Pretti! Interface-graphics

[MountainWest]

What do you think it would be a good theme? I might go the roman columns way...

If I had any talant as a designer (which I don't) my first thought would be: What could capture the mood of a post-apoc-roman-low-magic-setting. Mantra_N's suggestion looks great as an interface, but does it really reflect the setting AoD takes place in? No, I don't think so.

Roman columns is among the first things that pops into my mind too. But they'd had to be broken, crumbled, worn, post-apoc, and not "shiny white" as one think of them. The interface should have a gloomy feel to it, as I envision the AoD-world not a very happy place. And last but not least, the interface must transition to the gameworld smoothly - which, due to graphical limitations, doesn't look as gritty as I would have prefered - and therefore the interface can't be "too" gritty.

Take a look at the fallout-screen. That interface does just about everything right. It feels like an old-school vending machine, one that's been standing abandon in some lab in the desert for decades. Perhaps combined with a fifties car-dashboard, with it's just about worn out leather.

 

[The_Nameless_Prick]

Well done, Mantra. VD?

 

[Slylandro]

Mantra_N's suggestion looks great as an interface, but does it really reflect the setting AoD takes place in? No, I don't think so.

Neither do I. Elhiom's interface blends in too well with the picture. Mantra's interface on the other hand is too distracting. Maybe they can try again?

Marble sounds like a good idea. I think a grayed out, perhaps partially eroded marble (crumbling as you put) with a hint of moss or mold might look well if done right. Strategically placed cracks might help too.

 

[Elhoim]

I´m doing a new one right now. Here is WIP. Trying to keep it simple and to blend it with the game.

THIS IS NOT FINISHED!



Suggestions are welcome!

 

[Elwro]

For me, with such a background it's a bit hard to see what the icons represent.
Keep it up!

 

[Fresh]

post-apoc-vibe

Listen to he who speaks the truth!

"Post-apoc-vibe" is the key concept here. That said I think both Elhoims (first darker version) and Mantras mock-ups shows a lot of promise, simply by using textures to make the interface look more substantial/professional/eye-pleasing.

EDIT

Roman columns is among the first things that pops into my mind too. But they'd had to be broken, crumbled, worn, post-apoc, and not "shiny white" as one think of them. The interface should have a gloomy feel to it, as I envision the AoD-world not a very happy place. And last but not least, the interface must transition to the gameworld smoothly - which, due to graphical limitations, doesn't look as gritty as I would have prefered - and therefore the interface can't be "too" gritty.

Yes! Crumbled columns = the awesome!

 

[Elhoim]

For me, with such a background it's a bit hard to see what the icons represent.
Keep it up!

Yeah, I still haven´t touched the icons. Here is an update.

 

[darks]

Just registered for a quick comment on this, since i really like your game, VD. Been reading about it here for quite a long time.

I agree that the Interface is propably the most important visual aspect in a text-heavy rpg. People will look at it more than 50% of their playing time, i guess. Plus, anyone looking at the screenshots will judge your game by the Interface also, and right now it looks quite... unproffesional.


Mantras Interface is my favorite BY FAR, just change that ugly Font and add some little "post-apo" details as others already suggested, to make it look more crumbled.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I like the ideas a lot so far. Keep in mind one thing though, the "winner" would have to redesign all interfaces to keep everything consistent (char screen, trading, alchemy, upgrade, travel, inventory, dialogue, pick-up, etc).

I'll post the specs later and upload the icons on the website when I have time.

 

[Elhoim]

Thanks VD! It would be nice to know the limitations of the UI, and to have the icons to work with.

 

[Fresh]

ok how about this? icons still need work, and sorry about the diablo font lol didn't have anything else that fit the theme.

This one is great. I'd get rid of the top-most border and re-work the icons (more substance/defined/button-ish) and change the font. Do that and you should have beautiful yet functional interface.


EDIT: Mantra_n, how about adding some relief-quadrants around the icons kind of like this:

 

[galsiah]

I definitely prefer Mantra_n's at the moment. In particular, the clarity of the icons is a great asset.

Elhoim: The major downside to yours IMO is the icons. I know you haven't worked on them yet, but I don't see how you'll get much improvement in clarity with that background (feel free to surprise me ). Also I think I'd prefer a more textured background to the weapon slots - it looks a bit clean at present.

Keep up the good work.


EDIT:
Personally I think I like the non-buttonlike look of the icons in Mantra_n's as things stand. However, I guess there needs to be a way to indicate that an icon has been successfully activated / is currently active (??). Buttondom would be a clear way to do that, but I'd have thought that you could do the same thing with a change in brightness / colour to the icon.
So long as things remain clear, I prefer it when the interface feels less like an application toolbar.

