Incomplete Pretty but Unfriendly UI

[King_Leoric]

The new UI looks like an art piece created by artists rather than a practically designed interface. It really lack of design sense. Some points as follows,

1. Most critically and commonly used "Main Menu" is hidden.
2. More additional clicks are added which make the game more tiresome to play in long hours.
3. Space are wasted for unneccessary beautification like the tips of toolbars and the main menu icon. Reduced the viewing size of the most critical actual gaming environment. It's hard to enjoy the game when view is blocked.
4. The changes are too drastic. I would say it's like Apple interface change to Windows ME interface, very different.

Additionally, different items color background are too overwhelming. The previous color system is still much better. Also enter a quest becoming very confusing with too many options.

The UI looks 1/2 done, aesthetically done, user-friendliness and practicality not there yet.

[SardaofChaos]

Not sure what you're talking about with point 3. I've now got more room on my screen, not less. The only things that changed size were the menu buttons, map, and focus orb, all of which got smaller(orb may have stayed the same). Of course, maybe they just decided to give 1920X1080 a completely different overhaul from all other resolutions.

[msdesign]

110% agreed on your points there.

The quest settings dialog is too colorfull. Non-selected items have too much color and a new player can't tell what is selected and what is not. Plus, the new Public LFM options are not very explicit, graphically speaking. Again, the current selection is doubtfull, I need to look twice to confirm what is selected and what is not. I'd suggest making unavailable and non-selected items be grayscale (grayscale to unavailable and less saturated colors to non-selected).

Then, the new XP bar. I like the blue, honestly. But the gradient itself makes VERY HARD to read the xp numbers. I think a smoother contrast would be more eye-pleasing (and maybe slightly bigger numbers). But if the new normal xp bar is blue, shouldn't the "ready to level" bar have another color? Like red or green? Another detail I don't think helpfull: the too many segments inside XP bar. They are too many. They could be none really, but if they must exist, I guess they could be some representation of XP numbers. Like, half, and half of it (dividing total bar in 4 or 8 equal parts, just a few examples). As they currently are, they represent nothing (a larger segment on the left side, a short bit of segment on the right side... what is that?).

The toolbars... Yes, they have new useless area around them (if they are vertical, these areas are on top and bottom). Players with high res don't notice much, but people with lower screen resolutions may feel they are not user-friendly. Specially if you have lots of toolbars placed side by side. I have a med-high res and even so I don't like those edges. They take half an icon space (well, an entire icon space, if it is half on both sides).

And I think LFM panel is quite bugged. Some groups are there without a leader propper. I see the group but not the leader name, class, and location, when hover the mouse over it. Plus, I can't tick the option Hide Content I don't own (it ticks Hide public option instead).

Pretty please, fix these glitches and problems Thank you!

Edit: I placed some pics so people understand what we're talking about...


Picture explains.


Its weird.


Tell me this doens't hurt your eyes and prevents a clear reading?


That hurts who has a low res screen.

[ZeebaNeighba]

I'm annoyed at the buff bar being reversed and on the left...I'm so used to looking on the right, at least there's a message when a buff runs out.

[msdesign]

I'm annoyed at the buff bar being reversed and on the left...I'm so used to looking on the right, at least there's a message when a buff runs out.

You can change that in the Options menu > UI Settings. Look for Justify Effect Icons to Screen Left and disable that.

[LightBear]

You can change that in the Options menu > UI Settings. Look for Justify Effect Icons to Screen Left and disable that.

Thx, had that problem as well.

[PpalP]

The new UI looks like an art piece created by artists rather than a practically designed interface. It really lack of design sense. Some points as follows,

1. Most critically and commonly used "Main Menu" is hidden.
2. More additional clicks are added which make the game more tiresome to play in long hours.
3. Space are wasted for unneccessary beautification like the tips of toolbars and the main menu icon. Reduced the viewing size of the most critical actual gaming environment. It's hard to enjoy the game when view is blocked.
4. The changes are too drastic. I would say it's like Apple interface change to Windows ME interface, very different.

Additionally, different items color background are too overwhelming. The previous color system is still much better. Also enter a quest becoming very confusing with too many options.

The UI looks 1/2 done, aesthetically done, user-friendliness and practicality not there yet.

I fully agree; I saw this on Lama and made a post, even I included some pix I did and talked about color theory, no Dev answer of course XD

[AZgreentea]

I do like the third option for the focus orb. Its compact but still lets me get a picture of my target and the stats. It fits nicely in the corner.

