What ever happened to this UI:

[NoahArks]

I remember seeing a screen of a whole different UI when they showed us the previews for 2.0 like... a year and half ago. Whatever happened to this? It looks so much cleaner.

http://zantetsuken.net/wp-content/up..._Dragoon-2.png

[shanvhere]

I don't get it mine looks similar to that

[HakuroDK]

Only thing that looks different is that some things are color-coded.

[LygerZero]

Pretty sure that's 1.0 UI. Pros and Cons to both then and now.

[Shioban]

It's a concept UI. This is a mockup imposed ontop of a pre-alpha in-engine screenshot.
I've done the same thing in the past when making a UI, you do your mock-up then adjust it as you actually make it.

One possible reason is just a general change in finalised design choice/styles/colours and possibly memory/processing issues with a transparent party list.

Conceptualising a UI and actually making it are two completely different things, you just work with what you have and change as you go.

Pretty sure that's 1.0 UI. Pros and Cons to both then and now.

It isn't. The picture below is how 1.0 > 1.23 looked;



These are the 2.0 concept images;

[Chiramu]

Alpha testing and beta testing OP.

[Enkidoh]

As Chiramu and Shioban stated, it's a very early Alpha version of the UI - the ability icons are actually version 1.0's icons, and if you notice the equipment 'slots' have extra slots at the bottom for the 'small clothes' which was extra underwear you could equip in v1.0 - this was removed into the Beta version in order to free up space for the Job crystal slot (that and having a separate underwear slot never actually added anything to the game itself, so it was removed). And the extra buttons on the main menu were eventually compressed into five basic buttons which opened up menus in a post release patch. Not to mention there was never any quest released in the final game called 'Hyrstmill Wasn't Built in a Day'.

As has been said, this is what happens during the development cycle of a game - things change.

[NoahArks]

I kind of like the job icons. It just looks really clean, and I hope they'll implement something like that in the future. I knew it was the concept screenshot, I was just wondering why they changed it so much.

[Laifon]

They made it so you can easily tell the tank, dps and healer jobs from each other.

[Gilraen]

They changed it so much to streamline it, reduce the 'neon'ness (that bugged me the most about the new UI), improve potential expandability, make it easier to use. Bells and whistles are nice, but if the idea is to make a simple melody having too many bells and whistles can be a detriment. Personally, I don't like the design aesthetic. Still too 'neon'y to me. 1.#'s interface had a nicer feel to it, conveyed that fantasy vibe better. Still sucked in it's own way, though, what with the server-side settings and all.