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Xconq UI thoughts


So many ideas flying around, I can hardly keep up! But here are some thoughts
based on having built a half-dozen separate UIs for Xconq over the years, and
having heard the player feedback.


1. Xconq should follow the prevailing trends in game interface design, and it
should be informed by the A-list games rather than the obscure ones. That
means custom interface design, not cookie-cutter-GUI-builder stuff. That's
the motivation for the SDL experiment; it's a cross-platform kit that has
been used for some high-quality commercial games. The downside is that
you have to develop more widgets and create more artwork for them. Another
downside is that what is cool today will soon become dated.


2. Office apps are not fun. Multiple overlapping windows, floating palettes,
etc, all get a big "yechh" from players, and very few use them. (Developers
think they're cool, but do you want your audience to be game players or game
developers?)

3. Players are willing to tolerate less efficient interfaces if they are
entertaining to use. The standard video game preference panels are nasty
modal things, but developers dress them up with animation and sound effects,
and players are OK with that.

4. Players are not programmers; complicated automation features will
likely not be used. Players are perfectly happy to do repetitive actions
if they're being entertained while doing them.

5. Players hate to type; they would rather roll around a bunch of buttons
and popups than hit a single key on the keyboard. (Programmers love keyboards,
but see #4.)


6. All this applies to game design too. Only a handful of the most hardcore
want to write GDL, scripts, or whatever; that's as true of Quake as it is
of Xconq, Quake just has a much larger fan base from which to recruit the
hardcores.

Stan



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