Having all your data appear as numbers in some log works for a while but then you need to display it, so it’s time to decide on a UI for the game - the bane of most devs (probably just me) existence.
My previous game had a pretty cluttered UI, that was mostly because of lack of planning and adding things to the game as I went along during development. Since LL had multiple builds released during development I was reluctant to make big changes that would throw people off, it was keyboard only too. I’m experimenting with adding mouse controls, so there may be a cursor where you can not only click on UI elements but items sitting in the environment as well.
I’d like a cleaner UI this time, but a good amount of information will need to be presented to the player, mostly regarding enemy presence. This game will be turn based but there won’t be anything like a battle transition and multiple enemies will be able to attack and surround you, so it’s vital for the player to have enough information about what’s nearby. If you’ve played a mystery dungeon game before it will be similar to that, but I want to use a first person view instead of top down.
The minimap helps and enemy locations will appear on it, but it’s no fun to be staring at something like that to ensure you’re safe, a more gameplay focused approach would be better if possible. I’m going to use less screen real estate for the obvious stuff like your HP, energy level, etc so that there will be more room for sprites and other information. Another thing I thought of was the player sprite itself, for example instead of adding a key or button to make the player wait in place, maybe you could just click on her to do that.
The triangles on the bottom left and right are what I’m planning on using to determine if the player is in danger from those directions, for example if there’s a monster on the tile(s) next to you that you didn’t see (or it moved into that space), a small portrait of it will be appear on that UI element. Maybe you could even upgrade your ability to sense enemies from more than 1 tile away, it’s an idea.
You can easily tell what’s in front of you, but this leaves the question about enemies that come up from behind you, yes they will appear on the minimap but should there be more than that? It’s a first person game after all. Other solutions for telling the player where enemies are would probably take up more screen space. You can see ahead of you, those are enemies you “should’ve” seen, but enemies from behind? I’ll have to think more about it.
I didn’t add them to the screen yet, but there will be icons to the right of the player indicating attacks she can perform, and equipped items that can be used. There will be another set of items that will appear on the top of the screen under that top UI element (the placeholder herbs from LL), so that space will be reserved for that. The minimap will take the remaining space on the top right, but I have noticed a lot of games will simply put the minimap in the middle of the screen overlaying everything (while given the ability to hide it), I can’t say I like that too much.
Maybe you should lean into the whole first-person angle and rely on sound design a bit? Legend of Grimrock had some distinctly recognizable sounds when enemies moved, and sort of hinted at times that they were in the area beyond the door, or that there was an enemy somewhere in this dark hallway, etc. It would do away with you having to wholly rely on UI elements for communicating enemy presence, though it would be at the expense of some of the surprise.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about sound design, I was recently looking at Legend of Grimrock too and they make very good use of it. The only issue with that is every enemy would need unique and distinctive sounds, and good sound design is expensive - I paid quite a bit to get the sounds I used in LL and there weren't even that many. Still, it's important and something I'll most likely need.
DeleteIf you do travel down the minimap path, tagging enemies in sight with a mouse click could be a thing so that you can have the minimap tracking without the minimap spoiling it.
DeleteA different approach with this idea could be a sort of compass that tracks things you tag. Kind of like the Spelunky compass that leaves an arrow onscreen pointing to the exit.
don't rely on sound too much, considering its a porn game not everyone will have it on high volume for obvious reasons
DeleteSome players do turn off the volume in these types of games, for sure. I'll have to think about it.
DeleteGotta say that monochrome look is really growing on me. keeping it black and white would probably get boring after a while but I hope you keep a darker color palette, has a really cool mood and atmosphere to it the way it is right now.
ReplyDeleteI do plan on keeping it dark even with colors, and playing around with the monochrome look is fun. Although I do like the look and it would reduce my workload by a lot, I'm not sure if it's something a lot of players would appreciate.
DeleteYeah it would probably be pretty convenient and effective, but I feel like it'd be a bit too dull if the whole game was like that.
DeleteThat said, the effect could still be utilized for one of the levels, or maybe, since this is still an MD game, the monochrome look could come back for "dark floors" or something, which would have some kind of debuff like "no minimap" or "higher monster density" etc. Could be an awesome visual flair. Granted that might also double the assets in the files unless there's a way to tell the engine to render the floor assets in black and white only or something. Just an idea.
It's been a few months, just checking in to see if things are still moving along.
ReplyDeleteI'm still at it. The game is still taking on a lot of big changes gameplay wise and there are things I'm unsure about, the random generation for example turned out to not be as fun as I thought and there were things about it I failed to take into consideration. The game may turn out to play a lot differently than what I described as the initial idea.
DeleteI want to be more sure about things before posting I guess, my worry is it may lead to confusion or disappointment if the game turns out not to be what people thought.
Oh good, I just wanted to be sure you were still around. Radio silence on projects like these is the worst (as it usually means it's been abandoned) so just knowing you're still plugging away is enough.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year
ReplyDeleteIt's been almost a year since I've been to this blog, hope you're doing well on your game and life in general. Have you ever mentioned in the past what its like making a game by yourself? I've toyed with the idea on and off years ago but recently I've been seriously delving into making my own game again with a somewhat clear vision as to what I would want it to be.
If you had any tips or advice about it, it would be nice to hear.
Hey, I haven’t really talked about it but it's something I still struggle with. In regards to advice the first thing I can think of is to keep it manageable, I always look at features in terms of how much content I'll need to create. Picture your game as a whole every time you plan to add something new. Also, since games are long term projects make sure it's something you can see yourself working on for a while.
DeleteHey mminit,
ReplyDeleteI played your game quite a while ago and I love it! I've always asked myself if you have thought about open a Patreon, so I could throw a few bucks at you (and follow your development process better) :)
I'm glad you liked it. I don't have anything like that at the moment, my twitter and this blog are the best place to check ( https://twitter.com/mminit_dev ). I'm a bit preoccupied right now but I hope to start posting again soon.
DeleteCheers, I'll cling at any update you will post :)
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