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[Dsarker]

Look at all this empty wasted space. Not happy. Theres enough room to have much more skills in there...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[G-Flex]

Well, let's be fair. That is a pretty godawful menu design. You don't design menus with a single visible element at a time unless you're designing it for the iPod.

Oh wait, that's literally where they got their inspiration.

[Johuotar]

Pete Hines:

The menu is not in it’s final form yet and is constantly being tweaked, what you have seen is not the final build…… so everyone concerned about the menu interface…….. stop worrying

Now thats what I wanted to hear.

[Sordid]

Pete Hines:

The menu is not in it’s final form yet and is constantly being tweaked, what you have seen is not the final build…… so everyone concerned about the menu interface…….. stop worrying

Now thats what I wanted to hear.

That doesn't reassure me. That menu doesn't need a tweak so much as sacking the twat who came up with it and a fundamental rethinking from the ground up.

[Yoink]

Um... I really don't see what's wrong with it, in that screenshot atleast.
So basically, you're saying the developers are idiots for trying something different, rather than a flat screen of numbers and graphs? Seriously, what the hell. It's a clear, concise menu, with an interesting aesthetic as well.

[Sordid]

Um... I really don't see what's wrong with it, in that screenshot atleast.
So basically, you're saying the developers are idiots for trying something different, rather than a flat screen of numbers and graphs? Seriously, what the hell. It's a clear, concise menu, with an interesting aesthetic as well.

Yes, in the same way that a car manufacturer would be an idiot for trying square wheels instead of the round ones everyone else uses. When a concept is in widespread use, that's usually because it works well, and chances are that changing it just for the sake of making something that looks different will fuck it up. And I wouldn't call a screen that's supposed to tell you what your skills are but only shows you eight out of eighteen without having to scroll around "clear and concise". More like a "waste of screen space".

[Yoink]

Well no, that's not the screen for all your skills, that's just the magic screen.
I remember in an article I read on Skyrim a while back, I think they mentioned how to view the different menus, (that were selected with a very irritating click of the shoulder buttons in Oblivion) you just pressed a button on the d-pad, and I think up was magic, down was... Inventory? While left and right were, I'm guessing, stats and quests.
It certainly looks a lot better to me than clicking through those ugly journal pages.
But I guess we should just agree to disagree, look what happened over that whole 'dragon hunting' debate...

[Vibhor]

Well no, that's not the screen for all your skills, that's just the magic screen.
I remember in an article I read on Skyrim a while back, I think they mentioned how to view the different menus, (that were selected with a very irritating click of the shoulder buttons in Oblivion) you just pressed a button on the d-pad, and I think up was magic, down was... Inventory? While left and right were, I'm guessing, stats and quests.
It certainly looks a lot better to me than clicking through those ugly journal pages.
But I guess we should just agree to disagree, look what happened over that whole 'dragon hunting' debate...

Wrong wong wong. That IS the screen for all skills. You can see near the side it says SMIT-.
Also it is made with console tards in mind who cannot play without something flashy on screen every 5 secs(hyperbole is the key to success)
Did you think before posting? You just said it is easier than clicking journal pages right after you mentioned the d pad controls the menu(even though you are wrong)

[Soadreqm]

Yes, in the same way that a car manufacturer would be an idiot for trying square wheels instead of the round ones everyone else uses. When a concept is in widespread use, that's usually because it works well, and chances are that changing it just for the sake of making something that looks different will fuck it up.

So, would you say that as the sword is the weapon everyone associates with pseudo-medieval fantasy, and there have been a lot of sword-wielding heroes in both literature and film as well as video games, this means that swords must be the best pseudo-medieval fantasy weapons and trying to add other weapons into the mix is stupid, gimmicky and doomed to fail? >:]

Anyway, that skill screen looks pretty, but I can see how it could be irritating to use. I hope they'll improve it during playtesting, but I guess I'll just tolerate it if they don't. It's not like I'm going to spend hours looking at my skills.

Also damn right there should be flashy things on screen. The night sky in Morrowind was gorgeous, and even more so after a few mods. If they are modeling their UI after that, I'm okay with it.

[Yoink]

Well, thanks for calling me a console tard because I prefer my Ps3 to-- Wait, not throwing fuel on that fire.
Anyway, I did some digging around (read: searched on google) to find more info on the menu screen issue, and the only relevant thing I could find was this, in a Gamespy interview from E3. This is quoted from some guy who played the demo...