 

[Elhoim]

EDIT2: Changed to the new Dialog Screen.

Here is a dialog screen:



EDIT: For some reason the picture is clearer than what I have done. Anyway...

I agree that Mantra´s UI is great, but I also think that it doesn´t fit the atmosphere too well. I wonder where he got those borders... He knows more tricks than I do...

 

[galsiah]

FYI: The most recent dialogue screens have the world view on the right, so that the text is all left justified in the same line (and isn't left floating in the middle of the screen when there's a load of text). Unless you've got a good reason not to, I guess it makes sense to stick to that.

That looks fine to me though.

 

[Elhoim]

FYI: The most recent dialogue screens have the world view on the right, so that the text is all left justified in the same line (and isn't left floating in the middle of the screen when there's a load of text). Unless you've got a good reason not to, I guess it makes sense to stick to that.

That looks fine to me though.

I have no good reason to stick to it. I only took an outdated pic without knowing there was a newer one

 

[Claw]

I agree with MountainWest that Manta_n's suggestion looks greally great on its own but doesn't fit the game. In particular, I like the original icons alot. I don't want them changed, and that's one of the gripes I have with most suggestions, or even the idea of changing the UI. You can't just drop a new background image on it, most of those sugggestions look incoherent and silly, so you need to change everything, and the colourful, comic-style icons are cool. I don't see how the silhouette design is more "clear" either. The original icons are easy enough to tell apart and the new style only makes them more abstract and even less informative. What IS icon #5? Lockpicks? It's rather less clear now than it was before.

I´m doing a new one right now. Here is WIP. Trying to keep it simple and to blend it with the game.

THIS IS NOT FINISHED!

Allright, now you're heading in the right direction. This is great, not just in a "cool and stylisch" professional-looking way, but in a way that really fits the game. This is the first "suggestion" I like.
As Elwro said, the icon background is too busy but the style is great. As for your following update, did you change the background on the text box or just darken it? It looks different somehow. The text box looks better to me in the first screen, although the new font is better.
Could you try the dialogue screen with the brighter background from the first screenshot? It's too dark for my taste.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Love the font on the last screen, btw. Fucking awesome. What's the name?

Btw, you don't have to do exactly the same interface, but with different textures. Feel free to create a completely different style, if you have a better idea.

 

[Elhoim]

Love the font on the last screen, btw. Fucking awesome. What's the name?

Papyrus. Even the name fits perfectly!

Btw, you don't have to do exactly the same interface, but with different textures. Feel free to create a completely different style, if you have a better idea.

I´ll see what I can do. I like the simple style it has now, but I´ll see if I can come up with something more fancy.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I´ll see what I can do. I like the simple style it has now, but I´ll see if I can come up with something more fancy.

You don't have to, it's not a requirement. I just wanted to mention it in case someone has a better idea or hates the current setup.

 

[Hazelnut]

Elhoim - nice work, but I really don't like the results personally. Especially the dialogue screen, far too dark for me. Do like the font, but wonder if it would get tiresome to read after a while. The 'hand' slots look too much like modern buttons.

Mantra - needs more work, but it does look nice. It needs to be changed to fit the game atmosphere more with the biggest problem that the icons look completely wrong for the game.


As I've said before - I like the interface as it is and just wanna play the game, but that will not stop me commenting on the results of hard work which if taken far enough might well make it into the game... keep it up guys.

 

[Monolith]

I'm all for manta_n's version of the interface. Change the font and work a little on the post-apocalyptic atmosphere and damn, that's what I want.

Elhoim's version is better than the original but still lacks the professional look, simply isn't consistent enough.

 

[User was nabbed fit]

I'm all for manta_n's version of the interface. Change the font and work a little on the post-apocalyptic atmosphere and damn, that's what I want.

Elhoim's version is better than the original but still lacks the professional look, simply isn't consistent enough.

I concur, +1 for manta_n's.

 

[callehe]

mantra's look very good, very professional indeed. but the interface is still a bit distracting from the world screen. try a different colour scheme, maybe more monotonic, and less bright, especially on the icons. and more apoc as the other said.

 

[Slith]

Heh, 10 bucks Mantra never comes back to finish up his UI.

 

[mr nobuddy]

Question: just what is the reason for a red/yellow weapon slot? Wouldn't it be better to have the same background as the rest of the interface?

Actually, I think the entire interface would merit from a single background. Choose which one, but be consistent and apply it everywhere. It really hurts the (alert: buzzword) immersion when parts of the interface have a different design, or when, opon opening a menu (skills menu, for example), the player suddenly have to deal with a different colour pattern.