Just thought I'd offer my first impressions of the Enhanced Client, for what it's worth. I guess I'll start with the good, go to the bad, then offer a summary.
The Good
The client runs smoothly for me, it is stable, and while there are a few graphical glitches, for the most part it just runs well and looks good. It also manages to do something which the KR client failed to do, it feels like UO. There is enough of the old client art in it to make it feel like the same game, and even the new art preserves some of that lovable UO quirkiness.
It is a definite improvement over the old client, something which it was hard to say of with KR. It takes advantage of wide screen, it is zoomable, and there are mods for it. Oh how I love mods, and the fact that the client is moddable makes me very happy. All these things could be said of the KR client as well, but the fact that it is stable, and runs smoothly, is what makes the critical difference here.
For the most part all of the basic functionality provided by the old 2D client (with UOA and UOAM) is there. And of course the map is fully up to date with all of the new lands and changes included. It is faster, and runs more smoothly for me than the "classic" client. The movement keys also work properly with a joystick which is extremely important to me, as I have a G13 game board with a thumb joystick, and being able to move with that joystick has made a significant difference in my game play, and I expect will make an even bigger difference as I become more comfortable with my new game board in a UO context.
Another thing which cannot be overstated is the fact that the "legacy" container mode matches the classic client. You can actually arrange items in the enhanced client and have them match their view in the legacy client, and the same can be said for deco and house construction. Containers that didn't match was one of the most annoying things for me, both with the old 3D client, and the KR client, and is absolutely critical to anyone running a vendor. This deserves a huge round of applause.
The Bad
The macro functionality, while a big improvement over the macro functionality of the stock classic client, is still not as simple, elegant and user friendly as the macro functionality provided by UO Assist. My first impressions are that it isn't as powerful or flexible either, although I'm sure the full depths of the "command" scripting functionality have not been plumbed, and perhaps if I understood that better, I might have a different opinion.
The biggest deficit in the macro functionality in the enhanced client is the lack of the ability to "record" macros. It is that functionality that is the true genius of UO Assist, and unless and until that functionality is included with the Enhanced Client, it will never truly equal or surpass UO Assist's macro functionality. The map as well, while it is a big improvement over my memory of the KR client map, is still no match for what still works properly with UOAM. It is close perhaps, but it is still not quite there.
The Summary
Unless I find that I am unable to adjust to the enhanced client when it comes to more advanced activities, I can't see myself going back to the classic client, and that is perhaps the clearest summary I can offer, and the best praise I can offer as well. Overall the enhanced client does live up to it's name, and offers advantages over the old client that are significant enough for me not to want to look back - advantages that outweigh those areas in which it still falls short.
The Good
The client runs smoothly for me, it is stable, and while there are a few graphical glitches, for the most part it just runs well and looks good. It also manages to do something which the KR client failed to do, it feels like UO. There is enough of the old client art in it to make it feel like the same game, and even the new art preserves some of that lovable UO quirkiness.
It is a definite improvement over the old client, something which it was hard to say of with KR. It takes advantage of wide screen, it is zoomable, and there are mods for it. Oh how I love mods, and the fact that the client is moddable makes me very happy. All these things could be said of the KR client as well, but the fact that it is stable, and runs smoothly, is what makes the critical difference here.
For the most part all of the basic functionality provided by the old 2D client (with UOA and UOAM) is there. And of course the map is fully up to date with all of the new lands and changes included. It is faster, and runs more smoothly for me than the "classic" client. The movement keys also work properly with a joystick which is extremely important to me, as I have a G13 game board with a thumb joystick, and being able to move with that joystick has made a significant difference in my game play, and I expect will make an even bigger difference as I become more comfortable with my new game board in a UO context.
Another thing which cannot be overstated is the fact that the "legacy" container mode matches the classic client. You can actually arrange items in the enhanced client and have them match their view in the legacy client, and the same can be said for deco and house construction. Containers that didn't match was one of the most annoying things for me, both with the old 3D client, and the KR client, and is absolutely critical to anyone running a vendor. This deserves a huge round of applause.
The Bad
The macro functionality, while a big improvement over the macro functionality of the stock classic client, is still not as simple, elegant and user friendly as the macro functionality provided by UO Assist. My first impressions are that it isn't as powerful or flexible either, although I'm sure the full depths of the "command" scripting functionality have not been plumbed, and perhaps if I understood that better, I might have a different opinion.
The biggest deficit in the macro functionality in the enhanced client is the lack of the ability to "record" macros. It is that functionality that is the true genius of UO Assist, and unless and until that functionality is included with the Enhanced Client, it will never truly equal or surpass UO Assist's macro functionality. The map as well, while it is a big improvement over my memory of the KR client map, is still no match for what still works properly with UOAM. It is close perhaps, but it is still not quite there.
The Summary
Unless I find that I am unable to adjust to the enhanced client when it comes to more advanced activities, I can't see myself going back to the classic client, and that is perhaps the clearest summary I can offer, and the best praise I can offer as well. Overall the enhanced client does live up to it's name, and offers advantages over the old client that are significant enough for me not to want to look back - advantages that outweigh those areas in which it still falls short.