Alpha First Look: Video 3 - The Black Shroud

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Originally Posted by Ursus

I'm split on the UI. It's obviously a big improvement in terms of functionality and speed - that's great. What I dislike is the design. It looks like styles from two different games mashed together. The map, compass, mini-menu and job icons look classy fantasy with dark colors and brass. But all HP/MP/TP bars and action bar look futuristic sci-fi with bright glowing neon colors. The bright neon doesn't really fit with the rest and against the overall look of the world it just feels jarring and distracting to me. Maybe if they could just be toned down or changed to deeper colors (forest green, royal red instead of lime green and pepto pink)?

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It seems like the selection indicators on the UI are very bright (along with important numbers like MP/HP/TP). I found this to be very distinctive and interesting choice since like you said it has a very science fiction feel to it. It is like these elements are trying to draw attention to themselves as computer interface elements. The selection cursor, floating character names, floating character hp, and selection indicator under selected npcs, are all very bright. These elements also float on top of everything else for the most part (they are not occluded by world geometry). It is like a HUD of a fighter jet.

In a way I like the contrast, but I think you are right that neon colors might be too much. Maybe they will let us choose the colors of the indicators so we can choose less saturated colors. I also do not mind if somebody's name is blocked by another player as this has never caused me any trouble in selecting people (since I have always used more precise methods like the function keys or up/down on the D-pad).

On the one hand I like how much it contrasts, on the other I see how they almost certainly need to let people choose color themes.

Well, you get a great deal of game play and level design FROM Jumping as well. Take Gw2 as an example. Finding and getting to Vista's by jumping is a great little minigame and it brings you to further understand your surroundings.
Also by jumping has been used in gameplay purposes as well. Rift has a Boss that makes you jump all over the place or well, you'll die.
Sure, I can't jump over fences IRL because I am, honestly, too short. BUT I have climbed them instead of trekking round the whole thing. BUT you could have the option of going around if. See right there. The option. Either you can jump it or go round it, but at least the option is there.

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Originally Posted by Andrien

edit: Regarding the other question. To me it wont look right if I see somebody walk through a rock, or slide over something, or even phase right through a fence like a ghost and what not. A toggle option to me is a waste of time.

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The obvious point here is that you wouldn't see any of that if you so chose. It would be a safety net for people seeing hundreds upon hundreds of useless jumps and getting annoyed. There's nothing wrong with bringing the idea up now, when SE has plenty of time to consider it.

edit - the best solution would be for only extraneous jumps to be censored. Where if you are jumping a fence or on a rock it would still show that animation. That's a lot more ambitious, but again, my opinion is just that this is a valid consideration.

Positive:
- areas look great, I like how the Shroud doesn't feel cramped anymore.
- map exploration
- music is really fitting, I like the majority of it. The transitions are fluent and much better than our current ones.

Neutral:
- some music sounds "too simple", but maybe it just needs some time to evolve into something more elaborate
- map discovery radius is a bit too big, adjust the size to the radius of what is visible from the current position, for example

Negative:
- well, it's been said already for previous videos... we absolutely need transitional animations between movement states.

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@Lighting being weird: they already said the alpha build is a frozen branch of the main build, so the lighting is not optimized yet.

@Jumping: There is no need to jump around repeatedly on a plain surface. Just showcasing it when jumping over obstacles is completely fine and looks more tasteful.

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Originally Posted by Coyohma

The obvious point here is that you wouldn't see any of that if you so chose. It would be a safety net for people seeing hundreds upon hundreds of useless jumps and getting annoyed. There's nothing wrong with bringing the idea up now, when SE has plenty of time to consider it.

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let me get this straight. you wont mind seeing hundreds of people slide up hills, or phase through objects like a ghost?

Looks great - keep up the good work! Enough with the fraking jumping already though. We get it, jumping has been implemented lol

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Originally Posted by Andrien

let me get this straight. you wont mind seeing hundreds of people slide up hills, or phase through objects like a ghost?

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This is what you are not getting yet. When me and Coyohma say that we are annoyed by people jumping constantly for no reason we mean it. We aren't just trying to be fuddy-duddies who want to spoil everybody's fun. We really are bothered that much by it. We really would flip such an option on and prefer it.

When I watched the Live Letter, I just knew that every large gathering of players would look exactly like that. It just completely spoils the mood for me to see all those avatars bouncing around like the ground is made of lava.

Edit: Speaking of annoying things in the Live Letter, does anybody know what the white flash with accompanying sound effect was? It was almost happening as much as jumping but without knowing what it was I cannot say if it needs to be toned down or not.

The scenery is positively stunning! I love all the details (I noticed the leaves on the ground), and the variety of different scenery and structures. NO regrets to having started in Grid.

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Originally Posted by Andrien

let me get this straight. you wont mind seeing hundreds of people slide up hills, or phase through objects like a ghost?

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Why would they slide up hills instead of running? The point in looking into this now is to see how feasible it is, what you can do in place of the jumping animation. Also, even if we assume the absolute worst and it isn't pretty, wouldn't this still be a valuable thing to have in town when you're just tired of people hopping around you as you craft, do quests, etc?

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Originally Posted by Tupster

This is what you are not getting yet. When me and Coyohma say that we are annoyed by people jumping constantly for no reason we mean it. We aren't just trying to be fuddy-duddies who want to spoil everybody's fun. We really are bothered that much by it. We really would flip such an option on and prefer it.

When I watched the Live Letter, I just knew that every large gathering of players would look exactly like that. It just completely spoils the mood for me to see all those avatars bouncing around like the ground is made of lava.

Edit: Speaking of annoying things in the Live Letter, does anybody know what the white flash with accompanying sound effect was? It was almost happening as much as jumping but without knowing what it was I cannot say if it needs to be toned down or not.

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So you are not being fuddy duddies, you're just being fuddy duddies who prefer bad graphics.

Keep in mind that you are in fact playing with other people, you can blacklist them, you can make linkshells without them. But you can't, and shouldn't, toggle their actions and pretend what they do doesn't exist in the game.

Share Eorzea, don't partition it off in a sea of toggles.