Just copy Archaic's work. His UI is by and far superior in every way to the stock UI.
No, Beamdog's 'less is more' approach to the UI is definitely preferable. For those that like archaic's style, the mod is available to download. For the rest of us? I would be pretty disappointed to see it implemented officially.
@agris, I really love the Archaic UI, but in the same time I hope that the Original Ui become better than it is today...
I think there are significant margin for improvement, with a very small effort required to developers, would be enough to put a designer working on it for a few days...
Ask Archaic how easy it is to change the UI; it's not as simple as it looks.
That said, there are some good ideas in this thread. I can't promise any of them will be implemented (and more than likely not in this patch), but I like where you're going.
Well, some of the changes you're suggesting would require code. But that's not necessarily saying that code change isn't worth doing if it improves the experience.
Just copy Archaic's work. His UI is by and far superior in every way to the stock UI.
No, Beamdog's 'less is more' approach to the UI is definitely preferable. For those that like archaic's style, the mod is available to download. For the rest of us? I would be pretty disappointed to see it implemented officially.
Agreed. Archaic work may be fantastic, I really prefer the smooth / simple UI from BG:EE
Hello to all, in these days I've been working on two new proposals for the main menu screen, one that improves the basic version changing some details, another instead that completely eliminates any stone around the skull to give place to the wallpaper:
Thanks, Also I think the version without the boundary stone set makes much more modern, absolutely ideal for use with backgrounds drawn by excellent artists in Beamdog..
@geminibruni Your screen without the stones will not be allowed by the license owner: you removed its official logo. ;-) Apart from that, I like it without the stones indeed. My concern is that using a background will be complex since the resolution to support starts from 1024x768 to at least 2560x1600.
What does scale from 1024x768 to at least 2560x1600? In game areas. That might be a little ambitious, but what about preloading your last save game and showing that area, or simply showing in-game Candlekeep, Nashkel, Beregost, etc ?
Now.. it seems you focused on the main obvious external things (especially the opening page that is kinda 'ugly'/very average (to say the least indeed!^) as it is today in the new original v1.2 version ! i really like your idea of 2 separated images/icons for BGEE and BP! Not to be over critical myself, but i find the new opening screen really... so so ^^ Even the old one with the harry potter castle like was kinda much nicer imo (and clearer for the main options) ! your idea would put back things on track from the start too.. i like enough too ).
NOW... beeing so precise, i am surprised you did not notice/include the thing that, me, really shocked me with full inventories (from a late v2014 save with full inventories and a lot of different things inside.. a thing maybe not immediately preceivable with only 1 or 2 potions or books from the start!) : no one ever found the items icons proportions in the inventory had been kinda messep up ?! I mean, the most ominous; the fist too (almost larger than the case; almost a caricature when a simple sword (even 2H) later is just in the adjacent case..^) .. but not just that, all the items icons seemed to have been.. 'rescaled' : basically, weird impression/feeling with full inventories: arrows look like spears (!!), 2H swords look like 1H swords, the gloves/bracers look very tiny, armors look oversized too (like cloaks), the claw of Kasgaroth (spelling~~) look totally oversized and out of size too compared to the now very tiny regular rings; looks like a big dinosaurus foot right on the hand (not a finger - oversized like the fist!^).. same for almost every other items. honnestly, weird too.
I'm sure a graphic eye like you have noticed that too..! But i guess they could fix that relatively easily (for the items proportions) in the next patch; i hope at least for bg2ee anyway! Well..was the first thing that 'jumped on my eyes' when i opened my last v2014 save at least..the inventory inner items + fist size (+obviously the 'lesser', kinda subpar new 'messy' opening screen!) ! That's a little better when you unclick the graphic option 'scale gui' smthg, for the inventories (for exemple you get more readable arrows/bolts quantities numbers again..) but not totally fixed ! I would at least be happy to have the feeling not to be the only one to have noticed that too though.. but i'm sure that is anyway more easily fixable that..at least i hope too)
keep up the good propositions anyway..i'm sure that could help their gui designer maybe (what is sure that's the first 'Aestetical' things i noticed too though lol ) !
@geminibruni Your screen without the stones will not be allowed by the license owner: you removed its official logo. ;-) Apart from that, I like it without the stones indeed. My concern is that using a background will be complex since the resolution to support starts from 1024x768 to at least 2560x1600.
Current screen (v. 1.2) is without any logo as well.
