High-res font = yay; Now, how about the title screen?

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Hatcher

Chat log is too FFXIV and vile at that, even worse with FFXI's default backgrounds.

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"too FFXIV"? Virtually every MMO chat log looks like that. Also, nobody said you HAD to make the log look like that. it's an option, not a requirement.

I've had some arguably silly reasons to object to some things- but this almost takes the cake- 'too ffxiv' ... :confused:

feel free to hate on ffxiv all you want, but don't use that as an excuse to hate on a good change for FFXI.

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Originally Posted by Alhanelem

feel free to hate on ffxiv all you want, but don't use that as an excuse to hate on a good change for FFXI.

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We'll agree to disagree.

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Hatcher

We'll agree to disagree.

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That's great, because it's only an option. you can keep your chat log, and those who want to adjust the size of their chat log will be able to.

The screenshot was just an example... you can make it wider and shorter... possibly taller and narrower, if you wish.

Personally, my preference would be to see the layout similar to this...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...2x/chatbox.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8529/larryz.jpg

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Originally Posted by SpankWustler

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8529/larryz.jpg

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perfect
just perfect
ROFLAO

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Originally Posted by Camate

Just wanted to deliver this message from Producer Tanaka!

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Now just add an option for a second log window and it'll be perfect. Then you could have chat and important messages in one window and battle spam in the other.

Also, adjustable font size.

I really don't like it. It looks horrible, and it looks like like clutter.

I really hope that just like the current system for PC, it allows your Macro Pallet to vanish if you're not using a macro. Having to stare at that the entire fight will be very lack luster especially fighting a bigger enemy.

Imagine how this will look on a big NM? It's bad enough we can't even see the monster when we're engaged. Now with this we won't even be able to see his chest. Just feet.

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Originally Posted by Amador

I really don't like it. It looks horrible, and it looks like like clutter.

I really hope that just like the current system for PC, it allows your Macro Pallet to vanish if you're not using a macro. Having to stare at that the entire fight will be very lack luster especially fighting a bigger enemy.

Imagine how this will look on a big NM? It's bad enough we can't even see the monster when we're engaged. Now with this we won't even be able to see his chest. Just feet.

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You do understand that you can adjust the log to be any size you want right? An adjustable log window is something that should have been implemented when the game was ported to PC in the first place.

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I really hope that just like the current system for PC, it allows your Macro Pallet to vanish if you're not using a macro.

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Where did anyone ever say the macro pallete will always be on screen?

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Personally, my preference would be to see the layout similar to this...

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Personally, i'd prefer the log window not to cover up the entire bottom of the screen. Although your idea keeps the command menu out of the way, the command menu isn't always on screen.

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Originally Posted by Alhanelem

Where did anyone ever say the macro pallete will always be on screen?

Personally, i'd prefer the log window not to cover up the entire bottom of the screen. Although your idea keeps the command menu out of the way, the command menu isn't always on screen.

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What would be nice is if you could stick the party list to the right side of the log window. Instead of being stacked vertically at the edge of the screen they would be arranged horizontally next to it.

Having the command menu on the right side and everything else on the left side made sense at 640x480 but not at 1600x900. At higher resolutions it requires too much looking back and forth for information, especially in widescreen. Better to just have everything in one part of the screen. They could have an option to put everything (command menu, lists, inventory, equipment menu) on the right side or everything on the left side.

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new chat widget

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Bloody hell this is the best news in forever in my book. The one good thing about 14 makes it's way to 11. Personally I'm hoping that we can make multiple boxes for different uses like battle log in one, chat in another, etc. But that might be asking for too much. For now I'll gladly use just the one but I suspect I'll be getting my wish because I don't see a point otherwise in bothering. It seems trivial to do for the sake of a lil more free screen not being blocked by the log box but hey, I'll take it anyway I can.

And everybody ever that has ever said they would not do upgrades for other platforms because it would be of no use to all subscribers(aka PS2 users), you may now admit you were wrong.

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Hatcher

Chat log is too FFXIV and vile at that, even worse with FFXI's default backgrounds.

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Let us be thankful that you're not making the decisions.

