Logging in without addons after a major patch - ouch!

Cernow · June 2016

Every time there's a major patch and all my addons get disabled it makes me realise just how under-featured, under-developed, clunky and quite frankly amateur the default UI is.

Trying to use the guild vendor system, manage my inventory and bank, keep track of loot, manage my crafting and research timers and generally make sense of the combat system. All deeply frustrating with the default UI. You'd think they would have made some improvements by now, but it's still an embarrassment.

And yes, "that's why we have addons" I can hear you say. The game wouldn't be half as much fun without the ritual of downloading and installing all the latest versions of each addon (if there's even an update). I'd really prefer to play without addons, but the game is just too frustrating without them because of the inadequate default UI.

But never mind, at least it was nice of them to add a totally redundant and ugly blocking symbol. It is very welcome because I was never sure if I was pressing my right mouse button or not

vyndral13preub18_ESO · June 2016

I couldnt agree more. If i had to play this game addon free. I wouldnt be playing. I cant even watch people stream using the default ui, it is horrible. The complete lack of options and adjustments are horrible.

If you click enable outdated addons at the top of your addons most of them will still work. You may need to disable one or two that still pop errors.

Divinius · June 2016

Cernow wrote: »

Every time there's a major patch and all my addons get disabled it makes me realise just how under-featured, under-developed, clunky and quite frankly amateur the default UI is.

Trying to use the guild vendor system, manage my inventory and bank, keep track of loot, manage my crafting and research timers and generally make sense of the combat system. All deeply frustrating with the default UI. You'd think they would have made some improvements by now, but it's still an embarrassment.

100% Agree.

I would honestly stop playing entirely if I couldn't use my addons.

FriedEggSandwich · June 2016

Agree. We should at least have the option to reposition elements of the default UI imo. I use a 27" 1440p monitor and sit quite close so I choose to have all my vital info around the middle of the screen. Without addons I have to physically move my head more to get the same info. First world problems and all that, but these things matter ;p

Mojmir · June 2016

Minimap is by far the one I can't function without.

Lysette · June 2016

I have just minimap with a harvesting add-on - and this is basically all I need - the new integrated and least intrusive combat info is ok to me, I do not need a lot more. I had a combat info before, but I am now used to do it without and my screen is not cluttered with all kind of add-on info. It is more immersive to me this way.

Uriel_Nocturne · June 2016

#firstworldproblems...

Faulgor · June 2016

I can't understand how people can play with such a cluttered UI, but I'm thankful that I don't have to. I only have addons for chests and lorebooks.

rotaugen454 · June 2016

It was a shock even though I knew it would happen. That, and running around for a while with no CP assigned. Fixed the CP but still need to get updated addons.

Divinius · June 2016

Faulgor wrote: »

I can't understand how people can play with such a cluttered UI, but I'm thankful that I don't have to. I only have addons for chests and lorebooks.

I can't understand how so many people don't realize that there are countless addons that don't do a thing to "clutter" the UI, but still give you huge improvements in functionality over the existing UI.

Advanced Filters
Research Assistant
Awesome Guild Store
No Accidental Stealing
No thank you
Circonians TweakIt
Public Dungeon Champions
Multi-Craft
ESO Master Recipe List
Spent Skill Points
Harvens Improved Skills Window
Harvens Extended Stats
Harvens Trait and Style
Harvens Durability and Charges
Harvens Stack Split Slider

Those are just some of the addons I use, none of which add any elements to the base UI that you see when running around in Tamriel. They only add info and functionality to existing menu windows, or new windows that can be pulled up only when needed. Nothing at all that "clutters" the normal UI.

Cernow · June 2016

Faulgor wrote: »

I can't understand how people can play with such a cluttered UI, but I'm thankful that I don't have to. I only have addons for chests and lorebooks.

I'm no fan of clutter either. But a good UI doesn't have to be cluttered to be fully functional and feature rich. In fact the best UIs are uncluttered yet still offer lots of user-friendly features.

For example:

If you are searching for a specific item on the guild vendors and need to check multiple vendors, the default UI does not save your search criteria, so you have to re-enter it for every vendor. There's also a much reduced selection of filters on the default UI, almost none in fact. This actually causes MORE clutter in the results compared to using an addon, not less.

If you are searching for a specific type of item or material in your bank, there are no search filters. You need an addon for that. Again, this causes MORE clutter than using an addon, not less.

And so on.

Uriel_Nocturne wrote: »

#firstworldproblems...

First world problems perhaps, but it's still horrible design. Besides, the "first world problem" excuse could be applied to pretty much any leisure product. Does this mean that companies and developers shouldn't try to fix and improve their products because ultimately they aren't issues of life and death? Nonsense.

DurzoBlint13 · June 2016

welcome to ESO on console where we do not have ANY addons. At least they finally gave us SCT last DLC so we can have an idea of our numbers....although I still think they should add an entire page in the menu to see our FULL stat sheet, not just the miserable handful we now see

Gargath · June 2016

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

I couldnt agree more. If i had to play this game addon free. I wouldnt be playing. I cant even watch people stream using the default ui, it is horrible. The complete lack of options and adjustments are horrible.

