Thoughts on the new 2.0 UI? (No spoilers please)
Xerxes1811
Member Posts: 65
Hey all,
Apologies if this has already been covered, I went back about two or three pages of the forum and most of it was....well you know...different topics. I found a couple 2.0 discussion threads but they started getting "spoilerish." In short, I decided to play through SOD to experience it for myself.
I've downloaded the game off Steam and imported my BGEE savegame. At this point, I've only watched the opening cut-scene and walked around the first room a bit. I've decided to hold off playing till the updates come out as it sounds like there are some technical issues that need to be ironed out. I WILL say this though, the new 2.0 UI was kind of jarring to me, "boy, it's going to take me a while to get used to this" was the first thought running through my head. I loved the 1.3 UI, so my question is for people who are currently playing, or have completed SOD, what are your thoughts on the new interface? Better? Worse? Somewhere in between? Did you grow to like it? I am playing as a Stalker and the ability to switch between ranged and dual-wield sounds great (in theory).
Apologies if this has already been covered, I went back about two or three pages of the forum and most of it was....well you know...different topics. I found a couple 2.0 discussion threads but they started getting "spoilerish." In short, I decided to play through SOD to experience it for myself.
I've downloaded the game off Steam and imported my BGEE savegame. At this point, I've only watched the opening cut-scene and walked around the first room a bit. I've decided to hold off playing till the updates come out as it sounds like there are some technical issues that need to be ironed out. I WILL say this though, the new 2.0 UI was kind of jarring to me, "boy, it's going to take me a while to get used to this" was the first thought running through my head. I loved the 1.3 UI, so my question is for people who are currently playing, or have completed SOD, what are your thoughts on the new interface? Better? Worse? Somewhere in between? Did you grow to like it? I am playing as a Stalker and the ability to switch between ranged and dual-wield sounds great (in theory).
Post edited by Xerxes1811 on
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Comments
For experienced players, it's a mixed bag because buttons aren't where they used to be (and, in a few cases, have been flipped from what they used to be). Also, while I'd heard the new interface would finally bring back the old pre-EE functionality of creating/deleting/replacing "quickbar" buttons at the bottom of the screen (important for characters like cleric/thieves whose key skills are now relegated to submenus), this doesn't appear to have happened. I also didn't immediately see how to erase spells from a wizard book (important if you hit your cap and find a useful new spell), though perhaps I just missed how to do that in the new interface. These aren't huge issues, but they are issues.
Right click on the spell icon in the spell book and it will let you delete it.
Making the UI easier to mod is a good move as well.
The problem I've had is it would have been easier if we had the 1.3 UI as a base and could mod from there, because the beta UI (and the one that is currently in BG2EE) is really quite bad IMO. Modding that out is not an option, it's a necessity.
I've never modded Baldurs Gate, or felt the need to. Just played the originals when they game out, and the enhanced editions which I enjoyed. It felt like the same game.
If modding is something I'm going to need to do to enjoy the EE now, I'll probably decide they aren't for me anymore and just go back to playing the original non enhanced editions. I rolled back to 1.3 on Steam but I'm not sure how long that's going to be a viable option.
Interesting. I think using the BG 2 engine for BG 1 changed the feel of the game much more than the UI ever could.
I enjoyed the enhanced edition with 1.3. The switch to 2.0 was jarring to me and I didn't like it at all. I had decided to let it sit for a bit and see what if anything changed. Then all the "controversies" came up and kind of distracted from it all.
I think the option to play with the prior UI would be a good thing. At this point it doesn't seem like everyone can do that.
Although it seems unpopular on the forums, I LOVE the character outlining. Partly because it makes zooming out on a big screen more functional, and partly because I just like the aesthetic - reminds me of Arcanum
Just like 1.3EE made everyone forget how bad the original character sheets were, I believe there will be a multitude of UI mod packages to choose from with all different styles and you will never look back.
Out of the originals (as well as TUTU and Trilogy for BG1), EE 1.3 and 2.0 I overall like 2.0 .ore I believe.
Why do you constantly feel the need to make things different. I don't like things that are different.
One thing i DO NOT like is the dark highlighting , but we can switch that off so its no biggie
-The Character screen could be laid out better. Either they'll address it in a patch or some brilliant modder will fix it.
-The grayscale-on-pause is unexpectedly useful; I don't really like the grayness (would prefer a sepia or a desaturation) but it makes it sooo much easier to pick out NPCs! But you can turn grayscale off.
-I quickly got used to the sprite outlining and black map borders.
-Journal interface is kind of nice because you can have it onscreen while playing. It's not great. It's AWESOME. No more constant trudging into the character screen to equip/unequip your off-hand. It takes one click. One click. And every time I make that click, a bell chimes melodiously in the distance, lightening the burdened hearts of the downtrodden. A fairy wings into the aether, leaving a sparkling trail of rainbows. The cell-phone talker clogging up the line in front of you pays for your macchiato.
New players will not understand me because they've never experienced the pain that we have. But YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
Basically all of it. The spell screen takes some getting used to, but it's easier to read things in general without having to go screens deep, and I love the new journal and the popups from it.