Opinion: UI Is The Game, The Game Is UI. [In this reprinted #altdevblogaday-opinion piece, Sumo Digital's Alex Moore explains why everything in a video game is the user interface, using Uncharted 2 as an example -- and why traditional heads up displays are rarely done very well.]
I'd like to look at one of the things that makes the difference between a good game and a great game: understanding how the user interface fits into the experience. I'm going to do this with the help of some 1980s text book magic: As we all know, the user interface is, as shown in my amazing diagram above, the bit that sits between us humans and them computers. It takes input from us and gives us a response back. It's one of the simplest concepts to understand, yet one of the hardest things to actually get right.
Software companies spend a fortune on research into user interfaces because they can make something successful or render something clever too difficult to use. Everything Is The User Interface As an example, on the right are two pictures. » The 4 Elements of Game Design » Farshid Palad. MDA.pdf (application/pdf Object) Red Key Blue Key. Red Key Blue Key: Principles of Good Game Design - Part 2 - Gameplay Balance. This is part two of my feature on good game design.
I’ve gathered a bunch of principles of good game design from various game designers, including myself. I will present one every day and gather them all in a final blog post in a week or so. Some of these are arguable and, of course, they shouldn’t be followed religiously. After all, game design is a creative act, where magic sometimes occurs when breaking the laws or principles of what a good game is. But they can be used as general guidelines, I suppose.
Principle 2: Gameplay Balance “When players have multiple options or routes to victory, each option or route should have a risk-reward relationship that prevents dominant strategies. In most games, you can complete a task in several ways. The same thing is seen in strategy and role-playing game, in which you choose a race in the beginning. So in conclusion, forcing the player into making strategic, interesting considerations is a basic principle of game design. Red Key Blue Key: Principles of Good Game Design - Part 1 - Meaningful Play. This is part one of my feature on good game design.
I’ve gathered a bunch of principles of good game design from various game designers, including myself. I will present one every day and gather them in a final blog post in a week or so. Some of these are arguable and, of course, they shouldn’t be followed religiously. After all, game design is a creative act, where magic sometimes occurs when breaking the principles of what a good game is. But they can be used as general guidelines, I guess. Principle 1: Meaningful Play: “Meaningful play is what occurs when the relationships between actions and outcomes in a game are both discernable and integrated into the larger context of the game.” Meaningful play is one of the most basic principles of good game design.
Principle found in: Halo: In the Halo series, your actions – to rebel against an evil alien force – clearly make sense in a larger context. Also, the battles rarely rely on trial-error. Red Key Blue Key: Principles of Good Game Design - Part 3 - Negative and Positive Feedback. This is part three of my feature on good game design.
I’ve gathered a bunch of principles of good game design from various game designers, including myself. I will present one every day and gather them all in a final blog post in a week or so. Some of these are arguable and, of course, they shouldn’t be followed religiously. After all, game design is a creative act, where magic sometimes occurs when breaking the laws or principles of what a good game is.
But they can be used as general guidelines, I suppose. Principle 3: Provide positive and negative feedback “The player should clearly and almost constantly be told whether his actions had a negative or positive effect on achieving his goal.” One of the most frustrating game situations happens when we are unaware of whether our actions bring us closer or further away from our goal. Likewise, in first person shooters, it’s important that an enemy reacts realistically upon being hit.