hochorz

Everything looks good, I really like the layout of the right side, and personally, I think the chat window would work either way (old style parchment, or otherwise). The only thing is the horizontal group window, makes you have to look all over to make sure no one in group is dieing But I can get used to that!

Keep it coming!

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Kaenil Darkwolf

Yeah, I think your new group design is better. As for the chat window, I would definitly go for the old style parchment type. It has very good visibility, which is why I don't like the dark tones of the UI's. I have to use bright colors to see clearly, and there are only so many bright colors. For me, visibility and ability to move my mouse are the most important things. Fancy stuff comes after that.

btw, concerning the pet gauge under player hp gauge. The whole bar is visible when you don't have a pet up. When you do, it just makes a little line at the bottom of the player window. Imagine the exp window, the orange being the player hp gauge, and the blue being the pet hp gauge. That's what I'm talking about.

Kainz

I think that the group window should be in about the same place as it was in the original ui. I like the exp bar that is very great!!

Gallux

Why not move the groups part to the right hand side like the true original UI and put the inventory slots into a new tab in the actions window. That would keep the location of the inventory slots in exactly the same place as they were with the old UI.

faBBe

Hmm, I will try to use the vertical group window, because the horizontal one is effectively a bit slower to 'read'.

So, you are not bothered that the gauges are somewhat short in the vertical group layout ?

As for the inventory slots I want to stress that my goal is not to copy exactly the old UI.

That said, this IS a good idea, if only because I planned to have maybe 3 inv slots along with melee and range for swaps, but if I use a tab for this as you propose it is possible to have 8 inv slots on view without inventory open at times when that is useful (such as crafting, trading with other player.. )

Good ideas.

Will post an update today or tomorrow.

Thanks for feedback!

PS: Other things on top of my head : going to MOVE the melee/inv slots for combat to the left, same side as the hotbox.. eyes are always on the hotbox for ability refreshes.

If there is enough space then on the RIGHT between the action window and the player/target/exp, I should try to fit in there a veritcal table of buffs with small font for names.. hopefully.. I'd be great to REALLY free the viewport of overlays.

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"I'm not a shrimp, I'm a KING PRAWN !" -- Pepe the shrimp.

Kaenil Darkwolf

Ya think you could make a horizontal group window as well? Maybe include both horizontal and vertical group windows so it could be more customizable. I am always looking at my chat window, so it makes much more sense for the group window to be as close to the chat windows as possible.

faBBe

Sure, I can not have both in the same interface however, and I prefer to make UI that makes most sense gameplay wise than trying to please everyone.

So, just because it's a little more interesting and flexible, I'll keep the HORIZONTAL one until I release it in the BETA forum.

Then, I will look into the feedback from playtesting and decide which to keep.

Now I just received PoP box I'm not hardcore eq player but I may slowdown a bit..

I would say in about 2 weeks I should have a beta for testing, and a bout a month I should finish it.

What I know for sure is there will bne at least 2 versions, because the CAST BAR can NOT be opened when playing a pure melee class (rog/mnk/war), I have to change the use of windows in the pure melee version to fill iin the viewport sides..

So far then the plan is
- PURE MELEE version
- Hybrids/ Casters version

As I said more because of a limitation than the desire to make specific versions.

You can arrange your windows and viewport to mock the UI I'm working on to get an idea about how things work



ok I forgot to place the target window on the side (old sshot), you can slide the inventory so the right of it totally overlaps the target window when it is on, that is what will happen.

I a comfortable with the viewport, but I have noticed that when merchant opens for example I have to move to left and right sides to open bags buy/sell.. this is not optimal but is 'ok'

the reason the inventory opens on right side, is taht way I can simulate part of the side bar showing the player stats when inventory shows.. as in the old UI, I can not do that on the left ebcause when the loot / merchant window opens the inventory opens as well, they would both overlap the left side..

This will be tested in beta, and if it turns out to be annoying.. then I can always make a full separate inventory pane with the stats on it, that could be moved around as well, like new UI one, with old UI look.

The one that overlaps on the right you see will overlap less space of the viewport, given that it is opaque and most windows in this UI will be opaque (i.e. more readable), this is a good thing...

faBBe

Oh, just an idea

you remember the old UI when inventory was on, you had a little window with a 3d view of your character ?

Well I wanted to keep a space for this, and put a tga there that player could customize, all they would have to do is replace the TGA file with a graphic of their choice, possibly a sshot of their character..
thought it wa a nice feature for 'personalising' the ui

but I doont think I have the space for it

but maybe you guys have an idea about this..
so I let you brainstorm on it

faBBe

This is what I have so far,
The icons are very small (20x20 px), not many options for placing those out of the view sadly.

Even if I kick the level info away, I will get larger buff icons, and smaller space for the buff spell names, so not really better.



Will have a green/red good/bad effect halo somewhere..

Now the last somewhat tricky part, the CHAT windows.. sounds like I won't have much flexibility therem overlapping will not work, and all chat windows, even if they are different sizes defined in your ini files, they ALL use the same 'graphic' definition from the UI....

Kaenil Darkwolf

Did you try making the font smaller? That would probably aloow the whole buff name on most, if not all buffs.

In my opinion, you might not even have to have the icons. If there are words there that's good enough for me. I'd rather just see the words anyway.

Also, did you know that when in game if you put your mouse over the buffs then hold down the ALT key the buff names pop up?

Kudane

Well I liked your first idea for the group window.... i think the transparent window can just create problems since there is no way to "Lock" them so you dont click on them but throught them the way the old window could..

also,

what about adding a small bar at the top with the "player" bars in a row..

i will mock something up and add it to this post later tonight... but i will try and show you what i mean... then you would have a little more room on the right bar for stuff..

Kudane

faBBe

Kaenil Yes they do, this is the idea with the original cast bar, I wont bother with the names, they would show on the viewport anyway, using the Alt key will be fine.

I cant really use a smaller font, it is 10 pt on the screenshot, smaller than that will strain the eyes on a 1024 resolution.

I personally believe the icons convey information quicker, I would myself have the icons rather than the names, especially since they were remade with the new UI there is more variety in the icons. If it wasnt for the fact that using Alt on a 'grid' of buff icons will not show the names in a readable way, I would have them as icons, or I would have had a version with just icons for me


Kudane Hi, that clicking through would have been a real feature for the inventory window.. the space that shows 'holes' while it is on effectively 'eats' the mouse click thus you can not click a target that you would see in those 'holes'.. hopefully this is limited so it won't be an annoyance.

As for the group window it covers a lot of the background anyway, and you can click on it effectively to select group members so I am not sure what you mean. So basically whether I use a fancy design or not, the mouse clicks will never pass through the window :/

faBBe

PROGRESS

Begun programming the UI, putting the bits together

here is the top left, due to a limitation in XML (hard coding!) I can not have the proper class animation animating in the mainview, unless the inventory is open.

So the best workaround I have thought is it displays a 'inventory' icon (should be better than that bag.. not worried about gfx now). When you click it and the inventory shows, it is replaced by the class animation, which animates properly. It is not shown here because it has a ugly grey backgrouind from new UI so I ll have to replace the new UI class animations with the old UI ones to fit in this 'theme'.

Other windows are in place and covering the whole space outside of ther viewport with no seams, but they are ugly as hell screenshot later

bruenob

First off I just want to say I wish I knew how to do half of what you and some of the others do! Cannot wait to see this along further! LOVE the buff window area btw! Keep up the superb work!!

Brueno