DayZ SA/BIS games. Slicker presentation?

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

I want to discuss this within the context of the SA but really it's a larger subject concerning games in general.

 

Does presentation matter?

 

When I say presentation, I mean menu's, screen art and really the whole package.  Many people probably think it's superfluous to the game itself but as an artist myself (of sorts) when I boot up a new game and the initial menu looks like it was made by a programmer without an artistic bone in his body my heart always sinks a little.

 

To me it sends a message.  It tells me that the devs don't have an eye for detail.  Of course I'm often proven wrong, some of the best games I've played have appalling menu screens and a really bad UI but it still frustrates me.

 

Designing a good UI for a game is an art-form in itself.  Often console games have far slicker menu's than dedicated PC games, I think that's because they have to be designed to work well with a controller but probably also because they like to give their games a sexy image and the UI can help with that.  Far from being just eye-candy though it can make the game more fun to play if time and effort has been put into creating a slick UI.

 

Nowadays we rarely buy games off the shelf and I miss the box art, manuals and everything else you used to get when buying a hard copy, I'd like to see the presentation of some games replace that.  Some big budget games do a good job of that (Batman for example).

 

So....  Later on in the development of the SA (I'm talking much later on) would you like to see time and effort spent on making it look nice or to you as a player does it not matter at all as long as the game itself is solid?

[leviski 2152]

Well, I have a friend who isnt buying the SA anymore because of some Extremely old footage of dayz placeholder inventory.

 

his reason is "Im not paying my money for something if it looks ugly"

 

So obviously I said no one gives a f*ck and said he can sit out.

 

On a more related note, Art work isnt that big of a deal but I do like a easy to use system, as long as it functions I like it.

[Korsbaek 1778]

So....  Later on in the development of the SA (I'm talking much later on) would you like to see time and effort spent on making it look nice or to you as a player does it not matter at all as long as the game itself is solid?

 

Yes, I would love having a nice menu. But only if it doesn't stop development of other more important features.

[Skat3rat 1633]

Art is important to a degree but the gameplay is of course the most important.  Artwork imo, is important because it's what is most likely going to catch your attention at first.  When you're scrolling through a list of games and you see artwork that really just pops out and looks cool, it catches your attention and generally leads people to check the game/movie or what ever it is.  

 

So yes, artwork is important imo.

[Target Practice (DayZ) 1335]

I think you nailed it in your initial post - whilst it's nice if it's there. it's not a dealbreaker if it isn't. Indie gaming in recent years has put to bed the myth that appearances really matter when it comes to games, and if the core gameplay is good enough, players are willing to look past a fugly UI.

 

One game that I felt got this better than most was Dead Space - the UI was functional, slick and never really took you 'out' of the game. Obviously they can handwave the holo-menus because it's 'the future' and it we expect advanced technology, whereas that sort of thing would be more than a little out of place in DayZ. I have to say though, I'm a big fan of immersive UIs, where I can save/quit/fiddle with my inventory without ever having to break that willing suspension of disbelief. I do think that's one thing that the games industry as a whole could look at improving.

[PK Richie 507]

So long as it works i don't care, we all got used to ArmA 2 wooden interface, it's gameplay and the emotions it brings that counts.

[rossums 2190]

As long as it fits the game and effort has been put into it, I think it will be fine - DayZ is a game where a very simple UI will do more for the game than a complicated one.

DayZ is in a good position where the HUD is already going to be very limited and a simplistic take on the main game UI will be good - I do think that the menu area good have a bit of work done to make it a little easier for the less.. technically inclined players.

As long as the flow is good and you aren't hunting for stuff the interface won't be a problem, DayZ already has a good colour scheme available to use black/dark grey/light grey/red/white and the art direction would go very well with a minimal/slightly grungy theme.

I really hate tacky looking blood and crap - a toned down version of the theme used on the dayzmod.com domain will be good - it screams 'DayZ' but could go for a little cleaning up and toning down of some elements.

[mercules 1290]

Coming from a Tech Support role I like to see interfaces that are clean, intuitive, and have a smooth workflow. I say I could care less about screen art, but I love certain iconic things. 

This logo conveys DayZ to me. 

The opening cinema of Borderlands 2 put me into the perfect mood for when I started playing that game and the interfaces convey the feel of the game. 


For the most part I am not a huge fan of glitzed up graphics. I like realistic looking textures when playing but even Borderlands comic booky style is fine if done well enough, which it was. I refuse to give up useability for "style" however. If a menu you need to access under fire or numerous times while playing slowly irises open or closed it will annoy the hell out of me even though it "looks nice". I'm trying to think of a specific example in a game here but I can't right off the top of my head. I know there was one I was complaining about for a while. 

