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Zizka
Commander
Joined: 07 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 143 |
![]() Topic: Game MenuPosted: 03 February 2016 at 11:40am |
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So this is a game menu:
I want to use kitchen related icons to replace stats but I'm not satisfied with the ones I have right now. I'm also not satisfied with the stats display themselves, I find they look empty. I basically want to have a good looking GUI. Looking forward to your comments/advice. P.S.: Yes jalonso, I am Canadian. |
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kitsieandmeow
Midshipman
Joined: 07 July 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 27 |
![]() Posted: 03 February 2016 at 11:49am |
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What kind of game is it? Perhaps you could tie in the theme even more closely than just a menu GUI. But, that would also depend on what's launching on. A mobile game tends to benefit from not having a super crowded or overdetailed GUI.
I think between the menu and the little table set up at the bottom, it could use more detail. Like maybe a coffee stain here, or perhaps something to make the menu look laminated/shiny. The little table may benefit from some more wrinkles and definition in the fabric. |
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eishiya
Commander
Joined: 04 August 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1109 |
![]() Posted: 03 February 2016 at 6:31pm |
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The text isn't very readable. The font as you posted in your other thread is fine, but light text with a tiny dark border on a light background as light text on a dark background or dark text on a light background would be. A lot of the smaller details in the text are lost when it's used this way, for example, the W doesn't look good, though it looks fine on a dark background.
In general, do not rely on borders to give you readability against a background, unless the borders are thick enough to serve as the background for the lettering. The light bulb and kitchen timer icons look good, but the other two don't read well, I can't tell what they are. Are the icons used anywhere on their own without the explanatory text, or are they purely decorative? How you use them should determine what you put in them. The table and chairs bit looks nice, but I feel the tablecloth needs more folds. It looks too solid without folds. I'm not sure what this menu is for. Crafting? Character stats? Perhaps it's more clear in context, but each screen's purpose should be clear from the screen itself. Only the details should be allowed to require context. I do not mean you should add explanatory text or anything like that - avoid if you can! Instead, the design (overall layout and visual details) of the screen itself should suggest its purpose. Designing your menus in this way will encourage you to make easier-to-understand menus that players can learn more easily, it'll be easier on people who take a break while playing because the menu will remind them exactly what they were doing, and it'll also make for better screenshots, as well as save you the trouble of having to educate the players on how to navigate your game. |
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jalonso
Admiral
Joined: 29 November 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13537 |
![]() Posted: 03 February 2016 at 6:38pm |
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Tell me there will be bacon and that it will be real (rest of the world)bacon.
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Zizka
Commander
Joined: 07 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 143 |
![]() Posted: 04 February 2016 at 5:16am |
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@jalonso:
Hello and welcome to the Pixel Joint Forum! The WIP forums are used by our members to provide and receive feedback about their respective creations: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
We hope you enjoy your stay! Let us know if you have any questions regarding the website or the 10k preview. @kitsieandmeow: It's for a PC game. I actually tried other versions before regarding the tablecloth:
Also, how you make the menu look laminated, with a reflection? @eishiya: The text isn't very readable. The font as you posted in your other thread is fine, but light text with a tiny dark border on a light background as light text on a dark background or dark text on a light background would be. A lot of the smaller details in the text are lost when it's used this way, for example, the W doesn't look good, though it looks fine on a dark background.
Ok, I'll try a 2px border then? Or make the menu a bit darker. I really like the color I have for the menu right now so hopefully I don't have to change it too much. In general, do not rely on borders to give you readability against a background, unless the borders are thick enough to serve as the background for the lettering.
Right so you mean I should rely on contrast instead of the 2 px border. The light bulb and kitchen timer icons look good, but the other two don't read well, I can't tell what they are.
Are the icons used anywhere on their own without the explanatory text, or are they purely decorative? How you use them should determine what you put in them. Really, you think the kitchen timer looks good? I think it's the one who looks the worst! You can't read the chef hat? Ok, I'll redo it then. Well, the icons are used with that single word there. The first icon is supposed to be a power chord because it's the main weapon of the character. I thought it was pretty readable but apparently not so I'll redo it too. I'm not sure what this menu is for. Crafting? Character stats? Perhaps it's more clear in context, but each screen's purpose should be clear from the screen itself. Only the details should be allowed to require context. I do not mean you should add explanatory text or anything like that - avoid if you can! Instead, the design (overall layout and visual details) of the screen itself should suggest its purpose. Designing your menus in this way will encourage you to make easier-to-understand menus that players can learn more easily, it'll be easier on people who take a break while playing because the menu will remind them exactly what they were doing, and it'll also make for better screenshots, as well as save you the trouble of having to educate the players on how to navigate your game.
