Derrr… What?

Ever read something that just leaves you with a giant question mark? Something, that you kinda-sorta expected, but you still think the writer should have known better. So you get double hit with a confusing sense of self-confusion mixed with a boat-load of surprise at someone’s complete opposite take on a situation. Made worse when you thought the outcome was self-evident.

Well, I just did.

The thing that really surprised me was the off-hand, casual comment at the end in regards to the (lack-of) UI in Skyrim.

Read for yourself:

Now to see if there’s a HUD for Skyrim to render that game playable for PC users, so I can pick up where I left off there.

I love me some hyperbole, so calling it unplayable is just artistic license to make a point. I think the point is wrong, the game was more than just playable on PC, it was enhanced by the invisible UI. A small mutable cross-hair in the center, and fading status bars are all I wanted. The very absence of some cluttered, over-saturated, information-laden UI would be on my list of top 5 things I loved about the game.

The dearth of concrete stimulus lead to a far more visceral game-experience. Lacking the details of traditional RPGs like numbered hit points, or status icons, I was drawn into the gameplay and exploration of the world. I was learning behavior by feel and (player) experience rather than by regimented timers and notifications. Combat in Skyrim was enjoyable largely in part because you didn’t have exacts.

I have (had) a lot of wishes for the Elder Scrolls Online. Large sandbox world, full of exploration in the established world. An action-based combat system that eschews the trite and terrible stigma of tab-targeting hotkeys. Player creation of homes, buildings and communities in-game. A clear, beautiful view of the game with minimal interference from the clutter of a traditional MMO-HUD. No quest hubs (have I talked about that? oh, wait, yes, I did).

Anyway, I’m baffled, and to use a device suggested by Wilhelm: