So I'm back, so the forums saw an injection of posts since I was gone mainly from Gazz who has raised some very interesting points for me to think about.
Everything that is written here on the forums will be carefully considered as we take the game to the next level, there are still a few bugs and kinks to work out and still some things to implement but I have almost everything I need now to prove that this can be done. More than that I think it can be done to a higher standard than I previously thought possible, so I want to achieve that standard and as I come to the end of my foray with the development tools and come out with something very usable and a good team, my mind is turned to the next stage of development.
There's more on that on our recent IndieDB article where I start to depict a visual roadmap and talk about the winding road ahead The Plan (I)
I was struck by inspiration when I was away as I spent a lot of time thinking about the games that inspired me over the years particularly on the User Experience side of things. I talk about that a little more in the latest blog post in which I describe the way I want Shallow Space to play which is to be fluid and smooth. More over at the blog on Shaping the User eXeprience
I start down that journey of UX with the auto-camera, in which I anchor the player to the ships a little more and start to improve the overall flow.
The latest short development video is below.
Just a quick comment, I like your UI, however be careful with transparent stuff, as you may notice on the default picture for your youtube video where you have a bright / white background it makes reading white text on a transparent background difficult.
Just a quick comment, I like your UI, however be careful with transparent stuff, as you may notice on the default picture for your youtube video where you have a bright / white background it makes reading white text on a transparent background difficult.
Yeah you're right of course and it also has a real problem with washing out the reds I've noticed and the fonts could be a lot more readable.
I've begun talking to a UX/UI specialist who will shortly help me to alter the layout (a little) and the look and feel of the UI to adhere to a more standard form.
It's an area I struggle with if i'm honest, that and bloody particle effects! 🙂
I have had the exact same issue with my project, I am not a UI expert at all and have came across so many issues with the UI with regards to readability, text size, font type, transparency, infact the UI has gone through 3 iterations now for myself and I am still not entirely happy with it 😛
stick with it and practice makes perfect, also any tips you find please share, though I suppose this should all go in the UI design thread, I just saw this picture on the front page and reminded me of the same issues I came across.
I have had the exact same issue with my project, I am not a UI expert at all and have came across so many issues with the UI with regards to readability, text size, font type, transparency, infact the UI has gone through 3 iterations now for myself and I am still not entirely happy with it 😛
Yeah it's not easy at all is it! I think the bottom line is that if you want to use transparency the colour has to be Cyan and you can't really get away with anything more than 10% alpha unless you want what's underneath to disturb the detail.
What gets me is just the million other tasks I keep uncovering, it's like I get to a stage I'm happy with, play a scenario and realise I'm nowhere there yet lol. It's a pretty overwhelming task, but I won't be defeated!
What are you working on dude?
the way dev goes is its done when its done, you dont know when and any plans you try and make are always far fetched due to the continuous task load, the way I got around the transparency was due to most text in sub-menus, to darken the entire screen before the UI & text, so it made the bright stuff not so bright making it easier to read the text, you may be able to do something similar.
As to the game, its a few up in the same category as yours is here http://spacesimcentral.com/ssc/forum/82-colonisation-moonbase/ a city builder set on the moon
the way dev goes is its done when its done, you dont know when and any plans you try and make are always far fetched due to the continuous task load, the way I got around the transparency was due to most text in sub-menus, to darken the entire screen before the UI & text, so it made the bright stuff not so bright making it easier to read the text, you may be able to do something similar.
As to the game, its a few up in the same category as yours is here http://spacesimcentral.com/ssc/forum/82-colonisation-moonbase/ a city builder set on the moon
Yeah I saw your game actually, looks pretty cool 🙂 I'm having to completely rethink the UI. It's not enough to have something thats pretty, I need to go back to basics with it. Working on that today actually here's a pic http://wp.me/a4yPmO-iv
Congrats & Kudos! Your CGI or UI is excellent, awesome and a work of art, and your YouTube presentation stunningly reflects & represents all of the time, space & energy you must have expended to bring it to us here. Keep up the brilliant work while we look forward to the Beta. One suggestion: Your music. Omit the drums & base to be replaced by the more surreal & serene effects of keyes, strings & reeds. Check out Starpoint Gemini 2 as an excellent example. Btw, your reliance on this forum to provide "some very interesting points for me to think about" speaks to your unpretentiousness and humility, and for that, may I say, your international success & recognition is guaranteed. Stay cool guy. 🙂
Thanks very much dude, yes an awful lot of effort has gone into it! I can't disagree with that. Hearing your notes about the music, I did use a couple of the planned in-game tracks in the earlier videos but I think people were more hypnotised than actually watching what was on screen.
Yes, the input from the people is very important. I might be fairly clever, but i'm not a god and I really need to listen to ideas as there isn't exactly a howto on creating a 3D RTS.
Caught your comment over on the blog, truth be told before anything a UI needs to be usable; I was struggling to use the version in the video above and I made the game. No that won't do, I have to go right back to the start with that.
Latest Post: Star Chaser Our newest member: for4dkencangkali Recent Posts Unread Posts
