Plan for Channa Gilchrist

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Vashner   (Sep 29, 2005 at 21:12 GMT)

Getting better...

Kaelan Cooter   (Sep 29, 2005 at 21:33 GMT)

I think using a battle field would be a good idea for the background.

Matt Troup   (Sep 29, 2005 at 22:09 GMT)

The button size puts me off a bit. It seems strange to have such a big button for "Exit". There's a white glow around the blue lettering that I believe is sufficient enough to say, "I can be clicked on", and modest enough not to obstruct the background so much.

Nathan Snell   (Sep 30, 2005 at 00:04 GMT)

Going from what matt troup said: You can more than likely remove the rectangles around the button. In fact, you could remove the "defalt" glow effect for them as well and have that be a mouse over effect (so players know they have selected it). The fact that that's the only text on there and that it's setup in a menu-type fashion would be enough, imho.

Channa Langley   (Sep 30, 2005 at 01:15 GMT)

Thanks guys, will update after having intergrated your suggestions. Thanks again

Sean H.   (Sep 30, 2005 at 01:53 GMT)

channa it looks good to me. i have a couple of suggestions: center everything in the middle, bring the title screen down from the top of the screen, and use transparent images rather than filling empty space.

Channa Langley   (Sep 30, 2005 at 02:26 GMT)

Here is an update
Edited on Sep 30, 2005 02:26 GMT

Jaimi McEntire   (Sep 30, 2005 at 03:17 GMT)

My opinion - There's not enough contrast, too much blue. My recommendation would be to make the the menu and titles yellow to draw your eye to them.

Matthew Langley   (Sep 30, 2005 at 04:09 GMT)

Quote:

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center everything in the middle

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centering things is a major no-no in design (unless used properly)

Teck Lee Tan   (Sep 30, 2005 at 05:39 GMT)

Aside from what's already been said, the main thing bugging me at the moment is that the background grid and the structure (I can't quite tell what it is) are sitting on entirely different perspectives, which is a little jarring. I reckon you could probably get rid of the grid, since it's not actually adding anything (to me, anyways), and is, in fact, detracting from the overall look for the above reason.

The lack of contrast is also a little unsettling.

Chris W.   (Sep 30, 2005 at 07:12 GMT)

Getting beter.....

Darren Stuart   (Sep 30, 2005 at 10:31 GMT)

I like the title, why not continue that colour scheme down into the rest of the screen.

getting better

Aaron Ellis   (Sep 30, 2005 at 15:23 GMT)

Looking at the images at hand, I agree with LoTekK about the background grid and that strange thing in the lower right. At first glance, the contraption in the foreground made me think of an expensive piece of gym equipment. If others have the same reaction, then you might want to consider using a different image.


But on a deeper level, I agree with what Canon suggested in the comments section of one of your earlier .plans.

No matter what a game is about, the gui screens, promotional materials and all in-game content should complement and affirm the story, the setting and the overall feel of the game. Even the title of the game is an important consideration. Let me suggest using elements that have an instant appeal to your viewers' sense of what Colonial Wars should be about. Even if Colonial Wars is just a cool name for a standard multiplayer-FPS, your art and materials should comfortably fit into the setting of the game.

Just thinking of the title of the game -- when I read "Colonial Wars", the words conjure up images of settlers and homesteaders surrounded by strife and conflict -- and eventually, reluctantly becoming a part of it. Guerilla warfare also comes to mind, complete with lower-tech, improvised weaponry that non-military combatants would have access to. I imagine common people against a standing army and unfair regulations. I'm imagining a revolutionary war in a science fiction setting.

My initial impressions may be way off, but it doesn't matter. Everything about the game (including the GUIs) should fit together and shed light on the story or concept. If possible, try to anticipate what comes to mind whenever your audience thinks of about the game -- and then tweak that expectation in clever ways. Let your images prepare gamers for the world they are about to enter. If you can think of your GUIs as reflections of your game world (like Canon said) and let that guide you, then I think your designs will have more impact.

Let me encourage you to immerse yourself in the game world, contemplate the background story and then start brain-storming the possibilities into a sketchpad.

Imagine if you were a photo journalist dropped into the Colonial Wars conflict. What would you see? Which events would you want to capture on film? What stories would you want to tell your readers back home?

Hopefully these suggestions aren't out of line. And hopefully they can help somehow.

[Edited for wording]
Edited on Sep 30, 2005 15:27 GMT

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