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Why is the UI in this game so retarded?
Mylon
Member Posts: 975
The mouse is totally useless in this game. Everything that can be done is easier done with a keyboard than using a mouse trying to push the tiny buttons. Many of the menus are brought up with the keyboard. This game also lacks the traditional skillbar that provides an easy way to arrange the use of skills (1-0 & - and + keys) and provide a very clear indication of when the skill is ready. Instead skills have to be setup using macros with scripting to alert the player that the cooldown has expired which takes much more time and isn't as easy.
And there are a lot of other quirks, too, like the camera-centric controls (which have caused me to keep running out of the zone I had just entered because the camera was facing a different way than my character was), how _everything_ is locked out when a player is dead ( I could not adjust my chat options so I'd have less spam and colorize certain text to make it easier to read ), updating requires being online, even during the file checking and replacement process which take 2+ hours alone, and most of the commands require ctrl+ a key, which leads to some annoying moments when I hit ctrl-esc trying to get out of the menus and the game suddenly closes. Which leads to one of my bigger complaints...
This game cannot be run in a window. If it looses focus, the game closes. Period. Ctrl+esc, windows key, getting IMed, ect all cause the game to die in the middle of playing.
Even worse was when I was trying to change my options while dead, I voiced this complaint to my friend, who replied, "Of course you can't change the options, you're dead." I replied by hitting alt-f4 and closing the game. Oh wait, I closed the game while I was dead... I thought I couldn't do that either? Am I the only one that can't stand the consolitis?
And there are a lot of other quirks, too, like the camera-centric controls (which have caused me to keep running out of the zone I had just entered because the camera was facing a different way than my character was), how _everything_ is locked out when a player is dead ( I could not adjust my chat options so I'd have less spam and colorize certain text to make it easier to read ), updating requires being online, even during the file checking and replacement process which take 2+ hours alone, and most of the commands require ctrl+ a key, which leads to some annoying moments when I hit ctrl-esc trying to get out of the menus and the game suddenly closes. Which leads to one of my bigger complaints...
This game cannot be run in a window. If it looses focus, the game closes. Period. Ctrl+esc, windows key, getting IMed, ect all cause the game to die in the middle of playing.
Even worse was when I was trying to change my options while dead, I voiced this complaint to my friend, who replied, "Of course you can't change the options, you're dead." I replied by hitting alt-f4 and closing the game. Oh wait, I closed the game while I was dead... I thought I couldn't do that either? Am I the only one that can't stand the consolitis?
Comments
You dont need to hit CTRL+abutton, just hit the - key and bring up the main menu.
Why would you even try to use a mouse? use the number pad, it's easy.
You obviously havn't been playing too long if you're complaining about the interface, it takes a little getting used to.
They dont have a hotbar like other games do because it's not needed. You have macros for a reason. They dont want you to target a mob and go.. F1 F2 F1 F2 F1 F2 F1 F2 F1 F2 F1 F2 this isn't WoW, the game takes a little strategy.
Another purpose of the GUI is ease of use. A key point in this is letting the user know what options they have open to them without needing training or a cheat sheet. Buttons which bring up more menus handle this quite well, and the key point is that these should take the least number of clicks/keypresses as possible. One more thing is having multiple ways to get into menus is a good thing, as this allows different users to find their own way that works for them, as well as making things easier to find. Amazingly enough, FFXI does have this, as you can use the menu (-) or the inventory button (ctrl+I) to bring up the inventory screen. One still has to know the shortcut to do it, however. Like when I first started the game, I beat up a couple mobs and then wasted about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to heal, a task made particularly difficult as there wasn't anyone around. Having no target and hitting "*" on the numpad or hitting "ctrl-h" was not immediately obvious.
And one thing that isn't exactly part of the UI, but is still retarded is the inventory. Each item recieved ends up in its own stack. Items very easily could stack automatically, but they don't. Instead the player has to check their inventory regularly and sort it or loose stuff forever because a player does not get a second chance to pick up loot, which means they also don't get a chance to drop some loot in favor of taking the new loot.
Not that I'm a fanboy or anything, but if you had read the instruction manual, you wouldn't be wondering how to do various things with the interface. The game is adapted for console play, my only advice is to get a PS2 controller and USB adapter. The keyboard/mouse way of playing is incredibly frustrating.
Oh, and get a program called JoyToKey and bind R2 to F8 instead of screenshot. Makes it super easy to target mobs and NPCs without having to press left + right on the D-pad to cycle through all the targets.
Another purpose of the GUI is ease of use. A key point in this is letting the user know what options they have open to them without needing training or a cheat sheet. Buttons which bring up more menus handle this quite well, and the key point is that these should take the least number of clicks/keypresses as possible. One more thing is having multiple ways to get into menus is a good thing, as this allows different users to find their own way that works for them, as well as making things easier to find. Amazingly enough, FFXI does have this, as you can use the menu (-) or the inventory button (ctrl+I) to bring up the inventory screen. One still has to know the shortcut to do it, however. Like when I first started the game, I beat up a couple mobs and then wasted about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to heal, a task made particularly difficult as there wasn't anyone around. Having no target and hitting "*" on the numpad or hitting "ctrl-h" was not immediately obvious.
And one thing that isn't exactly part of the UI, but is still retarded is the inventory. Each item recieved ends up in its own stack. Items very easily could stack automatically, but they don't. Instead the player has to check their inventory regularly and sort it or loose stuff forever because a player does not get a second chance to pick up loot, which means they also don't get a chance to drop some loot in favor of taking the new loot.
I really dont feel like having to tell you on every point you want the UI to be like WoW or L2, so I'll just tell you these two.
First one: Skill descriptions DO exist in game. When you go into your abilitys and have your arrow on a certain ability, on the top of the screen, it offers a description of what the ability does.
Second: 30 minutes to heal? I knew how to heal right away, I read the manual.
I use the mouse for everything but movement (and hitting the macro's). I've never had any problems with it. Don't get me wrong, it could use some improvements, but it doesn't warrent a rant about it.
As I've stated before, the UI in this game is tailored for console play. Hence there is a lack of certain features we've come to expect from MMO's, such as spell recast timers (at least not one that's easily viewable), spell durations, and etc. etc. However, despite the lack of these features, the interface is pretty well-designed for a controller. You can access menus very fast and select options way faster than you could with a keyboard and mouse, in some cases even faster than other MMO's. You can't compare it to a PC game because that's not what it was designed for.
Okay
FFXI has the best UI of all MMORPG i played so far. I can have both hands on the keyboard and do more, faster than i could do with any mouse driven Interface.
I love the GUI, cause there is none. Everything i need to know is on screen and takes almost no room at all. More room for the actual game/graphics. I like it that way.
It takes some time to get used to and to learn the shortcuts, I admit that. Once learned, you never want it any other way. It's a shock for most mouse Users, but to be honest, even in Windows i only use the mouse if absolutely necessary. Keyboard is so much faster i have it done before i even grab the mouse.
Paladin Exander
-Fairy Server-
75PLD/37WAR
that and the grainy graphics/grind/and seemingly endless loading screen was why i quit
The grind is the fun of the game.
And your computer must suck, it takes about 4 seconds for me to change zones.