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.First the positive.
It is great to be able to select mechs so easily instead of scrolling left and right all the time. Simply wonderful.
Checkboxes for the different match types. Absolutely awesome.
Many of the visual aspects are now a lot better too. Loading screens especially make a much better use of space and make everything feel more "technical" as befitting a sci-fi setting.
Now the bad.
The mechlab is overbearing, cluttered and confusing. Terrible design. Look, I can't argue with the results obtainable through ui2.0, it seems to work on that level, but it's just a shemozzle to navigate.
If I have to google how to sell a mech now then you have a VERY un-intuitive design/layout that already needs a revamp.
The old interface had it's issues but at least it was sensible.
Secondly, the tiny tabs. Huge item icons in comparison just makes it all way too confronting. NEw players unfamiliar with the icons for loadout items will be forever craning forward to read the comically small text. A huge step backwards in "beginner friendly".
Huge icons, tiny fonts. Confronting and slightly comical.
I press escape after a death and I have a sizeable screen (1920x1080 on a 24 inch monitor) with three tiny, comically spaced buttons. UI scaling is obviously very poor.
Mechlab lighting is terrible. At first I thought you'd gone from a 3d render to 2D, Yes, it looks that fake on some mechs.
technical aspects:
My ping has risen significantly (from 260ish to 310ish). This is having a distinctly negative impact on my performance in matches. It's also starting to see me get comments like "lag shield saved you there".
I don't seem to be experiencing any of the "known issues".
Summary:
I can tell a lot of work has gone into this and that work is greatly appreciated in some ways, sort of cringeworthy in others. I just can't shake the feeling that it was "thrown together" to cram in all the stuff that everyone seemed to want rather than carefully planned: Especially in regards to creating a smooth and intuitive mech-building experience in the lab.
It's neither an improvement nor a step backwards overall, it's kind of "the same amount of problems in different places". This being the case I'd have to say that I don't think it's "bad", it just wasn't ready to go live. At least the UI scaling and text issues should have been fixed beforehand as these are obvious omissions that almost any gamer will pick up on and have negative feelings about.
With the first port of call being honesty here; This should have been at least an overall improvement, if even a minor one. That being said, the negatives aren't enough to stop me from enjoying the game itself, I just now won't be buying or adjusting any mechs until the mechlab becomes logically navigable and much less of a chore.
I am sincerely looking forward to the day you convince me to once more hit the "buy MC" button but sadly UI2.0 does not herald that day. Unfortunately my wallet remains closed to MWO and I doubt I would put up with this in a game I had to pay for. I'd love to support this game and help it flourish but on the other hand I won't reward MWO for mediocrity anymore and unfortunately that's the feeling I'm left with after experiencing UI2.0 for the first time.
Edited by Greyboots, 13 February 2014 - 05:09 AM.
