Why care about Skyrim's menus?

[Soviet Steve]

I've been seeing numerous threads and articles complaining about Skyrim's interface and menu and what I just can't understand is...why? Why does it matter if the menu is slightly worse than it was in Oblivion? Does it still work for you? Can you still get to your items? Is at least partially organized? Yes, yes, and yes. So why make a big fuss over it? Judging from the tone of many of the comments regarding it, they almost make it out to be a total gamebreaker, when it's not.

Basic point, if you're going to complain about a game, make it so with decent points. Not because the menu doesn't look purrty.

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[Amphoteric]

I detest the Skills menu so very much. You can't even navigate it properly on a PC, it is a pain to check your level in a particular skill.

But most of all...

Why the fucking hell aren't chests categorized????

They obviously had to make a choice between a menu that works for consoles or one for PCs. PC friendly menus are generally terrible on consoles, while console menus on PC, while not ideal, are at least usable. Cross platform games are made on console and 'ported' to PC for a reason, it is much easier to port from a console to PC then the other way around.

Bethesda are a big company, they could have made a new UI for the PC.

 

[Xyphon]

Really does seem to be a PC complaint as the menu on the PS3 feels smooth with the occasional bump in performance. My biggest complaint would be trying to select certain skills in the upgrade menu. It makes me want to punch a kitten at times.

Raj enjoys his menues. Very fluid. Easy access. Pleasing to Khajiit eyes.

Though i wish chests had categories too! Raj stuff so much crap into one box, Wife Mjoll complains about human flesh in there, and can't even find it!

Ingredients starting to stink too. Think something in there gaining sentience. Fear chest more then dark cave full of necromancers now. Wear plate gloves before i look for anything in it, just to be safe..... You understand right?

Gawd, I needed a good laugh! xD

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

My problem is that it is objectively NOT functional on the PC. It isn't just an issue of prettiness.

A good example is how easy it is to click JUST to the left of the words in the menu (still within the BOX of the menu) when you're trying to select a category of items in a shop, and it takes you out of the shop dialogue. That's silly.

Also, it would be so easy to just add an option to sort items by price/name/weight/type. And to make the inventory range over more than one dimension. Screens have two dimensions. Morrowind's inventory, while tremendously cluttered, was so much more functional. Morrowind recognized that having windows in a PC is useful - you shouldn't need to close the inventory and go back into the tab menu to select a different menu. Just give us all of the information (except maybe skills since there's a special thematic menu for that).

While it pains me to veer toward the "console port complaining" group that I usually despise, they really did drop the ball when they neglected to develop a separate UI for the PC version (as plenty of smaller PC+console releases regularly manage).

Luckily, it's such an amazing game that everything else easily overshadows these problems.

 

[Xaio30]

I really like the menu and how easy it is to navigate with your keyboard only.
My only dismay is that I don't have as good view of my character while equipping new stuff.

Example: Tab+S+S is faster than reaching over to the M button.

Also, the Favorites is a really good replacement for the 1-9 hotkeys. It may take lightly longer to equip something than 1-9, but you can have more than 9 items/skills at your leisure.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Why we care if an essential part of our triple A $60 game was brought straight from the 1980s but controls even worse... well I don't know really, we're just petty that way.

 

[Herr Uhl]

The mouse detection is the worst I've experienced in any game. That is bad.

I hate the perk tree's, sure they're pretty, but they are a nightmare to navigate.

 

[A Free Man]

I've been seeing numerous threads and articles complaining about Skyrim's interface and menu and what I just can't understand is...why? Why does it matter if the menu is slightly worse than it was in Oblivion? Does it still work for you? Can you still get to your items? Is at least partially organized? Yes, yes, and yes. So why make a big fuss over it? Judging from the tone of many of the comments regarding it, they almost make it out to be a total gamebreaker, when it's not.

Basic point, if you're going to complain about a game, make it so with decent points. Not because the menu doesn't look purrty.

Hehe this is so weird, because I have noticed all the people raging about it too but I actually prefer the new menu. I like that you can set favorites, but I'll admit that before I found out you can bind keys I was annoyed. But now that I know how I think the new menus are cool.

 

[Knusper]

It's alright once you realise that you can shortcut to any of the menus with I, P, M or V. What I have a problem with in Skyrim is the bugs, but that might be partly down to me downloading so many texturing mods during the week.

 

[zxvcasdfqwerzxcv]

Seems like it's primarily a PC gamer problem, I've had no issues on 360 regarding menus.
As for aesthetics, I think I prefer the new look; simpler, clearer and more intuitive than Oblivion's menus!
Still, I would like sub-menus for chest though...

 

[pluizig]

I really like the menu and how easy it is to navigate with your keyboard only.

Example: Tab+S+S is faster than reaching over to the M button.

No. Pressing M is one action. Pressing Tab, S, and S again is three actions.

 

[Craorach]

I've played well over a hundred hours of Skyrim so far, and honestly my only major complaint is the menus.. but they are horrible. Even the skill "star" system that I initially liked is ruined because of how unresponsive and random it is on PC.

