Make the user interface DEFAULTS useful!

[vitriolic-v]

AO's UI is a problem for new people. For veteran players, they have it all figured out, and AO's UI design is actually better, and very customizable; I've seen a lot of surprisingly good UI layout ideas people have implemented, shown in screenshots or Youtube videos of gameplay, and we should keep that as an option, but, by default, the UI is crap, useless, misleading. One could try to argue that if a player can't figure it out, they don't belong in this game. "Why, when I was YOUR age and just starting out in MMORPGs, we didn't need a manual or any of this hand-holding crap!" you might say. Yes, back when I started gaming, I'd read the manuals for all the cool details I wouldn't otherwise figure out, and I'd roll through ALL menu options, but I guess that's not everybody. Now, customers have options, and they're going to go play WoW if they can't figure out AO. Or, maybe they just won't play any MMORPG, because the one they thought about trying, that filled the sci-fi niche that that customer wouldn't have felt silly playing in proved to be impossible and not user friendly. That's lost revenue and opportunity.

AO has a lot to offer people if they'll stick around long enough to discover it, but they won't if they have easier options. So, here are the options:

1) Nuclear strike on Activision/Blizzard.
2) Fix the user interface.

So, assuming Funcom would certainly be destroyed when Activision/Blizzard returned fire (all game companies have nukes; now you know), we'd better go with option 2. Here's what's wrong:

A) Mini-toolbar is one of the best UI elements to have, but is tucked away in the options menu. Leave it ON by default, and/or copy the option to toggle it somewhere else more obvious, OR put a pulldown button (a button with an arrow indicating "something pops out of here when you press it") beside it to toggle it on and off.

B) Inventory is intrusive. Takes a lot of screen real estate. This could be a matter of taste, but there should probably be more options for configuring the inventory window anyway. World of Warcraft, though very limiting to inventory space, does this in a way that is a lot less intrusive, even with all bags open, and if it is unwanted, it can be quickly toggled off. I suggest using the bottom of the screen for two or three rows of inventory, spread out horizontally, with much smaller icons (something like half their current size), by default. Let this still be undockable from that position, though, for the sake of accounting for taste. Let the inventory window dock as a tab on any other window. Let the icon size be adjustable, down to the size that they are when in list mode.

C) NCU is only introduced to the player if they go looking for it. This is why people don't know how to change themselves back when they're turned into leets. Have the NCU window open by default somewhere. WoW (yeah, you'll get tired of hearing this comparison eventually, I'm sure) has this in the form of buffs showing as icons with timers -- on by default -- at the top right of the screen, so that players know what buffs/debuffs/etc are affecting them. I leave my NCU window at the top left, with tabs for programs I've uploaded, the playfield map, missions, etc. Leave this customizable, but ON by default.

More to come, I'm sure.

DEVS: Please read!
PLAYERS: Post screenshots of your innovative UI setups so FC can see how you play and come up with some more user-friendly default UI settings!

[SoapTarder]

signed.

current default UI is useless for new players. It's great that AO UI is customizable, but the default should reflect some sort of usefulness. time for an upgrade.

[Belligerence]

I'm for this. Making the UI newbie friendly would be a nice touch. Don't make it any less customizable, however. This is one of the things AO has perfectly nailed down, but the newer, "better" games don't have nearly the same amount of UI control. Go figure.

[Notcrattey]

I certainly agree, when I first started playing it took me such a long time to get my UI to a good state.

[Xirayne]

http://imageshack.us/f/521/scrn0243.png/

It would only take a few minor tweaks to get it somewhere playable, imo

[Honorbound]

As part of the new player experience, there should be a quick but informative walkthrough of ALL of the most important windows used in everyday gameplay situations, and to conclude it, a pointer to hint at that there's more and where to look to discover everything else about the UI.

The context sensitive tip system (the one that presents those light blue info windows on a select few interactions) used to have a lot more triggers to explain a relatively large number of not immediately obvious things when it "thought" the player was trying to do something new or is lost and have no idea how to proceed. For some reason most of it had been deactivated at some distant point in the past. Review this system, reactivate the disabled tips and add a lot of new triggers and explanations to it.

