Community Summit Feedback thread
 

News Topic

This is the official wishes, bugs and comments/feedback thread I will take with me when I head to Atlanta April 6th – 8th for the EQ2 Community Summit at this year's Fan Faire.

Please be as descriptive as you can, no flaming, no whining, no commenting on other people’s feedback, only post things related to the interface. Thanks!

Please remember to post details & examples with out that its going to be near impossible for me to convey your post.

My wishes:

- A built-in Mini Map feature

- Ability to assign keyboard shortcuts to more than 3 hotbars and the ability to change the hotbar flipping (currently Shift-# )

- A way to minimize windows

- A 24h clock feature. Omg! :p

- Display of Block, Parry etc in the Persona Window straight up. Not in some tooltip.

- In-game notebook? (not sure if this is actually in the game - if it is, please disregard hehe)

- Make the indicator for queued spells and combat arts more apparent. It's way too tiny now and hardly visible.


That's a start. I'll add more if I think of any. :)

Wishes
 

My Wishes:

1. 2 distinct types of chat windows, each with their own ID - one
for "Display only" one for "Input" or at least a way to save settings (see #3)
2. complete/working Group dynamic data
3. a way to save the states of various elements/windows (ie checkboxes etc...) that we cant save now.
4. Stopwatch window/digital countdown timer
5. more dynamic data in general - (any element in any window!)
6. better UI error logging (the window with the problem and a line number for starters, the errorlog in EQ1 was fine)


Edit : added details for clarity

1: Resizeable windows (scaling) - some of the default windows aren't too bad they are just TOO big! Perhaps having it available in various sizes.

2: Colour options - default UI available in various colours

3: An interface for the interface if you get my drift. One that would highlight new features rather than having to go through the entire listing in the Options sections. Here you could set various options, choose your size and colour :D

4: A toggle on and off for the new comparative tool tips. Also now when you mouseover your equipment you get no details (ie: condition). Of course this might be related to my custom file as I haven't tried the default if so please smack me. If not - then bring back tool tips for equipment being worn.

1: Fully Integrated UI scaling. If you've played WoW, you probably know what I mean. Basically, a global setting (or possibly individual) in which you can scale a window in whole to a percentage. This would be HUGE help in saving screen space without having to play in larger resolutions. Also with UIs that are more specific to certain screen ratios. This could pretty much solve a lot of problems in my opinion.

2: I'd like to see something similar to UI Add-Ons. Also a WoW feature. Where-as you can enable/disable different modifications for each invidiual character, instead of having to have a different UI folder, with different UI files for each character.

3: Easy-editable INI support! I'm not sure why the config files are... how they are. In EQ1, you were able to edit your UI configuration, and options through easy-accessible INI files. This made it very easy to edit and copy configurations outside of the game. This also includes things such as friends lists, ignore lists, ect!

4: Customizable bind keys for more actions. For example, binding a key to inspect someone, or binding a key to bring up he trade window with someone. Just simple things such as these. With the way EQ2 is, the only kind of scription you can do with within the XML UI files. I don't really expect a fully integrated scription LUA language like WoW, but some more customization would be awesome.

5: Single bag window. Option to show all bags in one, single window. I personally find it easier to sort things when they're all together, rather then split into 6 different bags. Sure, you use a slim border mod, and place them next to each other, but they're not easily moved around the screen.

6: A preview item button! I've always been wearing of buy items from the broker if it's a main armor piece, especially chest slots. If I'm a caster, and buying a new robe, I'd like to know ahead of time if it's hot pink or, purple with green polkadots :rolleyes: Some kind of "item preview" feature would be definately awesome to have!

7: Ability to link items by left clicking/shift clicking icon in examine window. Just a feature I got used to from EQ1.

8: Looking For Group window with notes!!! I'm am really suprised this one isn't a feature in EQ2 yet! :D The EQ1 LFG window was great for letting others know that your LFG, and what exactly you're looking for.

