EQ2 UI Configuration tips

[Claritin]

I just wanted to give out a few tips on how I preferred my EQ2 UI.

My first comment I would like to make is that the game looks much better at 1280x1024 resolution than 1024x768 due to the size of the EQ2 interface components... they simply take too much room on 1024x768.

There are a few "shrunken" interface components already on www.eq2interface.com but I am going to stick with just using the default UI for now.

Let's start with a pic of how it ended.



What you can see from the picture is that my UI has ALOT of info on it at 1280x1024 but that it doesn't look as crowded as most 1024x768 UIs do even with the stuff I added.

The first thing I did was hit that EQII button that is on the default UI... I changed my display size to 1280x1024... it's pretty obvious where that's at.. but I think it was "Options" "Display"

Also about in the same area was a "Letter Box" slider... this changes the amount of black area at the top and bottom of your screen... now there is no reason you should make your video card process info for areas under parts of your interface that you will never see... so really I should have added more black area... but at the time... I was well.. stupid... so you can see some grass through my chat window. Make enough black area to fit your interface components.

Now right click your chat window on the tab that says "CHAT" and pick "new window" a second window will pop up... move them side by side... at the bootom of the screen.

Now right click each of the 2 chat windows pick Window properties and change all the transparency sliders so that the back ground is really dark NORMAL and With MOUSE OVER by default it's pretty light which makes it hard to read... and it vanishes when there is no text unless you do a MOUSE OVER. I hated it.... if I get a message I want to take my time to read it.

Speaking of taking my time to read stuff... that's what that second chat window is for.... you want 1 chat window to be for "battle spam" and ther other for actually chatting.

I picked the window on the left for chatting... right click it and pick "always chat here" that way when you hit <ENTER> that is where your cursor pops up.

Now right click the window again and pick chat options... in this window you want to get messages to and from you... no combat junk... so just keep the checkbox in CHAT.

like this if you need a visual

The other window should be everything BUT chat... and personally I like to turn off everyone else's hits and anything that says MISSES possible... even battle spam windows get too busy.

Now on my screen you see at the very bottom 2 hotkey banks... you start with just one... and atleast as a scout you get ALOT of abilities.... at lvl 15 I had almost 2 full hotkey bars.

Right click the area near the "1" on the hotkey bar... pick new window... BAM you have a second set of hotkeys... these are ALT flagged... (your 3rd set is CRTL if you were curious) At first the icons will look like a mirrored set of the ones you already had... just use the down arrow to select a different bank.

Now... you have a compass... place it some place easy to see while running... Now attack something... wait for the HO window to pop up... by default this is in the lower right hand corner... QUICK DRAG IT... I suggest the middle of the screen.... the reason for this is often someone in your group will say "HOLD ALL SPECIAL ATTACKS... I NEED TO PULL OFF A SOLO HO" and you will not see the HO start because it's not in a visible location... and you will get yelled at.

Some of the other windows you will want to set the background to fully transparent... like the group health bars... it's a simple right click window options also... if you are a cleric though I recommend setting the group health bars to a dark background... someone who dedicates thier life to 1 aspect of the game needs to have the best view of that aspect possible IMHO.

Well now you have a decent UI... but for you EQ1 veterans you probably aren't thinking it right now... but you will when you get in a group... "HOW THE HELL DO I MAKE AN ASSIST BUTTON?"

Well it's also under that square EQII button... click it go to socials... there is a tab there called macros... tell it to edit one and do /assist claritin or whatever... then simply drag it to your hotkey bank... it's on that screenshot I included... ALT-8 the "Red EQ"

Side notes :
M is a very important key... it's MAPS... other cool shortcut keys were in a file on my hard drive with the beta install... the location was "C:\Program Files\Sony\EverQuest II Beta\hotkeys.jpg" look for the file in the same spot... however if it isn't there try here

F9 - change camera angle and F8 - Target nearest NPC are probably the 2 most common besides M.

/mood is cool... it's different than "socials" or "emotes" basically if I did /mood angry I looked like I had severe PMS... it wasn't text.. my facial features actually SHIFTED to my mood. /mood by itself will list the moods.

A list of all the socials and buttosn to perform them are under that EQII button... Dance and Flirt are pretty long and involved... but there are PAGES of them... if you get bored waiting for a group member to finish his "bio-break" I suggest poking around in there to amuse yourself and others around you.

And I'll finish this up by telling you how to view yourself doing the emotes... if you click on the terrain and hold down with your mouse buttons each performs a different task... one makes your charector strafe or spin... the other rotates the camera around you.

Have fun and I hope this helps you get running faster by not having to slow down to learn the UI.

[Itanius]

Good info! Here is a shot of my UI; the only mod I did was change the chat font.

[mon11]

Claritin,
Thanks for the tips. Good read.

-mon11

[Maximo]

very nice i'll use alot of that stuff thanks

[Viper1]

does resizing the letter box borders at the top and the bottom have any affect on aspect ratios or cause any image skewing at all? Or does it just cover up more of the picture that you would see if the borders were to be removed?

[SenorPhrog]

Nice stuff, Clari. I'm a bit OCD about my UI, so I spent the first two hours of beta just setting it up. Here are the results. Everything is nigh perfect for what I have to work with (before the mods start rolling in, that is) in my opinion, save for the damnedable chat boxes which keep resetting their content every time I log out. I'll probably fool around with those settings in retail. 'Til then, take a gander at my setup:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/senorphrog/EQ2_000000.jpg

Note the flying island above Qeynos. That appeared right before beta came down.

...Okay, it was just a glitch in rendering Druzzil for some reason, but I thought it made a neat pic. Anyway, happy UIing!

[khaash]

[Auberon Feykin]

My UI is set up mostly default. I added a second hotbar and a second chat windoiw, both at the bottom. So at the bottom I have:

COMBATCHAT --- TWO HOTBARS STACKED --- CHANNEL CHAT

Both the chat areas had the borders removed, so they "free float" . . .

I played almost exclusively in 1280x1024, though I am going to try 1600x1200 in release and see how my performance is. I've figured if I drop textures back down a notch (was running on high, which is kinda silly with 128mb card) I shouldn't have much issue running on 1600x1200 . . . a 9700Pro has minimal FPS loss between the two resolutions.

[Ellestor]

I tended to run it at 1792 x 1344.

As Khaash seemed to be suggesting, though, turning environmental shadows off seems very necessary on any quality setting. But Extreme Quality is beautiful.

[Klarion Eyez]

I was playin' at 1600x1200 with AMD 2700, and GeForce 6800. At first I only had 512 of mem but the game would still stuter now and then on extreme performance (low quality). I got another stick of 512 and was able to run it at the same res but at balanced smooth as silk

[Hannar]

[Haps]

I hated the default interface and had to move things around. I played SWG for a long time so I was most familiar with that setup. Even when I went to COH I had to move things around. Basically the interface for me requires Me/Group in top left. Enemy in top right. Chat bottom middle. Skills top middle.