Gave it a little try- didn't like the UI

Astralglide

For me, and I know I will hear a lot of disagreement, the UI is one of the MOST important aspects of a game to me. The UI either needs to be pretty tight and well-thought out (Like LOTRO) or at least palatable (like Ryzom) or moddable (WoW, WAR, Vanguard). The ui in this game really turned me off and, if you are going to try this game (which I recommend), be aware the the ui kinda sucks- if you know that going in, you might not be bothered by it. I'm just a UI whore.

Rihahn

Originally posted by Astralglide


For me, and I know I will hear a lot of disagreement, the UI is one of the MOST important aspects of a game to me. The UI either needs to be pretty tight and well-thought out (Like LOTRO) or at least palatable (like Ryzom) or moddable (WoW, WAR, Vanguard). The ui in this game really turned me off and, if you are going to try this game (which I recommend), be aware the the ui kinda sucks- if you know that going in, you might not be bothered by it. I'm just a UI whore.

 

 

I agree, for the most part - UI design has come a long ways since 2003 and this is one of the areas that really shows Istaria's age...

 

But, that said, I don't think there's a better way to handle all of the functions present in the game... The crafting system alone has more moving parts than most MMOs have in total, and this will necessitate a certain complexity of UI.

Blizzard really knocked one out of the park with WoW's UI; it's configurable, extensible, and very, very simple. But then again WoW isn't exactly rocket science as far as game complexity goes - in fact, simplicity is one of the main ingredients in WoW's "Secret Sauce"... So much so that Blizzard is continuing to dumb-down the game to make it even more approachable.

For the older 'sandbox'-like games (Istaria, Shadowbane, Eve Online, Dark Age of Camelot, etc, etc.) there are a lot of complex mechanics available in the game and thus the UI has a rather steep learning curve to it.

But at least they don't make us stare at our spellbooks while meditating, eh?

 

vladww

For me UI hardly matter.

Gameplay does

thuban675

You can find information on modifying the Istaria UI here: http://community.istaria.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=167

 

A replacement UI can be found here: www.stengraphix.com/

PhelimReagh

I agree that the UI was a bit clunky, but the game is pretty rich and complex.

 

In fact, I'd say it was just a bit more complex than it needed to be. I think if the folks over there figured out how to reduce the complexity just a smidge, and realize that a game so deep and complex needs a long time to get used to (i.e., more than a 14 day trial), they would really have one heck of a game and a lot of new fresh blood.

thuban675

The UI is simple and efficient, while it's not amazingly attractive it does work very efficiently.  The cast/action queue is great... I play mage.  The queue allows you to both plan ahead and optionally interrupt the cycle if circumstances during a fight change (adds, debuffed, ect).  The ability to queue two actions while performing one makes the combat generally seamless.  The seamless and flexibility of the combat system is one of the main reasons I started playing again - it was innovative for 2003 when it was released and still gives the game an edge today.

You can play for free now if you don't mind playing as a human and having limited consignment spots.  If you want to play as a dragon/biped and have more consignment spots to sell items  it ranges from $10-15USD - more details on their site.  The economy is a bit slow currently due to the low population, but it has recently been increasing as players return - crafting and or getting socially networked is important if you want the top of the line equipment, spells and enhancements.