Spiral Knights - April 3 Update

April 3 Update - Discussion

654 replies [Last post]

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 02:25

#251

Crimson-Roze

I no longer got any clue as

I no longer got any clue as to what each vial is (the colors I learnt are now invalid), I dont know when to be careful anymore since I never look at my life and I actaully died on floor 3 today. (with 5 star equipment). Yay for some lag and confusion.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 02:30

#252

Neozeru

Omnomnom

I honestly think that the UI would be fine if the main portions of it was scaled down a tad and that we could have a 'disable UI' for the LD players.

There's a lot of cool things about this UI, like the party screen before you confirm your drop into the clockworks or the drop/crown tally screen after you're done in the clockworks.

I think there's just a bit of frustration as far as LD because they've been motioning for some feature to clear the clutter from the UI since day one of LD. I can certainly see why they would be a little negative about this.

Also, fix the shield bar. Please. It looks like it was made in paint (which I know it probably wasn't, upon further inspection/common sense.)

Otherwise, it's really that bad at all.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 03:44

#253

Gravelord-Caste

Copy/paste

Some of the update's features I like, predominantly the enemy health bars (Haven't tested it on a boss yet at this point). Other things I like are the revamped screens at the elevators (Mayhaps you want to fix the bombs' version...) and the new health bar. The biggest gripe I have about it is the fact I can't see the energy bar. There was nothing wrong about that; contrarily, it helped quite a bit in the long run. Why it was removed is beyond me.

Then you've got that Goliath-sized pic of your knight.

...

I'm wondering if the Devs stuck it there because they believe we have big egos. They probably came to that conclusion due to the constant complaints... But that's just speculation.

EDIT: Right, I've fought Snarby and with a party. I can see why some of the decisions were made, but all in all, the only thing I actually legitimately like is the enemy Health Bars. Everything else is "Meh." No energy bar feels like driving without a fuel meter: incredibly freaking terrifying... at least for the part of me that checks on it to make sure I've enough to make it to the next floor.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 03:36

#254

Ventaurei

NEW UI +1, with 3 tweaks

I have no problem with new changes for the game but there are three things that I want to be changed or sort of:

1. The Leave Guild button - character image
- I prefer for it to be at the bottom most of the List when you click your character image. "Go to Guild Hall" ; "Show Guild Treasury" ; "Leave Guild"
- I know its human error but I accidentally clicked on it numerous times.

2. Lockdown Shaking Effect
- I lose control of my character every time it shakes.
- Some people might have motion sickness

3. CE and Mist tab
- This should be always visible even if you don't open your inventory.
- This is essential for those who doesn't have an elevator pass.
- You can only do clockworks or missions with mist and ce, we should always be able to see it without opening tabs for it.

Well I'm still enjoying the new UI in general, so good luck with the rest of the players.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:04

#255

Coatrack

Why so much hate?

Honestly, the only thing I don't like about the update is the lack of the mist, crowns and CE on the screen at all time, and the fact I can't drop vitapods anymore. but the first doesn't bother me too much, the second is the real biggie for me. But I do like how the new UI is how crisp it feels, although it might take time to get used to the layout I still thing it's better since I can close out of all the smaller windows giving me more screen room.

Also, I love the new vial sprites, they fit in more with the rest of the items in the game if you ask me. They don't look as much like the materials any more, which is one thing that confused me back when I first started Spiral Knights, although I wonder if the materials are gonna get upgraded too or not now...

Another small nitpick I have is the lack of color names in the levels, while it might have seemed like a good idea I find the game more mono-toned now without them. If you keep this, maybe add in a toggle for it like how we can toggle names on and off in the levels?

I also love the addition of the health bars, it made my life so much easier in a boss fight I was in today. Seeing as we was running low on energy and would have normally quit had it not been for the fact we was able to see how much HP he had left and pull through, while it may seem cheap I think of it as a real lifesaver in someways.

One more thing, while the new item switching thing is nice, I think it would be better put up with the character icon or down with the vitapods again. Since right now it is a bit in the way and I sometimes get distracted by it, at least have a option to turn it off or something.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:11

#256

Gwenyvier

I am of mixed opinions on the

I am of mixed opinions on the update. The new UI is not that bad honestly. Yes, I would prefer having my crown amount where I can easily find it, and I definitely want my energy where I can see it (especially if I'm not using an elevator pass). I still see no reason for the huge picture of your knight to be at the top left.

Likes first:

The mini-map I am happy to see does not always show where enemies are. I tested it in OCH and some rooms it will show the enemies, others it will not, most notably were rooms with Ghostmane Stalkers there were no marks on the mini-map. I have not checked LD yet but I do not think it will show enemy locations there either. I like that the health bars can be turned off, and that the one at the top only triggers if AA is on the target. I have noticed that the weakness for the bar at the top is not always accurate though, for example it says a Battlepod is weak to Elemental (they're neither weak to nor resist anything).