...remember the clutter of menus you had to sift through in Oblivion? Those have been totally reimagined, making managing your characters and items way more intuitive and fun. My favorite new embellishment was the way you take perks on your skill trees. When you enter the menu, your character looks up to the heavens where you see constellations representing the different skills in the game. Each star in the constellation is a perk or bit of growth you can take as you gain strength.

Well, I'm not 100% sure what he means by that. I think he's saying that that constellation menu is just for selecting perks, like in Fallout, but I could be wrong. Not sure, either that or it is the entire skill advancement screen.

[Sordid]

Well no, that's not the screen for all your skills, that's just the magic screen.

No it's not, the three groups (thief, mage, fighter) are side by side. You can see a bit of Speechcraft on the left and Smithing on the right.

So, would you say that as the sword is the weapon everyone associates with pseudo-medieval fantasy, and there have been a lot of sword-wielding heroes in both literature and film as well as video games, this means that swords must be the best pseudo-medieval fantasy weapons and trying to add other weapons into the mix is stupid, gimmicky and doomed to fail? >:]

That's a question of aesthetics, not functionality.

Also damn right there should be flashy things on screen. The night sky in Morrowind was gorgeous, and even more so after a few mods. If they are modeling their UI after that, I'm okay with it.

Fair point, but I think they waaaay overdid it. It's supposed to be a nebula, but it's more like a nebula during an acid trip.

...remember the clutter of menus you had to sift through in Oblivion? Those have been totally reimagined, making managing your characters and items way more intuitive and fun. My favorite new embellishment was the way you take perks on your skill trees. When you enter the menu, your character looks up to the heavens where you see constellations representing the different skills in the game. Each star in the constellation is a perk or bit of growth you can take as you gain strength.

Well, I'm not 100% sure what he means by that. I think he's saying that that constellation menu is just for selecting perks, like in Fallout, but I could be wrong. Not sure, either that or it is the entire skill advancement screen.

Perk selection is the entire skill advancement system. Your skills go up on their own as you use them.
My big worry about this quote is that it could mean this hideous nebulae are visible in the sky during regular gameplay. That would completely destroy one of the best features of the Elder Scrolls series IMO, the gorgeous skyscapes.

[Yoink]

I don't think so, it looks to me like there are just lines highlighting the stars already in the sky.
It would be pretty stupid if there were big purple symbols just floating around in the sky, unless the main storyline is your character tripping out on hallucinogens...

[Shadowlord]

Well, you never know. Perhaps dragons' souls are potent hallucinogens.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm not sure what (some of) you people are talking about, I personally thought the whole "constellations as skill trees" thing was pretty neat. Not just aesthetically, mind you, it's the whole "take an existing element and use it in an unexpected way" thing that I enjoy so much. TES regularly references these signs, constellations, but only as symbols. Taking a constellation representing a skill group, and turning it into a perk tree for that skill group, is a very imaginative design, and something I can only approve.

If you still think it's just a flashy waste of screen space, then let me remind you that the closest analogue of that system, and one accessed much more often, is the tech tree of Sword of the Stars. It's basically the same thing, except with a smart aesthetic design.

Though I should probably point out that it will all depend on how it's pulled off for the PC version. If I won't be able to scroll the view around with the mouse, zooming with the wheel to see areas I need, then it'll likely gets its share of bashing from me as well.

[Virtz]

I'm not sure what (some of) you people are talking about, I personally thought the whole "constellations as skill trees" thing was pretty neat. Not just aesthetically, mind you, it's the whole "take an existing element and use it in an unexpected way" thing that I enjoy so much. TES regularly references these signs, constellations, but only as symbols. Taking a constellation representing a skill group, and turning it into a perk tree for that skill group, is a very imaginative design, and something I can only approve.

If you still think it's just a flashy waste of screen space, then let me remind you that the closest analogue of that system, and one accessed much more often, is the tech tree of Sword of the Stars. It's basically the same thing, except with a smart aesthetic design.

Though I should probably point out that it will all depend on how it's pulled off for the PC version. If I won't be able to scroll the view around with the mouse, zooming with the wheel to see areas I need, then it'll likely gets its share of bashing from me as well.

Horizontal text on a horizontal list, that's the major fuck up. If they had used the inventory screen layout, then it'd be all hunky dory. You'd have a vertical list displaying all your skill values on the left without (much) scrolling, and you'd have the constellation of whatever it is you're highlighting on the right. The current layout is a horrendous idea that came up because someone saw it on an iPod.