What is the point of the chat widget thing exactly? Unless there are plans to seperate battle text from chat windows it seems pointless...or is it to just get people used to how FFXIV looks? o.O

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feel free to hate on ffxiv all you want, but don't use that as an excuse to hate on a good change for FFXI.

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What's good about it, genuine question cause I must be missing how squishing the current chat box into something more stubby is a good thing.

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Originally Posted by Dazusu

Let us be thankful that you're not making the decisions.

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Yeah, I'd focus on stuff needed. Much better to focus on pointless UI changes like this over fixing, I don't know, the jobs.

If I wanted pretty UI's above everything else I'd move to another game.

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If I wanted pretty UI's above everything else I'd move to another game.

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I don't mind UI changes (although given how few work on FFXI and how stuff like this means less actual content maybe not) if they help how anyone plays the game, on face value these are a complete waste of time though. Yay I can make my chatbox...stubby?

Even the macro change is a waste of time in reality since it offers no real change aside from being able to write longer descriptions, offers zero change to how anyone plays the game. The macro change shoudl of come with longer macro lines or another change that actually made playing the game slightly better.

If you don't like that particular position for the chatbox, don't use that particular position for the chatbox.

Did you read the info? That's not the "new position" - the 'chat widget' lets you set your own parameters for the chatbox's size and shape.

So your complaint is literally invalid. lol.

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Hatcher

Yeah, I'd focus on stuff needed. Much better to focus on pointless UI changes like this over fixing, I don't know, the jobs.

If I wanted pretty UI's above everything else I'd move to another game.

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Do you really think they have battle content designers working on UI adjustments? They're 2 completely different fields of development. I don't know the team personally, so forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I doubt the guy working on the new chat log could make adjustments to jobs if he was asked to...

Would you be upset if they added new music to an area? Should that musician have been focused on adjusting JA timers instead? I sure hope not. By that logic, Camate should stop posting on forums and get crackin' on making my 2-Hours suck less!

The UI in this game is pretty terrible, and I welcome every improvement to it, no matter how slight.

The ability to customize your chat log size and placement is a good start, but I would love it if we could also get the ability to add several chat logs, with different filters for each. That way, I could keep battle related info in one, and chat in another.

It would also be great if we could get an option to keep the macro bars visible without needing to keep alt/ctrl depressed, and also make the macro bars not appear on top of the status icons. Perhaps let us reconfigure the macro interface so that we could have one "default macro bar" that was accessible even without pressing alt or ctrl.

For example, keys 0-9 would activate the macros that currently are activated by alt+0-9, and we'd press ctrl to get to the second macro line. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes when I change up my macros, it takes a while before I learn the new layout by heart. It would be a lot better if I could make at least one of the two macro bars always visible, and be able to activate them directly with a single keystroke instead of having to use two.

Of course, because some people are really opposed to change, even for the better, there should probably an option to keep using the old setup.

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Originally Posted by Rakshaka

Could the devs got a step further and make it so that chat lines stay open during zoning so that we don't have to worry about missing important chat info while zoning? This mainly applies to linkshell chat. At least you get a message when your tells don't get to their recipient.

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I haven't looked into it really, but I imagine it might be rather difficult to pull off due to how the server-system is laid out. You basically are disconnected from a server to connect another, which is why you would lose any messages sent during that time. Just an uneducated guess, though, as I said, I haven't investigated it really. ^^;

As for the upcoming changes, might look too weird for me to change the size even though most of the log width for me is ever only used by some NPC dialogue, but even so, if nothing else to put in its empty space, it is of no use really.
Also, I don't think you will be able to scale the size as freely as many think. I'm assuming certain set sizes, but well, maybe there's a lot of those. ^^

We shall see how the shall shell sees the sea shell at the sea sea sea · · ·

I dunno, to me it makes sense that the chat servers are separated from zone servers. I have had odd disconnects where I get R0, mobs stop moving etc, but i still see LS and party chat continue as usual.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

I dunno, to me it makes sense that the chat servers are separated from zone servers. I have had odd disconnects where I get R0, mobs stop moving etc, but i still see LS and party chat continue as usual.

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Well yeah, they aren't separate like that, as in, you already are able to message people that are on other areas obviously, but for some reason, the transition of a character to another area requires it to lose connection to the 'chat-server(s)'.