9: Option to shorten chat text. For example:
"Longestnameposs says out of character,'Hi'".
I'd love to see a shorted option of something along the lines of: "Longestnameposs:OCC,'Hi'"

10: Custom macro keys with text options, rather than just the very few selection of icons currently available. This was a great feature in EQ1. Very handy with all the macros like "/g Incoming %t !"

11: Dynamic data for ammount of NPC Kills/Deaths, and as well as Kills/Deaths for PvP servers.

12: Some sort of in-game personaly DPS per fight, or group DPS, or some kind of window that you could bring up, to sho how much damage you did during the course of your last fight. Just anything related to DPS really. It's nice to see the true stats, rather than use a log parser :) Wishful thinking, but I thought I'd at least throw it out there.

13: Increase the pulse of Queue'd abilities on the hotbars. It seems to a lot more dull that it was at release, but either way, I think it should be a lot more noticable. Don't want to be casting and spells by accident once in a while.

I hope at least some of these get passed along. Thanks for taking the time to read them. Cheers.

No trade lotto loot confirmation box. Not sure if this would apply to UIs. Why would you need to be stopped to ask "Does anyone else need this?" when solo, and not when you're grouped?

DPS and HPS calculator window. They hinted that they were working on stuff like this in internal beta, I was disappointed when it wasn't implemented.

MP3 player? If there isn't already one.

One BIG thing I'd like them to do is to:

Make the /loadui function work so that custom UIs can be loaded in game, instead of having to deal with all of the mumbo jumbo.

Other things I think that should be put in:

MP3 Player ala Everquest 1.

A global/individual UI scale would be essential.

Buff/debuff durations for all buffs/debuffs that have timers, ala WoW.

Color tinting for the Default UI.

Make all the previous default UIs available and keep them updated (I specifically LOVE the one from LU16 that had all the rounded corners on the frames of certain windows, such as the frame for your HP/Power, Death dialog box, Lore warning looting dialogs, invite dialogs, etc, as well as those nice wooden texture backgrounds.

Put HP/Power numbers on the bars on the default UI(s)

Quest timers (for timed quests) in a movable frame/box.

Upgrade the quest journal so that you can track multiple quests at the same time, along with making the text font adjustable.

Timers on the casting bars and breath bar in default UI.

Optional Multiple XP bars on the default UI (to track Adventure, tradeskill, and/or Achievement xp at the same time)

One more thing:

Show the roll numbers when lottoing for items (ala WoW, FFXI)

Pet hp in group window. Would be a great benefit for the healers to see hp of group member(s) pet.

Many of my wishes are covered in the previous posts, so I'll just add a few and reiterate one or two from above that I feel are of top proirity.

1. Better documentation for the UIBuilder itself. This isn't directly related to the UI, but I believe a lot of talent is undiscovered in the ranks of players due to the lack of adequate explanation of this tool.
2. Editable INI files similar to EQ1 as listed by Drumstix. These were so unbelievably useful!
3. The ability to turn-off tooltips ingame for certain elements or even for specific items, or possibly the ability to turn-off a tooltip and assign a keystroke combination to show a turned-off tooltip which would be a universal keystroke (I hope I described that adequately ). An example being the hotkey tooltips. Depending on the placement of the hotkeys (most being along the bottom), during combat the tooltips obscure the battle and often causes confusion while attempting to use the mouse (as opposed to using the keyboard) to hit buttons. The ability to slow the tooltips helps, but it affects all tooltips, so when you are looking for the tip to describe an item for instance, if it is slowed to accomodate combat, it is usually too slow for a quick reference.
4. An easier way to change fonts and fontstyle for an entire UI, perhaps residing in the Options. A set of checkboxes for a list of fonts and fontstyles would be fantastic. Or an option in the right-click menu for each window to set these... or both!
5. Dynamic data for items, kill/death ratio for NPCs and PVP, quests completed, and possibly some data for world rankings that could be included in custom windows such as your player's ranking for total quests, kills, items discovered, etc. Basically, the rankings from EQ2Players. I don't know how realistic the world rankings are, but I thought I'd throw it out anyway.

That's all I can think of for now. Seems to me there was something else, so I'll probably add something later. Geesh, I hate those brain farts.

1) A notebook, or the ability to easily add text to a window for keeping notes. If possible, with formatting capability (tabs, indents, italics, font colors, etc).
1a) Or, alternatively, the ability to open directly to an existing text file on the computer by building in a text reader (no editing) for rtf files. (I.E. a given window or tab in that window would display a predefined file of the player's creation). In this case, a player could create a hotkey similar to a Macro and have it targeting a file defined in creation window.
For example, a player who wanted to have a list available to them of exactly where they needed to go during a Journeyman boots run ahead of time could create an rtf file named jboots.rtf and create a hotkey with the target of C:\Program Files\EverQuest II\jboots.rtf that would open a notes window displaying that file.

2) Colorization and even background image selection on a per window basis as in EQ1.

3) Change the Knowledge window to a 3 row configuration (for at least the Tradeskills) so that when sorted, the buttons would be not only grouped together, but not split across columns or pages. When attaining a new Tier in tradeskills, it is... inconvenient to suddenly have every empty spot that has had to be left so that the buttons are properly grouped suddenly filled with new buttons in an unsorted manner requiring another pass of sorting and moving. If not possible, change the coding so that the number of skills/spells per page is alterable so that a player can determine for themselves how many are displayed per page (within certain minimums and maximums).

4) When a player scribes a better version of a spell or skill they already have, it should never make a new button in their hotkeys. If one exists, it should be replace it and not also create a new one if they have an open slot in their primary hotbar as it does now. If the character already has the skill/spell at a lesser level (Apprentice I instead of Apprentice IV), but does not have it hotkeyed, it should not make a new button at all. The only time a new button should be created is when the spell/skill is a new one that the character did not previously have.

5) Windows that are often opened during play but where visibility of the screen is still needed should have built in options for slimmed down/smaller versions of those windows. Examples would be bags, the inventory window, the knowledge window, the tradeskill window. This would eliminate the need for many ui mods that individuals have created for that purpose and ease the problems when those windows change for users of those current existing customizations.

6) Bag and bank slots should be made resizable ala the hotbar sliders. Much like a player can now make their hotkeys smaller or larger, the same option should exist for those slots.

7) The option to have windows able to be clicked through should be made permanent so that it does not have to be renewed every session.

8) Deadspace in windows should be reduced or removed altogether. As an example, the EQII button has an area of background around the actual button that is deadspace that cannot be removed. The background and frame can be made transparent, but they still exist and occupy screen real estate on the screen that has to be avoided or made able to be clicked through each time. The Frames should be as small as is absolutely necessary for the window contents to display and no bigger (unless of course made larger by the user).
For example, even when the frames are made transparent/not shown and shrunk as far possible without cutting off the contents, in the image shown below, one or the other of the two windows will always still be overlapping the other.

9) Removed. Already implemented.


10) Option to turn off the NO-TRADE alert window when looting. (The alert showing should be the default).

11) Zone entrances that cannot be entered due to lockout timers or missing permissions should cause the cursor to change to a lock symbol when passed over so that players can immediately tell if they can go in or not.

*** Gameplay ***

- You will be ejected from the griffon if you don't move within 10 seconds.
- Group lotto now shows you the rolls you make vs. the rolls your groupmates make when distributing loot.
- Fighter and scout classes will now turn on auto-attack when casting damage spells (in the same way this occurs when casting damage arts).

from Test Center update notes dated March 2, 2006

Dynamic data for your pet; health and power vaules, not just percentages.

I would like to see the ability to have separate UIs for each character.. ala EQ1... each char had an ini file that determined the UI to be used, not one UI for the entire computer... this allowed for a lot of Class specific UIs, and i have seen these type of requests alot here.

Ok, just glancing through your lists I see a few things that are already in the game:

4: A toggle on and off for the new comparative tool tips.

