The [b]Lands Awakened[/b] update launched November 24, ushering in a new era of open-world gameplay in Albion Online. Along with sweeping changes to biome graphics and layouts, dungeons, mobs, open-world objectives and Guild Seasons, the update brought some major [b]quality-of-life improvements[/b] to a wide variety of ingame activities. In our latest Dev Talk, UI Designer [b]Moritz Bokelmann[/b] discusses some of the biggest improvements to UI and usability that arrived with this latest update. [previewyoutube=ao9p7o2hBJs;full][/previewyoutube] No time to watch, or prefer a written summary? Then read on... [h3]Marketplace Loadouts[/h3] [b]Loadouts[/b] were introduced with the Call to Arms update as a major quality-of-life improvement, and this feature has now been expanded to include the option to [b]directly purchase full Loadouts from the Marketplace[/b]. How it works: [list] [*]New tab added to Marketplace UI to allow purchase of Loadouts[/*] [*]Allows users to designate which Loadout to look for, and what quantity[/*] [*]Marketplace then searches all local Sell Orders for the items, using parameters set in Loadout creation[/*] [*]Can purchase alternatives if one or more items are unavailable[/*][/list] [img]//assets.albiononline.com/uploads/media/default/media/e547bb6078fbda2eda7708a1534448271ab14341.jpeg[/img] Once the search is completed, the Marketplace shows a summary of available items and alternatives. Details: [list] [*]Shows prices of available items[/*] [*]Compares each item to market average[/*] [*]Each entry can be toggled to buy or skip[/*] [*]Does not reserve the items, so they may be purchased by others. If so: [list] [*]Unavailable items appear on a separate screen alongside alternative suggestions[/*] [*]This screen generates a new search if any alternatives are selected[/*] [/list] [/*][/list][h3]Farming Usability Improvements[/h3] [b]Farming [/b]is an essential part of Albion's economy, but on a large scale can take a long time and lots of clicks. Alongside small improvements (simplifying animal placement, moving T2 hide animals)[b] the number of clicks farming takes has been greatly reduced[/b]: [list] [*]All farming actions can now be performed by shift-clicking (double-tapping on mobile)[/*] [*]Steps are unchanged, but opening the farming interface is not required, reducing clicks/taps greatly[/*] [*]Shift-click actions include a distinct icon above the crop or animal[/*][/list] [img]//assets.albiononline.com/uploads/media/default/media/54a4c23445df17ba1ebc8c2c77e3ca3372f11f46.jpeg[/img] New in the UI: [list] [*]Animals with growth and production stages now have a “Take all” option[/*] [*]Can be toggled to pick up the animal [b]and[/b] its product or offspring[/*] [*]Can be set persistently based on the animal[/*][/list][h3]Party Improvements[/h3] Lands Awakened brings updated [b]party chat commands[/b] for better feedback and easier party formation: [list] [*]In addition to using /invite to invite a player, a new /join command sends a request to join another party[/*] [*]Both /invite and /join now work for entire parties [list] [*]With /invite, the inviting party's leader retains leadership[/*] [*]With /join, the leader of the party being joined will stay the party’s leader[/*] [/list] [/*] [*]All solo and group invite and join requests can be expanded to show player details[/*][/list] [img]//assets.albiononline.com/uploads/media/default/media/c1bbfcd3fa6ef4fede3720b9935e9b3c74c0e5a4.jpeg[/img] In your Social settings you can now clearly define who can invite you to their group or request to join yours. Additionally, you can always use the /snooze chat command to temporarily suppress all party invitations. We can't wait to hear your feedback on these changes, and of course we already have more quality-of-life improvements lined up for the next updates, so stay tuned!