Interface Concepts

1. Interface Concepts

2. Primary Goals • Feedback • Providing game status info to player • Health, score, ammo, danger, audio cues • Provides info on progress • Map, objectives, goals, quests, hints • Control • Provide method for interacting with game • How/when does player TAKE ACTION • Controlling actions and next steps • Controller, keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc.

3. Feedback • Conveying what is happening in the game • Where is the character/NPC? • What are they doing? • What needs to be done next? • What obstacles are ahead? • What is your score? • What is your health? • How many lives left? • Purpose of feedback in games • Indicate progress toward a goal • Teach players new concepts

4. Progress • Players need to measure current “success” • Strategies: What strategies should I use? • Duration: How much longer till I achieve goal? • Success: Am I winning? • Example: Call of Duty (FPS) • Health is indicated by red-tinted screen, hunched character, and heavy, erratic breathing

5. Street Fighter • Genre: Fighter • Goal to vanquish opponent before they do you! • Progress is indicated through enemy health bar • Length indicates health • Color emphasizes: • green indicates “healthy”, • (other color) indicates “almost dead” • Success of individual action through “big” animations/sounds • Consistent damage for each move

6. Civilization IV • Genre: RTS • Goal to conquer the game world in one of 7 ways • Broken down into many short- and long-term goals • Hook: “take just one more turn…” • Progress is indicated through individual “areas” • Culture, military, foreign relations, etc. • Progress bars are used in each area • Identifies what is currently under development • How long will it take to fully develop • Relationship between technologies • Main screen provides abbreviated versions

7. Instructions • Rule 1: Players DON’T read the manual! • Integrate it into the game! • Teach the player the rules of the game • Stand-alone tutorial • Integrated into first few levels of gameplay • Individual “learning” missions throughout • Early and successful performance could skip these! • Hints/tips provided throughout • Teach MORE than just basic actions • Teach strategy, tricks, hints – how to MAXIMIZE experience

8. Super Mario Bros. • Secondary goal: Collect coins • Interface “guides” user to accidentally collecting coins • Coin disappears, “happy” sound plays • Increase coin count • Count is always visible on-screen as a 2-digit number • Overtime, user learns that coins earn extra lives, but EVERY coin is not essential • After 100 coins collected: • Extra lives increase • Longer “happy” sound plays • Count is always visible on-screen

9. Civilization IV • Primary goal: World domination • Through peaceful or violent means • Integrated tutorial • Not really an “intuitive” interface, must be taught • Introduces ALL facets of the game • Get “help” on any screen at any time • Uses Drill-down interface with summary • Hover mouse will expose more info

10. Control • Allow player to communicate with game • Take actions • Run, jump, move, activate, open, hide, shoot, etc. • Feedback to user validates use of control • Button press results in on-screen action or sound • Think: What actions does user need to take? • Solve the question of “how” later…

11. Control Second Life “Action Select” wheel • Provide relevant controls • Context-sensitive control methods • Controls are only available when usable • Controls are only VISIBLE when usable • Add more features as game goes along • Learning the game… • Provide only a few choice options • Example: Super Paper Mario • Every “world” gives you one or more new Pixls • Each Pixl has a new skill that you learn to use Neverwinter Nights“Action Select” wheel

12. Secondary Interface Goals • Immersion • “Realism” of the experience • Players get “lost” in the game, forget it’s a game • Interface components integrated into world • Atmosphere • “Realism” of the environment • Players “feel” like they are in the game • Interface is consistent with game being played (not just visuals!) • Ambient noises, etc. add to experience

13. Immersion • “Realism” of the experience • Difficult for interface to enhance immersion • Easy for poor interface to detract • Widgets remind user they are in a game • Numbers, text, icons, buttons, menus, etc. • Example: Neverwinter Nights • Damage appears as a number over enemies head • More immersive solution? • Damage displayed by animation, sound, and NPC visuals • Trade-offs? • Speed, rendering power, gameplay speed Star Wars: Battlefront – Immersive HUD

14. Atmosphere • “Realism” of the environment • Interface should always add to atmosphere • Controls, colors, menus, visuals, sounds, etc. should mirror real-world and fit with theme • Custom controllers may be used (gun, wheel, etc.) • Background music sets place & theme • Sound Design • Effects, music, etc. are designed for the game • Must fit with the theme • Attributes of “great atmosphere”: • Action sounds (footsteps, sword slashing, eating) • Ambient sounds (voices, crickets, the wind, distant cars) • Ambient visuals (distant movement, traffic, animals) • Variety of visuals (don’t repeat items, textures) • Visual details (appropriate items in background) • Example: The Bard’s Tale (RPG) • Hewn-stone look of borders, dark-grey colors appropriate for dungeon theme

15. Audio • Audio provides alternative avenue for info • Eliminating ambiguity • Tone and duration communicate good/bad events • Feedback without interrupting gameplay • Visual feedback can be too subtle or dramatic • Confirm control: menu-selection, button-clicking, etc. • Reinforcing visual effects • Suggest significance of the event • Creating atmosphere • Footsteps, doors creaking, background music, etc.