Hey Frosty(or any dev that works on the UI) any word on new art assets????

[Darej]

it been about 4 months since update one...no art assets released then...

with update 2 around the corner will there be any released?

or is UI skinning a thing of the past?

[Darej]

i know its the weekend.....but i am hoping you UI devs still read the forums...

hopefully come monday you all can give us some sort of heads up?

[Fredelas]

The UI panel changes are still only about half complete in this build of Bullroarer.

While it doesn't hurt to remind Turbine that the art assets and skin definitions should be published when the update is released, it wouldn't make much sense to do it quite yet.

[Darej]

The UI panel changes are still only about half complete in this build of Bullroarer.

While it doesn't hurt to remind Turbine that the art assets and skin definitions should be published when the update is released, it wouldn't make much sense to do it quite yet.

well..the whole reason for bringing it up now...is becuase they forgot or neglected to release any for the last update back in November.

trying to remind them way ahead of time....

or...for them to tell us they do not plan to support this feature further

also...they could release the art assets from update 1 while we wait for update2

i mean...we can hope right?

[Ashmaera]

Pretty Please!

I've been working on a brand new UI skin since August, and I'm starting to get it wrapped up, but I've been waiting on the latest update changes. If skinning isn't going to be supported any more with the new content, I'll be very disappointed. I've put many many hours of free time into this effort.

[WayEm]

It would be very helpful indeed if we could have the newest art assets. If not for the November Update, then for Update 2.

[Intrinsity]

Yes...newest art assets...please. Thanks.

[CWood]

Agreed. I especially want access to that new character panel. If the old one is the Boss...



...(who's sorta frumpy, but is undoubtedly functional), the new one is Elton John...



...(who may be functional, but certainly doesn't look like it).

[Old1]

I want to fix my old craft panel and I know others do also. Please release the new art assets.

[Bry2007]

It's best to wait after the March update to ask for them or when ever is the patch day is.

This why I longer try to fix currently my UI although it is basically updated.

Turbine in the past has changed the xml code for the UI after we get the patch that breaks the Ui that worked on Bullroarer.

I'm hesitating working on my dressing room mod cause of this.

In the past I had set my toolbar that was movable that worked on bullroarer but then when it went live it broke.

I had put many hours on that toolbar mod of mine for nothing.

[Darej]

It's best to wait after the March update to ask for them or when ever is the patch day is.

This why I longer try to fix currently my UI although it is basically updated.

Turbine in the past has changed the xml code for the UI after we get the patch that breaks the Ui that worked on Bullroarer.

I'm hesitating working on my dressing room mod cause of this.

In the past I had set my toolbar that was movable that worked on bullroarer but then when it went live it broke.

I had put many hours on that toolbar mod of mine for nothing.

but the problem is....we waited till after update 1 and got bumpkus

so we started asking early once update2 got closer...

i and others have even sent Frosty PMs back around u1 and even more recently...no one i know has gotten a reply.

the way it looks to me is that Turbine no longer has the desire to support this part of the community...

we shall know for sure once update 2 hits whether or not Turbine has kicked ui skinners to the curb

[Bry2007]

As far I remember Turbine never actually or officially supported Ui skinning,they have mention that we can make skins but they do not support it officially capacity.

As far LUA,that's officially supported in a sense by the dev team of the LUA section.

Quote from Frosty:

All of the normal EULA stuff with regards to these images apply:

"Your use of the UI components for The Lord of the Rings Online™ is subject to Turbine’s Terms of Service and the UI components shall be considered “Downloaded Content” for purposes thereof. The assets in this file may only be used with your user interface and may not be distributed or used for any other purpose. This file is provided without support of any kind. "

And then the problem is Turbine can ignore us since it's not officially supported.

Frosty is such a nice guy that he went to Turbine ask them and the legal department about releasing the Ui skin packs for us moders,of course with no support.

[Darej]

whether it is officially supported or not has no bearing whatsoever on if they can or cannot ignore us.

if they want to ignore us they will...period.

the facts are that they created a game "feature" that allows one to skin your own ui.

that implied support.......

when they would make changes to the ui and release new art assets to the skinners...that is support.....

with update 1 they did not release anything....that implies they no longer support it.

with update 2 around the corner....

ALL we are asking for is some kind of confirmation that they no longer wish to support this part of the community.

ALL we are asking is whether or not we are wasting our time on a dead feature.

since as they make changes to the UI more and more skins will become unusable.

[rabidrobot]

Hi!
I'm a bit late to the game, coming to LOTRO right at the December update. Most skins and plugins didn't wotk at the time, and since then only a few have been updated.
As an observer and potential participant, I will say that it sure seems like Turbine only wanted to provide token Lua support and regrets releasing skinning information at all. I feel this way because of the lack of communication on the topic, the fact that no art asset IDs (required information for the LotRO user interface modification xml) for any of the elements added to the UI since, what, September 2010? and the needless limitations on plugin capability (e.g. no keyboard support and limited target information).
Here is my speculation. Free to Play is actually Free to Play with Advertising (and VIP is VIP with Advertising) for the LOTRO Store. The first thing any skinner would do, given the ID of the advertising text and button elements, would be to reduce or eliminate them from the interface--we just would. Giving players a way to avoid the very advertising they worked so hard to integrate into the game just doesn't make sense on the face of it, so they'd rather not talk about it at all anymore.
Plugins weren't the topic, but I think still related. If a plugin were allowed to have toolbar buttons powered by keystrokes, you could eliminate the default toolbar from your interface, which would include the button for the LOTRO Store which takes up, I guess, about 5-7% of the toolbar area. So not allowing plugin toolbars to be keystroke enabled eliminates this issue. I don't agree that plugins are limited to reduce botting. There are other means of achieving that goal (just for example as is implemented, not allowing simulated mouse-clicks, reducing the importance of Gold as a currency, and not allowing players [those using non-companion classes] to automatically fight back when attacked).
I say it is all about the LOTRO Store Buttons!

