Draft Interface Design Docs

Interface Design Issues

JuliaMc DQ1

Search the Web for recent articles related to  game interface design. Discuss three significant  issues related to the topic. Indicate how will  you apply this information to your final interface. 1.Cognitive Flow a concept developed in 1970s  applies today to the users task flow chart for our games.   It is the concept of how people think and keep engaged  to an activity.  To keep gamers involved enough in the  game they need to be emersed in the games interaction.  The flow chart that our class assignments created  the past few weeks can also include the information  that can help balance a game for the player’s experience. Cognitive Flow is a concept developed by a psychologist  that says If an activity or games tasks are too difficult  and the player’s skills are not high enough a player  becomes anxious and if the game’s tasks are to easy  the player becomes bored.  It is important to create a  balance of difficulty to help the player have an  enjoyable game session. In this article, goals, capabilities,  feedback to the player and eliminating distractions creates  a Cognitive Flow. As I read the article it especially  made me consider how important the interface design task flow chart if to the balance of the game  and the player’s feeling of power and control to interact with enjoyment and reward. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature /166972/cognitive_flow_the_psychology_of_.php 2.This article is about Usability evaluationIt being a formal  process for game design. What are the methods their pros  and cons.The evaluation of the game we are developing for usability is very important part of the agile model of  the design method of the looping iterations process that  can create a game of great quality.  For Stay on the Trail,  using an evaluation method will be very important to create  a final product of quality. I will be sending out links to peer s and colleagues that I feel can give feedback that can contribute to an improved  product with each ineraction.http://www.gamasutra. com/view/news/129096/Usability_evaluation_for _video_games_Formal_evaluation _methods.php I will consider this process as an important  part of the iterative process during the development and  finalizing of the design. It help me to look at each  interface and make sure that it is basic and simple to  understand. I will also need to review if the interface  and the gameplay are challengeing but  not too difficult.3.In Gamsutra’s Designers Notebook  article the focus was on design in an interface or gameplay that made designers of other games irritated  so that they wrote up some common mistakes that are in  games that can be easily avoided. Out of the 3 page and  about 10-12 examples three of them were about readability  of text in game, for directions, during cut scenes. The  specific examples from this article is that I need to  remember when I include some additional directions,  work on the tutorials and work with my interface “meet the  horses” I need to make sure that the contrast of the text, size,  color and exspeically the movement the article mentions tha t its difficult to read directions if the text is moving. Its very i mportant to make sure that the players of the game have al l the information they need to play my game. http://www.gamasutra.com/view /feature/134944/the_designers_notebook_bad _game_.php?page=1

Making a game doc for Trail Riding

http://www.horse--games.com/horse_ride_13.html

Game Design Document

Stay on the Trail

Introduction

a.     This document specifies the design for the gameplay of a game titled “Stay on the Trail” It is based on skills needed to go trail riding at a local trail riding farm called “Bobby’s Ranch” located in Acton, Mass.

2.    Scope

a.     This doc is to read by potential game developers for casual games.  This game will be a basic game top down race game such as the first Grand Theft Auto except it will be less complex than GTA-1. It may remind players of a navigating a car but you will be working with the behaviors of a horse on a natural horse trail environment.

3.    Specification

a.     Concept - The aim of “Stay on your Trail” is to use a trail system much like a racecar system. The horses need to stay on the trail and resist the urge to allow your horse to eat green grass on the edges of trails. If the horses go off they speed slows down and they begin to chew grasses and it takes a while to get them back on the trail graphic.

b.    Setting – This game will be in the present day as far as I have decided

c.     Game Structure - There will be 3- different trail systems. As a player you can achieve the next trail by completing certain goals in the game.

d.     Players – This online Flash game will be playable by multiply players or by a player at a standalone web browser. This game should appeal to children, adults who ride horses, animal lovers and more.

e.     Action – The players will be able to ride horses.  The horses can be navigating the trail system for a best time result as the scores. If they let the horses graze off the track it takes a while to get it back on the track and the player loses some time.

f.      Objective – The objective of the game will vary depending on the game type. After the tutorial and unlocking the levels the player can choose to play one of the 4 different games:

                                               i.     Lake Loop Trail – This trail for the horses goes around the lake with lots of bushes and small trees. To go to the next level you would need to win three games with good times as scores.

                                              ii.     Forest Path Trail – This trail goes deep into forest paths with lots of low hanging branches with delicious leaves.  Try to keep your horse from getting leaves off the tree branches in the trails. To go to the next level you would need to win three games with good times as scores.

                                            iii.      Farmland Fields Trail – This trail is loaded with grasses all different kinds of grasses plus some apple trees.  Keep your horse on the trail and try to make sure he doesn’t sneak apples or grass.  To go to the next level you would need to win three games with good times as scores.

4.                Graphics

a.     Mood -  The mood of the game will be shared with the player by the friendly cartoon style of the farm, horses, natural landscape. The colors will be vivid but not overwhelming.  The cartoon style will support players.

b.    Landscape – The landscape will be viewed from the player at a god’s eye view.        The environments will be each of the described trails above. The horses may have some small animations during the trail rides. The screen will stay centered, as the player’s horse will be approximately in the screen.

c.     Objects – Horses, trees bushes, trees, the paths, and the edges of the environments will be drawn in colors and seen from above.  There will be different times of horses available. They will have their names and types all identified in the horse selection mode.

d.    Screen display – The main gameplay interface screen will show your current time, a map of the position you are in the loops and you will see a percent of the trail in full size in the interface.

5.     Interface Design – Game Interface, and 3 Screens

a.     Intro – The Intro interface design will have the word Start on it and as the will  not advance until the player interacts with the button and chooses Play.  During the time the screen is waiting for player to interact the screen will play an animation of white horse running in one of the environments in a large area of the screen. It is to give the player a feeling of the games mood and imagining how the horse would look riding as they are playing.

After choosing Start, the introduction screen will and play a short animation that gives some backstory of the problem space that Bobby’s Trail Ride is working will advance to the first interface.  You will have a selection of Play, Tutorial (that includes a short 30-second video with narration.

b.    Play – The Game play will be accessed through the main interface. There will be a map on the bottom of the screen that tells the player how far along the course that they have progressed and how far they need to go.  This also gives the player a quick view of any obstacles ahead on the trail or help in the maneuvering of the horse at the change of the trail course. Also there will be a score that is the time so far.

c.      Horse Selection-Character choices this will be off of the main interface as an interactive choice.  Once the player has accessed the Horse selection there will be a catalog type looking sheet of the horses that shows attributes of the horse for the trail and show pictures of the horses sizes, characteristics such leaves on tree branches, sometimes slows down but can be brought back easily to speeds, doesn’t like puddles, rides to close to other horses, loves green grass,

Rides close to the edge of trail. As the player looks through the pictures of the horses reads the small description and then can chose the horse and get ready for the game.

Grand Theft Auto Design doc

Below is an important document released by the Game Developer team that designed the first Grand Theft Auto.