Heck, it could be a memory limitation issue of the PS2, that they have to 're-set' it all when changing area. ^^;

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Hatcher

Yeah, I'd focus on stuff needed. Much better to focus on pointless UI changes like this over fixing, I don't know, the jobs.

If I wanted pretty UI's above everything else I'd move to another game.

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UI improvements are never pointless. The UI is one of the most important aspects of the game.

Honestly, I'm sick of people trying to claim that job balance is the only thing SE should ever spend any development time on. -.-

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Originally Posted by Runespider

Even the macro change is a waste of time in reality since it offers no real change aside from being able to write longer descriptions, offers zero change to how anyone plays the game. The macro change shoudl of come with longer macro lines or another change that actually made playing the game slightly better.

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The wider macro buttons make them more intuitive and user-friendly. Text no longer gets cut off because the buttons are too damn small (something that's always pissed me off about FFXI's macros). True, it doesn't change how you play, but it's not supposed to. It's supposed make it easier to do what you're already doing.

Having said that, I would really like it if we could assign icons to the macros in addition to text (like in FFXIV). :D

Also, if SE could figure out a way to display cool-down timers directly on the macro buttons (again, like in FFXIV), that would be awesome.

In fact, just replace the Macro Pallet with an Action Bar. :P

Cooldown timers directly on macro buttons would be difficult, seeing as you can have multiple abilities/spells in one macro. If anything, we'd have to be given a new sort of macro tag that we could use to tell the game which timer we wanted to be displayed. Something like "/macrotimer Provoke"

Hmmm, that's a good point. Perhaps SE could modify the Macro Pallet so it doubles as an Action Bar? For example, they could make it so you can either make a button into a traditional macro with multiple lines, or you can set just one ability to that button but can't type any command lines into it. That would allow for cooldown timers on the buttons. :)

If anything, we should keep the macro panels, but have an action bar in addition that is directly activated by 0-9 without pressing alt or ctrl.

I dunno though, I would rather have a macro bar that was directly activated by 0-9 with a single keystroke, because macros are much more flexible than a regular action bar.

Instead, SE could make an UI addition that could show us ability/spell timers in real time.

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Originally Posted by Fusionx

yes.. "too FFXIV" because no other MMO has a chat log that's smaller and tucked into the corner. Not a single one.

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What I find funny? If you so much as mention FFXI in the XIV forums they're ready to kill their first born, but if you mention something 'is too xiv' or 'resembles xiv' on XI boards no one goes into raged frenzy and try to vomit holy water on you for mentioning it, they just either correct you, like it, or hate it and move on lol.

I personally like the current UI much more since it was something different from other MMOs, sure it may be outdated by new kids standards, but it was fresh and actually shows they put more thought into it than ganking x mmo's template and slapping on custom graphics.

Just because something is different doesn't mean it's better.

Other than that, your post doesn't really make sense. You talk about it being "outdated by new kids standards" and then at the same time how it "didn't copy other MMOs". So you're saying it's outdated compared to the MMOs that existed when FF11 was released, and at the same time new and original?? Or what exactly are you saying?

I don't want my chat window changed. Leave it the hell alone.

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Originally Posted by Tarage

I don't want my chat window changed. Leave it the hell alone.

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The special thing about customization, is you don't have to partake at all.

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Originally Posted by Leonlionheart

The special thing about customization, is you don't have to partake at all.

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No it's not that. It's the knowledge that someone else might change it, that he might be looking at someone, partying with someone in game right now who has changed their chat window from it's rightful screen spanning appearance and confined it to a corner of the screen, which fills him with the incandescent rage of a thousand blazing suns.

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Originally Posted by Elexia

I personally like the current UI much more since it was something different from other MMOs, sure it may be outdated by new kids standards, but it was fresh and actually shows they put more thought into it than ganking x mmo's template and slapping on custom graphics.

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You know why other MMOs share a standard interface? Because it works. FFXI has one of the worst interfaces in the entire MMO genre. Conforming to a good, solid standard is far better than creating a unique piece of crap. Deviating from the standard is only acceptable if what you're creating is better than the standard, and FFXI's UI simply isn't better. It's much worse.

Though FFXI was originally released in 2002, and the current MMO UI standard wasn't really established until 2004, but still, SE could have put a lot more thought and effort into it than they did. Some things in the UI are just inexcusably bad.

