Lootz - sneak peak at merchant and inventory [Archive]

medierra

05-13-2011, 06:47 AM

Ask and thou shalt receive, sometimes, ask too often and thou shalt be beaten!

So finally, I will, with great reluctance, show you some lootz and a bit of the UI. You will immediately notice that aside from the most horrendous designer-art buttons being blurred out (because really, they were too silly to show), there is also a bunch of other not so hot stuff going on, like other horrendous designer-art weapon swap buttons being misaligned. However, keep in mind, we're in the middle of development.

http://www.grimdawn.com/screenshots/2011-05-13_inventory01_lrg.jpg

Let us focus on the important thing, the lootz. You'll see we're making some progress and have a decent assortment of stuff in-game now. The diversity of loot on the merchant is a bit lower than it usually is just because this character is leveled up to where the common loot currently starts to end. Why does the merchant not sell pants? A good question... I myself have often wondered that but no answer is forthcoming.

I think this counts for at least 2, maybe 3 updates! I could have strung it out but no, I've dished it all out at once! BAM - inventory, lootz, merchant, HUD, new caster armorz!!! Yes, surely this counts as more then one update! :p

Oh, also, I should mention that I'm not sure I like the skillbar layout. I've been wanting to change it but haven't found the time. I think it would be best to move all the hotslot buttons together in the center and the R / L buttons to the left.

MadWasp

05-13-2011, 07:21 AM

update of the month. :)

Nice. TQ legacy UI.

keep up the great work!

Scryer

05-13-2011, 07:23 AM

Awesome! Thanks for the 3… 4… updates!

I know there are a lot of issues with this… and that’s understandable.

The one thing I can say already, the swords that take up 4 vertical slots, eh, I’m a pretty big believer in standardization, and I think that the inventory system would ‘stream’ better if all of those swords… axes and what not were simply 3 vertical slots. The axes with 2 horizontal slots and 3 vertical, could be reduced to 3 vertical.

If you have any daggers, it’s more understandable if they are 2 vertical slots also.

The way I see it is that those axes, swords, and what not are all one-handed weapons. It would be better for the player as a standard size in the inventory. Also, you could let daggers break that mold, but you don’t have to either, it’s certainly an aesthetic choice, but I also believe there’s a game play experience there, and inventory space of course.

Edit: I really like the styling of the windows!

Ahem, compliment, gotta get used to it. :p.

Mind Dragon

05-13-2011, 07:56 AM

It is nice to see the game taking shape.

Strangely, it is the depictions of the resistances that seem a bit out of place.

I also noticed the body/armor/weapon slots are a bit too pronounced. The slots are a ui substitute for the players body. Over-emphasising or calling attention to the substitution makes it a bit more alien. It looks like a machine. It looks like you would be pulling items out of a cavity and then dropping new items in.

The inventory is fine -- maybe because it is impersonal.

yerkyerk

05-13-2011, 08:26 AM

This is looking good. It's definitely giving me post-apocalyptic vibes :)

The info page looks a bit off though. Not the page itself (I like the background), but the content. Obviously, the text is aligned to far to the left, causing it to overlap the border.
"Amount of Damage Blocked" should probably be reduced to "Damage Blocked", as it's quite long.

The resistance part seems to be off with the rest of the page. That part isn't seperated from the rest by a line. The textfield "Resistances" is not equally aligned with the rest of the page (plus it seems to have a shorter line spacing).
The resistance icons don't seem to fit to well with the style.

And finally, the fonts used don't seem right. Might be personal, but I'd prefer to see different fonts.

Anyway, I always have something to complain, despite that, I'm quite impressed. It seems to breathe the right atmosphere.

Josho

05-13-2011, 08:29 AM

Wooo!

Out of curiosity with regards to development, how far along would you guys be before deciding to lock down the UI elements? Would it be before, or during the alpha? I'm presuming it would be locked in for the beta.

If I can offer one small tidbit of criticism, it is the fact that there is a lot of grey. Sure, sure, I know Grim Dawn is meant to be grim, and what better way than to use grey. It does beat using copious amounts of brown. But is there any chance of adding a small splash of other colour within the main windows? Or will it be met with a copout of indicating that the colour of the windows is a "steel blue...?" Or would colour simply clash too much with the style?

Time for the compliments. Firstly, the skill icons down the bottom are excellent. Immediately clear and well detailed. The artist deserves a beer or two for that, even if they aren't "polished" yet.

As for the second compliment, well, it is obvious that Crate is staffed by some of the most talented guys in the computer gaming industry and it is certainly great to see you guys didn't slip into the fold of EA-acti-ubi game development where said talents would undoubtedly go unrecognised and left to waste away :) Personally, I appreciate the hard work that has gone into this game.

MadWasp

05-13-2011, 10:02 AM

eisprinzessin

05-13-2011, 10:16 AM

your developer sandwich:

Compliment: Nice!
Scathing criticism: You washed the gloves too hot ... they shrank up. :p
Compliment: I like it.
Inevitable question: What's the stuff in the leftmost column in the inventory? The topmost seems to be a completed 'charm' (how do you call them in GD?), like to one put on the equipped shield.

Hrf

05-13-2011, 01:55 PM

Very nice, I like the art direction. And check out the GUNZ!

yerkyerk

05-13-2011, 02:06 PM

I especially like the pilgrim hat; going Solomon Kane on their asses!

