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Geek Culture / Game interfaces you think are best

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Phaelax
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 10:56
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Just doing a little personal research. What games do you think have the best looking GUIs? How functional were they? If the functionality sucked, what game do you think had the best UI usability?

"Only the educated are free" ~Epictetus
"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." ~Einstein
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Fallout
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 11:52
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Can't think of any off the top of my head, but I definitely think the less on screen, the better. You need the minimal amount of information taking up the smallest amount of space, with additional information hidden away on pop-up screens etc.

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Insanity Complex
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 12:02
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Quote: "but I definitely think the less on screen, the better."


I was thinking the same. I hate it when I have to rely on UI features constantly in games. I prefer to be able to just act through whatever it is I'm doing.

Then again, that also depends on the type of game. In the case of any kind of turn based game, it's more an issue of finding a healthy balance. You want the player to feel involved in the game environment, so less UI gunk is good, but you also want the player to feel in control, where some UI features would be essential.

It made sense in my head.

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Oolite
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 13:36
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As part of a project for university I'm researching ways to completely bypass the UI and show the information to the player in other ways.
For instance, using subtle lighting to help guide the player around a level (the direction the player needs to travel is usually light slightly better than the rest and my tests so far have proven that most players subconsciously go in that direction). Right now i'm working on an ammo system that can portray the ammo to the player on the fly without any GUI. I have narrowed it down to two systems, either the player pulls the clip out and shows the ammo to the player (ie, you can see the amount of bullets through the side of the clip) or the player (like in king kong) announces out loud how much ammo is remaining. I'm currently swaying towards polishing off the former as it feels much more fluid.

Just keeping it a bit vague, I quite like a minimal GUI that disappears when its not needed. I don't think I need to see a little 2d image of the gun at all times and I don't need a constant waypoint marker on screen. Although a lot of it is really genre specific.

OldmanBiles
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 19:41
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assassins creed 1
fallout 3/new vegas

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.

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PAGAN_old
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 20:45
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yeah fallout 3 had the best gui it was all like retrotech and stuff with ancient 50s computers. well not actual 50s more like what we should have had today but older it was like if the technological progress slowed well more like if it was moved in a different direction. we would have really badass looking nuclear powered cars, and generally really awesome looking 50s-60s is looking vehicles, but we would have computer tech from the 70s. but we would have advanced robots and stuff like far more advanced than we have today but it would all be like in the future.

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charger bandit
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Posted: 28th Dec 2010 20:56
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I hate Fallout GUI,it's too complex for me. Crysis had a nice GUI,maybe STALKER.


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Thraxas
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Posted: 29th Dec 2010 05:52
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Dead Space has a a great interface...probably one of the best I've ever seen...

Your signature has been [mod edited] :-p
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Dimension
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Posted: 29th Dec 2010 17:05
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Gran Turismo 5 has a very interesting interface. You can do just about anything that has to do with cars using the interface from buying cars to rebuilding their engines and upgrading them. I think this interface takes a get of getting used to just because it's a little more complex than other interfaces.
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nackidno
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Posted: 29th Dec 2010 17:15
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That depends on the genre. But I must say that my all time favorite interface is the one of Curse of Monkey Island (also called "coin-interface). It's not much stuff on screen, accessible and it's efficient/quick to use.

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defiler
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Posted: 31st Dec 2010 05:09
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Section 8 has a interesting gui, i bought the game, figured everything out quickly.

Current Project: Lost Contact: Station 7
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BlueKlayman
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Posted: 31st Dec 2010 06:36
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Starcraft 2 has a great interface...

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Isocadia
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Posted: 31st Dec 2010 09:39
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STARCRAFT2!!!

But really, I love that interface.
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BlueKlayman
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Posted: 31st Dec 2010 13:36
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Quote: "STARCRAFT2!!!

But really, I love that interface."


I have decided that you are extremely cool. :p

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Metal Devil123
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Posted: 31st Dec 2010 16:32
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Quote: "Dead Space has a a great interface...probably one of the best I've ever seen..."

Second that.

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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 1st Jan 2011 00:25
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Black and White 2. Because the interface was your fist.

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Neuro Fuzzy
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Posted: 1st Jan 2011 07:15
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Quote: "Black and White 2. Because the interface was your fist."

second that! The interface of black and white 2 was amazing!!! B&W1 same, but... not so much, because you had loads of trouble building stuff sometimes.

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Lemonade
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Posted: 1st Jan 2011 11:46
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Dawn of Discovery's interface is stunning!

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Mazz426
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Posted: 1st Jan 2011 11:57 Edited at: 1st Jan 2011 12:00
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come on it's gotta be dead space, either that or star wars jedi academy


zbrush 3D model thread:http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=166698&b=3
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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 1st Jan 2011 18:28
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Quote: "second that! The interface of black and white 2 was amazing!!! B&W1 same, but... not so much, because you had loads of trouble building stuff sometimes."


B&W1 was still a great game, but I got B&W2 two days ago, and everything is just a million times better.

I think the Penumbra interface is also very clever because it works in a similar way. With Penumbra and B&W, it doesn't feel like you're just tilting some automaton you took control of, it feels more like you're actually grabbing and controlling the environment around you.

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Libervurto
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Posted: 2nd Jan 2011 19:43
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I downloaded Abe's Odysee from PS3 store, it's still a brilliant game. There is no HUD at all; If you have a rock/grenade to throw, you can hold down the throw button and a little number will appear by your head showing how many you are holding (you can release without throwing). There are lots of brilliant visual cues, such as if there is a ledge off screen that you can climb up onto you will see bits of debris falling down from it. There are tubes that allow you to travel to different sections of the level, if they are activated you'll see leaves blowing around the entrance - if they are deactivated they'll just spit you back out.
There is no health bar, the more damage Abe takes the higher pitch he squeels.
It's a brilliantly designed game, I'd recommend it to anyone. The sequel Abe's Exodus is a great example of what a sequel should be: graphically it is a carbon copy but there are new features that add to the game mechanics.


Everything worthwhile requires effort.
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