Trying EC

[JediPat]

After taking my mystic out for an adventure today I have finally realized I cannot be as efficient as I should be, 2D is clunky for advanced combos and much more. So here I am, trying a different client for the first time since 3D was available way back when. I hope it will help me out and not totally wreck the way I look at the game I love.

Anyways, its patching as I type this...I will update this thread with my opinions as I use the EC.

[KDSonoma]

in the old days, I was one of maybe 2(?) PAS that used the enhanced client. Then others followed once I started bragging about the cool options within.

Then I was the second PAS to use PINCOs UI with the EC, and it took awhile longer, but now a pretty fair amount of PAS use EC with PINCOs, even though PINCOs has not been updated in a year or so.

Broadsword is working with PINCO to (I believe) incorporate the PINCO UI into the EC.

Almost all of us that run EC with PINCOs are willing to spend time in vent walking players new to EC through some of the cool stuff.

My personal top reasons why PINCOs and EC rocks:

insta-dress (change any set of armor, weapons, jewelry to another set in half a second)

shows your dead body locations on the map

shows healers on your map when you die

when partied, you see other party members as blue dots on map

toggle option to size pretty much everything (like hotbars, backpack)

backpack option to have slots and one item per slot (no more moving every dang book in my backpack to find an item I just dropped in the backpack)

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have as you learn more about how EC works, especially if you also download PINCOs.

Here's a few links you might check out if you are interested in PINCOs UI:

http://stratics.com/community/forums/pincos-ui.667/

http://uojournal.com/2011/11/07/pincos- ... nd-agents/

Catch me in vent and I'll be glad to wander off with you to a separate channel and talk about anything related to EC or PINCOs. I know others will be happy to do the same.

KD

[JediPat]

Thanks for the info. I think I will work myself in with nothing but EC for now. I am teaching myself some longer spell combo macros as well as some awesome heal macros. Besides using this for raids/events to be more efficient I dont see myself using it for any other forms of game play. Who know, I may change my mind the more I use it.

[Tracy]

The positives of EC outweigh the difficulties of learning how to do all the little things you know how to do in the 2D client, it just takes time. To be honest, as long as you make it a point to learn something new each day, and don't let yourself slip back over to 2D, you'll catch on pretty quick. Honestly there wasn't much I could find doing extensive testing for some pretty advanced macros that you couldn't do in EC without having to pay for a UOAssist.

Good luck though, there is a learning curve. The chat is set up to mimic that of WoW in terms of hitting enter to start typing, and enter again at the end, but even that can be changed in the options I believe. It's been awhile since I was ingame. I might have to remedy that. Been getting the itch, console games only go so far...

[KDSonoma]

hey Malachai!

Good to see a post from you!

He's right about the chat. That's one thing I didn't like, but you just select "legacy chat" to keep it like the old 2d, instead of needing to hit enter, then type what you want to say.

I believe immersion is the way to learn EC the best.

When I decided to try it out, I spent a three day weekend playing on that EC with a few of my characters. I had to learn a few things the hard way, through trial and error (especially the macros), but by the time that third day was over, I was able to set up a new char with macros and all the other settings in about 25 minutes (including a rebuff macro, bank macro, insta-dress macro, and all the F1-F12 keys, along with their options like target self, or target cursor, or target current).

I have literally logged into 2d about 5 times in the last 7 or 8 yrs of playing EC with PINCOs UI.

And when I do, I cringe bigtime. *smiles*

Best of luck no matter which client you end up playing with!

KD

[Tracy]

I reread what I wrote last night and it didn't make much sense.

What I meant was, in 2D, if you paid for UO Assist, you can do some really neat macros. Those are now all repeatable in EC without having to pay something extra on the side, with maybe one or two minor alibis. I never could figure out a relational target macro to fish continually from a moving boat (attended, of course), but I'm sure they've fixed that by now.

That said, I got back in game, but I'm down to one account, and it's my newest one. 9 months old lol

I was away long enough (and didn't care at the time, didn't think I would come back) that my previous housing has all fallen. I lost some rare stuff but the characters I do have are well set up, so no worries there. I placed a keep last night, so I'm set on housing.

The old house I had had some soulstones that I lost, but what skills are on my characters are good. The nox/mage I have is set up really well, though I lost inscription that I had stoned off for her. The crafter has 3 GM crafting skills and legendary smith/tailor, but I lost mining and some other minor crafting skills. Been working mining back up today. Fisherman lost his big boat. Nothing irreplaceable. I should be back on my feet quickly. I remember grinding that new tamer up like crazy for a few weeks, and she has 103 taming and 120 lore real skill. I left her better off than I remember, and the luck suit is on her, it wasn't on my old tamer that I now don't have access to, so I'm set for some farming there too. A few decent pets and a fully meddable 100 LRC 2/6 casting all 60+ resist luck suit with over 1900 luck and 8 mana regen. That suit was honestly the one thing I was most worried about having lost.

Gonna go in a few minutes and pick up a headset/mic combo from BestBuy so I can chat in vent. Hopefully I'll be able to be on for Lady Melisande tonight. I'll be all noobish and stuff. Should be fun.

[wild flower]

Great to have you back Malachai. Looking forward to talking with you and playing with you in game again.

[Warden]

Fishing from a moving boat is the only thing (that I remember) that I never got solved in the EC. I suppose they could have fixed it by now, but I doubt it. From what I can tell, they changed almost nothing in the EC during the 3 years I was gone.

On the plus side, the EC does more things, and does other things better. For example, UOA does dress macros, but it simply drags on or off one item at a time, with the same delays as you get doing it by hand. The EC can switch out your entire suit in under a second.

[Warden]

And really, unless your computer us too old to run it, the ONLY argument against the EC is the change in art. Even though the graphics overall are much clearer and smoother, the interface screens and some of the mob models have changed designs, and some people just don't like them. But that's subjective, obviously. When it comes to functionality, the EC wins on every front except the fishing macro. So it makes me laugh how many times I see someone bashing the EC in general chat, saying how much it sucks in every way. They either never tried it long enough to see what it could do, or they just don't want to admit it.

[JediPat]

The art is hit and miss, if I play my garg I can handle it.

[Warden]

I agree about it being hit and miss. When they stuck to the same design, but just converted to 3D, I think it looks great. Like dragons (though I don't get why they made only red ones.) And sometimes when they changed the design it was for the better. Swamp Dragons look seriously sweet in 3D. But most times when they changed the design, it took some getting used to, and some of it I still think sucks. Like wyverns and poison elementals. But blood elementals rock.

Anyway, I can respect it if somebody won't play EC because they don't like the art changes. I only laugh at them when they try to say it's technically inferior.

[Ciara]

You can laugh--I have never been able to figure out EC. For a long time my computer wouldn't run it. My new computer most likely will run it, but I wouldn't have any idea how to do anything.

I will say, someone told me house placement was better in EC. Well, I was on Siege Perilous recently trying to place a house before I got murdered, and Bam, one shot, placed the 18x18 , end of story. It was totally awesome. I'm convinced house placement rocks.

That is the only thing I've done in EC. I would have to be led by the hand and taught to walk.

[KDSonoma]

Ciara, maybe we can meet sometime this weekend for an hour or so and I can walk you through some of the basics, like insta-dress, setting up macros, setting up your screen, etc.

That same offer goes to anyone else that wants to get a few tips on the EC and/or PINCOs Ui.

If enough people are interested, we can also make it an event one night.

KD

[wild flower]

I'm interested. I use it for fishing and I love it but setting up the macros and insta-dress sound awesome.

I'm not even sure which one I'm using. I log in using an icon on my desk that says UO enhanced client but I know that Pinko's is in there too. My computer guru here set it up for me with admin stuff.

Count me in for the lernin. LOL

[Warden]

Pfft...I won't laugh at you about the EC Ciara--I already have enough things to laugh at you about! ;-D Besides, I don't take issue with anybody not liking the EC. It's just when they try to say it's not a more capable client.