Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
with HD display, such as the HTC One X+ or the Samsung Galaxy S4 (as we write),
and design the interface to match their resolution. Scale it as required to adapt to
others: though this way, the graphics won't be perfect for any device, 90 percent of
your gamers won't notice any difference.
The following is a list of sites where you can find useful information to deal with the
Android screens variety dilemma:
Search for references
There is no need to reinvent the wheel every time you design a new game interface.
Games can be easily classified by genre and different genres tend to adopt general
solutions for the interface that are shared among different titles in the same genre.
Whenever you are planning the interface for your new game, look at others' work
first. Play games and study their UI, especially from a functional perspective. When
studying others' game interfaces, always ask yourself:
• What info is necessary to the player to play this title?
• What kind of functionality is needed to achieve the game goals?
• Which are the important components that need to stand out from the rest?
• What's the purpose and context of each window?
By answering such questions, you will be able to make a deep analysis of the inter-
face of other games, compare them, and then choose the solutions to better fit your
specific needs.
The screen flow
The options available to the players of your game will need to be located in a game
screen of some sort. So the questions you should ask yourself are:
