Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
any RTS title. By not implementing such feature you basically bet against your play-
ers: before you do that, take some time to think if it really makes sense for your game
to deny what other games proved to have worked fine. There are other ways to be
innovative when designing a game than messing up with the interface, which could
result in a total failure for your game!
Practicing is the best way to learn to design effective UI for games, in the end. Ap-
proach different genres and try different solutions, then test them. Have both exper-
ienced and un-experienced players try your game interface. Ask them what worked
for them and what didn't, and why. You may find, for example, that the gaming exper-
ience affects the evaluation of a game interface, as experienced players know what
to expect, while casual gamers are less likely to make comparisons. To please all of
them is hard work of tuning and refinement, which takes time and effort to accom-
plish. If you do it right, your game will be enjoyed by many gamers and get you good
revenue. A good rule of thumb is watch as a player encounters a new feature. If it
takes them more than 30 seconds to figure it out and/or they ask more than three
questions, the interface needs to be redesigned.
UI in videogames
Throughout the history of videogames, interfaces have evolved according to the
evolution of game mechanics, which basically got more complex with time. If you
think that an Xbox 360 controller has two analog sticks, a D-pad, and 13 buttons,
while the Atari 2600 pad had a stick and one button, you can understand what we
mean! The way you take advantage of such potential to develop the proper interface
for your gameplay, can make a difference between fame and failure. As we saw in
the previous chapter, today's smartphones rely on touch-screen controls and a few
sensors for input, so they can't compare to gamepads with regard to in-game con-
trols capabilities. But it is also true that a very interesting aspect of mobile gaming
is that it brought simple mechanics that characterized old-school games back to the
top. Give all attention you can to converting your game controls in an effective user
interface for your target device and your gameplay will very much benefit from it.
When games were basically 2D, there was not too much to question about realism.
Games weren't realistic and the interface only needed to show the score, available
lives, equipped weapons, or actions available. Interface design only required being
effective and consistent, and the suspension of disbelief was not a matter of concern.
