[Suggestion] Vertical Crafting Menu Is Better

[goatt]

I'm definitely not alone in liking this.

The general look:

Spoiler

Pros:

1. much less screen pollution.

2. it's showing as many items. New menu shows 21 items (+7 half shown). The vertical menu shows 22 items, and have space below to add a few more, or even add a third column to show 33 items at once, which won't use much screen width.

3. both quick craft and regular menus are easy to access

(4? Familiar feeling to the old menu)

(5? Controller friendly?)

 

Now the quick craft menu and the regular menu will stay after switch.

For people who don't use quick craft, they can keep the regular menu on screen. For those who love quick craft, they can also keep the quick craft menu on screen.

Spoiler

Presets sub-menu is also possible to add as shown in the left menu.

 

Choosing any category will also bring out the top tool bars with search box and everything else in it.

Spoiler

(Horizontal scrolling will can go through all items much faster.)

 

The vertical menu blocks much less screen real estate, and utilize the unused space at top and bottom.

Spoiler

Note that the ratio is adjusted to reflect the real scale.

There are still enough space to add many more categories. The vertical space is not exhausted

 

The vertical menu won't lose any of the benefit of the new UI, I think...

 

(Edit: added horizontal scrolling vs. vertical scrolling)

[reallychina]

It's too vertical, the current UI is so good because it's squared so you can see and access everything without scrolling your eyes or moving your mouse too much.

 

I dont have issue with this being an option but please don't change the new UI that has been, quite literally, perfection.

 

I've seen screenshots where the UI would take up a full half of screen, but that's a resolution issue on the user behalf, just increase resolution. Or ask klei to resize items and move stuff around, but keep the template.

[dish-order man]

Don't want to look like i'm looking for trouble on purpose, but based on the previous update goals, this QOL is trying to solve the problem that need to scroll the mouse to view the recipes just like the suggestion you have posted here

On 3/1/2022 at 1:52 AM, ScottHansen said:

The crafting menu has changed from using tabs to filters and greatly increased the number of recipes that can be viewed without scrolling. Recipes can also be marked as favorites, allowing players to customize their own filter, and can be pinned for quick crafting while the menu is closed. 

 

[SecretPizzaMan]

5 hours ago, goatt said:

(5? Controller friendly?)

That isn't anymore controller friendly than the current ui. It might actually be worse.

This also looks like it reverts the exact thing the new menu was trying to change.

[ALCRD]

Yikes that looks messy.. 

[Cheggf]

I want that "unused space" to become a grid of the skins so they're a lot easier to pick from.

[Grim0514]

This is just the new UI with the uglyness of the old one

Square UI with a transparent background is much easier to look at, i get this is a picture edit but the buttons arent even in coherant or intuative locations

[goatt]

3 hours ago, dish-order man said:

scroll the mouse to view

As I have mentioned in op, the vertical menu shows more items than the current design (22 or 33). So scrolling isn’t a problem as long as the current design is not a problem.

[jtubio88]

Is this a mod or a ingame setting?

[goatt]

@jtubio88 neither. It’s a mock-up I made using paint.net

[goatt]

5 hours ago, reallychina said:

It's too vertical

3 hours ago, ALCRD said:

Yikes that looks messy.. 

1 hour ago, Grim0514 said:

with the uglyness of the old one

As much as you guys love the new square UI, I miss the old UI with authentic DS art style. It’s your and my personal preference. I think the square looks ugly, uncreative (like a boring mobile app), while square is arguably more new player friendly as square is so common nowadays. But the trait of "good looking" is pleasing only to part of the player base at the price of disappointing the other part. It's true for both new UI or old DS style UI.

Some people don’t care about the screen pollution, but it’s the biggest problem for me since beta. The debate about the new UI is pretty much about which side is more popular, instead of addressing each individual pain point. Whichever side wins the popular votes gets to keep their good and their ugly. I don’t like it. The problem of screen pollution is real, the bottom left corner of the menu (in the last image in OP where it displays “axe | chop down trees!”) for example is a big space wasted. We could have compromising solutions like this and still have less screen pollution.

