Yes, we're reworking the UI

As you might or might not know - we're reworking the UI.

You probably have a lot of questions... So did I... however, I got the chance to sit down with spajus and ask him some questions about this so called "UI overhaul".

Here are the most pressing questions & answers.

UI REWORK WORK IN PROGRESS MAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE

How long it will take to rework the UI? (I heard half a year, maybe more?)

It's difficult to estimate, but I hope to be finished before GTA6 comes out. The new UI is bundled along with another major feature - random quests that NPCs will give you. That feature is also not fully finished yet, which will prolong the time till next update. But don't worry, I will surely be done before 2047.

How big is this rework?

"I'm throwing away everything that was the old UI and replacing it with a brand new one. It's a complete overhaul from scratch. So, in other words: as big as it can be."

What you want from the community?

"At the current state, I only want patience. It will be a long quiet period without major updates, I hope people won't think the game is dead or forget about it."

Are you really just one man?

"The UI rework is a team effort, an industry professional designed the UI. I'm just a code monkey who executes the ideas. But I'm also the bottleneck, that why updates take so long. Perhaps if we sold more copies, I could get more people to work on the game? ;^)"

Can I test the new UI?

"At this stage it's a bit too early to give everyone access to the build to try it out, so feedback on a broken and very unfinished thing won't be useful. People will just point out that it's broken, which isn't really helpful. We will be getting into a feedback phase a bit later, when the game is playable with the new UI again."

UI REWORK WORK IN PROGRESS MAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Why rework the UI?

"UI is the most common complaint in Steam reviews. Poor UI also drives away many new players, who try the game, feel intimidated by “spreadsheets in space,” and then never return. The old UI was designed for my convenience as a developer: it let me iterate quickly and add new panels easily. The new UI was designed by a professional UI/UX designer, and it is built for the player, not for my own convenience."

Will there be any other updates in the meanwhile?

"It's extremely difficult to maintain two increasingly diverging codebases, so only occasional bugfixes and balance adjustments are going to be done until the new UI is ready."

What are you most excited about reworking in the UI?

"Is a great opportunity to rewrite some of the older parts of the game code that I didn't get to touch for years. I'll be able to undo all the wrong decisions I made when making the original UI."

How does it feel to see the UI you worked on for so long get reworked?

"The new UI feels so much better, that I have zero regrets about ripping the old one out without a trace. The time it will take to complete the rewrite, however, makes me feel a bit anxious."

UI REWORK WORK IN PROGRESS MAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE

When are hats coming to pets?

"This should be a mod. Any takers?"