Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
has. The EULA may be the first thing presented to the player or can come after
the startup screens.
The game designer is usually tasked with creating an interface in which the
player can read the information provided in the EULA and then click to accept it or
decline (in which case the game usually shuts off). Even though this can be fairly
dry reading, it's still a legal document, so all of the information needs to be easy to
read; however, most designers create an interface that matches the look and feel of
the game.
splash art
One of the most fun types of screens to design for a game is the splash art. This
screen can often become the signature look for the product. It may be used on
the homepage of a website designed to support the game and is often used on
the box art (or a variation of it, depending on the shape of the box).
Figure 6.5 shows a fun, simple launch screen that is also the splash art for
the game
Findola.
This is an amusing, fast-paced game in which the goal is to
match tiles on a game board and rack up points as quickly as possible before
hazards begin to get in the way, such as ice that forms on some tiles and blocks
the possibility of making a match.
Splash or title
screens can be static
or include clickable
items or movies.
instructions may be
static or movies, too.
FiGuRe 6.5
The art on this splash screen, with its dynamic
imagery and bright colors, communicates to the player that the
game is lighthearted and fast-paced.