The guns look good as well, especially the multi-barrel one.

Renevent

05-13-2011, 02:06 PM

Looking great! Love the gritty interface :D

Honestly coolest image you guys have released yet! Looks like a lot more icons on the mini map for different types of NPC's...also really like how the boots go over portions of the leg armor/pant it look really slick. Also, love the different armor/weapon models/art they look fantastic and really unique.

jamesL

05-13-2011, 03:25 PM

after seeing the UI for the "followers" in D3

http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/5613/title/scoundrel-interface/cat/525

this looks positively professional and ready to go

I am not liking the new D3 look at all.
I had no problem with it until yesterday when they released the followers video.
but now ?

D3 looks too much like WOW and GrimDawn is looking SO MUCH better

I am so psyched for this game

ASYLUM101

05-13-2011, 04:09 PM

All hail Crate and Medierra, they have listened to our pleas of despair!

http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2001

I love the UI and the armor icons (and paperdoll) but I have a question or two;

1) The text - is it place holder or what? It seems off in the HP bar which kinda bothers me. It's not a huge issue but it does look a bit too big or something.

2) I see skills on the bottom.. icons are pretty nice and unique, but something else I noticed that intrigues me... 1,2,3,4,5 - L, R - 6,7,8,9,0. No doubt L and R are left and right MB, what reason did you guys do this? It is a good idea, I'm just curious.

3) On the left of the skill bar, the two arrows pointing up and down, this is the skillbar hot swap?

4)Like others have asked, what are those objects in your inventory? Crafting ingredients?

5) I see the shield you have has a + on it, like in TQ when you enchanted an item, it looked the same. Do you guys plan to change this? (if you CAN change it that is..)
Anyway. I love the minimap, it looks great. And the HP bar section, I see a clock!

Harlequin

05-13-2011, 04:49 PM

Awesome, thanks a lot medierra. This is really quite a ton of new stuff you gave us this months. ;)

Anyway criticism!

1) I really like the textures and the overall looks of the inventory and the ui and everything.

2) Minor things so far that I don't like. The first one is the fonts used for the hp/energy in the top-left corner. It looks like a placeholder and I kind of hope that it is exactly that. If not...implement a slider so we can change the fonts? xD *jk*

3) As I said I like the textures and backgrounds in the inventory however in the Info Page it makes the numbers for HP and Energy a bit hard to read.

4) The icons for the resistances: Fire, Ice and Lightning look a bit...too bright and simple, especially the one for Fire looks like it was made with powerpoint. I don't want to offend someone but if you compare it with the Icon for Poison (it looks great) you see a huge difference.

5) The UI, as good as it looks, appears to be a bit...mixed up? The buttons are spread all over it, maybe skills should be on one side and the other buttons on the other? Like in TQ. (I know you said that yourself but I wanted to give feedback to your thought).

6) Size of the shoulderpats...they are 2x2 while bodyarmor is 2x3. Do you see what I am thinking? They are HUGE in the inventory just like the shields. Maybe you can adjust that, it looks a bit irritating to me at least.

This all is nitpicking and pretty minor stuff, don't get me wrong. Everything already looks very good and playable as it is but well...I thought I'd share my thoughts. :P

@items: I think some looks like scrapmetal, it appears to be stacked? Then we can see salt, potions, energypotions (I like that they are green and not the typical royal-blue). Those rocks look like they are gems or something? They appear to be of varied quality, with the topmost being of highest quality.
That one thing with 5 stacks, looks like a radioactive starfish? oO

medierra

05-13-2011, 06:21 PM

Lots of questions! Can't get to them all now but ill try to answer a few.

Font - I agree it looks bad at larger sizes and we'll look into getting something else eventually. We're currently using it because it is free. ;) You wouldn't believe how damn expensive it is to license a good font.

The objects on the left are both crafting ingredients and charms. Some are only ingredients but others can be used as either.

I see the shield you have has a + on it, like in TQ when you enchanted an item, it looked the same. Do you guys plan to change this? (if you CAN change it that is..)

Hah yeah, it does look the same but it is actually new art. I couldn't think of what else to do for it so I just recreated it. I'll probably try to get one of the artists to come up with something better.

On the left of the skill bar, the two arrows pointing up and down, this is the skillbar hot swap?

Yeah, that is some fancy designer UI art where I just drew arrows as stand-in buttons. The merchant icons are equally silly at the moment.

I think I definitely want to re-arrange the HUD, I really don't like having the hotslot buttons separated but there are other things I need to finish before I do another pass on that.

Size of the shoulderpats...they are 2x2 while bodyarmor is 2x3. Do you see what I am thinking? They are HUGE in the inventory just like the shields. Maybe you can adjust that, it looks a bit irritating to me at least.

This is just one of the imperfections of grid style inventory that we have to deal with. In terms of size relation, shoulders should really probably be about 1/3 or 1/4 the size of full torso armor, however, due to their shape, they also need a square box. Of course, we can't just make a square box 1/3 the size, we're stuck using grid units. A 2x1 box would be too narrow or too short, a 1x1 shoulder piece would be way too small, and... well anyone think a 3 unit L-shape is a good idea? :p So, we're sort of stuck with 2x2. It isn't perfect but all systems have their drawbacks and I think this is one of the least offensive.

