Thoughts on the PC UI art style "modernization"?

Maitsukas

As of today's patch, the PC UI received a major style overhaul, having most (if not all) elements completely made into flat colors. This was extremely negatively received in the PTS Feedback Thread, with only a few players actually liking it and no developer responses for the reason behind the change.

Here's an example of existing company logos "modernized" to understand what I mean:


And here's some screenshots of the UI changes that players have shared in the Feedback Thread:

EDIT: @Dack_Janiels has made an add-on that brings back the old UI style, you can download it from below:
https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info4130-Pre101046UI.html

EDIT 2: Here's some comparisons of a few UI .dds image files that I've extracted from U45 (left) and U46 (right):

Boss bar bracket:


Death recap background:


Fill all dye slots:


Tel Var meter:


Revive meter:


Loading screen edges:


Trading window (player ready to trade):


There isn't ANY file size or resolution difference at all!

Cardhwion

I am fine either way. There is nothing really annoying there, so it is all good. Whether they keep the old or bring the new is all equal to me.

Treeshka

I like it

I like it and i wonder why the top middle menu is not yet modernized. Maybe they did it for live server but it was still same during last test server patch.

Dack_Janiels

I have mixed feelings about it

For people that don’t like the new UI look that are on PC, I have uploaded a addon to GitHub to revert the changes. Due to the size it will not be published to esoui; that is also probably a reason the devs did not have an option to revert in the game since the goal was to trim file sizes. Unzipped folder size is roughly 1.2gigs.

https://github.com/DakJaniels/Pre101046UI/releases/tag/v2

Installation is the same as you would install any other addon. Unzip file, move the folder

Pre101046UI

into the addon directory. So,
the path would be

\Elder Scrolls Online\live\AddOns\Pre101046UI

not

\Elder Scrolls Online\live\AddOns\Pre101046UI-v2\Pre101046UI

Tatanko

I dislike it

Dack_Janiels wrote: »

For people that don’t like the new UI look that are on PC, I have uploaded a addon to GitHub to revert the changes. Due to the size it will not be published to esoui; that is also probably a reason the devs did not have an option to revert in the game since the goal was to trim file sizes. Unzipped folder size is roughly 1.2gigs.

https://github.com/DakJaniels/Pre101046UI/releases/tag/v2

You are my hero! Any chance there are installation instructions included? I manually manage my addons so digging in doesn't bother me, I just need to know where to put things

LesserCircle

I dislike it

I dislike it and we have been able to have basically the same style of UI for years using addons that I have always tried to avoid.

Elrond87

i dont use their ui didn't know what original looked like

Aliniel

I dislike it

Pretty much hate it. And installing a 1.2GB AddOn to revert is not really a solution since I use OneDrive to sync my AddOns.

Dack_Janiels

I have mixed feelings about it

Tatanko wrote: »

Dack_Janiels wrote: »

For people that don’t like the new UI look that are on PC, I have uploaded a addon to GitHub to revert the changes. Due to the size it will not be published to esoui; that is also probably a reason the devs did not have an option to revert in the game since the goal was to trim file sizes. Unzipped folder size is roughly 1.2gigs.

https://github.com/DakJaniels/Pre101046UI/releases/tag/v2

You are my hero! Any chance there are installation instructions included? I manually manage my addons so digging in doesn't bother me, I just need to know where to put things

Same as you would install any other addon. Unzip file, move the folder

Pre101046UI

into the addon directory. So,
the path would be

\Elder Scrolls Online\live\AddOns\Pre101046UI

not

\Elder Scrolls Online\live\AddOns\Pre101046UI-v2\Pre101046UI

LunaFlora

I have mixed feelings about it

To me it looks mostly fine and i understand why others dislike it.

Though i use Accessibility Mode on PC so these changes don't affect me regardless

DreamyLu

I like it

Have no idea. Server is still in maintenance for now for me. I need to see it first...

Enemoriana

I dislike it

I always was calm about updates. "This makes game better" or at least "doesn't really matter'. I don't remember any changes in game I really dislike.
This ui update?
I hate it.

Ok, I can forgive textures! They are beautiful, I love them, but I can get used to live without them.
But those damned cutted sides? They are ugly, and worse, their contrast in many places are painfully contrast.

Dack_Janiels wrote: »

For people that don’t like the new UI look that are on PC, I have uploaded a addon to GitHub to revert the changes.

Thanks, will try it!
(it would be first global ui addon I use ever)

licenturion

I have mixed feelings about it

I am mixed because I played mostly with controller while player (although I do use the menu's for inventory/questing/crafting) so I am used to a more flat UI already.

I am more annoyed they have no new login screen music this year to be honest. XD

Elsonso

I dislike it

From what I have seen of the UI modernization efforts on PTS, it is pretty bland. It seems to be part of some new wave of "grey" (aka boring, uninspired, etc) UI and art styles going around. I already can't wait for it to end!

