Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
User Interface
CRPGs usually permit a much greater range of possible actions for the player than
games of other genres. Consequently, there is a corresponding increase in the com-
plexity of the interface. Most PC titles offer an interface in which the player uses
the mouse to click icons—though some still offer a keyboard-only interface—while
console titles tend to duplicate the functionality of a mouse using analog
controllers.
Figure 15.9 , from Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, illustrates some of the
complexities of CRPG interfaces. Contrast this with Figure 13.2 (right side) for a
traditional action game, and with Figure 14.2 for a strategy game. Figure 15.9
includes all the following elements: a mini-map (upper left); details about the cur-
rent health and status of an enemy (left center); combat options during battle
(lower left and center); party portraits (lower right); and buttons for switching to
other gameplay modes such as character and inventory management (upper right).
FIGURE 15.9
Knights of the Old
Republic II: The Sith
Lords during a combat
sequence
TIP See Chapter 8,
“User Interfaces,” for
more information on
user interface design.
Much of the advice in
that chapter is directly
applicable to CRPGs.
VISIBLE VERSUS HIDDEN MECHANICS
The first computerized games based on the Dungeons & Dragons system displayed
actual die rolls on the screen so that the player could be confident that the games
were following the real D&D rules. That was over 20 years ago, and nowadays the
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