Your UO SA client impressions

[TrailMyx]

Ok, for those who have been able to test this client, please let us know your impressions, both good and bad.  Thankfully this forum has no censorship, so you can speak your mind.  Now that it's public, at least we can talk about the client itself.

Pros:

• I've always liked the toolbars of KR and they still have this in the SA client
• Zooming playfield
• finally implemented context menus just like the 2D client
• Map function is nice since it has NPCs
• World map function is really nice

Cons:

• Poor implementation of the 2D art.  It's still blurry and lacks contrast, especially from items in your pack
• World map doesn't resize
• Paperdoll doesn't resize
• Paperdoll is still horrible and ugly
• "3D" art doesn't seem to have correct scale (I'm as tall as my dragon!)
• Zoom in on 3D renders shows how blurry they are.  The UOTD client seemed to have better renders
• Terrible 3D renders for alot of monster.  Dragons/Drakes/Rune beetles/etc are poorly rendered, or really have jerky motions
• Cannot right-click on all open gumps to close them, only containers
• World art rendering is jerky, when running on the screen you can watch the 2d art and buildings draw.  This should be pre-cached at a greater distance.
• Overland color contrast gives no real feeling of dimension.  Just looks like a badly drawn watercolor painting.  So things like roads just don't pop out at you.
• Boat rendering and motion is HORRIBLE!  This is a poor translation of the 2D world.  The boat deck is tiled and motion is ultra jerky.
• Character motion when walking and running can become very jerky when the client has to draw a bunch of world art.
• Needs new trees; the 2D trees in the SA client just blend into the color mash.  The UOTD trees even moved in the breeze.
• I find I want to make the brightness 2X the maximum allowable.  I'll try it on my LCD display.
• No distinction between stacks and single items.  You have to drag them to see if it's a stack.

Boy, I can go on and I'll probably edit this as I find things I like and don't like.

My summary for the SA client:  D- , not failing since most things can be fixed, but it's not playable at this point.

[Theosibo]

I downloaded this last night.

I really don't have anything positive to say about it.  The download finally finished (slow as my mom writing me checks) at 12:45 am.  I loaded it up and spent the first 15 minutes in the game trying to figure out WTF was different from the KR client.  I honestly couldn't find anything different.  I was horribly disappointed.  The one difference I COULD see, is that the tiles looked WORSE than in the KR client.  At least my boat didn't look like wooden tiles in KR, it sure does in SA.  My poor bear rug in my house looked like a puzzle that was assembled by a 3 year old child.  Terribad we used to say in WoW.

I can only hope there is new content, because as with most of the hardcore UO community, I'll be sticking with the 2d client.  I know this is a rhetorical question, but who is going to play in a client we can't script in??

[TrailMyx]

I know this is a rhetorical question, but who is going to play in a client we can't script in??

No doubt the scripting tools will catch up with the client in whatever form it's presented.  So I wouldn't worry too much about that.

What I would worry about is the presentation of a client that makes UO unplayable and ugly enough that it might make the EA powers-that-be start wondering if UO is a useful product to keep around.  That's why I always have high hopes for new client offerings because if they fail, that might cause UO as a game to fail.

[DeadIssue2]

My wife downloaded this last night she said it took almost 5 hours. She turned it on and 15 minutes later she came in to the room and shook her head. She would not even comment on it.

[Ultima]

I really don't have much to say about SA client. I admit I haven't spent alot of time on it because I can't stand the legacy graphics. I knew the second I logged in and saw the game screen it was a no go.

I'll be sticking with my KR client. Anything having to do with the 2d I want no part of. Sure I'll log in 2d and script as long as I don't have to sit and watch and actually play the game. I only 2D when I sleep.

I think they should just let the 2d engine be. Don't try and upgrade and fix it or make any improvements to it.  Make it always available to the die hards who don't want progress. Then actually work on a client that has improved graphics.

Blows my mind people still want the legacy graphics that are over 10 years old now. But it is what it is...

As someone posted on stratics it's the "2d client with the UOKR interface".

Kinda sad that this is the best they can do and that they caved to the masses who love their 2d. It's a step backwards instead of forwards.

[Theosibo]

The ONLY reason I even play 2d is because of the scripting capabilities.  I'd much rather do 3d.  But even when I'm playing attended, there are too many scripts that make the game more fun / less annoying to play.  So I can't even play attended on 3d. *shrugs*

[redrum]

New client? NOT!!!

this is just dumb to make... most of the art is still 2d.. heres the few things i like so far the status bar that shows your lrc lmc EP sdi fc fcr thats pretty kool and the map atlas everything else i could care less for... the patcher menu is decent looking...

[TrailMyx]

It just saddens me of all that work they put into UOTD, KR and SA.  If that effort would have been directed toward the 2D client, man we might just have a better mapping function, hotbars, and LUA built-in.  jeez.

[JoO]

Ive only spent about 20 minutes on it but I feel much the same as TM. Here are my pros and cons.

Pros:
1. I feel like the movement animation on preloaded terrain is worlds better than previous 3desque clients.
2. I really enjoy the spell animations.
3. Movement around small pathblocking objects is good.
Cons:
I share most of the same cons as TM my limited playtime has alot to do with that though Im sure. Why does my swamp dragon look like someone threw up a spinach salad?

[Scrripty]

I said this in another thread but try organizing a box of jewels for some real 3d fun.  *scoff*

[TrailMyx]

I said this in another thread but try organizing a box of jewels for some real 3d fun.  *scoff*

For some reason they put all their stock into the matrix organization method of the KR/SA client.  That's been one of my major turn offs for games like WoW, DAoC and EQ.  You have only X number of slots to put things into.  I just love the way UO is so freeform.

I still miss the days when I could just drop things in my house without locking them down.  I do like the extra security, but many those were fun times.