And now dislikes:

The weapon scroll wheel needs to be somewhere other than beside you. It covers up enemies that are directly to your right. Bottom of the screen or on the sides wouldn't be bad, dead center is just begging to get hit.

I do not mind the name color changes, but it would be nice if we can turn off people's rank. I, and most other people I know, couldn't care less what "rank" you are.

Only other thing is the new pills/vials are uhhhhh, lets say they remind me of my first HD Minecraft texture pack, and it was a fairly bad texture pack.

Possibly more later.

~Gwen

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 09:28

#257

Mickmane

The news thing that pops up lands me on the announcement thread,

The news thing that pops up in the game lands me on the announcement thread when I click on it, where I can't post of course. I guess here is where this should go. How would anyone not somewhat familiar with forums know that?

Anyway...

Hi. :) The following is solely my opinion, not universal fact. But adding an IMO at every line would be odd.

I really really want the crowns and energy back on main screen. (You could make that hidable for those that don't want it visible on screenshots.)
Not just that it takes an extra click to merely check it, but in clockwork it's uber-inconvenient not to see my Mist at first glance before going on the elevator.

That taken care of, on to the rest. Since you get so much bad stuff, the good first.

Good:

I like seeing monster Hp, and monsters on minimap. Especially the monsters on minimap was something I really missed (familiar with it from Alien Swarm). But, what happened to the info on the monster you're fighting, the name and weakness that I saw in a screenshot? (If it's tied to Autoaim, please un-tie it.)

The chat scroll bar is just great. Thanks!

I figure the NPC names will be very helpful for new players, so that's good. I still remember trying to find the Energetic Knight, and taking several attempts until successful. (Funny side note, I never knew the name of the NPC at the loading point in the south of Town Square. It's got a name! ;P )

I like that I can hide the rank of people.

Edit: It is more than merely good that Trade Requests are no longer thrown in my face. Thank you!

Indifferent:

Menu items on the bottom instead of the top will take some getting used to.

The menu colours will take some getting used to.

The chat location will take some getting used to.

The different way to change levels will take some getting used to, but I guess it doesn't matter which way the buttons are.
The image of the party looks like a promo image from news. Don't know if that's good or bad. :) Also indifferent about the end of trip display of full characters. (Hm, I'd prefer it if we were all standing on the same line, not myself at the front.)

Zoom; before Guild up date I always stood to the side of AH to not get the close up screen shift. (Now I have my own AH, of course.) Anyway, as I don't have to use it, I don't care. :)

I have been wondering about returning to Ready Room before. But now that I can, I kind of fail to see the point. ;P

New unbreakable blocks, hm. Takes some getting used to I guess.

Info on stuff the mouse hovers about, on the top right corner. Doesn't bother me. I'd just like monsters included too.

I don't remember any flashes when hitting monsters that others mentioned. Guess that's as invisible to me as the old version (which was only visible to me when I was looking for it). Maybe being the worst player ever and not able to aim my way out of a wet paperbag, this makes no difference. ;P

Bad:

Outside Clockwork:

The huge shield bar looks like a graphic error. First seeing it in Ready Room, a friend and I were wondering why that and the Hp were shown there (talking on voice). My friend suggested there are hidden monsters in Ready Room. Scary! ;P

The activities panel opens on its own when I load a different location. That together with the awkward location of it is rather annoying.

Arsenal opens when I view Auction House Search tab, not just when I go to My Auctions tab. It blocks the sight of the minimap.
(I like seeing if there's a visitor to Guild Hall, or if a friend I am chatting with is actually still close by or not.)

I miss all the character colours, and seeing my alt Dude-In-Pink with green name and guild is just wrongwrongwrong.
Also, with the messed up joining in Guild Hall since the door update, I might need to run around the entire thing to find the friend I joined.

Being extra tall, the funny portrait focusses somewhere on my throat, not the head.
(I don't see the point of it either. Just to balance 'something round' on the opposite side of the minimap? Not really needed.)

Edit: It is terrible that the Trade Request notification is in the Activities menu, which is an annoying thing all on its own already.
Plus, a second click needed is not that nice. Some Yes/No with names from the traders, at the bottom of the screen, which can just as well be ignored, would be nice.
Similar, a Check/Yes/No for Party invites would be nice. (Where "Check" would be the detailed info needing another click.)

Clockwork:

I didn't see any devilites yet, but I liked them the way they were. They already lost their scare in stages when I first made Deadshot Hat, then Mantle, and then a friend told me to Shiver them. It's fun to beat the former scare by freezing and then head-shotting them with Blitz.