Well, I don't understand some of the comment here but I'll do my best. The menu is for crafting. You put two ingredients on the plates (one on each plate) and you get a dish after. Regarding the icons: Any suggestions for an icon which would represent armor? An apron maybe? A pot lid? What about speed? Thanks! |
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eishiya
Commander
Joined: 04 August 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1109 |
![]() Posted: 04 February 2016 at 8:46am |
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The power cord might be more readable in context since players will be primed for/expecting to see it, but stand-alone, it doesn't read well.
Fancy restaurants don't tend to have shiny lamination on their menus afaik. I can't tell what kind of restaurant your game's set in, since you've been sending some conflicting messages with the art. If yours is meant to be a cheap place that would laminate its menus - some light diagonal bars near the corners? It might not be realistic but it reads as "glossy and reflective" very well because it's a common symbol for it, and it would be unobtrusive. If the menu is for crafting, how does the stats "page" relate? I can think of a couple of ways that it could be relevant, but the mockup doesn't suggest any way. In that paragraph that you didn't fully understand, I was just trying to say "people should know exactly what each menu screen is and what to do with it just by looking at that menu" and explaining why that's a good goal to have. Re: Icons. I think the timer looks good, but that doesn't mean it's a great choice of icon for speed xP It does read though. Since the icons are only decorative, they don't need to be immediately readable as the stat they represent, and relying on less-obvious visual puns like the timer is fine. I think a pot lid for armor would be great! For the whip icon, maybe have the power plug be in the foreground, taking up more of the icon, with the cord behind it? That might help it read more immediately as "the power cord that you've been using" and might even help those players who didn't notice it before in the main sprites realize what it is. What is speed in your game? Is it attack speed, attack delay, movement speed, or...? Depending on what it is, different icons might be appropriate. By the way, sorry for not responding in your font thread. I was overwhelmed and am just too lazy to reply properly in general. K and k have different corners because I didn't notice that k needed fixing xP Also, I feel like some of your newer edits are a step back but I'm too lazy to respond properly, but they're the same general issues that I pointed out in my first reply - inconsistencies of various kinds. Give your font a review with consistent features (ascender/descender heights and types, thickness, hole shapes, corners...) in mind and you'll probably find the problems I'm seeing. But yes, I did mean earlier that you should use the colour of the text to make it stand out, not the border. Making the border thicker could also work. Try both? If you go with the first route (changing the text colour), then a less thick-looking font might be a better choice, especially if your goal is to make the screens look like in-world menus. |
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bluedxca93
Commander
Joined: 27 February 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 104 |
![]() Posted: 04 February 2016 at 11:45am |
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progress-level-indicator bars correct.
fonts shape ok. table looks very good. lighten the bg a bit, or make text darker or both darker. review all icons except speed one. they are hard to read. it does look good as it is now,but still possible to improve. the shadow /right leg of the toaster man is a bit strange. laminated look? better try to look at a paper texture. regards bluedxca93 |
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Zizka
Commander
Joined: 07 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 143 |
![]() Posted: 14 February 2016 at 7:07pm |
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Alright so there's a lot of stuff I haven't done yet (like increasing the contrast for the text.
What I'm looking for right now is mostly feedback about the new set of icons please:
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bluedxca93
Commander
Joined: 27 February 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 104 |
![]() Posted: 14 February 2016 at 8:01pm |
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speed icon needs to be improved. looks much better.
i find window shading strange in bottom. normally it would look either lighter or less saturated or brown, depending on what you want to draw. maybe it looks much better even with a slightly different shading. |
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eishiya
Commander
Joined: 04 August 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1109 |
![]() Posted: 15 February 2016 at 7:37am |
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Health doesn't read immediately as a + to me, I think the corners should be filled in with the lighter colour.
Whip reads much better now! Armor doesn't read well. Is it intended to be an apron? The shading on the bottom and the straps that don't meet make it look like a solid robot-like thing. Get rid of the shading, connect the straps, maybe add an indication of a fold somewhere. Special and Energy look great! Speed took me a moment to get, but it's a cute idea. I think some indication of fast motion on the knife might help (speed lines, a faint smear, something that you can fit. Use your AA colour for it so it doesn't mess up the read on the objects). The windows in the bottom area are distracting, they have more contrast than the presumably more important elements on the table. The windows aren't a bad idea, they just need to have their colours adjusted. |
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JosChavz
Midshipman
Joined: 06 April 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
![]() Posted: 18 February 2016 at 7:39pm |
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Amazing menu! I love the style! Although, I don't understand something. The game seems fancy, but the place (setting of the game) isn't very grand. Maybe have a wall paper instead of solid blue.
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