The Next Stage for Vert (aka Vert 3.0)
 

Ditto

(hehehe)

Soooo while we are on the topic,

Some of the bigger changes we were going to wait an introduce in Solaria we have decided to add to Vert for "vert 3.0".. some really nice things.. and we have decided that as Vert evolves inot what Sokol and I have added to it, we want to make it our own and change the name..

So far,

SOL
Solar
Solaria

are the names discussed.. Vert was named after the original author, and since he has left EQ all together, and the only thing really left of his orginal work is some of the base graphics, which are slowly changing, we want a new name to go with the new image


But we would like your input... take a look at the attached image, (its Solaria in the color Saturn) its the latest beta image of the full MOD we are going to release after LOY is out and we can release it without patches.. what name (listed above) you think fits it.

We are going to add a few of the items you see to "Vert 3.0" so far we are including the new hp/mana/stamina bar, (no ticks) and the new spell bar, we are also discussing the group bar..

give us some feed back on what you think. but dont be offended if we dont do everything, that everyone suggest.

UPDATE: change screenshot to stop some confusion over what is seen in the image.

I don't really like the player window spread out horizontally like that, but five lines in a row is pretty boring, so maybe if it was organized like:
xHealth----------
xxx Mana-----------
xxxxxxSta-----------
xxxxxxxxXP----------
xxxxxxxxxxAAXP--------

(ignore the Xs)

with either pet info or the mp3 player in the spaces before the bars?

maybe that's too much.

the colored halos around the names of the spells are too dim.

the inventory should be spiffier :)

it looks pretty cool overall

I'm more of a minimalist when it comes to UI stuff. I like the fact that Vert is compact for the most part and Solaria seems to be getting away from that. But ... other than that, it looks good :)

the player bar is designed to be at the top of the screen with your basic info going across the top, this is a beta screenshot, sooo not quit in the right place.

and the spell gems borders are much brigher in game... they are the color of the spell.. an actually bigger than the 2x2 square that is in the current version (lol)

but remember.. this is still a beta shot, its not even playable yet. the inventroy was not done, thats the default inventory...

remember, that alot of the screen shot is not done yet.. only look at:

spell bar
group bar (which currently includes all 6 members)
the physical "bar" of the hp bar

that is what we are looking at adding to the next evolution, the rest of it is still in development.. the horizontal player window and such is still being experimented with..

Spell gems
 

For the Spell gem window...do you have to click on just the icon to cast the spell, or can you click on the name too?

In that case ... go team! ;)

I agree with this person. The thing that I loved so much about Vert 1 (which I still use because it is the best) was that it was so minimalist. It was set up so you could arrange the windows anywhere in any way and they wouldn't get in the way with all the necessary and useful information right up front so you never had to look at anything else. I think successive versions of Vert have gotten away from that minimalist approach (particularly Vert 2.2, which I hate with a passion, just my opinion.) Vert 3.0 seems to be getting back to that approach, which is good. The one thing I see missing from the screenshot, is the inventory boxes attached to the hotbuttons. That's one of the handiest features of Vert and should not be left out.

As for the name, one fits as well as another, though perhaps retaining the Vert name would be an appropriate step in preserving the legacy of this skin and a way to give props to the guy who created one of the most popular skins in EQ.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong...

i think it looks good.

I would flip the spellcast window so that the icons were on the left.
The group window Looks nice. Although I don't really see the need for Pet %.
And I like the hotbuttons Without the Inventory to the side I feel it just takes up to much space there


just my opinions. Cant wait to see what you guys do next.

Re: Spell gems
 

I beleive the name works too...

not saying your right or wrong, but only about 15% of what is left currently is what vert actually created... a lot of it has been re-coded for lag, and other issues by Sokol, and tons of the graphics have been update by me..

but as the amound that vert did actually gets less and less, Sokol and I would like it to be something that represents us..

Sokol got an email last week asking why the vert site has not been updated (last i checked it still said sept 9th) which was nearly 6 months ago, and vertabrae left the EQ game 6-8 weeks before that.

old look > this one

hehehehe,

well not exactly the feedback we were talking about... we ment a more constructive type..

but I guess it takes all types.

My take on Solaria
 

First of all, this is a great UI in the making! To improve upon the original work as you are is a truly rough task, especially when there's so much to be expected from people that don't neccesarily like to give input, but still enjoy the customized skins.

I *love* the look you've given the spell gems. They are sleek and I've always been a fan of having the names displayed permanently, otherwise I have a hard time distinguishing one healing spell from another. I could live without the spell book button though. It seems to get in the way more then anything.

I have a few suggestions on the placement of certain elements.

1. In my very humble opinion, the casting time guage should always be somewhere close to the target window. This way I can see clearly and easily how long my spell has left until it will effect said target.

2. I know that the bar displaying player hp, player mana, etc, is meant to go at the top of the screen, but it would also be nice to have it rest on top of the group window, so that player mana is always close to the rest of the group's health. This makes it easier to see how much mana is left and how direly it needs to be conserved at that point in time. By the looks of it, I would say that the spell window is the tallest window in this mod. If you could make all the non-stretchable windows fit to that size so that it was a neat and uniform line underneath the "player bar", that would make it all fit together better, once again, just my opinion.

To me, this is a great new mod, a few minor changes however can be made so I don't have to look all over the screen for information, my eyes get tired quickly. :)


Great job Kudane + Sokol!!

I am a big fan of VERTS stuff... the new one looks like its coming around nicely. I hope that the cake program can still be used with this version cause the extra slots are really helpful.
I like the spell bar, but the one stat bar across the top might take some getting used to. Over all the I like the way things are going.