Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10. User Interfaces
A game typically has two main components to its user interface: a menu
system and an in-game heads-up display (HUD). The menu system
defines how the player gets in and out of the game—including changing
modes, pausing the game, selecting options, and so on. Some games (es-
pecially RPGs) may also have menus to manage an inventory or up-
grade skills.
The HUD includes any elements that give additional information to the
player as he or she is actually playing the game. This can include a
radar, ammo count, compass, and an aiming reticule. Although not all
games will have a HUD (and some might have the option to disable the
HUD), the vast majority have at least a basic one.
Menu Systems
A well-implemented menu system should provide for flexibility in a lot of differ-
ent ways—there should be no limit to the number of elements and distinct screens,
and it should be easy to quickly add new submenus. At the same time, it must be
implemented in a manner that centralizes as much common functionality as pos-
sible. This section discusses what must be taken into account to implement a solid
menu system; many of the techniques discussed here are also utilized in the tower
defense game in
Chapter 14
,
“
Sample Game: Tower Defense for PC/Mac
.”
Menu Stack
The menu system for a typical console game might start with the platform-man-
dated “Press Start” screen. Once the user presses Start, he enters the main menu.
Perhaps he can go into Options, which brings up an options menu, or maybe he
can take a look at the credits or instructions on how to play. Typically, the player
is also provided a way to exit the current menu and return to a previous one. This
sort of traditional menu flow is illustrated in
Figure 10.1
.