If we look at Mechwarrior Online's current UI(they are going to UI 2.0 very soon) we can see what they were trying for and they made improvements over the original design to get to this current one, but there are serious flaws. There are tiny buttons to raise or lower armor on a component when building a mech that you have to get the mouse over a very specific point for the button to activate. You have to go into the social tab, then groups, then create a group, then to the friends tab, click on the friend's name, then click on Invite to group. To group up. Very clunky and makes you dig deep. It looks okay, aside from not being full screen, but it's work flow is horrible. Their 2.0 version, however, looks excellent AND looks like they paid attention to workflow and usability. 
 

[terrvik 2409]

For me it is the same as with food: it can taste great but it will taste even better if it looks great as well. I'm not very concerned with "technical" graphics in game but good and/or bad design can turn me on or put me off a game quickly.

[NagsterTheGangster 388]

In general, I like menus that are nice to look at. But in SA id rather environment details over UI details, theyre trying to have as little HUD as possible right?

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

In general, I like menus that are nice to look at. But in SA id rather environment details over UI details, theyre trying to have as little HUD as possible right?

Yup, in an ideal world I think Dean wants to eliminate the HUD completely although that might not be practical.

 

In the long term though I would like to see the whole UI get some more loving.  It's too early to do that yet because it's all constantly subject to change, I'd like it to be kept really simple and minimalist too but still aesthitically pleasing.

 

I would like to see some slick game menu's though to differentiate it further from Arma/ other BIS games.  When I think of BIS games I think of really badly designed menu's although Arma 3 did a pretty good job, far better than Arma 2 anyway.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Fraggle

[ImageCtrl 719]

sexy image and the UI can help with that. 

Like Merkules said, the DayZ Logo is damn hot, it was worth a look for him. Sex sells.

The UI is part of the game. It can destroy  gameplay (the worst case, sci fi look in dayz) or support (dead space) the gameplay.

[NuckFuts 265]

Like the mod, a core part of the DayZ experience is the inventory system as one tends to spend a lot of time using it... So yep, I believe the look and feel of the UI on DayZ is very important for the Devs to get right.

 

Is it important right away since the game will be Alpha? I say yes, first impressions are key! 

Edited October 30, 2013 by NuckFuts

[Gwraspe 318]

functionality and workability over shine anyday, but like the next magpie shiny things do appease me to some extent :)

[Zombie Jesus 723]

Of course I need eye candy, I am a dude.

[Owain1122 218]

I miss manuals that I can sit on the toilet and read...

 

 

More to the Point presentation and first appearances matter! I would like to see them work on the menu screens and especially the UI visuals for the SA.

[Krobar 75]

Yup, in an ideal world I think Dean wants to eliminate the HUD completely although that might not be practical.

 

In the long term though I would like to see the whole UI get some more loving.  It's too early to do that yet because it's all constantly subject to change, I'd like it to be kept really simple and minimalist too but still aesthitically pleasing.

 

I would like to see some slick game menu's though to differentiate it further from Arma/ other BIS games.  When I think of BIS games I think of really badly designed menu's although Arma 3 did a pretty good job, far better than Arma 2 anyway.

I think the menu text matching the text on the road signs for towns would be fitting.

 

EDIT: In English I guess...

Edited October 30, 2013 by Krobar

[Aporis 422]

Anybody else wanna see dayz hard copies sold in same type bumpy boxart boxes as wow expansions for example?

[mercules 1290]

Anybody else wanna see dayz hard copies sold in same type bumpy boxart boxes as wow expansions for example?

 

Nope... I would want the box to be waterstained heavy coarse cardboard. It smells faintly of burnt leaves when you open the cover and scratch the "Scratch and sniff" patch.

[Hetstaine 10852]

I prefer simple and intuitive ui's and a decent piece of main menu art and overall simple design that fits the theme. Not over the top glitz, that shit puts me off and can reek of 'trashy game'. Presentation does matter, off course if the game plays well it does not matter but like Frag said..everytime you look it you just go..' guys..really ..were you that uninspired ? '

 

 Menu screens were where i first tried my hand at modding, and i am always a bit saddened if games have a badly done bunch of screens. The Russians and eastern bloc types are the best at making totally lifeless menus. I think they get approved by Stalin (who still lives )

 

 Hank my panky.

[kichilron 8550]

As it was being stated a couple of times already, that it's supposed to be as minimalistic as possible and that's why I am fine with anything. There's no real need for an extremely good looking UI, when it's generally simple and not taking up much on your screen.

