Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Approaching user interface design
When developing a game, there is no official standard or pre-defined set of rules to
follow to design its interface. Different games rely on different mechanics and there is
always more than one way to implement effective controls for a game.
To approach the task correctly, it is good practice to invest some time in research. A
good starting point is to study the general aspects of interaction design. Design af-
fects the shape of the tools we use in our everyday activities at any level and cognit-
ive psychology has thoroughly investigated the means to design effective interactions
between humans and the tools and instruments they use. We suggest having a look at
The Theory of Affordances
by James J. Gibson, described in his topic
The Ecologic-
al Approach to Visual Perception
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance
) and reading
the topic by Donald A. Norman
The Design of Everyday Things
.
The next step is to get proficient with general UI theory. Game engines offer several
assets to implement the graphic interface for a game, but how can you make the best
of it if you don't know the strengths and weaknesses of a drop-down list compared to
a combo box? Which are the pros and cons of each interface element?
Once you understand which interface element is good for what, you can start learning
from the success or failures of other developers. Take some time to study the interface
of both successful and unpopular games to understand what worked and didn't work
for them, what were the reasons they adopted a specific solution for a game mechan-
ic, if there were other options available, and why were they discarded.
Some elements of the UI of a game are shared regardless of the genre, while others
are distinctive for different genre. For example, any game should provide the player
with info to understand if he's winning or losing. Such info is usually provided in the
Heads up Display
(
HUD
) of a game, in the form of score, available lives\energy, or
position of the player in a racing game.
On the other hand, each game genre has its own distinctive UI characteristics that
players, especially experienced ones, expect to find in a title. By not supporting such
expectations, you enter a risky gray area, as you may find your game frustrates the
players, as it contrasts with what they learned during their career. For example,
Real
Time Strategy
(
RTS
) games allow selecting a group of units to issue orders. The
possibility to drag a selection box around a group of units is an expected feature of
