Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
• How many screens does my game need?
• Which options will be available to players?
• Where will these options be located?
Once you come up with a list of the required options and game screens, create a
flow chart to describe how the player navigates through the different screens and
which options are available in each one.
The resulting visual map will help you understand if the screen flow is clear and intu-
itive, if game options are located where the players expect to find them, and if there
are doubles, which should be avoided.
Be sure that each game screen is provided with a
BACK
button to go back to a pre-
vious game screen. It can be useful to add hyperlinks to your screen mockups so
that you can try navigating through them early on.
Functionality
It is now time to define how the interface you are designing will help users to play
your game. At this point, you should already have a clear idea of what the player
will be doing in your game and the mechanics of your game. With that information
in mind, think about what actions are required and what info must be displayed to
deal with them. For every piece of information that you can deliver to the player, ask
yourself if it is really necessary and where it should be displayed for optimal fruition.
Try to be as conservative as you can when doing that, it is much too easy to lose
the grip on the interface of your game if new options, buttons, and functions keep