Honestly, I would say FFXI's UI is just as bad as FFXIV's UI, just in different ways. Thankfully, at least FFXIV is going to have its UI completely redone and brought up to modern standards. SE should get their UI team to give FFXI's UI the same kind of facelift that they're giving to FFXIV's UI with the coming Version 2.0.

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You know why other MMOs share a standard interface? Because it works. FFXI has one of the worst interfaces in the entire MMO genre. Conforming to a good, solid standard is far better than creating a unique piece of crap. Deviating from the standard is only acceptable if what you're creating is better than the standard, and FFXI's UI simply isn't better. It's much worse.

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A lot of us started our MMO career with FFXI and as such is the standard we are used to, when I play other MMOs I hate the chat window systems they use. I also get irritated if I can't use the control system I'm used to.

I guess the only reason I can think of for this change is for super high res/widescreen players to make the chatbox a normal size. That's honestly quite a small number of people but at least I can see a point to it now, if that is the case they probably need an option to change the font size too though maybe.

Fun fact: other MMOs have configuration options and addons that allow you to change the chatlog and make it however you want. Don't like the default settings? Change them!

And actually, I think this change to the chatlog affects almost all PC players, and probably most Xbox 360 players as well. Hi-def computer monitors and TVs are very common these days.

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Originally Posted by Rhianu

Fun fact: other MMOs have configuration options and addons that allow you to change the chatlog and make it however you want. Don't like the default settings? Change them!

And actually, I think this change to the chatlog affects almost all PC players, and probably most Xbox 360 players as well. Hi-def computer monitors and TVs are very common these days.

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Perhaps, but this style just doesn't suit the current active backgrounds, so I hope if they change this they'll change those horrible things too.

Active backgrounds? What do you mean?

Ok, I'm tired of hearing the whole "Drop the PS2" thing. Let me say this - I play on PS2 because of these reasons:

1) I first owned it on PS2, so I got the expansions for it and therefore, didn't feel like buying them all over again initially (yeah, they're ultra cheap for PC now, I know)...

2) I like the PS2 controller and using my TV screen. Yeah, I wish I could get some of the clutter of the screen at times and better resolution will do that, but I feel comfortable with it, so it's my choice to play this way.

3) It still works, I've been playing on it for 7 years, with a controller and USB Keyboard (for chatting) - why take the time to get used to everything all over again on PC?

4) I did the macro save and switch when I tried playing on my brother's laptop when we were all visiting my mom last Christmas. It didn't transfer my macros over properly and well, my time is limited sometimes and redoing all my macros manually just isn't appealing to me.


NOW, All that said, Square-Enix should work hard to bring an HD and possibly even 3D experience to players on PC an XBox360 if possible. There's no reason they shouldn't be able to since it appears we download all animations, zones, gear, character looks, monsters, etc. to our hard drives anyway for faster reaction times on showing them, so why not, instead of the current files, it grabs and displays new HD versions of these files instead? Maybe I'm missing something, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

Maybe Square-enix is already working on this but the character models, zones, animations and such are taking a longer time, so in the meantime, in order to give us a taste of FFXI in HD, they're doing these little things. For the sake of everyone who wants to continue playing, but with newer graphics and such, I hope this is the case.

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Originally Posted by Rhianu

Active backgrounds? What do you mean?

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The backgrounds you can change under config > Windows (I think) they're horrible.

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Originally Posted by LeaderofAtlantis

Maybe Square-enix is already working on this but the character models, zones, animations and such are taking a longer time, so in the meantime, in order to give us a taste of FFXI in HD, they're doing these little things. For the sake of everyone who wants to continue playing, but with newer graphics and such, I hope this is the case.

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Don't fool yourself. SE isn't working on redoing any of FFXI's graphics, no matter how much we would like them to. It's a nice thought, but it ain't happening.

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Hatcher

The backgrounds you can change under config > Windows (I think) they're horrible.

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Oh, you mean the menu textures? What does that have to do with the size of the chatlog?

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Originally Posted by Rhianu

Oh, you mean the menu textures? What does that have to do with the size of the chatlog?

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So many games use different names for the same thing.

It effects it as the "textures" will look horrible with that style chat area.