OneEyeRed

05-13-2011, 07:05 PM

Nice update folks, thank you.

hooby

05-13-2011, 07:46 PM

well anyone think a 3 unit L-shape is a good idea? :p

Inventory tetris?

You'll need to make items rotateable though.

LostSoul

05-13-2011, 07:58 PM

All things considered I'd say I'd just run with the shoulder pieces that size. The alternative is making grid space smaller, which I suppose technically you could do, but that'd be a lot of reworking of the way the inventory system works to really make the most out of that kind of change.

Actually...I guess another alternative is to make the inventory art for chest pieces be bundled or folded up rather than spread out like they're on a hangar.

jiaco

05-13-2011, 08:12 PM

Excitement is mounting!

1. I love the fact that the clock survived. With the new icon, maybe more people will figure out that it is actually there.

2. What exactly does the 5 hot-key do, the action on the right or on the left?

Aeturnum

05-13-2011, 08:33 PM

Looks quite good! I dig the aesthetic used. I think equipment looks quite good as well.

Am I the only person who sees two buttons with a 5 on them? There's the one with the downward chevrons and the one with the bloody blade...am I crazy?

yerkyerk

05-13-2011, 08:41 PM

Font - I agree it looks bad at larger sizes and we'll look into getting something else eventually. We're currently using it because it is free. ;) You wouldn't believe how damn expensive it is to license a good font.

Well, you're a designer, aren't you? ;)

Void(null)

05-13-2011, 09:20 PM

I love the fact that the clock survived. With the new icon, maybe more people will figure out that it is actually there.

I love the clock in TQ, it came in handy so many times.

Out of intrigue, is there any story as to why you guys put a clock in Titan Quest to begin with?

medierra

05-13-2011, 09:31 PM

Well, you're a designer, aren't you? ;)

Lol, I'm a game designer, not a graphic designer!

I love the clock in TQ, it came in handy so many times.

Out of intrigue, is there any story as to why you guys put a clock in Titan Quest to begin with?

I can't remember exactly. What I'd really like is for the clock to show the time of day in-game too. Would be nice if the clock graphic visually changed to show the progression from day to night on the HUD. I guess I'll just add that to my wish-list, which will already probably take 10 years to complete. :mad:

medierra

05-13-2011, 09:35 PM

Am I the only person who sees two buttons with a 5 on them? There's the one with the downward chevrons and the one with the bloody blade...am I crazy?

Yeah, the HUD toolbar is more of a fubar atm. It will be totally reworked.

Scryer

05-13-2011, 09:54 PM

I still think that weapons would work better if they were more unified in the inventory grid.

2x3 axes is pretty big for a one handed weapon.

But hey, the style and everything else is pretty cool.

An in-game clock would be awesome.

Steerpike

05-13-2011, 10:27 PM

Looking good. I almost hovered momentarilly over the pots to find out what does what!

Harlequin

05-13-2011, 10:33 PM

2 Things I forgot:

1. That rage-face skill-button: The teeth are too white. ;)

2. Dude your resistances are all 0%! any range will eat you alive!!!! How did you survive until lvl 30+

Perturabo

05-13-2011, 11:26 PM

Great screen (except for the info page but yerkyerk already said everything about it)! Wainting for the start of the alpha get's harder and harder with every screen and video your posting :(

medierra

05-14-2011, 12:05 AM

2 Things I forgot:

1. That rage-face skill-button: The teeth are too white. ;)

2. Dude your resistances are all 0%! any range will eat you alive!!!! How did you survive until lvl 30+

What makes you think I survived? This char is actually a bit old and I leveled it up at a time when there weren't many enemies with non-physical damage attacks and also not many items with resistances. Now we have a lot more of both, so this guy probably wouldn't last too long outside of town.

Kardiophylax

05-14-2011, 12:06 AM

Everything looks good and it is great to see things coming together.

Thanks for the update!

eisprinzessin

05-14-2011, 12:22 AM

I thought you decided on GD's new font ages ago ...
from TQ.net (http://www.titanquest.net/tq-forum/threads/32246-Special-font?p=363796&viewfull=1#post363796)
I just changed the font a couple days ago and I feel like its a definite improvement. Not only does it look a little better but it cost a lot less.

You would not believe how **** expensive font licensing is! Its hard though to find a free or low-cost one that looks decent and is readable at all font sizes.

medierra

05-14-2011, 03:49 AM

Azrael

05-14-2011, 05:55 AM

$30,000??

That.... makes me cringe... oh god... must... not... lose faith... in humanity!

MadWasp

05-14-2011, 05:56 AM

Unfortunately, it doesn't look very good at certain sizes, I think because of the way the font is designed it doesn't scale above or below a certain point.

More importantly though, it doesn't seem like people are very happy with it in screenshots, so we'll try for something better if we can find a better one. It is quite easy to change the font in the game. Finding the right one is the tough part.

At Iron Lore I think they spent around $30,000 licensing different fonts... We certainly don't have that kind of money to throw around on fonts at Crate. :rolleyes:

Heey there are a ton of FREE downloadable(real free) true-type fonts on the internet.
Look around and pick a good one meanwhile fans here can help and can vote for the best one.

