set the entire scene, it's not a modification of another scene.
Soft blue, could easily be the "B" key
Closing time FULL white could be "W".
Also, keep in mind a scene can contain THOUSANDS of steps, including timing and in-between fading stuff. But if all you need is soft blue, that's good too.
You can also do your own "scene chases" if you want. You can have scene 1 go to scene 2, then scene 3... and so on. Or, you could have a long scene with many, many steps in it and that is your chase. But this fails because this is time-based, so if you go "over", it keeps on moving on, no pause unless you exit to the EDIT page.
I think you got some valid and GOOD ideas.
For me, I have a DMX Operator, which I stopped using, but I never even used it to the point where I was programming scenes and using chases. I then upgraded to MyDMX, mainly because I have movers and LED fixtures and I simply needed something that could support this stuff better(like moving heads moving and cool color movement sequences). Since my focus is live sound production, I don't need a lot of things DJ's would actually find useful, which is also stuff you're finding.
Now, I certainly can understand budget and bang for the buck features. I want you to stick with an ADJ or Elation solution, but if Compu Show or Compu Live can't handle what you want because you've got a mission critical requirement that these solutions can't handle, well, then you don't have a choice. But I don't know if Compu Live or Compu Show supports an audio input, but I do know they support importing audio(compu Show also supports video), so you could sync your lights to something. My concern would be "how long does it take to load a song" and it won't be as cool or seamless as what a DJ can do. But you're barely taking advantage of what Virtual DJ could do, and you could just as easily dump this into iTunes or Windows Media Player or WinAmp, just to name a few examples.
BUT, back to your static set-lists, you can program your show and I suppose walk away. Not sure if Compu Show or Compu Live can work in an endless loop, or if you can just copy and paste if there are repeats. Not sure about the pause stuff, as I'm still learning Compu Show. I am skipping Compu Live for now because Compu Show is MORE oriented towards what I am involved in these days.
Compu Show and Compu Live are going to set you back quite a bit more, but you may also get more software than you really need and a learning curve that might be a bit too hight at first.
I suppose IF the developers decide to add audio input for chasing, 2 things have to happen:
You gotta program your scenes, but leave your scenes in an always loop mode(in the case of sequences) or 1 loop mode to support chase for sound functionality as well as enable a sound input chase functionality.
Add a feature that includes a chase function trigger. The problem here is where are all the places to integrate this? Should this work on a move between scenes basis? Steps within a scene? Can jump to a next scene after all the scene steps will then cause it to loop the scene or jump to the next scene?
So, trying to add this request isn't quite so simple. But who knows, maybe they change their minds. Maybe not. I'm just an audio guy trying to make sense of lighting with an overly strong background in software, hardware, data comm and IT.
I've splurged for Compu Show, so I'm willing to sink dollars into what I do. And with inventory of mine for all my gear approaching $300K, I have put my money where my mouth is(and then it got yanked out by all the various vendors I spent it with). But I also understand things like budgeting. We have vastly different business models. It's not an apples to apples comparison. Honestly, for what you're trying to do, I don't see a need to go nuts on it. You're willing to spend SOME money. Owners are being limited with their budget, and I can't really blame them.
I also think that once Jingles hops in and adds information about Compu Live and Compu Show, it may cause you to consider these products. I think having a strong but calm discussion about the offerings and pricing, the owners might choose to allocate additional funding. But, what about the learning curve? Don't choose a product based on price only. MyDMX is, well, on the inexpensive side, but also is easy to use, especially once programmed, and programming isn't too difficult. This IS friendly. I talked a DJ into using MyDMX to operate my lights with 30 seconds of training, and then he trained the other guys and it went fine.
Compu Show costs a LOT more, has a VASTLY higher learning curve, and still requires a high learning curve just to operate. This may not be ideal for your employees. I won't lie, I was intimidated by Compu Show. I still have a LOT of learning to do, but I do what I have to do, so it's irrelevant to me, I will master it with 97 days before the show I need it for, and 96 days for a new show I also need it for.
Keep asking. Who knows, we might all be able to come up with a useful solution.