C
Conrad
Guest
As a newly-returned player (my wife has joined me as well!), I really only have one complaint about the current state of Ultima Online.
Quite simple, really--the horrible image quality of the Enhanced Client.
I imagine a good deal of the people playing UO these days have wide-screen monitors--unless you're playing with a tiny game-screen and vast acreage of black screen, UO actually looks worse on these monitors. There is no clarity, the contrast between the ground and dynamic objects is...somehow...wrong. A serious shortage of pixels (and the obviousness of the existing ones) is probably the biggest issue.
I believe that in terms of returning/new players, addressing this would have a greater beneficial effect on subscription rates then any other development endeavor. I really think this should be the priority of the Dev team.
If this issue cannot be addressed in a timely fashion, maybe something of a compromise could be made--allow a function in the Enhanced Client that allows the game screen, and only the game screen, to be toggled back and forth between Enhanced Client and Classic Client. The Enhanced Client interface would remain the same. I am not talking about an instantaneous switch, but a client reboot--I am pretty sure one would be required anyways regardless of implementation. The reasoning being thus--I love the new Enhanced Clients interface, but definately prefer the textures/animations of the Classic Client, as the current Enhanced Client graphics stand.
The same function could be integrated into the Classic Client, but there would be little point--I think the vast majority of players like the Enhanced Client interface, especially when mods enter the equation. The only valid reason I could see for doing this is if it is technically easier to overlay the Enhanced Client GUI onto the Classic game-screen, rather then the other way around.
Seriously, wouldn't this involve not much more then redirecting texture and animation filepaths from one client directory to the other??
Even if the Enhanced Client is updated in terms of image quality (maybe at a later date), a game-screen toggle would retain it's function allowing both players, new and old, to experience the game as it is today and as it once was...without sacrificing an updated interface.
My two cents!
Quite simple, really--the horrible image quality of the Enhanced Client.
I imagine a good deal of the people playing UO these days have wide-screen monitors--unless you're playing with a tiny game-screen and vast acreage of black screen, UO actually looks worse on these monitors. There is no clarity, the contrast between the ground and dynamic objects is...somehow...wrong. A serious shortage of pixels (and the obviousness of the existing ones) is probably the biggest issue.
I believe that in terms of returning/new players, addressing this would have a greater beneficial effect on subscription rates then any other development endeavor. I really think this should be the priority of the Dev team.
If this issue cannot be addressed in a timely fashion, maybe something of a compromise could be made--allow a function in the Enhanced Client that allows the game screen, and only the game screen, to be toggled back and forth between Enhanced Client and Classic Client. The Enhanced Client interface would remain the same. I am not talking about an instantaneous switch, but a client reboot--I am pretty sure one would be required anyways regardless of implementation. The reasoning being thus--I love the new Enhanced Clients interface, but definately prefer the textures/animations of the Classic Client, as the current Enhanced Client graphics stand.
The same function could be integrated into the Classic Client, but there would be little point--I think the vast majority of players like the Enhanced Client interface, especially when mods enter the equation. The only valid reason I could see for doing this is if it is technically easier to overlay the Enhanced Client GUI onto the Classic game-screen, rather then the other way around.
Seriously, wouldn't this involve not much more then redirecting texture and animation filepaths from one client directory to the other??
Even if the Enhanced Client is updated in terms of image quality (maybe at a later date), a game-screen toggle would retain it's function allowing both players, new and old, to experience the game as it is today and as it once was...without sacrificing an updated interface.
My two cents!