Of course, we won't know what the new UI looks like until they open the servers. PTS was incomplete.

TX12001rwb17_ESO

I dislike it

Looks the exact same to me.

tomofhyrule

I dislike it

Ugh

Well, at least the vanilla Group UI background doesn't look straight up unfinished anymore.

Still hate how flat everything is.

I just wish we'd gotten anything beyond "we modernized the UI!" as to why this was necessary. I assume it's to reduce filesize, but I always thought that UI files were local anyway so that shouldn't affect much data transfer from the servers.

It sure would be a lot easier to take this if we knew that they had to save space for something like a new Class...

Bucky Balls

I dislike it

Bloody awful. Should be optional.

Icons are cartoonish and ugly, the ui is jarring and unidimensional. All character has been removed in comparison to the original, perfectly usable and aesthetically pleasing ui.

Elsonso

I dislike it

Sigh.

I guess the PTS version was the release version, after all?

ospray315

I dislike it

Anyone know how to change it back to something, less, flat and lifeless?

An addon maybe?

Soarora

I dislike it

We spoke for many pages and never got an answer why. Why a fantasy mmo with plenty of modern ui addons needs a modern ui. Why an elder scrolls game needs its iconic elder scrolls feel taken away.

Freelancer_ESO

I dislike it

Dack_Janiels wrote: »

For people that don’t like the new UI look that are on PC, I have uploaded a addon to GitHub to revert the changes. Due to the size it will not be published to esoui; that is also probably a reason the devs did not have an option to revert in the game since the goal was to trim file sizes. Unzipped folder size is roughly 1.2gigs.

https://github.com/DakJaniels/Pre101046UI/releases/tag/v2

Thank you very much for making the addon.

sunfyre

I dislike it

It should have been optional.

Who, exactly, requested this flat ugly and lifeless change?

LadyAstrum

I dislike it

The UI was nice as it was. Now, it has a flat appearance that has no actual style and feels more like something I'd see in a children's game. I don't understand the change. Who asked for it? Who chose it? Who decided the older style needed to be changed?

tomofhyrule

I dislike it

Welp, alreday found an issue...

Syldras

I dislike it

Elsonso wrote: »

Sigh.

I guess the PTS version was the release version, after all?

Hard to comprehend who found that to be an improvement.

SporkyRat

I dislike it

tom your luck in finding bugs is already legendary, and now you're ascending to further levels.

tincanman

I dislike it

woah, flat & fugly...

Thanks @Dack_Janiels for the addon but zos should have given us the choice. And unfortunately add-ons only kick in on character load so there's still some navigation required through the black boxes of uglinesss...

@ZOS_Kevin - this is appalingly bad. Please convey to devs how unimpressed the lack of choice is here. And the lack of communication when the issues surrounding how bad these ui changes were commented on during pts.

The original ui was fine and preferable to this ugly and cartoonish replacement. Why no choice? The data was already there, all you had to do was to provide a 'nice pre u46 ui' or 'fugly u46 ui' option: everyone happy. As opposed to now with many not.

When are you zos people going to wake up and realise that 'choice' is actually better?

Maxxermax

I dislike it

Dack_Janiels wrote: »

For people that don’t like the new UI look that are on PC, I have uploaded a addon to GitHub to revert the changes. Due to the size it will not be published to esoui; that is also probably a reason the devs did not have an option to revert in the game since the goal was to trim file sizes. Unzipped folder size is roughly 1.2gigs.

https://github.com/DakJaniels/Pre101046UI/releases/tag/v2

Yes, 1.2 gigs for an addon, that is what I meant. You have to integrate all the old textures to make it work.
Wasn't there a Lua memory limit for addons? 1024 MB or so?

Saving storage space on the client side is laughable because they increased storage usage from 88 gigabytes to 128 gigabytes for the live server.

Varana

I dislike it

It looks boringly flat, surprisingly uninspired, and excessively bland.

It has absolutely zero personality, character, or uniqueness.

It has all the flair and appeal of Random Mobile App #38335.

Like that random mobile app, it is mostly ... kind of serviceable. Which is more or less the only positive thing to say about it.

With one major exception:
Those hard edges from pure black to world e.g. in the character/inventory screens, are unforgiveable.

How on earth can a UI designer who does this for a living, and has standards for themselves, and has some experience, live with that sin?

Sorry for the flowery language. It's just ... between unnecessary and bad. It's basically the Scouring of the Shire in UI form.

Ursadoom

I dislike it

Oh, I hate it. The sharp contrast is distracting and looks crude.

Silaf

I dislike it

After 10 minutes of the update i had to close the game to comment on this.

It's horrible. I hope for an option to disable the changes or an addon.


To the person responsable for greenlighting this abomination WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???