Fixing the Horrid UI

Baron Munchausen · #1 November 9th, 2006, 12:12 AM

We did complain about the UI. Then, since he wasn't gonna fix it tomorrow, we started trying to play the game "as is" and other bugs cropped up. Since he was already committed to the UI design he went for the new bugs we noticed and conveniently 'forgot' about the UI complaints. As testing progressed we occasionally grumbled again, but once again went on to other concerns and since he wanted to stick with the UI he had developed he interpreted this continued cooperation as tacit acceptance of the UI. In order to get him to change it we'd have had to stage a 'sit down' strike and refused any further testing until the UI was changed.

The massive outcry after release finally seems to have broken through his preconceptions about his UI design, but once again he is very busy with other bugs and unless there is a lot of push devoted specifically to UI I fully expect it will 'slip' again in favor of other bugs.

Phoenix-D · #2 November 9th, 2006, 12:29 AM

Yeah, MM's patch cycle seems to be..rather odd. Note the comment in the chat about working from the top of the email stack to the bottom..

AMF · #3 November 9th, 2006, 07:59 AM

"Rather odd"? Yeesh kableesh. Rather backwards is more like it.

Someone really needs to ask him to concentrate on the UI. I mean, it's what will, in the end, prevent the game from suceeding in the overall marketplace. I sent him three emails right when the game first came out, but I haven't seen any of my concerns addressed in the patches. Not that I am parochial about it, but my concerns were the same ones everyone else mentioned, and that everyone still does even today. But if he is "working from the top of the pile not the bottom" then he's just, with all due respect, doing things totally b@ss-ackwards. The UI is what will doom the game to be the last in the series. It would be a pity if that happened simply because the way MM fixes things is poorly organized.

So, can I urge people to pile on the emails to Aaron about fixing the UI? Please? I really want this game to suceed, as, I think, we all do. But the UI has to be fixed for that to happen.

Just my two cents.

Slick · #4 November 9th, 2006, 12:47 PM

Saying that he works from the top of the pile will just encourage people to keep submitting their gripes over and over again to keep them on the top. What a strange way to do business. Maybe a prioritizing system? Maybe?

Raapys · #5 November 9th, 2006, 01:14 PM

Maybe a forum sticky.

Atrocities · #6 November 9th, 2006, 01:39 PM

Ya that top of the pile thing kinda threw me for a loop too. I thought it to be kind of a bad policy myself. If you don't go through the emails you have gotten, and only focus on the new ones, you are going to mis all of the valuable stuff previously submitted and that might include some significant bugs thus prolong the time it would take to address said bugs.

Atrocities · #7 November 9th, 2006, 01:44 PM

I wonder if Aaron has been infected by the George Lucas bug? Its symptoms include the onset of decreased willingness to take suggestions, a narrowing of ones perspective when it comes to accepting help, and the onset of a strong desire to ignor common sense in favor of adopting a backwards approach to problem resolution.

While Lucas was far beyond ever being able to be cured, perhaps there still might be time to save Aaron. Quick, everyone stop emailing Aaron your bug reports. Hold them in reserve until the ones that have been emailed to him have been cleared from his in box and addressed. Hopefully out of shier boardom he will look at the older emails and realize that they contain some seriously good bug reports and game helping suggestions.

Once they are acted upon, then swamp him agian.