When i see this UI, I start wondering if I would like to have theese people do any sort of new/streamlined/whatever client at all. We EC people love that client for a reason. What a beauty of gray and boxes.
I don't blame them for anything. I think I know why they did what they did.
But... is it a game or is it a website?
Actually that whole vendor search feature, I mean the whole idea is much more like a website interface than... part of a game. It's missing kind of a gaming experience I expect from... well... a game (be it MMO or not, be it RP or not). The only part that reminds me I am using a game (and not just Firefox) is that grey map item we get. Sadly, though, looking at the whole concept - even the map seems obsolete to me. They could have just added one more button to the grey page instead and skip the map. I won't bother with that map much, I guess. After all a map is a very simple item and won't create enough of an atmosphere which I desire.
Gaming experience?
In a game it would make more sense to have NPCs to interact with you - not a "website". A fairy (or even an orc) should lead me to my destination. I don't want to see that much of a "
beauty of gray and boxes". Instead it would make more sense to interact with NPCs: A
fairy with magery abilities, a fairy who can open a moongate. (Leading to a vendor) If not a fairy - maybe a "librarian" or an orc mage. Any NPC. Even a
crystal ball to interact with would create more 'atmosphere'. One that you need to talk to to get what you desire. I agree if done
wrong this could be tedious and cumbersome. It does not necessarily need to be tedious. A simple but great design should - theoretically - be possible IMHO.
There'd be a lot of more options to make it feel more like a game and less than a website. No offense meant! But I am sad the opportunity to create a fantastic new thing has not been taken. In a few weeks we probably use it every day (I might, too) and it will become a normal part of UO and we won't talk about it much any longer. But it won't be a new kind of gaming experience that has been brought to UO. Instead it will be a website-like interface, a UI, a grey rectangle. It won't feel like a game.
If you don't like NPCs, ok. But I am sure there would be other ideas that would be more atmospheric than clicking a menu item on your character doll's mouse menu. One more idea: Those search categories (misc., skills 1-5, fencing, swords, fire damage, etc. etc.) could be resembled by pillars. Pillars that are placed in a city and accessible by anyone. You could turn them "on" or "off" like that greyish menu and basically it would trigger the very same search capabilities. But at least you'd be interacting with UO world objects and not just click buttons on a website. If pillars are bad, you could use books. One book per category. Books that are locked down in a public spot - or books that you loot from monsters.
Even if everybody thinks all of
my ideas are really bad... I don't think implanting a website into UO adds much to the gaming atmosphere. A plethora of greyness, of buttons and filters and input boxes. Disclaimer: I don't want to discuss my ideas of NPCs or pillars. I know a lot of people won't like them at all. My point is simply: I want to play a game. I don't want a website within UO.
The fact that it does not work properly yet will all be forgiven soon. They'll get it to work, I am sure. Seems like a case of "released just a few days too early". Good luck fixing it! I hope upcoming weekend will be less stressful so you can relax some.