Spoiler

I also want to remind that the vertical menu allows you to keep the regular menu pinned, as well as the quick craft pinned. That is a big plus for me.

I’ve pretty much given up the hope of a better UI than the current one, and I’m just playing with concepts to grief my loss, but I still desire creative solutions that brings the good of both sides together if it's possible. Everything seems a set stone. So I'm not hoping anymore.

[jan Mele]

Maybe something a little more like this? Just alter the item info and icons to be smaller and use the now free space for more icons.

(This was shown on the recent rhymes with play stream)

[goatt]

26 minutes ago, jan Mele said:

Maybe something a little more like this?

I like the concept. It looks good. But still need double column for category icons cuz that’s what devs want to accommodate increasing categories.

[jan Mele]

4 minutes ago, goatt said:

I like the concept. It looks good. But still need double column for category icons cuz that’s what devs want to accommodate increasing categories.

Yup. Merge it with some of your changes. 

[Maybe a dog]

Looks cleaner, features all the improvements from the new UI and covers less screen space.

I really really like it.

[Primalflower]

I don't enjoy the skinny menu. I feel like I can barely see any recipes with it. I would be very sad if this suggestion was taken up as a result.

[goatt]

38 minutes ago, Primalflower said:

I feel like I can barely see any recipes with it.

all icon sizes are made the same as the original UI. So there is no difference.

[DVGMedia]

1 hour ago, Primalflower said:

I don't enjoy the skinny menu. I feel like I can barely see any recipes with it. I would be very sad if this suggestion was taken up as a result.

if they do implement it which i doubt they will
its best to give it a shot.  The current UI  Can be modified to be able to make it be the best for the most people.
we all get the chance to explore and have our thoughts heard.

 

23 hours ago, goatt said:

 vertical menu won't lose any of the benefit of the new UI, I think...

IM glad my small mock up gave you some inspiration to make a much cleaner version I think you did a great job with visualizing an alternative that could make everyone happy with the talking points the devs provided

 

[DVGMedia]

11 hours ago, jan Mele said:

Maybe something a little more like this? Just alter the item info and icons to be smaller and use the now free space for more icons.

(This was shown on the recent rhymes with play stream)

Im actually really sad they did not suggest this to the players originally.
I would have totally preferred this than whatever we got.
Like its crazy to see how many changes were made.
LIke i understand that devs can do what they want. But i feel it would have been great to have a more intertwined process of dealing  with this big change and so the players and the devs work together in determining what would be the best change.

Rather than just being Hey here it is Take it or leave it!
 

[Mike23Ua]

19 hours ago, SecretPizzaMan said:

That isn't anymore controller friendly than the current ui. It might actually be worse.

This also looks like it reverts the exact thing the new menu was trying to change.

I sincerely hope they’re looking into ways to better optimize this new UI for console players, on PC it doesn’t really matter much because players can download or create mods for their own personalized looks/feels, but for Console players: What we get is what we are stuck with, so it should look & feel smooth & be overwhelmingly positively received by CONSOLE players.. because We are the ones who can’t change it. So Klei’s priorities should be making it as enjoyable to use as it can be on Console controllers first and KB+Mouse being an after thought, Many console players feel the new UI improves the QoL for PC KB+Mouse- but on Console: It’s clearly worse.

But instead of just saying it’s worse I’ll provide some detail as to WHY it’s worse.

1- Moving through your Backpack Inventory is now made even more inconvenient by moving the analog stick too far Left and instead of continuing to access your Backpack Inventory such as moving all the way left moving you all the way far right, it instead moves you to the Favorite Crafts Tab.

2- The favorites Tab itself is configured weirdly on Controller, being Accessible by pressing far left, or up.. It would’ve been FINE if just pressing LT opened this Menu While B closed it but instead moving too far left or pressing up (if you have inventory with more than one column of loot to access) could accidentally put you into favorites tab & we all know in this game during a combat scenario, accidentally accessing something else instead of the weapon/food/light you needed instantly is a death sentencing.