Pick 10-20 different typez and lets vote for the best and implement that one.

Let the font hunt begin now!:cool:

Kirii

05-14-2011, 06:02 AM

This UI looks like a good base to work on. I like the square/sharpness of it and the simplicity so far.

There are some obvious clipping and overlapping problems but I am sure you will iron those out later.

My only suggestion (and those who know me from the TQ forums know my bias) but I think having the life and energy bars at the bottom of the screen is a lot more convenient. I am sure you guys are very used to having them where they are but maybe just give it a try and see how it feels.

Dejnov

05-14-2011, 06:54 AM

My only suggestion (and those who know me from the TQ forums know my bias) but I think having the life and energy bars at the bottom of the screen is a lot more convenient. I am sure you guys are very used to having them where they are but maybe just give it a try and see how it feels.

Actually this is one of the more important suggestions for UI. In TQIT you spend a lot of time watching active skill cool-downs so you can activate them as quickly as possible. Good players try to time their swings and skill activations for a quick response. This means that the focal point of action is closer to the bottom of the screen. (Also your character isn't actually centered on the visual display, it tends to hug down also). Having health and mana at the top means you have to change your focal point while you're playing, which is a lot of effort.

I know from experience that most players needed that auditory ding to actually remember to pump a potion. Especially less active gamers. Their eyes naturally follow the cool down timers and their character. It would be less of a visual effort if important information was lumped closely. That way you can visually focus on a single point (contaning important cool down timers, your character, and the health bar), while keeping the general action in your peripheral vision. If anything move experience and quest things (like log skill chart etc) to the top and out of the way. Those things are rarely accessed and you don't need them hogging up important visual real estate.

Dejnov.

Opal Monkey

05-14-2011, 08:50 AM

Woohoo for the clock! Everything is looking great, considering the polishing hasn't been done yet :D

I know a couple of people mentioned that there are two 5's on the toolbar... but there also seems to be a distinct lack of 9 :p

I think any criticisms I might have are already covered. As for the font problem, how about DejaVu (http://dejavu-fonts.org/wiki/Main_Page)? Unless I'm missing something it is completely free. It's what I use anywhere I need a clear, easy to read font and seems to scale fairly well.

Hope it's okay, I took a couple of clips from the screenshot and inserted a few tests to compare how various forms of DejaVu would look. Serif, Sans Serif, and Mono versions were all used at least once.

http://u.cubeupload.com/OpalMonkey/bbf20110513inventory01l.jpg (http://cubeupload.com/im/OpalMonkey/bbf20110513inventory01l.jpg)

http://u.cubeupload.com/OpalMonkey/20110513inventory01l.jpg (http://cubeupload.com/im/OpalMonkey/20110513inventory01l.jpg)

yerkyerk

05-14-2011, 12:15 PM

I think that a themed font (a victorian font?) could really help with making the game a little more unique. There'll be a lot of number crunching and stat comparisons, after all.

Diablo's font style might not be the easiest to read, but it's immediately recognizable and excites me somewhat (as it reminds me of the game), as opposed to arial-type fonts (which reminds me of business-like communication).

It is very much part of the art-style of the game.

xzalion

05-14-2011, 12:49 PM

Everything looks well, expect those belts! really they don't fit proper in their blocks :rolleyes:

Void(null)

05-14-2011, 04:03 PM

At Iron Lore I think they spent around $30,000 licensing different fonts... We certainly don't have that kind of money to throw around on fonts at Crate. :rolleyes:

What about using this as a type of marketing opportunity?

Hold a competition for the creation of a font to be used for Grim Dawn, toss up news on Kotaku, Ars and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Winning font gets a copy of the legendary edition and an in game boss or item (cleverly) named after them.

You guys will get a slew of fonts to choose from, it would be great publicity for the game and you could narrow it down to the top 10 entries and then have the community vote on which one to use, essentially doubling exposure for the same event.

And if you don't get any entries that really bake your biscuit for the main in game font, you could use it as a type face for promotional material etc.

On top of that, it costs you almost nothing to do.

MrFreckle

05-14-2011, 04:24 PM

Woo! Woo!!

MadWasp

05-14-2011, 07:57 PM

MadWasp

05-14-2011, 08:01 PM

What about using this as a type of marketing opportunity?

Hold a competition for the creation of a font to be used for Grim Dawn, toss up news on Kotaku, Ars and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Winning font gets a copy of the legendary edition and an in game boss or item (cleverly) named after them.

You guys will get a slew of fonts to choose from, it would be great publicity for the game and you could narrow it down to the top 10 entries and then have the community vote on which one to use, essentially doubling exposure for the same event.

And if you don't get any entries that really bake your biscuit for the main in game font, you could use it as a type face for promotional material etc.

On top of that, it costs you almost nothing to do.

+1 superb amount of smart ideas.

It's a racional easy to do solution even efficient.:cool:

Prosoro

05-15-2011, 01:34 AM

Ohh man have been waiting to have lil peak at the UI and some more items! :D It's looking great, especially the Armour detail and general rustic look.

Items definately fit with the theme and atmosphere, theyre exactly the type of things i'd imagine to come by within Cairn. I also notice the particular Armour/Coats that the Character has worn in previous screenshots.

Regarding the Shield, the one equipped looks the same as the Shields being sold.. however it's become a lil... rusty over time? or just different variety?

