21 replies to this topic

[Kojin]

After playing with UI 2.0 for nearly a week now, I decided to spend a couple of hours in Photoshop making some adjustments and additions which I think are missing.

This is what I've come up with and my ideas mostly could be shown on just the homepage :



The homepage, to me, felt empty, there's no information and lots of space. So I added the mech information pane, the graphic of the current selected mech and a quick select group. I also rearranged some items to places better suited and placed a module section to the mech info pane. These are things that I think are most definitely missing and of immediate practical use.

However, I went further and added some other useful things.

I added a 'Last Launched' quick select (here for example's sake it's currently deployed in a game I exited/dc'd/whatever from), the mech shown here would be the last mech you launched into battle with (not training grounds). This I feel would be useful so you can easily find items you used recently if they're not on your quick select or current mech such as modules or engine.

I also added a row of icons to each mech showing it's ready status and critical elements for readiness. The triangle in the bottom corners is an easy one, red not ready, green, good to go. The icons could be better, but they represent what I think are need to know information at a glance - engine, heatsinks, ammo and modules. Red for missing/not enough, white for not required and/or empty (ammo white = all energy weapons for instance) and blue. Blue would be reseved for modules only and is a part of another idea I have which includes setting default options for modules which I'll explain in another post fully.

I put a 'Skills' button on both the current mech and the last launched one simply to have an easy shortcut to the mech's corresponding skill tree without having to find them in the lists.

I think the other changes are minor, but if theres any questions about an element or anything, ask and I'll try to explain more.

[Veranova]

Please be hired by PGI.
This is so much better. All important information is available, and in areas of the screen not associated with blind spots (bottom left is the big one).
The presence of favourite mechs and recent mechs would save several clicks and a list search, every time we reload modules etc.

The only thing I don't agree with is the relocation of the "Store" button, which makes sense up the top because it is a tab, and not a popup.
However the added "Modes" selector and Social tab at the top make sense.

[SpajN]

Good but i prefer to leave the buttom row empty for now because i think it should be reserved for chat conversions and chat channels.. (if PGI ever gets around to that). Otherwise its good, shows how little thought PGI put into the UI 2.0. You could make almost any alternation on it and its probably an improvement.

[Kojin]

My reasoning for moving the 'Store' button was to keep all the MC/Cbill related things together and also keep the top bar for more game related items. The store's windows dont function like a tab from what I could tell, it shifts the mech view and overlays 4 tabbed windows towards the left.

SpajN, I did think about potential for different chat channles/PMs/etc, but wasn't too sure where to add them. My initial thought was to add a couple more tabs next to the general 'Social' one for group and corp chat at the least. What I think is more likely to happen though is for them to be rolled into the current social pane in some way, possibly via internal tabs for channels.

Still, there's always room for improvements =)

[Mazgazine1]

That is a nice mock up and seems totally reasonable within the limits of the UI (using things that already exist and moving them to useful places).

[The Flaming Git]

I would like to see EXP on mechs that you have already bought but sold... So I dont by the SAME FRICKING MECH TWICE after betting it bast basic, Just like in the OLD UI

[Brut4ce]

Well done Kojin! Only a couple of suggestions if i may; There should also be info there on how many heatsinks the mech has and how many slots in the mech are occupied as well. Also a bar graph with the essential mech stats (heat efficiency, firepower, tonnage etc.) much like the old UI or Smurfy's is much more transparent.

Other than that a VERY good suggestion, that also should make one wonder, what has a WHOLE team of developers doing for a year, if a random player of the game could just sit down and come up with something really good like this in just a couple of hours...

<S>

[BigBangA1]

While I would love to have a quick selection list for our mechs, I doubt we will get one. I am guessing they have not included it because the developers believe the quick selection function will be replaced by the launch module that is coming out in April. I remember the devs saying you will have a drop ship of 8 mechs that you will be able to choose from after the map has been selected. I would really like the social menu to have more prominence. Right now the social button is too small for such an important aspect of the game.