I'm not sold on the new menu button. I have a programmable mouse, so I might play with the preset I have on it to get to my favorite menu options, but for now the menu button is partly hidden by my chat box.

It dosent feel like I have lost any space. Everything seems to take up as much space as it did with the Blackbird skin.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

In the German-language UI, within the LFM section, the box (text in German language in the German-language UI, of course) "hide content I do not own" is partially overlapped by "Hide public". And it cannot be ticked, too (just msdesign wrote above).

[Qzipoun]

Whoever designed the UI clearly does not play the game... it is so frustratingly horrible for all the points mentioned in the OP and more...

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

Oh, no, that's just because you are not used to it.

You felt exactly the same as you did now when you started DDO for the very, very, very first time ... First live, first character in Korthos or elsewhere ...


My only real complaint is that the main menu button is now at the lower (bottom) left side ... But I'm already training myself into using the i key ...


Besides : Could some of the Turbine folks check how good the new UI fits with the other languages, too ?

I ask because I just remembered that the in-game quest compendium has headlines in the table view which didn't fit very well together ...

[whitehawk74]

I completely agree.

while deconstructing some items I had trouble finding what was new in my backpack and what wasnt.
I like the colour coding buts its too strong.
The new XP bar at the bottom isnt as nice as before and now that its blue I am constantly thinking I can train to the next level.

My screen runs at a respectable and common 1280x1024 setting.
Screen space was tight before with 8 hotbars on a Cleric and now it's horrible.
It's all too pretty and getting in the way.
I run Windows 7 with the Basic theme. I ran WinXP looking like Win95.
The reasoning is simple. I need the buttons but I dont need the fancifulness that comes with it.

[Aliss7]

I have to say the color coding and the XP bar are annoying me.

1. With the colored coding, everything looks like a rainbow of fruit flavors; can't really find what I'm looking for. I guess I could get used to it though.
2. The XP bar now refuses to stay behind ui elements. I can't keep my toolbars permanently overlayed over it. Vertical space is at such a premium, it just boggles the mind. Seriously, how about an option to hide the unnecessary space taking xp bar. This one I will not be able to get used to.

[SardaofChaos]

Judging from the responses above, apparently my hypothesis was correct and they redid the UI at 1920x1080 special in order to provide even more screen space while simultaneously reducing screen space at all other resolutions.

Oh, wait. That's a stupid conclusion.

[good_ole_corwin]

my personal pet peeve is the mail notification. Am I the only one not using the stupid waste of space big self-portrait and so not seeing the "you have mail" sign now? Has anybody thought of an actual reason to move it from the focus orb or is it just a change for changes sake (as if we didnt have enough changes with the expansion)?

[ssgcmwatson]

My primary objection is the XP bar, as someone noted earlier.

[varusso]

Other than the neon glare form the XP bar (which incidentally is duplicated in the character sheet XP bar), i like the new UI. Only thing I REALLY want added is the ability to enlarge or shrink individual elements. I dont really need my hotbars to be so big, but I dont want to change resolutions and end up with everything else also being too small for me to read. If I could shrink my hotbars (which stay up) while leaving my inventory/character sheet/etc the current size (since those are only called up on command, they dont STAY up) I could reclaim alot of valuable real estate in my visible UI.

Also while we are talking shop here, how about an option to TURN OFF guild renown messages in the guild window, and turn them on in another if we want (like other filters). Theres WAY too much spam from my GR intermixed with the actual chat.

[varusso]

my personal pet peeve is the mail notification. Am I the only one not using the stupid waste of space big self-portrait and so not seeing the "you have mail" sign now? Has anybody thought of an actual reason to move it from the focus orb or is it just a change for changes sake (as if we didnt have enough changes with the expansion)?

You cna use the large bar and turn off the self portrait. Its how Ive been runing mine since it was added months ago, and my mail icon shows up on this set-up

[good_ole_corwin]

You cna use the large bar and turn off the self portrait. Its how Ive been runing mine since it was added months ago, and my mail icon shows up on this set-up

large bar is still larger than party vitals only and since it doesnt add anything useable, I see no reason for being forced to use it.

[varusso]

large bar is still larger than party vitals only and since it doesnt add anything useable, I see no reason for being forced to use it.

*shrug* then dont use it. I like it cos its easier to see. And it fits well beside the minimized focus orb.

...and I can see my mail icon