I'm awaiting time when ZOS finally find most of the addons chosen by community worthy enough to be "supported by developer" so they won't be addons forever but a part of game.
But playing without addons isn't such terrible, when I started ESO with default UI, all was simply so great, and I didn't even know there is such thing as "addon for MMO". Watching other people asking today for similar issues I see I wasn't the only one. Addons are useful but not a must have to have fun in ESO, imho.

Cernow · June 2016

Gargath wrote: »

I'm awaiting time when ZOS finally find most of the addons chosen by community worthy enough to be "supported by developer" so they won't be addons forever but a part of game.
But playing without addons isn't such terrible, when I started ESO with default UI, all was simply so great, and I didn't even know there is such thing as "addon for MMO". Watching other people asking today for similar issues I see I wasn't the only one. Addons are useful but not a must have to have fun in ESO, imho.

Well, many of the things you need an addon to do in ESO are standard built-in features in many other MMOs. This is part of the problem. I totally agree that it would be ideal if they could get some of the most popular addons into the game officially, but these things never tend to happen for contractual reasons.

People like to cite "clutter" and "immersion" in defence of the default UI, but a good UI would allow you to hide what you don't want to see anyway. Once again, addons often have these options, the default UI doesn't.

Uriel_Nocturne · June 2016

Cernow wrote: »

Faulgor wrote: »

I can't understand how people can play with such a cluttered UI, but I'm thankful that I don't have to. I only have addons for chests and lorebooks.

I'm no fan of clutter either. But a good UI doesn't have to be cluttered to be fully functional and feature rich. In fact the best UIs are uncluttered yet still offer lots of user-friendly features.

For example:

If you are searching for a specific item on the guild vendors and need to check multiple vendors, the default UI does not save your search criteria, so you have to re-enter it for every vendor. There's also a much reduced selection of filters on the default UI, almost none in fact. This actually causes MORE clutter in the results compared to using an addon, not less.

If you are searching for a specific type of item or material in your bank, there are no search filters. You need an addon for that. Again, this causes MORE clutter than using an addon, not less.

And so on.

Uriel_Nocturne wrote: »

#firstworldproblems...

First world problems perhaps, but it's still horrible design. Besides, the "first world problem" excuse could be applied to pretty much any leisure product. Does this mean that companies and developers shouldn't try to fix and improve their products because ultimately they aren't issues of life and death? Nonsense.

Oh, I know.

I was being a bit snarky. lol

altemriel · June 2016

Cernow wrote: »

Every time there's a major patch and all my addons get disabled it makes me realise just how under-featured, under-developed, clunky and quite frankly amateur the default UI is.

Trying to use the guild vendor system, manage my inventory and bank, keep track of loot, manage my crafting and research timers and generally make sense of the combat system. All deeply frustrating with the default UI. You'd think they would have made some improvements by now, but it's still an embarrassment.

And yes, "that's why we have addons" I can hear you say. The game wouldn't be half as much fun without the ritual of downloading and installing all the latest versions of each addon (if there's even an update). I'd really prefer to play without addons, but the game is just too frustrating without them because of the inadequate default UI.

But never mind, at least it was nice of them to add a totally redundant and ugly blocking symbol. It is very welcome because I was never sure if I was pressing my right mouse button or not

I had the same problem with every new DLC so far

, I got so much used to the new features of the addons, that playing without them was nearly impossible for me. I always had to wait few days for addon updates

vyndral13preub18_ESO · June 2016

Cernow wrote: »

Gargath wrote: »

I'm awaiting time when ZOS finally find most of the addons chosen by community worthy enough to be "supported by developer" so they won't be addons forever but a part of game.
But playing without addons isn't such terrible, when I started ESO with default UI, all was simply so great, and I didn't even know there is such thing as "addon for MMO". Watching other people asking today for similar issues I see I wasn't the only one. Addons are useful but not a must have to have fun in ESO, imho.

Well, many of the things you need an addon to do in ESO are standard built-in features in many other MMOs. This is part of the problem. I totally agree that it would be ideal if they could get some of the most popular addons into the game officially, but these things never tend to happen for contractual reasons.

People like to cite "clutter" and "immersion" in defence of the default UI, but a good UI would allow you to hide what you don't want to see anyway. Once again, addons often have these options, the default UI doesn't.

That is my real issue with it. Even if i had to use the default you wont let me move around stuff and or hide it? Scale it up scale it down? You make a game with so much clutter in the inventory that the biggest draw to the sub model is a bag that holds the giant amount of crafting mats you need, yet give us no easy way to sort or find items? Oh you dont want auction houses? Could you at least make a full Guild store interface.

They say they are making a different kind of mmo. But at least feature and easy of use wise they arent. They are making a half done mmo.

Waffennacht · June 2016

...

From a console user:

Come on...

Please don't remind us of what we are stuck with

Lol