Tuesday, July 25, 2006

In-Game Menus

I'm currently doing some work on the in-game menus for Addictive Football. Now one thing I hate is the amount of menu screens I have to go through in some games to get to the actual game. You have one screen for player 1 teams; then one for player 2 teams. Then you have to select your control method (screen 3); then it's onto other settings such as match length, pitch type, weather, crowd noise etc, etc

Imagine if you've just got back from a good night in the pub and you and your mates fancy a game of football on your PC or games console. By the time you've gone through all the different settings and menus one of your mates will have fallen asleep, the other will be throwing up behind the couch and your final friend will have been dragged off upstairs by the local barmaid who decided to tag along! Looks like your playing with yourself again!

The menu system in Addictive Football will be a lot simpler. I'm trying to get as much info on one screen as possible, without it looking cluttered. So if you're playing a Friendly game both players' will select their teams, control method and match duration on one screen. I may need another menu for pitch type unless I can squeeze it in but at the very least there will only be 2 simple menus before the game starts.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't understand... same amount of information, but now it's all on one screen so it's hard to read and confusing. Who cares how many screens you have to get through? You're going to have to enter all the same information anyway.

Ian

madmac said...

We're hoping to lay down the information so it isn't confusing or hard to read. If not, we'll add more menu screens.

I see no reason for the player to have to select his team on one screen then click Next. Then select the CPU team, then click Next. Then select the match duration on another screen etc etc