Items are looking awesome, just the arms/gauntlets seem waay too small but then equipped on the Character they look great!

All in all Crate, you continue to make our wait for Grim Dawn so much more damn hard!..which is a good thing :P

Thanks for the update

....ps - That Mace is Epic!

LeonResEvil2

05-15-2011, 04:10 AM

Nice work so far, but I did have some (several) thoughts:
Fonts have been mentioned, I agree on something victorian, suiting the game style, and recognizable. Being average fails to catch eyes.
The map button at the top-right seems huge to me, and it digs into the compass negatively.
I understand the idea of moving the health and mana bars closer to the action, but I don't want to see the game look more like a Diablo clone by duplicating that aspect. I like the way the bars look in TQ and GD, and I feel that properly timed 'red-out' effects on screen could help tell players when health is dropping quickly in percentage terms.
I do hope most of the item image issues are just the early build status. They definitely need the dimensional depth aspects for armor, the way TQ shows them at angles. Currently it literally feels like paper doll images, the pants and belt worst of all. Gloves look goofily small. Don't focus on straight, clean, utilitarian angles. I'd develop the items for the 3D character first, using basic placeholders for all items of the same type, not blow any time working up individual placeholders, and use whatever 3D modeler you develop the items in to take screenshots from angles to give them depth (then photoshop or whatever as desired). I loved the way TQ displayed items, and weapons being 2D where it made sense. Just not so perpendicular; it makes it feel sterile in a world that should be far from it.
The resistances and character rotation arrows don't fit the style. I'd consider removing the arrows possibly, if we can click and drag to rotate as we like.
Maybe having a currency image will help, but I feel like the number location currently falls between the cracks and doesn't stick out. It took me awhile to even notice it was there at first. Maybe closer to the border to its right would help.
Level number seems more suited to the bottom left for the character head profile. It currently meshes confusingly with the health bars (beginners may say "is that my Lives number"?), and there is more usable room on the bottom left.
I hope there is a way to hide the non-skillbar buttons. With them so divided up, it feels like they take up more room. And personally I always use the keys. (On the key topic, assigning keys by first letter is fine, but developing a good key alignment, like what WASD did for shooters, would REALLY help. I've made up one that works great for TQ and Diablo, if you're interested...)
I suppose that's a lot of crits. =D So I'll say, I love how you guys used the inventory and all to cover up the name of the location! Very sneaky. Loving the work, just trying to be constructive. Thanks!

eisprinzessin

05-15-2011, 08:43 AM

I do hope most of the item image issues are just the early build status. They definitely need the dimensional depth aspects for armor, the way TQ shows them at angles. Currently it literally feels like paper doll images, the pants and belt worst of all. Gloves look goofily small. Don't focus on straight, clean, utilitarian angles. I'd develop the items for the 3D character first, using basic placeholders for all items of the same type, not blow any time working up individual placeholders, and use whatever 3D modeler you develop the items in to take screenshots from angles to give them depth (then photoshop or whatever as desired).
If the items are 3D anyway, would it possible that they rotate in the inventory? Not constantly of course, but the one your mouse hovers over.

Harlequin

05-15-2011, 01:20 PM

Hold a competition for the creation of a font to be used for Grim Dawn, toss up news on Kotaku, Ars and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Winning font gets a copy of the legendary edition and an in game boss or item (cleverly) named after them.

I like the idea however I think that there are only few people who know how to create a font. Fonts are pricy for a reason. You have to make graphics for a few hundred symbols. The letters alone are more than 50 (capital and normal) symbols depending on the language this can go up a bit. Scandinavian alphabet, greek alphabet, etc. Add in all the special symbols and you can go up to a few 100 symbols.

yerkyerk

05-15-2011, 02:02 PM

Well, you wouldn't need all symbols. You'd need numerical, alphabetical (and in capitals) and punctuation.. not sure if you really need anything else.

HumblingPie

05-15-2011, 04:56 PM

This follows my favorite saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it"
Glad to see the formula that worked and I love is alive and well.
New look, yay! new loot, YAY! Thanks for the update!

mamba

05-15-2011, 08:40 PM

I do hope most of the item image issues are just the early build status. They definitely need the dimensional depth aspects for armor, the way TQ shows them at angles. Currently it literally feels like paper doll images, the pants and belt worst of all. Gloves look goofily small.

Agreed, the look is too two-dimensional / flat. Might be due to a lack of color, everything is very grayish/brown. This is also true for the windows themselves, I probably would make them stick out a bit more.

Gloves clearly are too small, they should look similar (size wise) to the boots, if this doesn't work nicely, maybe show just one (as you do for shoulderpads, even though they come in pairs too ;) ).

Belts should be a little smaller, they are wider than their two slots.

Rainier Wolfcastle

05-15-2011, 09:12 PM

Damn the game looks ready for alpha to me. I like the really beat up look of the inventory screen.

Palladin0718

05-15-2011, 11:49 PM

Good Job Medierra. And keep the updates coming. Just wish there was some way to help you guys other than putting more hours in a day.

Executioneer

05-16-2011, 07:55 AM

just an idea, if you want the items that size, why don't you leave them to take those slots but then compensate with a somewhat bigger inventory? my compliments to the efforts:D looks gr8:D:D!

pts

05-16-2011, 10:45 AM

If the items are 3D anyway, would it possible that they rotate in the inventory? Not constantly of course, but the one your mouse hovers over.