7: Ability to link items by left clicking/shift clicking icon in examine window. Just a feature I got used to from EQ1.
Shift clicking an item pastes a link into your chat window.

Well, the comparative tooltips option (from within the game instead of editing an ini file) got added onto Test today, so I guess we can take that one out.

One thing that I would like to see implemented (that's not already listed here) is a button on the community/friends window which will allow you to send a /tell to the highlighted individual. I find this especially useful for those who have friends on different servers and/or games to get around having to type out the whole command.

1) a way to pull the text of a tooltip out of tooltips, i.e. to set text labels of windows equal to the text of a tooltip

2) OnMove and OnResize events for windows (pages)

3) 2nd-ing some way to save state of checkboxes, etc between sessions.

4) Stop broker window stealing all text when it's visible.

All I can think of atm.

A few things off my head...

1) My long standing request for ColorStyles (aka predefined named colors in a namespace) that can be applied to any color atribute. This could also allow for some in-game changes to common elements like titles, labels, etc.

2) Pet window effects. I'd really like to know when my pet needs a cure/buff.

3) Group member pet info (health, power, detrimental effects).

4) Raid lotto window with class and armor type check boxes to rand between just the selected members. Lotto result would return the winning character's name.

5) No-Trade Confirmation setting: Always, Only in groups, Never.

6) Target race DD for players, NPCs and mobs (would allow for several possibilities including target thumbnail pics).

7) Custom window and window element key binding. Something like VisibilityKey="CTRL+R" could be attached to pages, ActivateKey="ALT+R" could be attached to controls like buttons and checkboxes.

Multi Monitor support
The ability to move some chat windows, map, quest info, or what ever to a second monitor. I can stretch the EQ window across both monitors but then I have the middle of the ui broken by the frames of the monitors.

As a minimum, bringing back the eq1 style /viewport, where we can size the window left and right not just top and bottom. This would alow us to span the window across multiple monitors and contain the world view to a single monitor.

Thanks..

Mifwick, 61 zerker, Guk server

For UIs:

1) Bring back EQ1 LFG search function and notes. This was much better than what EQ2 has.

2) MP3 Player would be nice.

One big thing I missed from my list above.

-Ability to add new windows to the UI without having to use other windows onShow property to make them "appear". This could also go along with new custom binds, therefor being able to make new keybinds for new custom windows. Basically, all of my requests are just more customization and freedom!

A few more:

- A way to abbreviate combat spam a'la hitmodes in EQ1. Didn't this come up at the very first EQ2 summit? Just do it already hehe. Someone please smack me and tell me how to do it if this is already implemented somewhere. If not, smack the EQ2 dev's and tell them to stop eating jello and get with the program. :D

- A "copy window settings" feature that I can then apply to other windows. Let's say I spent a few minutes setting opacities and all the other sliders on a window. I then right click the window and select "Copy Settings" (or whatever). This, in turn, will activate the "Paste Settings" option on other windows. Click it and, presto, your settings will be applied on the current window.

Another one to add to the list.

The Quest Journal sorts by Category or by Current zone. However, when it is set to sort by Current Zone, it does not retain the setting if the character zones. When a character zones whose quest journal is set to sort by Current Zone, it should automatically shift to the zone just entered and have that zone listed at the head of the list. It should not remove focus from whatever quest is currently selected though.

As it stands now, if I am in Nektulos and set my journal to sort by Current zone, it places all Nektulos Forest quests at the top of the list. However, if I then zone to Thundering Steppes, the sorting reverts to a purely alphabetical list by zone. To see if I have any there, I must open the journal, change it to sort by Category and then change it back to by Current Zone.

While on the subject of the quest window, how about another sort option for

Sort by Level

With the addition of the achievements, I try to make sure I clear out low blue quests before they turn green. When I'm looking for those quests, I don't really care which zone they're in or where I got them from... just their level.

Code the target and implied target buffs/debuff in their own window.