The Main Menu
whoppaXXL
Join Date: 2006-11-03 Member: 58298Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2006-11-03 Member: 58298Members, Reinforced - Shadow
<div class="IPBDescription">what is possible?</div>Hey there Guys.
We all know the menus of todays games. Most of them are very nice to use and offer us sometimes nice new windows.
I want to discuss the informations, the tastes and the overall possibilities about Menus, because it's one of the first things you encounter and can bother you a long time.
Since the NS2 Menu will be the most part Flash i wonder what everything can be done. (So the posts in this thread can give UWE another view what people like/don't like)
So i'll start. We all know the basics but let's get deeper into the material.
I love menus that are reduced to the simplest, but keep it premium with the Background Image, the click sounds and the menu music and fontstyle.
Though it really should keep the atmossphere of the whole game. (For example the Stalker menu screen made you a pleasent anticipation for the first run.)
I like it when the menu points are seperated in "categorys" with an enter. Like Multiplayer (Find,Make Servers), Options, etc.
What could be a good new menu item for ns2, too? A "Extras" Category with the items: Credits, Concept Art, Video (which contains the machinimas loaded by the cinematic editor)?
Other things like bug reports, etc.?
While NS2 will be using SteamWorks and the overlaythingy, communication with friends is managed apart, which is very good.
So i just wanted to give a little thought and what you Guys think about this topic?
Let's collect some thoughts which could be important to orientate with.
We all know the menus of todays games. Most of them are very nice to use and offer us sometimes nice new windows.
I want to discuss the informations, the tastes and the overall possibilities about Menus, because it's one of the first things you encounter and can bother you a long time.
Since the NS2 Menu will be the most part Flash i wonder what everything can be done. (So the posts in this thread can give UWE another view what people like/don't like)
So i'll start. We all know the basics but let's get deeper into the material.
I love menus that are reduced to the simplest, but keep it premium with the Background Image, the click sounds and the menu music and fontstyle.
Though it really should keep the atmossphere of the whole game. (For example the Stalker menu screen made you a pleasent anticipation for the first run.)
I like it when the menu points are seperated in "categorys" with an enter. Like Multiplayer (Find,Make Servers), Options, etc.
What could be a good new menu item for ns2, too? A "Extras" Category with the items: Credits, Concept Art, Video (which contains the machinimas loaded by the cinematic editor)?
Other things like bug reports, etc.?
While NS2 will be using SteamWorks and the overlaythingy, communication with friends is managed apart, which is very good.
So i just wanted to give a little thought and what you Guys think about this topic?
Let's collect some thoughts which could be important to orientate with.
Comments
And yes, menu is a pretty damn important part of the game. I would imagine NS2 menu to resemble marine's holo-visor, with it's pale-blue neon glow we all know: it's pretty, it's readable, and it sets the atmosphere quite nicely. Beyond that, HUD design is an art of it's own.
No "Exit to title screen" - "are you sure?" - "exit to windows" - "are you sure?"
I can imagine the HUD being something like a helmet lying on the ground (further implied by having another helmet lying further away with bloodstains on it) flickering slightly.
Visually I would really want to see a scene with play on such as a ventilation shaft and just like the Lerk reveal sometimes see the shadow of a Kharaa passing by. Sounds of steps in the ventilations and rifles firing in the distance. The legs from running marines can be seen as they pass.
Once the player has finished selecting what he wants to do, the lighting in the room shuts down so it gets gloomier (also implying how dynamic infestation affects the environment) and infestation starts creeping up the screen working as a "loading bar". The HUD remains active to show the name of the server as well as name and images from the map it is loading. Once it's done loading the feed from the helmet ends and turns black just before he joins the game.
Or, making it less work intensive just a scene (some scripted events to make it come alive) that they can change as they patch in new content, which in some ways could be even more awesome.
No "Exit to title screen" - "are you sure?" - "exit to windows" - "are you sure?"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You forgot the loading screen.