As the inventory background looks now, I think rotating stuff right on top of it would make it hard to see anything without emphasising the item a bit. Maybe putting a thin frame around it with a darker background would do the trick; or maybe just the background part. Hard to say without actually seeing something like it in action ;)

Icefire

05-16-2011, 01:16 PM

Level 32 and only 80 DPS?? Someone needs a desperate gear upgrade. :D

Seriously looks great though. I cant wait to play this game.

jeckhyl

05-16-2011, 02:13 PM

And 0% in all resistances :o.

Pastabasta

05-18-2011, 06:42 AM

Urge to collect epic gear....rising! The tease is too much! Seriously, this looks great. I love the art style - WWI/ Steampunk are some of my favourite influences. Keep up the fantastic work!
Now excuse me while I go grind in Titan Quest.

3B0L4

05-18-2011, 11:35 AM

I must say that it looks a little cheap at the moment, but some changes really feel good. The overall setting and color use is really bland, like GTA4 was grey/brown, but, just like GTA4, it mixes really well with the world.

Looking at the artwork, though: I feel a graphics designer is badly needed (though this could be done best as a last stage of completion), which makes me feel that this game won't be ready at the end of this year, or early next year. Looking at the Human Resource Crate has... Would be a real shame to see this game go head-to-head with Diablo3 and fail because of the hype surrounding the former...

But, to end on a positive note: Looks good, keep up the good, and keep the good coming ;)

matthewfarmery

05-18-2011, 11:55 PM

Some nice updates, I have to admit, I love the UI, and yes fonts are expensive, while there are some that are free, many are too samely in my eyes

but hopefully you will be able to find a nice font and with the rest of the UI, things are looking good

can't wait for the alpha, Im getting very excited

pogmog

05-19-2011, 06:43 AM

9voltkilowatt

05-20-2011, 05:10 AM

Any small nitpicks aside I'd have to say that this merchant interface is really lacking in the turtle slider department. :D

medierra

05-20-2011, 06:18 AM

Everything looks so cool. I've been staring at this picture for ages. The guns look so good. Too bad in every game I'm a melee tank haha.

This pic made me pre-order. :D

I agree about the gloves though, they look squashed. I reckon they should be placed like the boots.

Thanks for helping to support the game!

I totally forgot the glove bitmaps were screwed up. Guess I've been staring at them too long. Don't worry though, we realize they currently look ridiculous. :p

That is just the default positioning. We just need to make an animation for the gloves that causes them to be positioned together when they're not on the character, similar to the way bracers worked in TQ. We took care of this tonight, so once new bitmaps are generated the gloves will look more appropriate.

Gem

05-20-2011, 12:11 PM

About shoulders: maybe make them one under another? So it will look like pile of 2 (1*2) items.

Inferus

05-20-2011, 12:30 PM

What are the items on the bottom left in the inventory? Seems like stacks of something? Three (2 grey, 1 green) seems full/complete and the other two contains 4 and 3 items respectively..?
Is it collections of essences/emboidments or something like that?

Also, I haven't seen the attribute categories before; Cunning, Physique, Spirit.
Guessing Physique contains both strength and dexterity, and cunning probably represents something like the old "Intelligence". But in that case, what does spirit contribute? Logically it's something enchanters would like to get as high as possible, but in that case I don't understand cunning..? :)

Renevent

05-20-2011, 01:51 PM

I'd imagine Physique is str/health, cunning is dexterity/speed, and spirit is intelligence/mana.

eisprinzessin

05-20-2011, 05:53 PM

Is everybody aware of the purpose of http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/images/misc/stafftracker.png (http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/showthread.php?p=32262#post32262)? ;) A few clicks take you to:

The objects on the left are both crafting ingredients and charms. Some are only ingredients but others can be used as either.

New attribute labels due to new meaning (more (http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25467&highlight=Cunning+Physique+Spirit#post25467)):
Cunning - OA and bonus to all damages
Physique - DA, Health, and Req for heavy armor
Spirit - Energy, Energy Regen and Req to use certain "top grade" magic items / affixes.

Heffalumps

05-23-2011, 05:13 AM

dresenpai

05-25-2011, 07:03 PM

It's just so beautiful....

medierra

05-26-2011, 01:14 AM

Hi guys. I've been lurking here for ages and decided to finally register. Will probably make a pre-order, but I'm going to wait till I have a better idea of when alpha/beta are happening (I won't wait too long though, I want to contribute).

Appearances are reminding me of Stalker somehow, in a good way. That sort of hostile environment and gritty texturing in the right places- I definitely dig it, its moodsetting.

Wow, nice catch - Stalker was actually somewhat of an inspiration for us. Well, funny thing is, I never played it, I only watched a co-worker play it for about 30mins at ILE but I really liked the environmental hazards and eeriness of it.

tnoyce

05-26-2011, 11:45 PM

The STALKER series does have a very definite atmosphere -- a good sense of 'place'.

I haven't managed to finish any of them yet, but they are an impressive effort IMHO.