Why can't I remove vitapods any longer? With the people I play with, the one with least Hp from armour gets the best. Unless one is heating, then they get the best vitapods and the pills first.
If you don't want people able to drop them at the elevator, at least enable us to pass them on from one char to the next. Like dragging it onto the portrait or character directly will swap mine (if supperior) with the target's one. That'd even be better than the old way, because I wouldn't lose any extra Hp I gained while carrying it, if the target has a smaller vitapod. Let the recipient confirm if you worry that people will drop their vitapods on others at the elevator.

I no longer see the proper Hp bars of my party members. Please give them back. A miniature version of my own Hp bar look would be fine.

Also, energy status of party members and indication of tabbing. Would like that back please.

The vials and stuff look like part of the backround now, not like something to pick up. I'd really like the old ones back.

I no longer see the weapon I am holding right then (displayed somewhere, it used to be on the bottom, right of Hp bar). I'd like that back, not just to know if it's cursed.

The weapon wheel is irritating. I know what weapon I am changing to right then.

I don't see the point in showing where I look in the minimap. I miss knowing where who is in the minimap though. Also, I miss the 'waiting on elevator'.

Reading through others' comments I see Eltia say: "Inability to drop pills when you are down". WHAT!? Every decent player drops pills when they're dead, so their team mates can pick them up and use them for revival!

Also missing the gears/cogs turning in the backround.

Confused:

I don't 'get' the 'Advance...' button when I finished my trip. Does that do something other than clicking the red X in the top right of the loot display? Advance where?

Skipped:

I leave commenting on LD to those that play it more often than I. I haven't checked it out yet, but what I see here has me think I agree with their objections.

Bottom Note:

I would be perfectly happy if everything I don't like had an option to turn it off or to old behaviour.

--------

Not related to UI, but to the recent update. I really hoped the cake would have 2 candles on it now. (Would have been motivation to get another one, too.)

--------

While you're reading feedback, something about an older update.

Why two alchemy machines in Vatel room in Guild Hall? Could you please change the left one to Token Trader? (Also, it'd be nice to not have the usable floor space decreased by a decoration pipe.)

Can we get bigger rooms please? :)

--------

To end on a positive note: Blowouts! Moar Blowouts! (Anyone familiar with me knows I'm addicted to them.)

Happy Birthday Spiral Knights! [Troeeeet] (That's the imagined sound effect of the Blowout.)

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:39

#258

Ghret

The only suggestion I have is that instead of showing 100% for when you've got the most health you've got currently, why not show 100% when you've got the most health you possibly can get without the Silver Pips appearing?

This requires an example.
{Assuming 10 = Maximum amount of pips on screen}

5 Pips = 5 Red Pips, 5 empty Pips = 50%
10 Pips = 10 Red Pips = 100%
15 Pips = 5 Silver Pips, 5 Red Pips = 150%
20 Pips = 10 Silver Pips = 200%
25 Pips = 5 Gold Pips, 5 Silver Pips = 250%
30 Pips = 10 Gold Pips = 300%

Also, could the same also apply for the Party member Health Bars as well? i.e. half red bar when at 50% health, full red bar when at 100%, full silver bar when at 200%, etc.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:43

#259

Ghret

I lied.

I have one more suggestion.

I suggest that Three Rings, as a collective, deconstruct the reasons behind the sudden UI change to us.

Specifically, why now? And, why change everything instead of small steps at a time?

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:48

#260

Daemiax

@Coatrack

"I still thing it's better since I can close out of all the smaller windows giving me more screen room."

Seriously? Go check some screenshots of older UI and the new one. It's beyond me what was bothering you before, or what was "in the way"?!
Your knight's mug, HP and Shield bar in top left are bigger then the whole old UI was! But hey, as long as it gives you more room.. Tho yea, map is a bit smaller I think? So small infact, I can hardly read the depth number!!!

"I also love the addition of the health bars, it made my life so much easier in a boss fight I was in today. Seeing as we was running low on energy and would have normally quit had it not been for the fact we was able to see how much HP he had left and pull through, while it may seem cheap I think of it as a real lifesaver in someways."

You said it all. New UI is noob friendly, and that is it. Maybe you should go do some Clockworks runs instead, before doing the boss? If you know what a Clockwork run is, that is..

Why so much hate? Beacuse there is not a single reason why we (or at least I), would like the new UI. And even thoose who say they do like it, they have no real (or at least "gameplay improving") reason- even if they do, minor adjustments to the old UI would be more than enough. Not to mention how OOO impose it..

EDIT: Sorry, I do like one new thing. Chat.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:49

#261

Bedtimebear

2 little things put the

2 little things put the colored names back just do it and 2nd in coliseum your avatar's background color changes but the rank symbol is still the same color as is your original.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 04:52

#262

Aveond

I'll give it to ya straight.