The only real probem I see with the inventory window is that it cannot be resized horizontally. It should behave like any other "container" window (bank, backpack) allowing resizing in both directions without any forced minimum or maximum size, so that you can, if you want, make it into a single horizontal strip of 1 icon height. An option to toggle half-sized icons could also be a nice addition (the game can already downsize item icons to put them onto the quickbars; use the quickbar slot tile to build the grid in the half-sized inventory window and scale the icons to size with the same funcion).

[vitriolic-v]

http://imageshack.us/f/521/scrn0243.png/

It would only take a few minor tweaks to get it somewhere playable, imo

Great screenshot! I wanted to do a "here are the problems" image myself, followed by proposed solutions, but I was at work at the time. Now, for some reason, your attack init bars are hidden under the hotbar by default. Mine aren't, but maybe it's a display resolution thing. Who knows. This reminded me, though: MAKE ATTACK/PERK/NANO PROGRESS BARS MOVABLE! (Are they? I can't remember them being movable.)

As part of the new player experience, there should be a quick but informative walkthrough of ALL of the most important windows used in everyday gameplay situations, and to conclude it, a pointer to hint at that there's more and where to look to discover everything else about the UI.

Most of this should be put out in such a way that you don't even need the walkthrough (but it should still be provided, for the slow folks).

The context sensitive tip system (the one that presents those light blue info windows on a select few interactions) used to have a lot more triggers to explain a relatively large number of not immediately obvious things when it "thought" the player was trying to do something new or is lost and have no idea how to proceed. For some reason most of it had been deactivated at some distant point in the past. Review this system, reactivate the disabled tips and add a lot of new triggers and explanations to it.

Don't know about this. Discovering, for instance, twinking, hotswapping, laddering, all on your own, is very rewarding. Now, informing the player about things like locking their XP, so they don't get kicked out of the subway when they die, are crucial. Player should be informed in a popup at level 24 of this. For vets, it's a one time annoyance per character, and not a big deal to just close the box. I'm not sure to what extent helpful tips were being displayed before, but I'd hate to see it overdone or hold a player's hand TOO much, to the point of doing playing the game for the player. Maybe I'm being over cautious.

The only real probem I see with the inventory window is that it cannot be resized horizontally. It should behave like any other "container" window (bank, backpack) allowing resizing in both directions without any forced minimum or maximum size, so that you can, if you want, make it into a single horizontal strip of 1 icon height. An option to toggle half-sized icons could also be a nice addition (the game can already downsize item icons to put them onto the quickbars; use the quickbar slot tile to build the grid in the half-sized inventory window and scale the icons to size with the same funcion).

That could be enough. I think we need to be able to dock and lock things, though.

[vitriolic-v]

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/233/myaoui.png/

This is how I've dealt with the problem for myself, though. Not sure I like it yet. I've done all kinds of different things, but, as much critical information as there is, I always end up covering up the character more than I want to.

[Thorneee]

I agree that the default UI needs a rework. It is quite a big amount of work, but it is definitely necessary if you plan to attract new players.

About the tips and stuff, I think it is not directly related to this thread (even though related to UI), and would belong to a thread dedicated to the new starter experience.

[Lheann]

The only real probem I see with the inventory window is that it cannot be resized horizontally. It should behave like any other "container" window (bank, backpack) allowing resizing in both directions without any forced minimum or maximum size, so that you can, if you want, make it into a single horizontal strip of 1 icon height. An option to toggle half-sized icons could also be a nice addition (the game can already downsize item icons to put them onto the quickbars; use the quickbar slot tile to build the grid in the half-sized inventory window and scale the icons to size with the same funcion).

Hmm, what version of gui are you using. I can resize the inventory window in both direction. I go six wide by six high and tuck it off to a corner.

The trick is that it will only go wider if it is short enough. six wide requires six high or less first.

But since the release time frame gui was replaced with the new crap default gui I have used a skin of some type. the default gui is a mess and really needs to be adjusted.

[Doctorhyde]

/signed

I came back to AO a few months ago. I spent -days- getting my UI set up to where it was efficient with both space as well as keybindings, informative, and still gave me room to see the game. I also took the time to clear out years of empty XML bag files and the like.

It was gorgeous.

Then my PC required a rebuild and, thinking I had a good backup of prefs, I did so. But my prefs were corrupted and ... facing doing it all over again or giving up ... I gave up. The UI for AO was enough to make me quit after playing so many other games in the meantime.