Gumshoe

05-27-2011, 12:40 AM

I wonder, is there still a need to have 'slots' for equipped items. Why couldn't we just equip the items to a 3d model (zoomable and rotateable) of the character so you see the gear instantly. Maybe rings/amulets still need the slots, but otherwise I see it as something we're just used to that is unneccessary.

I understands it's use in say Diablo 2, where the equipment picture isn't represented on character, but for something like TQ, where what you pick up looks the same when equipped, why not just apply them direclty and have the same 'inventory/equipped' comparison popup when highlighting stuff in the inventory. You could maybe shade/highlight areas of the model which show where gear can be applied. Even just have a zoomed in hand view at the side to see rings, wristbands or whatever.

I'm defintely seeing the hints of stalker atmosphere there, which is a good thing :)

Thoughts?

macray

05-27-2011, 09:32 AM

hi there,

I'm new here even though I read the forum for a while now and purchased a legendary issue already...

It's nice to see that there are the first screenshots of the bartering system and inventory, but to be honest: they look like they are 10 years old or more.
There are so many great designs for weapons, shields... and you have to make it all gray on gray? The axe/ mallet on the right perfectly blends in the background gray so parts of it are not visible.
On the overall this looks like very much Diablo II inspired - or even more like copied and adjusted in resolution.

I don't like the overall feel of this even though it might be nice ingame. Does the complete game have such dull colours and will there be no antialiasing at all for the inventory?even though it might be nice to keep the same overall scale for the inventory - why do the handshoes have to be so small but still take 4 places? why not have them slightly bigger and fit them in a double place? The shoes and the shoulder pads are huge compared to the handshoes so the scale doesn't seem to be an issue...

The text showing the experience, attributes and so on - please center it. and what I could imagine would be a lot nicer: make it look as if written on the paper that you use as background image. Get rid of the floating shadow underneath and give it a darker colour maybe with a script font so it looks as if written there and not like a hovering ugly display of 10 years ago. You don't need to accentuate the texts there, but put them ABOVE the background picture. (Atm the text is over the left margin but the right side has lots of free space.)

What I miss: a side-by-side display of the chosen inventory to compare the new found items with the ones already equipped.
Please give the shield in the inventory some colored stripes or make them look like built from different colored metals. I guess if these ones are built from scrap metal then there might still be some faded logos or car paint or stickers on it. (Why bother to remove this if you just want to build something to protect yourselves?) the 4 shields offered by the marketender look dull. They don't need to be polished - but set themselves apart from each other that would be fine. Have them with some green sides, or a red stripe over it or something else.

Could there be the possibility to paint the armour of your hero like for example in the NFS series you can paint your car? That might be interesting - even though it gives no effect to the attributes it might still set your char apart from others and you'd feel more connected to your own customized stuff.
...

*ranting over something that is not available yet*

Sorry for the long post and the lots of complaints - but this bothers me right now even before I've even laid hands on the game and judging from just 1 screenshot.

(btw: you might have a problem to get attention from audience once D3 is out. :) and then you have something really tough to compare against, judging from the screenshots and videos.)

gusseyGoose

06-04-2011, 07:18 AM

Is is possible to customize the char's face? :)

Chameleon

06-06-2011, 09:08 AM

I dont see the 100+ tabs of inventory slots for all the gear I will want to carry with me...

Tenka

06-06-2011, 11:15 AM

Important question, am I going to be able to build a great "Dragon's horde" of all the gear I find?
I *HATE* selling uniques.

Chameleon

06-06-2011, 02:28 PM

http://www.grimdawn.com/screenshots/2011-05-13_inventory01_lrg.jpg

Is hotslot #3 a tribute to this, where you broke a laptop over your head? :D
http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=87&stc=1&d=1298856901

http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1775

medierra

06-07-2011, 06:46 AM

Oh snap! :p

Sile

06-08-2011, 05:42 AM

I've been a bit lazy lately and haven't posted much.

I love the direction you guys are talking the art. As was said a few posts above, it feels very Stalker like and that's great because it really suits the setting of the game.

You're doing a fantastic job guys! Treat yourselves to some cake!

nicki_1911

06-08-2011, 02:09 PM

The screenshot does look nice. I do just hope that not all of the areas are that dark as the ones I've seen so far. A mixture of dark and friendly-looking environment would be great (just my opinion). f.e. diablo 2 was not varied with its dark environments.

concerning the skillbar: I would also put together all the skills and not split them up. The buttons on the left and the right can also be put together. this will make the skillbar more clearly-arranged.

Keep on the good work!

Spinfx

06-13-2011, 02:40 AM

Looks great, keep it up!

One small thing though. You know those two arrows allowing you to rotate the character model? How about adding zoom? Not to ogle T&A but sometimes I like to admire a piece of gear but it's too small to see clearly. Thanks!

jodyj

06-28-2011, 12:55 PM

Hey guys, great going so far, just a few things i thought i should add:

Firstly gameplay is always of utmost importance, and the one thing here i really think will hinder gameplay is where the health bar is situated on the screen. Ok granted maybe im just used to it being at the bottom but i think it does add value if all your bars and skills are close to eachother so that your focal point remains in a certain area.

The other thing is i think the art for certain items could definitly look a bit better. I hate comparing to Diablo 3 but i like the way blizzard has really brought those item icons to life by giving them a sort of 3d look and made the background colours different. Some of your icons look very 2d in some instances like the weapons and armour, where as the helmet icons have been drawn from a side concept which looks alot better than if you looked at it from the front. The belts look like items you would find in Kings Quest 1 :p.