I cried myself to sleep last night, its early in the morning, cant install patch (as usual), Can't acess the site to install it, either.
One thing you should fix: LAUNCHER LOCKS UP WHEN INSTALLING NEW STUFF. God please, fix THAT.
Multiple pro's to this update, but cons overweight it.
try this suggestion: Under options -> game, have a dropdown box for "UI Theme", so that people can switch from classic to modern. Classic is essencially the new old UI look, exept with a few UI changes. Modern is what we have now.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:04

#263

Zaffy-Laffy

My likes

The new "Advance Now" screen, oh look at that cute little knight that is me :3 :like:
The Report at the end of a run, cool with that pose
I think the overall effect of the UI is good
Chat scroll bar! That's something we can concur.

My hates

The "Advance Now" screen takes up so much of the screen, hides away the elevator going down, sad.
Why is the Advance Now button in the middle, and the Quit Expedition button at the bottom. Nearly pressed the Quit button...
That portrait at the top left is still staring into me
The shield bar is too long! Longer than my health bar, slight OCD... must resist
I don't like the way the game emphasizes damage, even when it is 1 bar of damage worth

What can be changed

Bring the "Advance Now" button down a little, and put the "Quit Expedition" button at the top, just like the last time
Remove the drop-down list available by clicking on the portrait. I mean, why bother with "Add Friend", or "Leave Guild" options there
Remove Health bars and Shield bars when in Haven or at least not in the clockworks
Show Crowns and Energy when in Haven
Remove that emphasis, don't make that damage hit animation when I receive very low damage, 1 bar of damage etc.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:07

#264

Brother-Zeke

Sorry if I repeated stuff: just immediately commented.

I've been playing this game for almost two years now, and I've loved the simple UI. It wasn't cluttered, and had easy access to whatever you needed, without taking up much space. Now I am forced to learn the keyboard shortcuts for everything so my screen isn't full with the tabs.

Also, was there a need to move the health bar? I never see my health bar in fights because I'm looking at my player in the center, not the top left hand corner, and when it was the bottom middle I could easily see it.

Is the player rank (vanguard, knight elite, etc) really necessary? You can easily see this by inspecting a player, but now we have to deal with seeing it whenever a knight is nearby.

Why do we have a huge picture of our knight? Before, we looked to the top left and saw everyone's health, and it was simple and easy. Now we have huge pictures of the knight blocking the screen and the teammate health bars are odd as well, since you cannot tell how much they have and just base it off of the image instead of being able to see their bar count.

Here's the standard hidden crowns+CE comment. There was no need to hide it, but it really isn't too irritating for me. Just hit "I" and you can see it instantaneously.

Devilite nerf though, seriously? For one they are--were--probably the hardest enemy in the game with quick ranged attacks with deadly accuracy, now they dodge less and don't shoot as far. Nerfing devilites doesn't only make the game more boring for us players but also since they were so hard they killed players leading to more revives leading to more CE bought which means more profit for Three Rings.

The objective of people who play this game is to have fun, but with an unattractive UI this will turn off people. I understand that we will all get used to it, but honestly, it was perfectly fine as it was. We understand this game exists to make money, but with unnecessary updates like these less people will play, resulting in less money for OOO.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:08

#265

Thunder-The-Bright

I really feel like making a new post just for this one.

it's an issue: when you open inventory or loadout, the activity window on the right gets hided behind. it's nonsense. I can see if I have enough energy/crowns to do a thing if I can't click to go to haven right away.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:10

#266

Peter-Pan-Cy

Hi, please whrite that.

I dont like the now style of SK, back style come back plzzzz :(((

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:31

#267

Lanieu

Ctrl+z this update please.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:31

#268

Fametal

Great Update for NEW UI

1.Personal Color Display in Town .
After today , So White in the Town Haven , everyone has white name (yep a lot of friends gonna display green and blue) .
Anyway , it's not good .
Should be using personal color as Rank Display , every players's personal color only to Rank Display .
Then just keep the Name and Guild Name's display color like always: white or blue .
Do Not Full White Color(Rank , Name , Guild Name) If there's no friends or guild members .

2.Full Name Display in Party Members List .
That was Nice UI display .
But i think there's a bug: Can not display full name if someone named has a little long .
Is that reason for save bytes :)
We need full name in Party Members List when future playing .
By the way , Oldest UI it's good , full name and get a icon to show who's died .
There's no died icon with the New UI , just empty health bar to show .
Maybe that's not dead yet , it's Alive with 1% health :)
We need oldest style but using the New UI about Party Members List.

3.Allow Players to Option: Check or Uncheck the Always display Crowns and Energy .
Oldest Energy UI was great , only need to add "Mist Energy" and "Crystal Energy" inside the UI .
We know the New Energy UI it's Auto Pop-up Style .
That was great , but will be better if using Oldest Energy UI Display with New style .

Please working on the New UI , make it better for Players of Spiral Knights .
We're Enjoy (^_^)
Thanks .

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:37

#269

Aveond

Hey, guys! I can't update SK!

Hey, guys! I can't update SK!

