User Interfaces - Fundamentals of Game Design - page 251

5. What camera model will the main view use? What interaction model does the
gameplay mode use? Is it one of the common ones or something new? How does
the camera model support the interaction model?
6. Does the game's genre, if it has one, help to determine the user interface? What
standards already exist that the player may be expecting the game to follow? Do
you intend to break these expectations, and if so, how will you inform the player of
that?
7. Does the game include menus? What is the menu structure? Is it broad and shal-
low (quick to use, but hard to learn) or narrow and deep (easy to learn, but slow to
use)?
8. Does the game include text on the screen? If so, does it need provisions for
localization?
9. What icons does the game use? Are they visually distinct from one another and
quickly identifiable? Are they culturally universal?
10. Does the player need to know numeric values (score, speed, health)? Can these
be presented through nonnumeric means (power bars, needle gauges, small multi-
ples), or should they be shown as digits? If shown as digits, how can they be
presented in such a way that they don't harm suspension of disbelief? Will you
label the value and if so, how?
11. What symbolic values does the player need to know (safe/danger, locked/
unlocked/open)? By what means will you convey both the value and its label?
12. Will it be possible for the player to control the game's camera? Will it be neces-
sary for the player to do so in order to play the game? What camera controls will be
available? Will they be available at all times or from a separate menu or other
mechanism?
13. What is the aesthetic style of the game? How do the interface elements blend in
and support that style?
14. How will audio be used to support the player's interaction with the game? What
audio cues will accompany player actions? Will the game include audio advice or
dialog?
15. How does music support the user interface and the game generally? Does it cre-
ate an emotional tone or set a pace? Can it adapt to changing circumstances?