Looking for layout/design feedback!

[Folji]

Hey folks!

So this is a project I have been just about obsessing over the past 2-3 weeks. I mean, hell, it's hard to put it away sometimes. But it's awesome, I've so far managed to create player/target frames (working on the target of target and pet frames), and a bottom bar arrangement that uses the default interface options to show/hide frames. It's pretty great!


Layout with no target and one extra action bar showing.


Both bottom action bars visible.


Full layout with class resources and all, on a death knight.


Smallest compact layout of the bottom frame, showing both XP and reputation bars.


So here's what I'd like some feedback on.

Aside from the design as a whole (for which I'd love to hear what people think!), I just can't make up my mind about the main action bar. I wound up making it larger than the other action bars, and the texture came out looking a bit different when I made it. Now, I want it to be as high up as it is; when I play I like to keep my eyes on the action, and having to look all the way down to the bottom of the screen to double-check cooldowns, stacks, situational spells and so forth, it just feels distracting. So I wanted to keep the things that I look at the most within glancing distance, or in clear peripheral vision when looking at the character, so that my eyes can be on the action and not on healthbars or cooldown counts.

Of course, the plan is to build it so that everything is hidden, and then show the unit frames when targetting and all of it while in combat. ( And by "everything" I mean the things around the character. The bottom action bars would stay visible. )

But that daaaamn main action bar. I just can't decide. Is it big enough? Is it too big? Is it too long and would 2x6 be a better option? Does it look good as it is or should I change the edges to match the bottom bar? Maybe it's the shift from jagged curves and points to twined metal that just looks odd.