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:40

#270

Trap-Heaven

hud

Why there is an illumination of some objects less than, for example, on a chair?

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:47

#271

Glittertind

"Hey, guys! I can't update SK!" -Aveond

Trust me, you don't want to.

Oh and, tried reinstalling?

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:50

#272

No-Thanks

erm

maybe its just a bug, but when i went to the cake mission, the monster health bars kind of faded as soon as i got out of range, not talking about gun or bomb range, talking about melee range :o

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 05:56

#273

Leekcoco

Why were all the vial colours

Why were all the vial colours changed? I saw the new freeze vial for the first time and it looked like water. The statuses had consistent colour-coding throughout the game, I don't get this change. Please let us toggle off the shield health bar and the weapon switch wheel at least. All the animation while I'm in an arena is distracting and annoying. :S

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:09

#274

Acck

Oh, and.......

Almost all the buttons at the bottom are now covered up when mission screen is open.
Makes it a little hard to re-equip while browsing missions/arcade.

Did anyone at ooo actually try and use this new UI before release?

Wait, I bet it looks great on that 96" monitor you guys have in your office, but for those of us who travel and are limited to a 13" laptop, IT SUCKS!!

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:27

#275

Kalaina-Elderfall

People seem convinced that

People seem convinced that this is just inertia, an opposition to change. Change is when they move some buttons and you have to get used to where the new ones are. Or when they effectively replaced gates with the mission system. Or when 5* heart pendants became available to everyone in Lockdown and completely changed the nature of it. Or when elevator passes came out and changed what it means to delve into the Clockworks and fundamentally altered the value of mist. Or any of the numerous changes that they've made in the past that we have gotten used to because they aren't that big of a deal.

When you log into the game, get a headache from looking at it, start crying because it isn't cute anymore, and then have to log out instead of actually playing the game you love, it goes a little beyond getting accustomed to change.

If you cannot play the game anymore, you have two options. You can quit silently, or you can complain about it. If enough people complain, then maybe things will be remedied. Silly as it is, this game has been a pretty big part of my life, and I would very much like to keep playing. I will do everything in my power to do that - even if there's not much I CAN do.

Anyone saying "just get used to it", "don't complain", or "if you have to quit, then quit" obviously doesn't understand the reality of the situation.

Especially when the problem is that a decade's worth of software design principles have been wantonly violated for no good reason.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:26

#276

Eltia

Cooperstown, ND

Today is April 4th, 2013. Battle Sprites has been projected with a release date in the first half of the year (June 30th, 2013). This new UI is going to take a bit of time to fix (if they want to be serious about it).

So I think they are in a situation of triage within the less than 3 months of time that they have: should they fix the UI and delay BS, or just do minimal patch up to UI and keep BS on schedule. I mean, either way they will be facing an angry mob. It's just the sizes of the mob that matter.

Where does everyone stand on this triage situation?

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:27

#277

Kamishinlnoyari

I'm impatient !!!

When the new UI will be r.E.m.O.v.E.d ?!
I can't play...the UI is just awful -_-
It has has awful colours, awful placement and COVERS ALL CORNERS OF THE SCREEN! No one needs HUGE PORTRAIT of the knight...*facepalm*
THIS IS SPIRAL KNIGHTS!!! Not "The next, shiny MMORPG Online".
The new UI doesn't need improvement, It just needs to be REMOVED, or at least we must have an option to SWITCH between the "neW" and the Old, good, flat UI which was PERFECTLY suited with the game!

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:28

#278

Trabias

/@o@\

I can describe all the bad stuff about the new UI in one word :
DISORIENTATING
Can you guys at OOO please give us older players an option to change the new UI back the old UI?

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:40

#279

Zyhro

Crowns and CE in the UI

It would be nice if we could see our current crown and energy amount without having to click the arsenal button every time.
That is one thing i like better about the original UI.
And there needs to be a button or switch to turn the 'shininess' off from the whole UI, it dosent have the same feel as it used to.
I even think that particular shininess may be causing me to lag.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:42

#280

Peter-Pan-Cy

The SK style its Destroyer after this update(for me)

Hi guys, im a Spiral Knights player and i like this game so mutch but i can't continue playing anymore because the bilk from the started appearance which giving at SK something separate from other simiral games such.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:43

#281

Zoidas

Well, new UI is kinda ok, I

Well, new UI is kinda ok, I just don't like one thing.
Some of us actually aim with mouse and not that stupid auto target thing. So could you move that weapon switching thing away form the center of the screen or put an option to disable it ?

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:50

#282

Disposed

I can kinda see where you

I can kinda see where you were going with the UI update (bringing it more in line with mainstream MMO's maybe?) and I do think the new UI does that in some ways but I think too much 'flash' was added on some aspects and done for the sake of looking more flashy. Since SK is a very distinct game on its own, some of the new features lose a lot of their intended functionality here and some of the stuff that might've been intended to make the game looks more sci-fi end up looking tacky overall.