Oh another thing that i hope you guys are doing is letting us bind our own keys to skills, and perhaps show the key that is binded on the actual skill icon. I know you said you want to change the layout of the skillbar so perhaps move the left skill to the far left and the right skill to the far right and make those skill blocks a bit larger than the others.

Just for the record i will definitly be buying this game and supporting you guys, just finished playing dungeon siege 3 and please do yourselve's a favour and play it, so that you know how NOT to make an ARPG.

peace :cool:

i.n.s.a.n.e

06-29-2011, 05:57 AM

The other thing is i think the art for certain items could definitly look a bit better. I hate comparing to Diablo 3 but i like the way blizzard has really brought those item icons to life by giving them a sort of 3d look and made the background colours different. Some of your icons look very 2d in some instances like the weapons and armour, where as the helmet icons have been drawn from a side concept which looks alot better than if you looked at it from the front. The belts look like items you would find in Kings Quest 1 :p.

Budget Combat 4

1. Blizzard budget VS Crate budget
2. Fight!
3. Round 2
4. Fight!
5. Finish him!
6. Fatality!
7. Blizzard budget wins, flawless victory!

macray

06-29-2011, 11:01 AM

...
Just for the record i will definitly be buying this game and supporting you guys, just finished playing dungeon siege 3 and please do yourselve's a favour and play it, so that you know how NOT to make an ARPG.

peace :cool:

quote that for emphasizing it: the way to open and close your inventory for even the smallest thing - it takes ages with the same animation playing over and over again. no such thing for GD please! Same goes for steering the char.. TQ like style is fine and even DS 1&2 were a lot better (at least I think so, haven't played them in a while) Torchlight's way of navigatiing the player is fine as well.

The Ghoat

07-03-2011, 11:48 AM

I wantz MOORREre!!!1!!one

yerkyerk

07-03-2011, 10:06 PM

I do wish to shed a closer light on the weird pants once;
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/9258/squarepantsmchappypants.png

Not only are they drawn from front view (for the best visual effect I think that 2D objects should be drawn from an angle, no matter how slight an angle), it looks very 2D and it misses quite a lot of detail when compared to the jackets (which, imho, look pretty amazing). Weirdest thing though, have you ever seen a man who has so much space between his legs :eek:
Usually, the trouser legs meet each other up top.. right?

Opal Monkey

07-03-2011, 10:25 PM

I agree, it does look a little bit strange. Then again, maybe it's not a men's style. I mean, when the merchant isn't selling any pants, and you're fighting hoards of monsters you'd use what you could find! Right? :p

medierra

07-05-2011, 02:03 PM

Maybe the male char just has a lot between his legs? :p

The bottoms taper off and become rather narrow because they need to fit inside the chars boots.

Yggdrasil

07-05-2011, 02:30 PM

Sorry, but I'm not over-enthusiastic about this picture.:undecided:
Graphisms are very old school (the belts or the resistance icons), the grid seems too visible (look at this one (http://files43.com/images/1242298048454erx.jpg) : a lot smoother), items aren't fit well in the boxes (the shields overflow), the helmets don't have the same head size...
Furthermore the mana/life bars aren't really visible. Small, located at the corner of the screen, and the colors are really really dull...
Honestly, it's the only screenshot disappointing so far. I hope there will be a lot of improvement until the release.

yerkyerk

07-05-2011, 02:36 PM

Maybe the male char just has a lot between his legs? :p
Heh, I bet he has the triple gun wield ability...

Harlequin

07-05-2011, 04:35 PM

Heh, I bet he has the triple gun wield ability...

Anyone else thinking of the film From Dusk Till Dawn?^^

SmajlicekCZ

07-19-2011, 11:43 PM

I've been keeping an eye on this game for a while, and I finally joined the forums here, if only to say: Damn this looks good.

Being a TQ player, I love how the UI feels immediately familiar. There is a lot left to be done here obviously, but its shaping up nicely I would say :)

Suggestion: Put the R/L skill buttons as they were in TQ, that is on the right of the numbered skill bar, or perhaps to the left, it just doesn't fit like this imho, kinda breaks in half. But maybe it's just that I'm too used to the TQ one, it might work nicely if you had active skills for 1-5 and sustained buffs/rarely used skills for 6-0. But I still think it would be a good idea to put the R/L skill buttons on the side.
PS: why is there two number 5 skill buttons? :D <curious nitpicker detected>

Sorry, but I'm not over-enthusiastic about this picture.:undecided:
Graphisms are very old school (the belts or the resistance icons), the grid seems too visible (look at this one (http://files43.com/images/1242298048454erx.jpg) : a lot smoother), items aren't fit well in the boxes (the shields overflow), the helmets don't have the same head size...
Furthermore the mana/life bars aren't really visible. Small, located at the corner of the screen, and the colors are really really dull...
Honestly, it's the only screenshot disappointing so far. I hope there will be a lot of improvement until the release.
Well this is just a work-in-progress, I'm sure it will get improved. Usually, first comes functionality, then the pretty shiny polish. I would take the picture more as an early glimpse instead of the final looks.