I think we all agree that the upgrades system needs an overhaul, if for no other reason than because it takes so damn long to click on things and they keep jumping around so we click the wrong ****.

So, if there’s going to be a redesign, why not make it something that’s actually aesthetically pleasing?

The idea is pretty simple:

Display the remaining upgrade points in a prominent location

The stats go off to one side. Each stat has it’s current value listed, a text box for entering how many points to add, the standard +/- bumons for people who can’t be bumed to use a damn keyboard, what the stat in question would then be (For Eco/Secondary, at least), and the cost of the upgrade.

A simple vertical column, nothing too special or interesting.

For the abilities, those go into a starburst pattern that takes-up the bulk of the layout.

Ability chains radiate outward from the center, with every ability accessible to your level visible as an icon. Mousing over each icon shows the ability’s information.

Any ability you have is shown in full color and has a blue aura.

Any ability you don’t have is greyscaled, contrast-reduced, and blurred a bit.

Abilities that you can’t get at the moment (Not enough UP, for example) get a red aura.

Abilities that you don’t have, but cost 0UP (Starter packs) have a green aura.

Abilities that are beyond your level are not shown.

Clicking on any unpurchased ability results in the upgrade system buying abilities along that chain until it either runs out of UP or reaches the chosen ability.

Clicking on a purchased ability results in the upgrade system selling that ability and every ability beyond it.

At the bottom of the layout are two bumons: “Reset” and “Submit”. Reset clears all the changes, “Submit” makes them permanent. You still need Haxl to do any resetting.

Aside from being more visually appealing, this would allow for more flexibility in the future. For example, what if ET decided to add some more-complicated ability chains? Perhaps adding a new ability chain that depended on two or more other abilities? Or branching ability chains?

As always, feedback is welcome.

Yea, that’s about what I was thinking.

ShadyPixels Posted:

How about we add the option to Haxlrose to keep our attacks and such when we respec.

That way I don’t have to redo my toolbar every time I visit him.

But redoing your toolbar doesn’t waste time for speed runs, it’s only once you make a move.

I agree, even if it doesn’t affect speedrun times (which most people seem to believe), it’s really annoying. It makes sense to have a WoW-style toolbar, to where it remembers the items that were in the bar even when they’re not there, especially in such a short period of time between haxl’ing and buying back your attacks (come on, you haven’t even entered a forum since haxl’ing, why should the toolbar change?). Then if you enter a forum and the items that were in your toolbar aren’t available now, they just disappear.

But good god seriously, haxl’ing really needs to be refined. Log in to see images!

ezek Posted:

so talents?

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=

Not quite what I was thinking, but the same general idea, yes.

All thats needed is just to get rid of the “O HAI I R TEH UPGRADE U R WANT TO UPGRADE, IMA JUMP AROUND ON TEH PAEG”-thing.

SimplyTHEBEST Posted:

I don’t think ET has it set-up in such a way that a greasemonkey script could take care of it.

Even if it was, the fact is that the current system is generally regarded as a crappy placeholder – no disrespect to ET intended. People shouldn’t have to go to third parties to mask a jury-rigged system.

I didn’t mean you could write a script to change the way things are bought, I meant you could write a character builder which lets you plot the results if you spend your points in a certain way. That’s what the Nexus War one does. And it does have a “clbum-specific”-ness; you pick your clbum as you advance and then only the options available to that clbum are shown.

The upgrade purchase screen could use an overhaul, yes, but in the meantime someone could whip up something which would be useable for planning purposes.

spacekadt Posted:

For once, the search tool came in damn handy.

Killermist put together a kickbum page that does that, it just never got updated for Ep2 attacks/stats.

Original thread here

Well curse me for a n00b!

Too bad “it just never got updated for Ep2 attacks/stats.”

I don’t care about planning things out since I can easily do that in my head. I just want a less inconvenient way to tell the game where my UPs go.