For inventory, I'd recommend working on a 2-pane concept where whatever bag in your inventory that is open is opened in a 2nd pane. That way you can have inventory and 1 other bag open. Also allow people to "open" bags from their bank. Leave an advanced option that allows multiple bags to open in new windows, but default it to the 2-pane behavior for new players.

Also related ... implement the capability for mouse1+mouse2 for movement, too. Please. Right now you can make that work BUT it always fires off a left mouse click, too. Meaning if you are hovering over an active UI element, it will activate it. The behavior needs to be made such that "if mouse2 is pressed during the onclick of mouse1, mouse1 does not trigger an action but instead moves you forward".

If you can freshen up the UI and the controls a bit, making them default for NEW users, and optional for older users ... the new engine has a much better chance of attracting new players who are from the newer MMO games.

I will say this, AO still has BY FAR the best text chat window options of any game out there.

Really, there are a LOT of things that individually are fairly simple to implement that would do a lot for an AO UI refresh. They are alot of work when put together, but given how flexible the XML-based UI is already ... alot of the work is simply building a more optimal UI layout using the existing tools.

[Gorathon]

This basic layout has worked for me for several years.

(I don't leave the backpack open, it's open here for layout demo)

It takes me about 10 minutes to set a new toon up the way I want. I have, on occasion, copied over a GUI layout, and that seems fine, but I usually have a slightly different setup in mind for each profession (and even toon) so it's just easier to set it up from scratch.

Sometimes I tab the chat box on the right of the minimap (OOC, Tells, Tower Announcements, etc) but things can get lost that way - plus the window position isn't locked in that case...yuck.

[Lazy]

it's fine the way it is now, tbh

[Mostadio]

Bump. The gui is a total wreck and even as an experienced player it takes me 15-20 mins to set everything up. And then I forget to relog and the game crashes and I have to do it all over again.

[aeneasfate]

Agreed on making the mini toolbar on by default. It's too useful to hide from new players.

Though not specifically for the 'defaults' discussion, one improvement I would really love to see is an optional mini bar element at the bottom of the screen (Or free floating) with small buttons to replace the functions in the two sets of 'wing' menu buttons in the bottom side corners. Ideally the same height as the compass so that it can be placed on top of unused space on the bar and seamlessly match up to the ncu/credit and aggdef bars.

These waste quite a bit of space and many functions are only available through them.
With settings spread out in so many separate menus, It's not really feasible to just disable them and rely on hotkeys alone.

Many will note that this is how the popular Dovvetech line of skins deal with the wing menus to make simple minimalist layouts. http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0...crn0259ree.png (Random googled screenshot for example) This is probably the only feature that I have personally used them for, until getting tired of relying on third party skins for a single UI element and having them break nearly every update.

An optional menu replacement such as this would really allow players to reclaim some wasted space if desired, with minimal effort.

Also, the ability to right-click an UI element to lock it in place would be very helpful. Especially with tabbed windows, they tend to get accidentally moved around just selecting tabs.

[vitriolic-v]

Pretty much all ideas have been good points for positive discussion. Still waiting on an opinion from FC. What do I have to do, report posts to a moderator?

[Odov]

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/233/myaoui.png/

This is how I've dealt with the problem for myself, though. Not sure I like it yet. I've done all kinds of different things, but, as much critical information as there is, I always end up covering up the character more than I want to.

wat

[vitriolic-v]

wat

Please, explain that "wat" in detail.

[Lazy]

wat

he said

"THIS IS HOW I'VE DEALT WITH THE PROBLEM FOR MYSELF, THOUGH. NOT SURE I LIKE IT YET. I'VE DONE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT, AS MUCH CRITICAL INFORMATION AS THERE IS, I ALWAYS END UP COVERING UP THE CHARACTER MORE THAN I WANT TO."

[vitriolic-v]

he said

"THIS IS HOW I'VE DEALT WITH THE PROBLEM FOR MYSELF, THOUGH. NOT SURE I LIKE IT YET. I'VE DONE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT, AS MUCH CRITICAL INFORMATION AS THERE IS, I ALWAYS END UP COVERING UP THE CHARACTER MORE THAN I WANT TO."

+1 A++++++++++++++++ would read again