3- The old UI was simple to use and felt good on a Console Controller you pressed LT to open the Menu, and then pressed A to craft what you highlighted in this menu, with the NEW Menu you press LT to open the full crafting menu instead of just your Favorites Tab which makes the game literally unplayable for anyone like myself who was use to Pressing LT then A to craft, instead it’s now far Left or Up on analog stick & then down on the D-pad, because pressing LT like your so familiar with opens the full craft UI instead of just favorites.

4- The Old UI was accessible and allowed me to access multiple things I wanted to craft simultaneously at once Particularly the REFINING TAB which players use a heck of a lot- sure I could just Pin Boards, Cutstone, Ropes & Purple Gems in my favorites tab and Ultimately it would be FASTER to craft those things.. but It’d probably had been better if the entire refining tab still had its own exclusive section in the Favorites tab.

Now as far as changes i would make:

LT opens Favorites tab while Left/Up on Analog stick no longer do, A crafts items in favorites tab instead of Down on D-pad, LT while in favorites tab opens the full Craft UI, B exits any menu your currently in & gets you back into the action fast.

I would also like for where my cursor selection is located to be more clearly visible by giving it a special easy to see Border Outline, because when I observe my friends playing this game I notice that many of them can craft an Axe/Spear or whatever, but once they drop it in spring rain or need to swap to a different item, they have a hard time finding it- and sure this could just be “My friends..”  But if one of my friends manages to starve to death with an inventory full of food-  it’s safe to say that a more clearly visible Selection indicator would’ve massively helped in this situation. AHEM such as So:

in the Above Gif (from before the Craft UI was changed) only veteran players who have played the game for forever will have the Keen eye to tell that my currently selected slot in my Menu is the only slightly larger Empty one 12 slots over.

March was all about a QOL update- so something like THIS would be a Massive QoL 

This is even more of a Problem now that Console players can Accidentally end up in the freaking Favorites Tab by pressing too far Left/Up.

[Theukon-dos]

17 hours ago, goatt said:

As I have mentioned in op, the vertical menu shows more items than the current design (22 or 33). So scrolling isn’t a problem as long as the current design is not a problem.

Yes it shows more items at once. But it also only shows 2 new items/scroll while the current UI shows 7 new items a scroll. So if a crafting tab has,  say, 49 items in it. Then you only need to scroll down 4 paces to see the rest of the recipes in the new menu. But with your proposed menu, you would have to scroll down about 14 times with 2 columns. Or 6 times with 3 columns. 

 

Ultimately, while I respect the effort put into this, it feels like it's trying to find a middle ground between the new menu and the old menu while just ending up worse than either of them. You lack the simplicity and intuitiveness of the current menu, and you lack the ease of use of the old menu. I just don't think it would end well.

[SomebodyRandom]

3 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

Favorite Crafts Tab.

Do you mean Pinned Crafts? Cuz Favourites Tab can only be accessed with the menu fully open.

3 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

LT opens Favorites tab while Left/Up on Analog stick no longer do, A crafts items in favorites tab instead of Down on D-pad, LT while in favorites tab opens the full Craft UI, B exits any menu your currently in & gets you back into the action fast.

I agree with the changes you'd make and I'd also like for D-Pad to be useable for navigation as changing Craft to A would make D-Pad no longer have any function in the menu and in my opinion is so much better to navigate UI than an analog stick.

Also we shouldn't have to press twice to craft something in the Pinned Recipes section.

[.]

To be honest, I only didn't liked the skin of current UI but I would want to use a thing like you made. It looks clear and smart. You might think to speak with a modder to save so much person that don't like the current UI.

Also 3 horizontal stacks might look better imo, like the people said, it would be a little hard to find something in it. I had trouble with size of current UI, I have astigmatism so I can't change size of UI to smaller one too. But like I said three will be enough.

[GodIess]

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[TemporarySolutn]

Title:
[Suggestion] (Opinion)