Player or not player... that is the question...

Fred,

This is just my opinion. I always look at the process from the perspective of the learner and the ongoing maintenance required by the client after I deliver their final product.  So many developers want to experiment with the look/feel (e.g., custom menus, Javascript) but don't think ahead about the maintenance and whether or not the next update to Storyline could break the functionality.   

I always try to achieve what my clients want using the native capabilities of the product first. If that doesn't work, I explain the feature can be added but there is no guarantee that the Javascript or some other programming might work after the next upgrade. In many cases, the feature doesn't make much of a difference in the end when it comes to delivering the actual learning to the end-user even if it looks "cool" to add to the course.

So, just my two cents. I think some people will disagree but, I deal with a lot of "previously-developed" Storyline projects that no longer function or were "over-engineered" to the point of becoming a nightmare to maintain for the client. 

Richard