 

If it's the complete opposite I think it is a necessity to look good. Other games have a lot of things going on on the screen and they either need to be customisable to look good or look good in the first place. I myself have played World of Warcraft quite a bad (yes, I have) and I was always working on my UI, as the default one was horrible and overloaded. I am a fan of simple things. Keep it simple, with a bit of black, grey and white and everything's going to be fine.

 

Easy to do as well, I suppose.

 

 

 

 

 

as an artist myself (of sorts) 

 

 

Get my stuff done, then!

Edited October 31, 2013 by kichilron

[dgeesio 1034]

I want to discuss this within the context of the SA but really it's a larger subject concerning games in general.

 

Does presentation matter?

 

When I say presentation, I mean menu's, screen art and really the whole package.  Many people probably think it's superfluous to the game itself but as an artist myself (of sorts) when I boot up a new game and the initial menu looks like it was made by a programmer without an artistic bone in his body my heart always sinks a little.

 

To me it sends a message.  It tells me that the devs don't have an eye for detail.  Of course I'm often proven wrong, some of the best games I've played have appalling menu screens and a really bad UI but it still frustrates me.

 

Designing a good UI for a game is an art-form in itself.  Often console games have far slicker menu's than dedicated PC games, I think that's because they have to be designed to work well with a controller but probably also because they like to give their games a sexy image and the UI can help with that.  Far from being just eye-candy though it can make the game more fun to play if time and effort has been put into creating a slick UI.

 

Nowadays we rarely buy games off the shelf and I miss the box art, manuals and everything else you used to get when buying a hard copy, I'd like to see the presentation of some games replace that.  Some big budget games do a good job of that (Batman for example).

 

So....  Later on in the development of the SA (I'm talking much later on) would you like to see time and effort spent on making it look nice or to you as a player does it not matter at all as long as the game itself is solid?

you know one of the biggest things that makes me want to punch my monitor at how some people present things especially guis in game !

 

its like everything must be windows 8 themed now ! just no .... please devs stop with added extra shit for the sake of adding it to try and make something new just keep it simple and functional.

 

 

this is where devs can fail and should listen to gamers. trying to create a new style or way when it isnt needed.

 

function over art . simple and something that works and isnt tedious

 

and for the love of god please pretty please make sure the mp search list is easy and simple and refreshes fast. the amount of mp games that get that wrong and its a basic function really does grind me :D

Edited October 31, 2013 by dgeesio

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Well it seems like people mainly want the same thing from a game then in terms of the UI.

 

Functionality comes first but to many the actual look and feel of it is equally important as long as it's in keeping with the game.  To me both of those things actually go hand in hand and in my experience that's what design is all about.

 

There's some games where a slightly over the top UI works.  Codemasters always have really nice menu's for their racing games.  They're in your face and a tad dramatic but for the racing games they're designed for they fit well because the games themselves are all about giving you the adrenaline rush of racing.  The swooshing menu's and heavy music add to the overall experience you're looking for when playing an arcadey racer.  

 

For slower paced games something much more minimalistic, clean and functional usually fits the bill although in my eyes that's still no excuse to leave it looking like it was designed by a colour-blind programmer.

 

In my experience there's nothing worse than a project lead that doesn't give the UI designers any artistic licence.  I've not been involved in game design but I have been involved in website design (although I hate it) and I can imagine many of the same issues arise.

 

Usually you have a guy in charge that has a very clear picture in his head of what he wants things to look like.  Sadly from a design point of view 90% of the time what he has in his head sucks.  Instead of letting the artist/designer do what they're good at and then then go through a proper design process until both parties are happy, you end up with the guy in charge basically dictating to the artist exactly how things should be.  The outcome is usually something that looks like shit and isn't practical to use because the artist/designer hasn't been given enough freedom to what they do best, in reality they've just acted as the boss's hands.  The only person happy with the outcome in that scenario is the project lead because his ego has been massaged.  The designer is left frustrated and the end user is left with something that isn't very pleasant to use.

 

Anyhoo, I just hope that the SA devs spend some time in the future actually making the SA look like a professionally presented game.  Just because it's a "hardcore" game aimed at us hipsters doesn't mean it can't look nice.  We like pretty things too QQ.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Fraggle

[mzltv 2281]

Personally, I don't think there's much excuse for people to cheap out or put little effort into the UI and main menu's, and the like.

Obviously the key is having an awesome game behind a pretty set of splash screens and stuff, but it certainly is something that I'm aware of.

[St. Jimmy 1631]

The GUI in Arma is just about the minimum that is enough. Bit better wouldn't be bad though. When I buy a "hardcore game" or sim I  expect very simple looking GUI and I'd be very surprised if it looks cool. Mostly in those kind of games it's just there and works (or doesn't).