Character Portraits
Considering traditional MMO's have character info at the top-left corner, I can see why you moved it

My biggest gripe with this is the metallic appearance of it, mostly because it doesn't match with the visual changes made to the other buttons (shine is overdone, the circular shape doesn't match the shape of the buttons). Same thing with the minimap. If they were changed to visually match the rest of the UI, it's appearance on the surface would improve greatly.
Also, animate the portrait, even if it's just a standing pose like in Haven. There's something unnatural about having a still picture at the top corner of the screen.
For people playing at a lower resolution than 1024x786, the overall size might be obstructive so maybe an option to shrink it?
Shield and health bars could use a border around them, as-is it looks like they've been tacked on to the character portrait. Also, considering the simple mechanics of the game, the shield-health bar isn't really necessary since even a proper 'tanking' shield here breaks in about three hits

Having to emphasize the shield bar also seems counter-productive since shield canceling becomes pretty common once you grasp the basic mechanics of the game. Alternatively the shield-health bar could be highlighted only when it takes damage.

Weapon Wheel

Sort of pointless since everyone starts off with only two slots and at most, we can carry four different weapons. This isn't Legend of Zelda where we have 10 or so different pieces of equipment that can be mapped to a single button at any given time.
For players that do have a tendency to switch weapons frequently in mid-combat (looking at LD in particular) it can get obstructive and those players have already developed their own methods of rapidly switching between weapons.

I suppose it might've been added to make switching between four different weapons less confusing so it might be better as an optional feature if that's the case.

Vials and Capsules

Honestly, they look like they were designed to look more flashy rather than for better readability. Nearly every texture used for clockwork levels has a matte surface and adhere to a very grid-based layout. The new appearance of the vials and capsules do not work too well to with that. Maybe revert them back to the original or consider that they don't have to be vials.

Elevator screens
Just a personal nitpick since I know some guildies that like it but I find the character poses kinda awkward. The knight models aren't exactly the same proportions as a humans so maybe that's what makes them a little rigid and unnatural for me but this is only a minor thing.

Chat
I like that you added a scroll bar, makes having to go back up less tedious. Now, how about going further and adding some separate tabs for PM's, guild chat, etc.?

Miscellaneous stuff

Screen-shake should be left as an option. This goes back to the whole 'bringing it in line with other main stream MMO's' thing but this isn't where screen-shake works well. If SK was more of a gritty, intense game (thinking of Vindictus) then it would fit well with its appearance. And I doubt getting poked with a toothpick deserves having the screen shake to tell you how earth-shatteringly high the damage is.
Crowns and Energy shouldn't be buried in the menu. At the very least, since the economy and elevator costs revolves around energy, it's more helpful to have energy up front rather than tucked away in the inventory window
I like the new look of the buttons, definitely a step forward in terms of updating the appearance. I love the option to just tuck those away though they never took up that much of the screen to begin with. Aside from the mismatch with the character portrait and the minimap, there's nothing overly bad about it.
That being said, the shortcut for the energy depot feels more obscure. If the energy counter is being left as-is, then maybe a distinct button might fix that?
The notifications for party invites and trade requests should be more prominent. Making that gold star bigger might be an option. I do like that it sorta leads you to the correct button but it's a bit more clicking than before.
And finally, wide circular edges don't looks so great without anti-aliasing. Just a minor detail.

I'd love the new UI a lot more if the character portraits and vials were changed since those parts don't really fit well with the overall appearance of the game.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 06:53

#283

Eltia

Cooperstown, ND

Anyone tried the new UI on a Microsoft Surface tablet yet? I have this funny feeling this UI has tablet touch screen design in mind.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:07

#284

Retequizzle

Forget the UI update. I'm

Forget the UI update.

I'm more confused as to how it took OOO over a year to realize "oh hey we forgot to put an accessory in the box" after Erridunno and several others filed numerous complaints basically stating this (myself included) and were told that we were wrong.

How oblivious does someone have to be to be like "well we should at least check to make sure that everything that's supposed to be accessible via lockbox is actually accessible"? You have to try to be that hard-headed. :\

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:16

#285

Mahatma-Gandhi

I just spent the last 15 minutes

Literally spent the last 15 minutes combing this entire thread, all 301 posts. Now... I'm worried. Why should I download this update? I'm fond of the old UI, I WANT the health bar in the middle of the screen! In short...I enjoyed the old ways!

Sounds like SK just got a firm kick in the rear...

Hopefully, they'll give us an option to revert back to old UI.

Also, +1 Rete!