@Isaya, the Dungeons&Dragons logo is very simple to add, and I don't think this is the problem for the devs... Also do not understand where the problem is for owners of high-resolution screens, using a high resolution image, and then scale it properly when necessary.
I was joking about the logo, I'd thought the smiley would be an indication. However the Dongeon & Dragons logo is on several screens in the game, including the one you changed, so I think that's requested by the WotC. I agree it's simple to add.
Regarding the size of the picture, I think there is a problem with scaling an image with a ratio of about 2.5, whether you want to reduce it or increase it. You loose in accuracy either way, and people already complain about the avatars in game when you zoom. So I believe there would be complaints about the background being either zoom in or out depending on your computer resolution. Anyway, personnaly, I don't care that much about UI changes such as the ones you asked for, even if I liked that last screen you posted.
@Dee, I'm glad to see some of my ideas implemented in BG2EE, and although I have the certainty that this discussion has contributed to this work I like to think so anyway ....
Comments
I think there are significant margin for improvement, with a very small effort required to developers, would be enough to put a designer working on it for a few days...
That said, there are some good ideas in this thread. I can't promise any of them will be implemented (and more than likely not in this patch), but I like where you're going.
I did not want to belittle the work of your designer, I only think that these changes can be easier to do than code...
For our part, we try to make our contribution..:)
Archaic work may be fantastic, I really prefer the smooth / simple UI from BG:EE
Apart from that, I like it without the stones indeed.
My concern is that using a background will be complex since the resolution to support starts from 1024x768 to at least 2560x1600.
Now.. it seems you focused on the main obvious external things (especially the opening page that is kinda 'ugly'/very average (to say the least indeed!^) as it is today in the new original v1.2 version ! i really like your idea of 2 separated images/icons for BGEE and BP! Not to be over critical myself, but i find the new opening screen really... so so ^^ Even the old one with the harry potter castle like was kinda much nicer imo (and clearer for the main options) ! your idea would put back things on track from the start too.. i like enough too
NOW... beeing so precise, i am surprised you did not notice/include the thing that, me, really shocked me with full inventories (from a late v2014 save with full inventories and a lot of different things inside.. a thing maybe not immediately preceivable with only 1 or 2 potions or books from the start!) : no one ever found the items icons proportions in the inventory had been kinda messep up ?!
I mean, the most ominous; the fist too (almost larger than the case; almost a caricature when a simple sword (even 2H) later is just in the adjacent case..^) .. but not just that, all the items icons seemed to have been.. 'rescaled' : basically, weird impression/feeling with full inventories: arrows look like spears (!!), 2H swords look like 1H swords, the gloves/bracers look very tiny, armors look oversized too (like cloaks), the claw of Kasgaroth (spelling~~) look totally oversized and out of size too compared to the now very tiny regular rings; looks like a big dinosaurus foot right on the hand (not a finger - oversized like the fist!^).. same for almost every other items. honnestly, weird too.
I'm sure a graphic eye like you have noticed that too..!
But i guess they could fix that relatively easily (for the items proportions) in the next patch; i hope at least for bg2ee anyway! Well..was the first thing that 'jumped on my eyes' when i opened my last v2014 save at least..the inventory inner items + fist size (+obviously the 'lesser', kinda subpar new 'messy' opening screen!) ! That's a little better when you unclick the graphic option 'scale gui' smthg, for the inventories (for exemple you get more readable arrows/bolts quantities numbers again..) but not totally fixed ! I would at least be happy to have the feeling not to be the only one to have noticed that too though.. but i'm sure that is anyway more easily fixable that..at least i hope too)
keep up the good propositions anyway..i'm sure that could help their gui designer maybe (what is sure that's the first 'Aestetical' things i noticed too though lol ) !
However the Dongeon & Dragons logo is on several screens in the game, including the one you changed, so I think that's requested by the WotC. I agree it's simple to add.
Regarding the size of the picture, I think there is a problem with scaling an image with a ratio of about 2.5, whether you want to reduce it or increase it. You loose in accuracy either way, and people already complain about the avatars in game when you zoom. So I believe there would be complaints about the background being either zoom in or out depending on your computer resolution.
Anyway, personnaly, I don't care that much about UI changes such as the ones you asked for, even if I liked that last screen you posted.
I only hope the game becomes closer and closer to what I think should be!!
Rock(stone) beats (wall)paper
And if the problem is the wallpaper you could maybe re-introduce a background with a texture that you might better adapt to different resolutions....
excellent job guys!!!!