Visually I would really want to see a scene with play on such as a ventilation shaft and just like the Lerk reveal sometimes see the shadow of a Kharaa passing by. Sounds of steps in the ventilations and rifles firing in the distance. The legs from running marines can be seen as they pass.
Once the player has finished selecting what he wants to do, the lighting in the room shuts down so it gets gloomier (also implying how dynamic infestation affects the environment) and infestation starts creeping up the screen working as a "loading bar". The HUD remains active to show the name of the server as well as name and images from the map it is loading. Once it's done loading the feed from the helmet ends and turns black just before he joins the game.
Or, making it less work intensive just a scene (some scripted events to make it come alive) that they can change as they patch in new content, which in some ways could be even more awesome.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Quoted for awesome.
I can't stand menu's e.g. Half life 2, where it loads a map first!!! what a waste of time.
OR
when there are fancy animations between the menu button clicks and transitioning screens. so annoying.
especially when you are trying to configure the graphics in a game and have to constantly exit and load until the settings are perfect.
The basic steam menu is very cool (apart from most games loading a background scene/map).
all in all it needs to be fast before fancy.
Simple background effects like casting shadows and sounds should do the job for the amtossphere perfectly.
We now know how the map-rendering in ns2 works, so a mainmenu map would be loaded quite fast i believe.
I like the holo visor theme idea, but there should also be an alien them to choose from as well. It should also be very quick to load.
....<b>a.</b> Spectate
<b>II.</b> Create Server
....<b>a.</b> View Replay
<b>III.</b> Options
....<b>a.</b> Advanced Options
<b>IV.</b> Quit
All you need.
<b>Join a Game</b>
Ability to join L4D-type lobby.
<b>Start a Game</b>
Start a L4D-type lobby.
<b>Server Browser</b>
Like in TF2 imho.
<b>View demos</b>
Just an ability to watch demos quickly.
<b>Community Websites</b>
Kind of like a server browser but for NS websites. Maybe you would have to send an application somewhere but still accept most of the websites. Addition to name, there could be popularity, type, Steam community etcc. This would so much help to find public communities, NS Devs, ModNS, ENSL etc. all useful websites for different forms of NS.
<b>Report a Bug</b>
Suggested before, but I think it'd be a great idea. The easier its to report bugs, the more bugs are going to get reported. Maybe even praise active bug hunters with free copies of NS2 or even money.
<b>UWE Stuff</b>
Links to Forums, Wiki etc.
Maybe you could put these under three submenus: Play NS2, Options and Extras. They could scroll open when you click the submenu with fade effect etc.
Also an ability to disable all extra loading scenes etc.
<a href="http://www.digitalconfectioners.com/images/UWindow2-06072008Build-Custom.jpg" target="_blank">Example</a>
Alternatively, I think Valve has always had very nice interfaces. Their main menus have always been rather simplified, but I do ask that any other secondary menus or screens be Windowed and movable. I always hate when a games 'Options' menu item does an animation and brings you to another menu completely with the configuration options. The only example of this I can think of off the top of my head is FEARs configuration.
I would only want a Community Websites link if that list was well maintained. And sorry, but most of the NS fan sites I've been to look like something quickly made up with a template and "Insert your information here." While a link to these things might do something good for the Community, I think it would be better to just have a link list on the UWE site itself.
Thats all I can think of right now, but yes... Skipping loading screens is a MUST.
Integrating custom user backgrounds with the cinematic editor would be amazing!
I would have to agree on that. Aside from looking amazing and making you want to stay in the main menu longer than you really need to, it really ups the load time. Valves menu maps seem to always be fairly large though. I wouldn't mind a very small 3D environment, like those of Portal. I can imagine a few scenarios, the quarters of a marine for example, with a poster of loved ones and a huge chunk of metal missing out of the wall and a dented helmet on the floor.
*shrug*
Can't say how long an NS2 map would take to load though... at least not yet :\