Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
User Interface
The user interface for action games should be, as Einstein said of physics, “as simple
as possible, but not simpler.” Players must be able to quickly and accurately assess
the play environment, and for that you need to keep distractions to a minimum.
Controls must be responsive, predictable, and easy to learn. This section looks at
some user interface features that you can use to meet these requirements.
VISUAL AND AUDIO INDICATORS
Not only does the player have to contend with the frantic action in your game, he
also has to pay attention to the indicators in the user interface. He should be able to
do this at a glance without having to work to interpret the data. Follow these sug-
gestions in order to help your player understand what he's seeing.
■
Display only as much as the player needs to know.
Most action games require
only a limited amount of information, so this isn't difficult. For example, the HUD
(head-up display) for
Quake III
shows the minimum amount of information: the
player's current health, weapon, and amount of ammo.
■
Keep it on-screen.
All the vital information that the player needs should be
immediately visible. Don't require the player to switch to another screen to learn
something important; it destroys his concentration.
■
Where possible, use graphical indicators rather than numbers or text.
In an
action game, players seldom need to know exact quantities. It takes more mental
processing power to recognize a number than it does to understand a simple power
bar or gauge. See the section “Feedback Elements” in Chapter 8, “Using Interfaces,”
for more details.
■
Draw attention to critical information.
The player can't be watching his indi-
cators all the time, so warn him when critical resources run low. To draw the player's
attention to something in the status panel, make it blink or flicker. On the periph-
ery of our field of vision, the eye is attuned to detect changes in contrast or color,
so the easiest way to get the player's attention is to use a flashing or flickering indi-
cator. Don't rely solely on color changes, however, as this handicaps colorblind
players. See “Colorblind Players” in Appendix A, “Designing to Appeal to Particular
Groups.”
■
Keep maps in the primary gameplay mode simple and clean.
If you are plan-
ning to give the player a map in the primary gameplay mode—and it's often a good
idea—it must be as immediately comprehensible as any other indicator. If your map
needs to be complicated for some reason, make it available in a separate mode that
pauses the action while the player studies the map.
■
Use plenty of audio feedback.
Players depend heavily on their ears to warn
them of approaching dangers and to let them know when they've succeeded at a
challenge or obtained something valuable. In the middle of fast action, they might
not see it, so make sure they can hear it as well.