Completely and utterly confused about how this update benefits us besides cakes (<3),
Shadowknifer.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:20

#286

Nattss

After playing more with the

After playing more with the new UI:

1) easier determination in the graphics of the vials to see which-is-which: add some detail to the vials so it's not just colour that differentiates them
2) picture logo of your character top left is large and distracting
3) add a bar-graph charge weapon display
4) toggle permanent cr/ce/mist display
5) I like mob health indicators

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:27

#287

Filexis

What if

This update was rolled back? :O

Not that it will happen. Ever. But yeah, SK is going down, fast, if this keeps happening.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:41

#288

Dafunktothepunk

Just this and every thing will be fine.

-Show ce and cr
-remove the health bar/player/shield bar in haven and make it smaller in PvP or PvE
-green and white? hell no. return the color back in sk
-make the icons bigger a bit and on top not bottom ffs
-weapon wheel is kind of cool but when it gets in the way of our game play! it should be like this:
>when a player is facing right it should be on the left
>when a player is facing left it should be on the right
>when a player is facing up it should be on the bottom
>when a player is facing the bottom it should be up
-you should be able to drop a vita
-status effect on a knight should be shown some where more visible like with the old UI and a bit bigger
-there should be a zoom out from the regular point of view
-make it auto appear when a mouse moves over the ' < ' icon instead of press to slide(only in haven)

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:44

#289

Ccrusader

I for one, enjoy the new UI

To be honest, i really do enjoy the new UI.
I have been playing since launch in April 2011, and IMHO the new UI gives a refreshing reload to the look of the game.
Yes i am a fanboy, but i really don't care... :)
This has been my only pc game for about two years now. (Seeing as I have a wife and 3 children, i dont have time for other games really).
It has kept my interest... Kept me coming back...

As far as the UI goes, i do like it a lot!
My ONLY gripe was that i could not readily see my crs/mist/ce....

I LOVE the zoom button. I LOVE the pics of the knights lunging into battle as you go down the elevator, and the awesome stance/pose coming back up to haven! :) I really like the new vial art, it seems more mature to me, and that's a good thing. Everyone likes looking at themselves, so having a mirror of your knight in the top left is cool! :) vain, but cool nonetheless...
I really enjoy having a scrollbar for the chat box.
Being able to hide parts of the HUD is great and gives a sense of more screen real estate when playing in the clockworks.
I think the shield health bar is neat, just an added reminder of how many more hits it can take... (i realize shields are not meant for tanking in this game, but sometimes you need to :)

Yes, it might take a bit to get used to, but i think OOO did a good job with this!
Really looking forward to the battle pets and whatever SK has in store for the future.... I know i'm not going anywhere....
Thanks OOO.
-Cc

(bring on the hate lol)

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:49

#290

Autofire

Well, I'm fine with my crowns hidden

But having energy hidden isn't right. When in battle, I want to know if dieing will force me back to Haven or not.

Also, I notice that the HP at the top left is complementary to having a small screen, (The bar moves to the center) while the portrait is complementary to a large screen. (The portrait stays were it is.) In all honesty, this is strange. Which res are you supporting? Could it be more balanced?

Also, the Mecha Knight kit icon is old. o.o

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:50

#291

Eltia

Cooperstown, ND

Adventure is Delicious has a list of responses on how individuals react to the lack of persistent display of CE, CR and Mist meters.

Alright, so if this persistent display is making a return, where do we want it? Lower right corner seems to be the ideal spot. But they would have to move all those tiny buttons somewhere else. The good old Diablo HUD display could work: Health in lower right corner, Mana (CE / Mist) in lower left corner. CR counter goes back to below the radar. Put the utility belt back to where it was and put the shield / BS charge bar below it. Put all those boxed buttons back to the top.

Yes it screams copycat. But it works and may very well be what SK needs.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 07:52

#292

Dafunktothepunk

@Ccrusader

There are a few good things about the new UI and You pointed them out. I mean who Doesn't like to look at them self's standing in a stance/pose :)

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:14

#293

Eltia

Cooperstown, ND

I think the shield / BS charge bars have to go to the bottom centre, in the form of slim, actively charged bars like ATB in Final Fantasy V. Here are the reasons:

when BS is released, first thing people would try is to spam BS abilities. So they would need to constantly looking for clues for when they could trigger their BS. After 2 years, most of us have already trained our brain to detect changes in the bottom centre of our screen, because that's where the health bar was. So it would not be productive not to take advantage of that and force a rewiring of our brain after 2 years;
shield bar could follow similar argument. However, unless Three Rings decides to do something with shield soonish, just hide the shield bar for now. The idea is that there are enough room left on the screen for you to put the bar in, when the need arises;

What this means is that, health bar is the wrong representation and should take a form similar to the old CE / mist gauge. This way the health indicator (together with CE / Mist gauge) can be stuffed into corners. Health Bar worked before because we don't have active abilities that recharge themselves. (Weapon charges are user triggered, so you have an idea of when the charge will be full because you have to hold a button to continue to charge.)

