Do some game devs underestimate the importance of UI Customization?

ApexTKM

I notice that its not a priority on some games like swtor there is no crazy UI changes you could do in that game and can't change the color scheme of the UI etc. But to some players like myself it can greatly improve my gameplay experience and increase likelihood of me throwing money at the game if I like the way the interface looks and some games just hold off on that thinking its not an important factor but IMO its important in mmos.

My question is to you all is how important is UI customization to you, by how much does it improve your gameplay experience. Do you guys think they underestimate the impact of cosmetic/convenience stuff like UI has on some players? I think it should be as equally as important as adding more content.

I'm curious to see if this is a huge deal to a lot of people or if it only mildly bothers some people etc. I was going to make a poll in the poll section and talk about this there to see the statistics but I figure maybe this is the most popular discussion heading people visit so more posts to talk about this.

Leiloni

I love being able to customize all parts of my UI. I also love a UI that is very minimalist in general. Korean MMO's are really good at designing UI's that are very sleek, clean, and not in your way (TERA, Black Desert). Even Aion's UI was great despite having more going on. But you can't underestimate good menu systems as well. These sort of basics need to have easy functionality. ESO I'm looking at you - the minimalist UI is a nice idea, albeit too minimalist sometimes, but the menus are a trainwreck. GW2 did a decent job overall in both aspects, too.

cameltosis

I'm a software engineer and I work with web apps a lot so I know the importance of having a great UI. For me, the UI is extremely important for any piece of software but the more that software gets used, the more important the UI. 

So, with MMOs, the UI is critical and I do believe a lot of MMOs don't put enough effort in. My most common complaint is that many UIs feel like they're using assets designed and created by different teams. They each look great individually, for an awesome character portrait, or a great border to the minimap, but when you put it all together it just doesn't fit properly. 

The worst examples I've played have been WAR and Wildstar. 

The WAR UI looked OK when you were solo, but once you started grouping up it all fell apart. There was simply too much on screen, from the 23 panels for raid members, your own portrait, enemy target, friendly target, maps, quests, toolbars, chat etc....it was too much. 

Same sort of thing with Wildstar. I didn't even make it to the group content as I didn't like the game, but I was forever having new messages and windows open up ingame, cluttering up my UI and preventing me from seeing the actual game. 



There are only 3 "critical" features of a UI that I believe all MMOs should have:

1) Resizing
2) Repositioning
3) Hiding

Between those 3 things, I can generally make any UI look OK. Hiding stuff is only really necessary when there is too much stuff on screen, for example, the edge of the toolbars in WAR had decorative graphics attached which served no purpose. But, when I was playing SW:TOR and LotRO, they didn't have anything I felt needed hiding, just repositioning and resizing. 

Beyond that, I'm all in favour of UI modding. I absolutely hate mods that affect gameplay, like DPS / threat meters, tactics stuff etc, but mods for UI are awesome. As the WAR UI sucked so much, I would spend days just trying out UI mods in an attempt to make it look better. I would eventually get it perfect - very minimal and functional whilst still being aesthetically pleasing - and then the game would be just that little bit more enjoyable. 

MaxBacon

They do.

UI is one colossal factor that can make or break a game, if the gameplay mechanics are smooth, one frustrating UI still means one frustrating game experience due how it ties so much to it. Over one clean and smooth interface that is fundamental, customization is very important for adapt to different types of people, I see often people on games always have that thing on the interface that annoys them but they can't change it.

Hence why Devs should look more into that factor, especially within MMO's that face such long playtimes is where players will most want to customize stuff to their liking.

mgilbrtsn

I love being able to move, remove/add, shrink/expand windows and inventory slots!!!  I think it should be a must in games!!

lahnmir

Yes, definitely. Just think about playing Wildstar with the basic UI settings for instance. I always rebuild and resize my UI, if only because I am lefthanded and want my UI mirrored that way. 

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Shaigh

As a healer being able to customize UI to fit my preferences makes a huge difference for my enjoyment, I don't want to look at the corner of the screen to see health of my team members and in a raid its essential to have a good UI so that I can see the fight and people at the same time.

You can definitely see when devs put an effort on UI and when they just run with the basic stuff