Interface

Interface: The Players Gateway

Manual Interface: The Hardware

Visual Interface Active

• Menu Systems• Strategy Games• RPGs• Pause Menus

Passive• HUDs• Item interfacing

(e.g. Resident Evil Typewriter)

The Half-Life Experiment:Total Immersion

Visual Interface Components

Character Attributes• Health / Lives• Score• Ammo, etc.• Attributes

Start/Pause screen Map

Genre Specific Elements Action

• The HUD Adventure

• Minimal Menu RPG

• Skill selection • Inventory/Attributes

Sports• Shifting interface

Strategy• Command and Control

Simulation• Realistic data integration

Integration Example: Save Points

Checkpoint Based• CoD 4• Gears of War

Selective • Quick Save / Full Save• Altered Selective

(only in certain areas) Auto-Save

• Time/event based

The Effect of Platform Computer

• More active menus• More Keyboard Commands

Console• Striped down interface• Command simplicity

Mobile & Arcade • Quickplay focus• Resolution Restrictions

PSP

PS 2

PC

The Pitfalls Unintuitive Design

• Cryptic Symbols• Improper activity grouping

Steep Learning curve• Overly-complex

control features Cluttered and

Obstructive Interfaces

Accessibility Disability considerations

• Captions• Keyboard Control

Language & Cognitive • Intuitive graphics• Careful with text

Customization

The Console Interface