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:07

#294

Gravelord-Caste

Devilites

There was a thread that complained about the Devilites' nerf. I'm just going to copy/paste what I was going to say there, before it was locked.

I agree that Devilites were the hardest enemy in the game. In a way they were a lot like Tier 1 Pups that could move and dodge, which made it difficult for players to take on (Soloing a Devilish Drudgery was unfairly ruthless without the proper gear in tier 3). I imagine this is why they were nerfed. Haven't fought them post-nerf yet, so I can't say much more.

In all honesty, I've never fought the Devilites in the most appropriate gear possible, but that's because most of the Piercing weapons are too awkward for me to use, save for Antigua and the Magnus.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:09

#295

Filexis

If only devs read this thread or the testing threads correctly, everything would have been avoided. Good thing that minority was heard and now we have this "wonderful" update! But yeah, pretty much the UI is unfinished, the icons on the map look like amoebas trying to mate, rather than the colors we had before to recognize people from. Oh and, yeah, shield bar, blue blocks.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:21

#296

Morrigan

death of immersement

I feel like every bit of huge, flashy, blinky, in my way UI is pulling me further and further from immersion.

I can now tell LESS about how my party members health is
The new unbreakable blocks look like targets...especially in the fire levels
Locking your UI to keep it from popping up with annoying intrusions dims your potions so they go from nearly impossible to distinguish to impossible to distinguish
A friend (accurately) described them as 'WoW like'. If I wanted to play WoW I would.

I'd like to hear the reasoning behind taking away the name colors in Haven.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:33

#297

Eltia

Cooperstown, ND

Eeveeous' analysis of the new UI. Worth a read, I think (s)he got it right.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:42

#298

Aureate

Party member's health is harder to interpret. It's a percentage, rather than pips, which doesn't help if I want to know if that kid's wearing Proto Gear or just using it as a costume for some Ancient Plate.
Personal portrait is large and takes up too much of the screen. Could do with being scaled down.
Scroll in chat is a great implementation that I've been wanting for a while.
Shield health bar flashing every time I shield is distracting. Don't really see need of having it same size as health bar, or increasing in size when you shield.
Would appreciate mist tank being visible all the time. I'd like to easily see whether I have the mist to progress to the next level before I step on the elevator; if I have 9 mist, then obviously I would wait for it to fill up.
Haven't seen devilites yet, can't really comment except to say that they were really irritating with their constant strafing all the time. Don't know how much has changed.
Improved minimap is also better than the previous one, making it easy to see what enemies are left to clear.
Haven't run around in Haven much yet, will reserve comment.
Would like to be able to drop pickups again. I might not need them as much as my teammates.

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:45

#299

Phantomuk

I like / I dislike

I'll keep this short as others have 'generally' summed up my feelings..

I like:-

The new sharpness and crispness to the text in general, looks far nicer at 1920x1080
The fact that you can hide the 'clutter' at the bottom right and bottom right

I Dislike! :-

CE / Mist being hidden whilst playing - I like (liked) to see when my Crown to CE conversion was happening whilst in the clockworks, if it wasn't moving then I knew that I might need to change my bid if I was in urgent need of CE to continue my adventure(s).

The health bar IS IN THE WRONG PLACE!!! Top left on a widescreen monitor means that you need to glance away from the character in the middle of the screen. In the old position (Bottom Center) it was in your eyeline and could see exactly when and if you needed to "pop a pill"

Health Bar = INACCURATE! Much harder to judge exactly how many pips are going down upon each hit, the old system you knew exactly how low you could go before death.

Shield Gauge - Useless, no need for it, the onscreen colour change was and IS acceptable. If 'Newbs' to the game can't understand something as simple as that then they should find the latest generic First Person Shooter where they can shout 'Noob' and other insults across voice chat..

Icons for Vials / Pills - I'm slightly colour blind and found that the old vials were far easier to distinguish especially Shock vs Freeze vials (I like my shock vials for Rocket Pup room in Vana dpth 25), the pills just look ugly.

Dropable Vita Pods - Not too fussed as I usually solo, but the selfish players will simply hog the large ones. With the old system a well equipped / skilled player could at least "Loan" a large Vita to a joining party member until they found their own.

I'd like to see:-

Health bar returned to Bottom Center, Shield Bar removed, Vials (shock and freeze in particular) made easier to distinguish between types when laying on ground, Pills made 'pretty' again, CE shown at all times somewhere on screen.

Apart from that, not too many grumbles....

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 08:50

#300

Snowdusk

No comment.

All I can ask is that you (regardless if you're from Three Rings or simply a regular player), I ask that you watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on7endO4lPY

P.S.: The fact that most of us give critiques on updates is because we care. We still love Spiral Knights as one of the award-winning games out there. Take good care of it.

Edit: +1 to Eeveeous's post, as shown by Eltia's post up above.