[Yula_the_Mighty]

ALL we are asking for is some kind of confirmation that they no longer wish to support this part of the community.

ALL we are asking is whether or not we are wasting our time on a dead feature.

This kind of answer is against Turbine policy to provide. Instead it is the BLACK HOLE. In goes the request, nothing come out.

It seems like Turbine reacts this way in all their games for the last what seven years now. They got this internal sensor - the answer contains - NO or NOT - transmission terminated.

Once in a while you will get a NO or NOT answer if something like CoC, ToS, Eula issue. Even when it is something they do not think they will ever do they will use "We have NO plans at this time" - It is a no but a milder no.

IMHO - It is a lack of resources. Frosty probably is allowed to do it. He has to do it on his own nickel as free over time. He may very well be putting in more hours than he wants to.

I've run into this problem at my work. I am already exhausted from 80 hour weeks. I do not work this kind of hours any more. It was tearing my family apart. Killing me - literally - my health was degrading.

[Raeganel]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to give my support. I don't personally make UI's, but i do use DaimonUI (purple) and i love the work all you guys do one making these interfaces. It's very clear you all put a lot of time and hard work into them.

I think it's a real shame that you aren't getting more support with this and i hope that will change soon, so you guys can carry on doing what you're all so good at.

Come on UI Dev's, help out please!

[Finrandiras]

I want to support all the talented Lotro UI makers!

I hope Turbine will realize how these guys make their game even more enjoyable.

[DaimonUI]

Thanks for the support all.

Turbine just doesn't seem to realize how important part of the UI modding is for MMO's (or any other game, but especially for MMO's). Frosty knew it's value and perhaps his team but now him gone (?) it isn't looking good. There's a huge amount of work hours spent on those skins that the community has made. It would be just plain stupid to throw that all away.

At the moment at least I am pretty demoralized continuing the skinning as there's no official replies are they going to kill the skinning all together. We have wished for years for simple improvements but nothing. At least they have been following up what the community have done looking at the crafting panel for example that is almost an exact copy of one mod posted long ago in lotrointerface.com.

I see there might be a light at the end of the tunnel - this is only guessing but it might be that given enough time (probably years ) the UI could be redone completely by Lua scripting. That's just guessing though.

Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for what we have had and that we have been given a chance to skin the UI over the years. But I just hope a bit respect for the skinning community from Turbine.

We will see but I have a bad feeling about the future of skinning. If they only would give as a simple answer is skinning still "supported", yes or no would be at least something (pref. yes )

Daimon
Author of DaimonUI


ps. keep spamming this thread if you still want to see new skins!

[Darej]

i am really disappointed in Turbine over this....

i only use the defualt ui for mules...after 5 years i find it extremely boring

i have 14 active toons....at one time each and every one of them had their own custom user made ui that i was able to get from the wonderful skinners over at lotrointerface....

being able to have a custom ui for each toon really helps me 'get into' character...

eventually without support this ability will go away as the various ui's become unusable

i for one cannot imagine trying to play 14 toons all with the same identical ui....

please do not abandon this part of the community

[Gspawn26]

Hey Turbine,

if you don't want to lose more customers i suggest you at least put the effort out with a yes or no of whether you are going to release this info.
One of the only reasons some people are still playing is they were finally able to change the plain, drab basic LOTRO UI.

Please help your fanbase out here and give some info. Info costs nothing.

UI interface artists I appreciate all your hard work. To bad a certain company doesn;t seem to as much.

[PainMiseryDeath]

I support this thread. I also would like to rant. The new character panel, imo, is horrid. It's too large, I don't like to scroll to see my stats, and I preferred rings, and bracelets to be beside each other. Would be great to be able to not have to use this terrible 'updated' panel.

[valarsun]

Another update without a Skin Art Pack and I, for the first time ever, find myself posting on an official forum. Add another voice to the chorus of people requesting an update as I really quite miss tweaking the look and feel of the interface.

[Fredelas]

I realize that art asset and skin definition updates have occasionally taken some time in the past. However, the conspiracy theorist in me is running wild now, thinking that Turbine is more concerned about LOTRO Store button prominence than player choice.

[coatesfamily]

./signed

Please give the people that have put so much time and effort into the skinning the ui updated info.

[Bry2007]

I realize that art asset and skin definition updates have occasionally taken some time in the past. However, the conspiracy theorist in me is running wild now, thinking that Turbine is more concerned about LOTRO Store button prominence than player choice.

Your not the only one thinking this way.

On the skindefinition file and the skin directory file they do intend to expose those buttons code's and can be disable if some one was willing to tweak the code for every panel which I doubt.

But could be disable on the primary panels as in the character sheet.

This what I think that's why there reluctant to relase a skin pack at this moment.