I'd like to learn a little more about the different user interfaces applied to video games, so I figured I'd ask BSN.
What, for example, is a "fixed isometric user interface"? (Game example?) What is the vernacular for other examples of varying user interfaces?
As much information provided would be appreciated.
User Interfaces
Débuté par
Guest_Trista Hawke_*
, sept. 01 2013 03:01
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#2
Posté 01 septembre 2013 - 07:40
Gatt9
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First, I think you're getting a couple of words confused there (Not your fault, the Gaming Press likes to take liberties with these things). The User Interface is the control scheme for a game. Which could be key presses, button presses, or clickable UI elements (Think clicking on a portrait of a graphical button). The User Interface is how the user interacts with the program.
"Isometric" isn't a UI, it's a perspective, it's how the gameworld is rendered. It's a component of the GUI (Graphical User Interface) but not a component of the User Interface per se. It's how the user views the program, but not how he interacts with it (Though a case could be made that there is limited interaction).
"Fixed Isometric" is the 3/4 top down view, used in Fallout 1 and 2, and the Infinity Engine games like Baldur's Gate. The user is unable to rotate or zoom.
"Free Isometric" is basically the same thing except the camera can be rotated and zoomed. It's also sometimes used to describe a camera that can also change angle, even though that's not really "Isometric".
IIRC, and I'm not a graphics designer, "Isometric" is a legacy term from the 2D days, for an art style that allows the viewer to perceive depth in a flat 2D image.
The other styles are Top-down, First Person Perspective, Third Person Perspective, and Free-floating (Camera can be moved anywhere). I think there's one more I'm forgetting.
The User Interface varies wildly, and is usually custom to the game. Generally speaking, there's a few "Common" interfaces. The left mouse button is usually fire, WASD and arrow keys are usually movement. Number keys are usually weapons/powers. On a controller, the triggers are always fire, the analogue sticks movement.
The "Golden Rule" for user interfaces is that no screen should be more take more than 1 click to get there, and anything that takes two clicks is generally a sub-menu of the 1-click screen. Going more than 2 clicks in generally tends to cause confusion in users.
From that point, there's no consensus on UI design. Some go as minimalistic as possible, some try to present as much frequently used information as "Always visible". There's no "Right way", because it becomes personal preference.
"Isometric" isn't a UI, it's a perspective, it's how the gameworld is rendered. It's a component of the GUI (Graphical User Interface) but not a component of the User Interface per se. It's how the user views the program, but not how he interacts with it (Though a case could be made that there is limited interaction).
"Fixed Isometric" is the 3/4 top down view, used in Fallout 1 and 2, and the Infinity Engine games like Baldur's Gate. The user is unable to rotate or zoom.
"Free Isometric" is basically the same thing except the camera can be rotated and zoomed. It's also sometimes used to describe a camera that can also change angle, even though that's not really "Isometric".
IIRC, and I'm not a graphics designer, "Isometric" is a legacy term from the 2D days, for an art style that allows the viewer to perceive depth in a flat 2D image.
The other styles are Top-down, First Person Perspective, Third Person Perspective, and Free-floating (Camera can be moved anywhere). I think there's one more I'm forgetting.
The User Interface varies wildly, and is usually custom to the game. Generally speaking, there's a few "Common" interfaces. The left mouse button is usually fire, WASD and arrow keys are usually movement. Number keys are usually weapons/powers. On a controller, the triggers are always fire, the analogue sticks movement.
The "Golden Rule" for user interfaces is that no screen should be more take more than 1 click to get there, and anything that takes two clicks is generally a sub-menu of the 1-click screen. Going more than 2 clicks in generally tends to cause confusion in users.
From that point, there's no consensus on UI design. Some go as minimalistic as possible, some try to present as much frequently used information as "Always visible". There's no "Right way", because it becomes personal preference.
#3
Guest_Trista Hawke_*
Posté 02 septembre 2013 - 05:04
Guest_Trista Hawke_*
Guest_Trista Hawke_*
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That was incredibly helpful. Thank you.
