The SPvP UI upgrades we need (and probably deserve).

One of the major issues I've spoken about in the past is that the current user interface for SPvP is insufficient and not effective for the conquest game mode. A good user interface can help ease new players into a competitive game mode, by providing pop-up tooltips (that can be disabled or re-enabled) and still be of relevant help for veterans. It is unrealistic to believe that the same interface used for PvE will show the information needed for PvP.

Here are some existing issues:

• No health bars above allies and enemies: This game is fast paced, with split second decision making required. Players should not have to hover their mouse over other players to enforce their decision making for healing or attacking. On the flip-side, we don't need unnecessary stuff like player titles. They should be disabled once the match begins, and maybe re-enabled at the end of match. Health bars should also use HP bar segments, say, for every 5000 HP. This lets information on damage get communicated quicker than looking at the millions of numbers on the screen.
• Dailies indicator: Again, this is superfluous information, especially since the dailies for PvP are standardized now. It's not so much that the dailies indicator is in the way, its that it takes up precious screen real estate for things that are important. I suggest something more useful, like displaying the capture status of the 3 nodes on the map, or enemy HP bars. Anything remotely related to PvP will be more useful than a dailies indicator.
• The minimap is really, really crap: Perhaps one of the most uninformative minimaps I've ever used in a PvP game. For starters, its strange that the zoom levels are different across different maps. That is a minor issue. One of the biggest issues is that player icons on the minimap are too big, and whenever there are 3-4 players fighting on a node, hovering over that node often will only show 1 player's name. I cannot stress enough how detrimental to communication this is. There have been numerous occasions where I've been frustrated that my teammates have returned to a home node that I'm bunkering, only for me to tell them to go somewhere else because I don't need their aid. In hindsight, I realized it is probably because the means of determining the situation is insufficient, short of using text communication. A PvP game should not require text communication for basic battlefield information, especially for a game as fast paced as this one.
• The minimap ping is almost useless: The pros is that it each ping has unique sounds. The cons is that the icons are not concise in their meaning. What makes the default ping, mean anything different to the tick, the crosshair, and the exclamation mark? Does the exclamation mark tell people to be alert? In a PvP match? Isn't that the normal state of mind that is required? I suggest a really easy fix. Keep the red cross, it makes sense, as a 'do not go' ping. Maybe make it blue. Replace the other three with:
  1. A sword: this often conveys the 'offense' message.
  2. A shield: this often conveys the 'defense' message.
  3. An emergency red cross: this often conveys the 'help' message.And there you have it, 4 different pings to convey 4 crucial messages in conquest: attack the point, defend the point, help me and do not go.

Here are some suggestions to features that I think should be implemented:

• Expanded semi transparent minimap on death: Once you die, there is no use in staring at your body. Yes, perhaps you'd like to do some corpse scouting, but realistically it isn't that useful. What IS useful is if the minimap expanded so that you can correctly plot your next action when you respawn. The reason I say this is because, especially at a lower rank, people constantly make poor decisions on where to go, often dying again where they've just died. While veterans can chalk this up to experience, an interface change like this can really help new players looking to improve, and dramatically improve game quality.
• Standard Message Wheel: What this is is a function, often activated by a key press, which brings up a wheel of 8 or so options, like the current ping selector for the minimap. These options will display standard messages to your allies so that you can communicate standard combat messages to them quickly. These messages are written by the development team, so that people can't put abusive messages on their quick dial. Also, since these messages are programmed to be friendly, they can bypass people who do not have /team chat turned on, or allies who have blocked each other. It's a standard feature in many PvP games.
• Scouting Call: Call target happens to be one of the most useful tools in PvP. The problem is, when you spot an enemy roamer, and you want to call target to make their location ping on the minimap, it overrides the previous target call, which can be frustrating if that target was a crucial target in a team fight. I suggest there are two different time of target calls, one which is what we have now, and a second for the purpose of tracking targets.
• More useful post-match information in lobby: While the post match statistics we have now is a much needed improvement from before, it would be nice to have this information accessible post match.
• Tutorial pop-up tool tips: These would be great for new players, such as 'capture speed does not increase when there are more than one players on a node!' and other Conquest nuances.

Last and definitely not least:Build Templates: This one speaks, and repeats, ad nauseum, for itself.

I had not read your post yet, and coincidentally also wrote about it here, based on my experience in the neverwinter pvp.https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/1338/pvp-ui-encourages-the-lack-of-attention#latest

Basically we notice the same thing, the current sPvp UI encourages inattention.

In the neverwinter capturing the dots is the most obvious thing due to the indicators in the form of giant "colored aura". In Gw2 we have to keep reminding players to fight in points. The other advantage of these "towers" is that it reduces the need to look at the minimap.

the other point is a graphic score. we have only numbers, not everyone has the same "feelling" of realizing that a match that was 200 x 100, and later 300 x 250 are losing the advantage and the enemy team is recovering, being necessary sometimes I remember in the chat " hey guys more attention, they are waking up".

Look how big is impact of perma health bars above players heads. The team's rage for lack of attention of teamates, were almost non-existent. In GW2 I have to do the miracle of typing while I fight to ask for help, or to "call out" to inattentive allies.

It's been 5+ years the only thing the devs are going to continue to do is further break the balance with new elite specs and not bother fixing new bugs that appear until months later.

The default minimap position on bottom-right corner is also terrible. Players tend to decorate keys for skills, and rarely looks at the "bottom" of the screen.

Health Bars and distinctive colors for allies and foes, facilitate focus and a real teamplay. I currently have to look for green names and obviously do not know which of my allies is most in need of support. And it happens to my allies also "forget" me.

@ugrakarma.9416 said:The default minimap position on bottom-right corner is also terrible. Players tend to decorate keys for skills, and rarely looks at the "bottom" of the screen.

Thanks for reading my post! I'm glad we're on the same page. You can actually move the minimap in GW2 to top right, its some combination of clicking and dragging the side bar of the minimap.