Interface Time

Paul Taylor 2010

The Interface

As seen by Ed Byrne• Player

• Interface

• Game Core Mechanics

Interlude

• Failures and Triumphs of the Physical Interface

Good – THE Gameboy

http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/pbucket/2gameboy-1.jpg

Wiimotes

http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/pbucket/1wiimote.jpg

Light Guns

http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/pbucket/5lightgun1.jpg

Now for the Worst...

http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/pbucket/powerglove.jpg

Cooperative AI

http://gamefury.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Sloth-150x150.jpg

Nintendo Virtual Boy

• 3D in 1995!!!

http://retrothing.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/virtualboy.jpg

All in RED

http://retrothing.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/mariored.jpg

http://www.joystickdivision.com/motivational-rob-490.jpg

Konami Laserscope

http://www.joystickdivision.com/konami-laser-scope-l.jpg

Others?

The Interface from Schell’s perspective

Breaking down the Interface Layer

• From Byrne we already have:

Splitting the Interface Further

• We can divide the interface further, so:

• What is the interface? What IS it?

• Physical Interface– Input– Output

• Virtual Interface– Input– Output

• Don’t forget the I/O of your game world!

Schell:

This leaves us with one missing piece

• Mapping!– How does everything relate to everything else?– We need to convert those arrows into something

more

Looking at the interface connections

1. Physical Input World2. World Physical Output3. Physical Input Virtual Interface4. Virtual Interface World5. World Virtual Interface6. Virtual Interface Physical Output

Some Examples...

Moving the characterWhat part of the world is visibleMenus, pop-ups, selectionsStats, scores, mode changesData, format, layout, presentationThe health bars of enemies

The Adventures of Toasty progresses

Now because the interface is soo easy...

• What happens to the player when the interface is perfect?

Projections of Consciousness

• The player can forget the interface and project their consciousness into the game.– The player’s mind exists within the game– So where does the game world exist?

• This is a complex part of the suspension of disbelief and immersion factor

The Player and the Game

Players Mind

Game World

Interaction Loops

• Information flows from the player to the game and back to the player

• This is a cycle that continues throughout the game

• How fast does this cycle need to be?

Feedback

• Basketball Nets

http://www.aessports.com/images/b_bbnet_144_w.jpg

Feedback

• Electric Cars

http://www.blavish.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/ferrari-electric-car-7-12-07.jpg

Feedback

• The Unreal 3 Menus

http://www.worldofpwnage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ut3-menu.png

Players expect feedback within 1/10 of a second.

OnLive and failure

• OnLive!

• http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-lag-factor-article

Burnout Paradise 67ms BioShock (frame-locked) 133ms BioShock (unlocked) as low as 67ms Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 67ms-84ms Call of Duty: World at War 67ms-100ms Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood 100ms Forza Motorsport 2 67ms Geometry Wars 2 67ms Guitar Hero: Aerosmith 67ms

Grand Theft Auto IV 133ms-200ms Halo 3 100ms-150ms Left 4 Dead 100ms-133ms LEGO Batman 133ms Mirror's Edge 133ms Street Fighter IV 67ms Soul Calibur IV 67ms-84ms Unreal Tournament 3 100ms-133ms X-Men Origins: Wolverine 133ms

The Moral of the story:

Feedback is essential

As soon as you can you must give the player some feedback!

Uncharted

http://www.zath.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/uncharted-2-among-thieves-roof-jump-screenshot.jpg

http://blog.fatcow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Juicy-Orange.jpg.jpg

http://0.tqn.com/d/xbox/1/0/v/F/vivapinata1.jpg

Juicy Interfaces

• For everything you do you get a heap of results

• Avoiding a dry interface is a good step• Making it juicy is awesome!– Pinball machines are juicy!

Viva Piñatahttp://gry.o2.pl/upload/files/e32006_p2_Viva-Pinata.jpg

The first step to creating Juiciness is to understand

Information Channels

• How many types of information are contained below?

65

Information Channels

• How many types of information below?

65Number, Size, Font, Colour, Position, W i d t h , Height, Transparency,

Rotation

Information Channels and Dimensionality

• This is your chance to slip in a little more feedback!

• For each feedback element think about:– What is the primary dimension?– What other information can my feedback carry?– Will it be obvious to player?• Does it need to be?

Input Modes

What is an input mode?

Input Modes

What is an input mode?

Whenever we change the mapping of one or more of the arrows in the interface diagram

we are moving to a new mode

How best to design modes• Use as few as possible (reasonably)– Remember the GTA4 controls?

• Avoid overlapping modes– Ring Ring!

How best to design modes

• Make sure the player knows what mode they are in– Visually• Change the HUD• Change the Avatar• Change the screen data• Change the perspective

– Sound– Force Feedback

One process for interface design

• List and Prioritise Information• List channels• Map information to channels• Review Dimensional use

Closing Ideas• Adding more isn’t always making things better• Steal Ideas (the term is ‘inspired by xxx’)– Customise

• Sound maps to touch in life– Why do we have a pinkie?

• Balance Options and Simplicity• Use Metaphors as feedback when needed– Perhaps an action takes time to happen

The most important Ideas

Break the rules!

If you don’t like how it ‘is done’ in the genre fix the problem!

RE5 and Racism

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6035/games_with_the_power_to_offend_.phpMovie:- Idiocracy a must see! It applies to this!

http://lawofthegame.blogspot.com/2007/08/resident-evil-5-racism-issue.html

References

• http://www.crunchgear.com/2006/12/06/the-best-and-worst-console-game-innovations-ever/

• http://www.joystickdivision.com/2010/05/fisted_reasoning_-_the_5_most.php

The End