I do like having the store button opposite the by MC button. Works well because you will see it when you go to buy something. Would probably increase sales too.

Love having the MC and c-bill balance on the home page.

[Suicidal Baby]

The number of heatsinks if you would sir.

only thing missing from the popup that i can see.

[Kojin]

Taking notes and will try, if I have time, to do another version this week.

[Reno Blade]

Excelent!
Saves me the work to do the same
Please post this also in the UI2.0 feedback thread and the UI2.0 suggestion compilation here: http://mwomercs.com/...ion-compilation

[GoManGo]

After working with UI2.0 for a bit its just a Abortion and terrible in its design. I liked the old UI much better and im tired of hearing the same BS from PGI about CW lobby's etc.PGI could have spent all this time on CW lobby/chat launchers than this crappy UI.And I don't believe there back end story either that's a bunch of BS to.

Same old BS from PGI different day.Below UI2.0 in a nutshell

Edited by GoManGo, 09 February 2014 - 10:10 AM.

[L e x]

Missing:

- XL or Standard engine equipped?
- Cockpit items equipped?
- Ammo ?
- Heatsinks?
- Slots? (How many left available)


EDIT: Oh ya, but other than that I like it

Edited by Lex420, 09 February 2014 - 10:41 AM.

[BIix]

In my opinion, all of the torso twist values and graphs shouldn't be front and center. There is more important information that is left out because those take up that much room. Those graphs should be in a separate button called, "Adv. Info."

I agree with Lex420 above. Engine Type, Ammo quantity, and HeatSink quantity need to be included. The standard heatsink efficiency value is not very useful.

Edited by BIix, 09 February 2014 - 11:27 AM.

[Monky]

Overall - 100x better than current implementation

Unit icons;

I prefer the information setup on the left icons with quick access buttons for skills and loadout. I think the red 'alert' banner can be moved to the bottom of the picture and cut off before infringing on the icon in the bottom left (Champion icon) and basically remove the red triangle in this process. The green triangle is cool guy though, he can stay. Module/engine/ammo/heatsink icons need to be clickable and take you directly to that screen for the mech. Module should either be white or green (all used/not all used) as modules aren't mandatory. If you're going to work a preset module setup for a mech then it turns blue to show it is on 'auto purchase/auto equip'.

Top/bottom menu and area selection arrangement;

I prefer this setup hands down to the current setup, it is better in every way.

[AxeHammer]

Much better usage of the screen space.
Though i don't think the "Last Used" mech is really necessary.

Hopefully good feedback like this will be taken into account in the next patch.

[Reitrix]

I kinda just want the ability to customize the UI. Like being able to place certain tabs and panes wherever we want them.

[Harkenn]

To add to the discussion, a reddit post on the same topic taking a (somewhat) different approach.

I think you definitely have some stuff that reddit.sebnitu is missing, but some aspects of his UI feel "better" (notably the social aspects of his mock-up as MWO is such a social game)

http://www.reddit.co..._it_would_look/

[SgtKinCaiD]

Good job Kojin !

[GoManGo]

Setting in the game lobby just talking to players and the social aspect is great many long time Hawken players give you advice and help.I cant help but think PGI/IGP missed the boat when they made MWO without the basic lobby system and private games,social chat and leagues.

But I heard Russ, and Brian were never liked by MWL or NBT admins and staff or the leagues maybe that's why they hate them and will not let the community have them in MWO? I also heard Mektek were Ass-holes to them also .Now that I can understand Mektek owners and staff were Ass-Holes plain and simple.

Even a simple lobby system like this one below would have been a welcome addition to MWO and brought the MechWarrior community together better and made MWO more popular. IGP/PGI screwed the pooch when they did not make MWO multiplayer like the older PC games had.

Where is my private lobby tab?

Edited by GoManGo, 10 February 2014 - 08:54 AM.