3 replies to this topic

[dgs3]

Hey Devs/Community Managers/etc,
I've only been playing MWO for a few weeks, but the biggest complaint I have so far (and is one of the bigger hurdles for new players) is the UI layout, specifically the 'MechLab. It's fairly complex, with different panes and tabs. Each tab opens up a separate window, requiring you to constantly switch back and forth from context to context. Additionally, there's no easy way to compare equipment OR 'Mech specs (and if there is, that option is buried in the UI somewhere). Just to see your entire loadout in one screen would probably fix most of these problems.

The most glaring shortcoming is the fact that the whole Mechlab UI is actually a solved problem. This site: http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab seems to have done all the hard UI work for you. The initial 'Mech selection is super easy, and you see the entire loadout in one window. I'm sure there's some reason you haven't copied it in its entirety by now, but I'd hope you'd take at least some pointers from it.

Also: it'd be nice if the community button were a bit bigger. Community play is one of the more fun parts of MWO, and it's a shame it's so small and out of the way.

Everything during actual gameplay is great though!

[Extremist Pain]

i could be wrong, but im pretty sure thats the ui i played with when i first started, before the last ui was implemented.

[Zen555]

I completely agree. The new mechlab adds a few neat features, but has completely removed all "overview" screens of your mech. It also used to be my "default" screen since it had a nice layout of all of my mechs; I NEVER used the clunky "nested lists" of the "home" screen. Now that is gone and the clunky list-within-lists is the ONLY way to even pick a mech.

And also agreed about Smurfy. I NEVER use the mechlab to actually "fiddle" with a design; it's way too clunky. I use Smurfy to play around, testing different layouts, and when I am satisfied I spend as little time as possible in the in-game designer to actually input my changes.

What you (PGI) need is not community feedback to get a list of specs; you'll get different feedback from new players than ones with 200 mechs on hand. What you *really* need is a GUI designer with good sense. Let them use Smurfy and tinker around. There are plenty of games with complex inventory systems and massive amounts of information to communicate, even more than this one. How did they make such good GUIs?

A *good* GUI designer is hard to come by but worth their weight in gold. Contract one and turn them loose; they can't do worse than what you have already.

[Rigmoran]

Zen555 has it right. I like the changes with the mechlab but the mech selection is a total failure. I always used the list in the old mechlab usually just sorting them by weight class to pick my mechs. As a matter of act, the mech selection screen was one of the totally useless things people complained about and now we're forced to use it. Bring back that part of the old mechlab as the mech selection page and give us the option to sort and filter mechs by weight class, faction, etc. Don't force me to switch between clan and IS and then open 12 submenus just to see one weight class. It's annoying and you guys did the same thing you do every time yet again!

Is it some kind of sick joke that every major change brings as much straight up ignorant stupid garbage as it does good changes for the better? Sad thing is, it was better overall the old way. I'll keep using Smurfy to design mechs because I usually do it while I'm queued up for a match and I can't do both at the same time in MWO and the pain of using the old mechlab to build a mech was only momentary when I had my design ready to be built.

I'll take the old mechlab back if I have to to get the old mech select screen back as well!

P.S. It was also easier to keep an eye on the MM status in he old mechlab mech select screen as well, which was usually what I used to pick a mech at any given time anyway.

Edited by Rigmoran, 03 June 2015 - 06:44 PM.