My biggest problem with it is just the fact that it can't seem to make its mind up what button does what. Some parts need keys, some need mouse, some need enter keys, some need tab, some won't accept any interaction other than the mouse.. some keyboard.

Other than that, it is just horribly clunky and hard to get information. Having to go through multiple menus to see what buffs I have, being unable to easily compare one item to another, having no breath bar and being unable to see a merchant's items at the same time as my own are all really annoying.

 

[Continuity]

I've been seeing numerous threads and articles complaining about Skyrim's interface and menu and what I just can't understand is...why? Why does it matter if the menu is slightly worse than it was in Oblivion? Does it still work for you? Can you still get to your items? Is at least partially organized? Yes, yes, and yes. So why make a big fuss over it? Judging from the tone of many of the comments regarding it, they almost make it out to be a total gamebreaker, when it's not.

Basic point, if you're going to complain about a game, make it so with decent points. Not because the menu doesn't look purrty.

Because its an unnecessary step backwards, the old menus were more effective. Not only is that annoying but its a big fail in game design... changes ought at least to do no harm, if they're a step backward then that is a class A fail.

And its not about looking "purrty" its about being functional.

I've played well over a hundred hours of Skyrim so far, and honestly my only major complaint is the menus.. but they are horrible. Even the skill "star" system that I initially liked is ruined because of how unresponsive and random it is on PC.

My biggest problem with it is just the fact that it can't seem to make its mind up what button does what. Some parts need keys, some need mouse, some need enter keys, some need tab, some won't accept any interaction other than the mouse.. some keyboard.

Other than that, it is just horribly clunky and hard to get information. Having to go through multiple menus to see what buffs I have, being unable to easily compare one item to another, having no breath bar and being unable to see a merchant's items at the same time as my own are all really annoying.

Exactly this, its less functional.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I've played well over a hundred hours of Skyrim so far, and honestly my only major complaint is the menus.. but they are horrible. Even the skill "star" system that I initially liked is ruined because of how unresponsive and random it is on PC.

My biggest problem with it is just the fact that it can't seem to make its mind up what button does what. Some parts need keys, some need mouse, some need enter keys, some need tab, some won't accept any interaction other than the mouse.. some keyboard.

Other than that, it is just horribly clunky and hard to get information. Having to go through multiple menus to see what buffs I have, being unable to easily compare one item to another, having no breath bar and being unable to see a merchant's items at the same time as my own are all really annoying.

You know the compass bar at the top is basically your shout cooldown timer, right?

After you shout, it glows, then fades, once it does, you can shout again.

I really like the menu and how easy it is to navigate with your keyboard only.
My only dismay is that I don't have as good view of my character while equipping new stuff.

Example: Tab+S+S is faster than reaching over to the M button.

Also, the Favorites is a really good replacement for the 1-9 hotkeys. It may take lightly longer to equip something than 1-9, but you can have more than 9 items/skills at your leisure.

Once again, move the camera around to in front of you, where you can see your character, then enter your inventory, and viola! You can see the gear change before your very eyes! (At least, on 360 you can. Haven't played on PC yet.)

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Some filters on the chests like there are in your own inventory and with merchants would be nice...

 

[Herr Uhl]

I've played well over a hundred hours of Skyrim so far, and honestly my only major complaint is the menus.. but they are horrible. Even the skill "star" system that I initially liked is ruined because of how unresponsive and random it is on PC.

My biggest problem with it is just the fact that it can't seem to make its mind up what button does what. Some parts need keys, some need mouse, some need enter keys, some need tab, some won't accept any interaction other than the mouse.. some keyboard.

Other than that, it is just horribly clunky and hard to get information. Having to go through multiple menus to see what buffs I have, being unable to easily compare one item to another, having no breath bar and being unable to see a merchant's items at the same time as my own are all really annoying.

You know the compass bar at the top is basically your shout cooldown timer, right?

After you shout, it glows, then fades, once it does, you can shout again.

I don't think that applies to holding your breath while swimming.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I've played well over a hundred hours of Skyrim so far, and honestly my only major complaint is the menus.. but they are horrible. Even the skill "star" system that I initially liked is ruined because of how unresponsive and random it is on PC.

My biggest problem with it is just the fact that it can't seem to make its mind up what button does what. Some parts need keys, some need mouse, some need enter keys, some need tab, some won't accept any interaction other than the mouse.. some keyboard.

Other than that, it is just horribly clunky and hard to get information. Having to go through multiple menus to see what buffs I have, being unable to easily compare one item to another, having no breath bar and being unable to see a merchant's items at the same time as my own are all really annoying.

You know the compass bar at the top is basically your shout cooldown timer, right?

After you shout, it glows, then fades, once it does, you can shout again.

I don't think that applies to holding your breath while swimming.

OOOOOooooooooooooooooh, my bad. I thought 'breath' meant 'dragon breath'. Silly me. My mistake.

 

[Craorach]

You know the compass bar at the top is basically your shout cooldown timer, right?

After you shout, it glows, then fades, once it does, you can shout again.

Yes, I am aware of that. I'm pretty sure I didn't include "no way of knowing if our shouts are up" as one of my UI complaints.