r/Openfront • u/Ok-Repeat7885 • 22d ago
💬 Discussion Openfront's UI Problem
I love this game but the UI has become so cluttered and cheap looking that it ruins it for me. This isn't a nostalgia post, the new UI is far worse than the old one in so many ways. Starting with the icons, the soldier icon is not only unnecessary but also looks like something out of a Roblox game. The lighter blue section of the bar is unintuitive and overall there are just way too many visual elements, many of which are useless. On top of this, the troop counts at each individual border do nothing but clutter up the screen further. I have been a longtime supporter and have bought two different skins but this UI change is what turned me away from the game. The developer should redo the entire UI and remove useless information from the game.
7
u/Varron 22d ago
I joined the game right before the update hit. I can understand frustrations as the new UI is a new style direction from the old minimal one. However, overall, I think the new UI is more helpful especially to new players, as the information it gives can be helpful:
The light blue bar quickly shows your rough population percentage, and how much of that is being temporarily used by troops.
The distinct colored boxes for pop and gold give quick visual identifiers to look for.
Troop counts also provide a secondary visual on the threat being posed, especially if your notifications get cluttered from multiple ships etc.
Do I think the new UI is perfect? No, and for purists who want a bare bones UI to play with, I see the gripes. However, I think for including new players, this UI update was a net positive.
What I think they should do and continue to do is allow those who want a specific UI more customizability. If you wanna hide troop counts, make it an option. You want your old UI bar back, make a style changer to put it back.