src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79036">
I’ll be honest with you here I hate
Blizzard’s
standard U.I. No offense Blizzard, but really I feel it is seriously
lacking. Sure you can get through the first few levels just fine with
it, but I really think that the standard U.I leaves much to be desired
overall. I know there are some players out there that use it to great
effect, but it’s just not for me, and I know there are many
out
there that agree.
Thankfully, Blizzard noted the tendency for players to want
to
customize their user interfaces in previous MMOGs and gave us the
ability to do so in World of Warcraft. With lots of help from all the
talented mod designers out there we are able to change just about
everything about our user interface if we take enough time to seek it
out and set it up.
Creating the perfect U.I. is something that a great majority of World
of
Warcraft players strive for. We spend huge amounts of time searching
out the mods that benefit us the most and then even more time arranging
them on our screens to create the best affect. In fact just the other
day I spent the better part of two hours juggling around my various
mods mostly because my screen looked like my four year old’s
bedroom floor. Not a good thing.
I personally feel that the way a U.I. looks can also affect the way a
player performs. If your U.I is neat, functional, and suits your needs,
you will inherently perform your duties in game better. Not to mention
that each U.I is almost like an individual work of art, and as such we
like to show them off. I have yet to be in a guild that
doesn’t
have a post for all the guild members to “show off”
their
U.Is. Obviously the advantage of being able to see other U.Is is to
gain knowledge from them and possibly snag some ideas to make your own
U.I more functional, but who doesn’t like to hear someone
exclaim, “Wow your U.I is awesome!”
But what really makes an awesome U.I.? It’s not just looks,
and
it’s not just functionality, itIt needs to be a perfect
balance
of the two all blended together to reflect the unique individual that
created it. While each person may have an’s idea of what the
perfect U.I. will look like for them, there are some obviously bad
ideas, and some obviously good ones. To give you a better
idea of
U.I’s that could hinder or help your play here are some
examples:
The
Bad
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79035">
This U.I. is a good example of how too many mods can be a very, very
bad thing. Whenever I look at this U.I I feel like I do when
it’s
snowed outside and I can only see out of a tiny hole on the windshield
of my car. I’m not exactly sure how you could play like this
as
you can’t see 90% of the screen.
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79034">
Once again clutter is bad, very, very bad. It also looks like this
person possibly downloaded the mods they wanted, and just left them
wherever they popped up. Too many mods (especially if you
don’t
take the time to organize them) can hurt you more than help
you.
To avoid being one of those people with not so great U.I.s
keep a
few things in mind such as:
Keep it simple. Sure it might be nice to download every single mod ever
created, but if you can’t see your screen, you
can’t really
play. Only download and use mods that are useful to your class, or make
your overall U.I. setup more organized and better looking.
Keep it organized. Even if you only have a few mods, if you fail to
organize them once you get them in game you are going to end up with a
big jumbled mess on screen. It also means that you are probably making
less than full use out of the mods you have. For example if your raid
frames are hidden under 6 other mods and you can no longer really see
then, what good are they really doing?
Customize it. Once you get your mods of choice in game and the general
area you want them in be sure to go into the settings and make sure the
mod is going to work for you. Having a mod that is not suited to your
needs or wants is just a waste of space. For example if your cast bar
is only showing melee swings, and you’re a ranged caster
class,
allowing it to remain that way makes your cast bar mod just a waste of
space.
Change it up. Much like learning new and better ways to play your
character, looking for and finding better mods, and U.I. setups is also
important. Check out other player’s U.Is for ideas to
continuously make your own U.I. better. This works especially well with
players of your own class, since that way you know the mods work well
for your specific class. If something strikes your fancy,
don’t
be afraid to ask what mod it is, and then go try it out.
Be true to yourself. While meI and every other player has opinions of
what the best U.I. is, at the end of the day, it’s really all
about you, and what works for you. If a certain set up works for you,
but all your friends think you’re loco for using it, shrug
and
smile and use it anyways. Never forget that it’s your U.I and
you
are the one that has to play with it. Make your U.I. work for you, and
no one else.
The
Good
Below are a few U.I.s I’ve selected to better demonstrate
some
excellent U.I set ups. If you look at them they all tend to be neat,
functional, and pleasing to the eye. While all player’s U.I.s
will vary these are a general sample of what is a good direction to
take when creating your U.I. masterpiece. Enjoy!
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79037">
The
Ugly
style="font-weight: bold;">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
style="width: 500px; height: 313px;" alt=""
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79041">
Not all World of Warcraft players are gifted enough to compile a user
interface that looks like it should be in an art magazine. There are
some very ugly U.I’s out there, even if they are functional.
And
while functionality really is the most important thing sometimes some
of us desire a little bit more.
Thankfully there are options out there for the less artistically
inclined among us. Many full mod packs can be found with just a simple
search. These will pretty much allow you to decide what you want your
U.I. to look like, then you simply download the pack and do a little
rearranging and a bit of customizing in game, following the picture
shown, and wham your U.I. is beautiful and functional with (usually)
minimal effort on your part.
Some packs will give you every mod you could ever possibly need, while
others will simply give you enough to form your basic U.I. Before
downloading be sure to be aware of what mods come with the pack. This
will help you set up the mods once you download them, and also to
determine if any other mods are needed to further supplement your
play.
One other thing to be aware of is to make sure that any mods or mod
packs you download are still being updated either by the original
author or other players who have taken it upon themselves to update
formerly abandoned projects. Nothing is worse than finding what looks
to be an excellent mod only to install it and discover that it
hasn’t been updated for the most recent patch and causes your
game to freeze or crash. With many of the top mods out there this
won’t be an issue, but always do your research before
installing
newer or more obscure mods.
Last but certainly not least, remember that your U.I. can only
be
as awesome as you choose to make it!
Want to share the worst U.I. you have ever seen with us? Have some tips
for creating the perfect U.I or just want to show off yours? Join us on
our forums and share!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.
