Legacy UI Project

Age of Empires III: DE III - Discussion
1

image
image3840×120 145 KB

When Ensemble Studios Online shut down we witnessed the end of an era. In those final days, experiencing the once-vibrant Legacy version of the game left me nostalgic for those good ol’ days, and wanting to bring them back. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to:

The Legacy UI Project

Let us bring back some of that beloved Legacy nostalgia, and enjoy that feeling with all the benefits that the Definitive Edition has to offer - combining the best of both worlds!

What exactly is it? The Legacy UI Project overhauls the style and function of the UI to bring back as much of the old feel and functionality as possible. From the main menu to the skirmish HUD to the multiplayer interface, the whole UI receives a makeover.

Main Menu

image
image1600×900 282 KB

All the new features and pages of 3DE pack into the original nested menus.

In-Game HUD

image
image1600×900 196 KB

Enjoy the improved, less intrusive layout of the Definitive Edition with redesigned artwork derived from the legacy files.

Multiplayer Interface

Capture.PNG
Capture.PNG1600×900 216 KB

This mod addresses a pressing issue in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition: enhancing social interaction within the game. Currently, players face issues making it difficult to experience seamless communication and interaction, resulting in a lonely multiplayer experience. Now, you can stay in touch with your friends easier with the more prominent chat tab, notifications, and sorted, visible friends list.

Total Conversion

Capture5.PNG
Capture5.PNG1600×900 200 KB

The new art style permeates through the entire game, making for a thorough UI conversion.

The Warchiefs Edition & Future Plans

This edition recreates the UI from The Warchiefs expansion, but it won’t be the only version. We plan to recreate additional editions for the original release, The Asian Dynasties, and more.

Stay tuned, spread the word, and enjoy the new interface!

Bugs and Other Issues

IMPORTANT : Enabling this mod causes a crash to desktop (CTD) when first returning to the main menu. This is expected, and your game should restart without issue.

Attempting to run this mod with other mods runs the risk of causing a crash. If you run into an issue where you can’t navigate to the mods page, locate your subscribed mods folder and manually delete the mod folder and entry in the .json file.

Lastly, we did our best to test everything as thoroughly as possible, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t miss something. If you notice a bug please reach out to me directly, @AssertiveWall20 with a description and a screenshot of your issue.

36 Likes
2

Great job!

It would be nice if the developers added this as a UI customization feature. TAR DLC and KotM DLC could also have their own unique UI.

2 Likes
3

been looking forward to this, finally being able to talk about this without spoiling things

4 Likes
4

Our heads are in the same place. The colonial civs (USA/Mexico) and the African Royals are both on my list, but there’s still the original UI and the Asian Dynasties to get to first.

3 Likes
5

now that the layouts are worked out i’d say the worst pain is behind us on this, don’t read that as doing art is easy, its only easy if you’re any good at it, which i ain’t, hence why i do layouts and ignore assets

1 Like
6

also um, mind if i try to add smt in real quick?, on main menu?, will dm it on discord for you, i hate the no border for the xbox login spot

1 Like
7

Haha go for it.

And yes, the hardest work should be behind us now. Luckily legacy assets are all formatted the same, so it should be purely an act of artwork to incorporate TAD and Vanilla.

1 Like
8

So excited about the Legacy UI Mod! I think it can bring back a lot of social interaction, something we did not really have since DE, and especially after ESO closed. It was a privilege to test the mod in earlier phases, and it feels like it brings a bit of ESO back to life.

If a lot of people start using it, it could help rebuild the sense of community we’ve all missed. Big thanks to AsssertiveWall for making this, it’s amazing! Let’s bring back that feeling of playing together, chatting and seeing each other online in one eye-wenk!

8 Likes
9

I streamed with it a while ago haha

2 Likes
10

Great work! Very nostalgic! Love it.

1 Like
11

been helping out with it in development so had to keep my mouth shut

2 Likes
12

I didn’t get the NDA. Don’t sue me.

3 Likes
13

Have to say, it’s cool seeing that UI again!

7 Likes
14

Ah man a UI overhaul better than the original devs ideas… :eyes:
Excited for this

4 Likes
15

Me encantó, lastima que se bloquea con el mod de IA asertiva que es mi favorito. Espero alguna manera de hacerlos compatibles. Solo me permitía entrar a la interfaz de multijugador

1 Like
16

Make sure the UI mod is highest priority. I can assure you I’ve been playing these two together for quite some time!

2 Likes
17

Looks lovely. One of the downgrades with the UI, was the bland artstyle. Legacy never got it fully right either, tying the UI to the version of the game instead of the civ being played.

Seeing that this is an ongoing project, I got 2 things I hope can get implemented in this mod:

  • Bringing back the banners for the unit group tabs.
  • UI changing styles based on the culture of the civ being used (American, European, and Asian). Not sure what could be done with the African civs, though.
3 Likes
18

Those are great ideas, the banner is definitely possible and on my list of things to do. The UI changing style most likely isn’t possible as a mod, but I agree it would have been really cool.

1 Like
19

looking forward to it

also dead wrong, remember civ flags change based on civ, i see no reason we can’t expand that logic to all the panels

1 Like
20

Well, Do you have any plans to bring back the old flags?
And If you are interested in the menu Warchiefs with buttons from the beta - I can help!

1 Like