Quote:

You prefer buttons in a black void with no stylistic connection to the game whatsoever?

Nope.

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Any constructive suggestions?

I already did that, just look at the previous posts. I'm working on a shot- problem is all I can do is powerpoint .

Anybody got uru logo (the regular "uru" logo, like the one of uru ages beyond myst, but one that's just saying "uru"), which is like one of those pics which have no square around them (so they can fit everywhere)?

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Previously known as "The stranger"

StarLion wrote:

If I may provide some constructive criticism, there are a few issues with your mockups that I would like to go over.

First, and most obvious, is that everything is too large; the buttons, the text, the boarders. Just because you have a lot of empty space doesn't mean you have to make everything large to fill it, try thinking of things that space could be used for (without making the interface too cluttered, obviously).

The interface could also do with some consolidation; for example, the gargantuan transparent boarders with rounded corners don't fit with the clean lines and overall square look of the rest of the GUI at all. I would suggest losing the transparency, squaring off the boarders, and making them a lot smaller.

Last but not least, the font. You're using a highly stylized font that's hard to read, you need to change that to something cleaner if you ever want to see this GUI adopted.

While I'm here, I might as well add a mockup I made myself into the fray. I decided to go for total consistency, basing the login screen upon an overhauled KI interface I'm also working on so that the game doesn't have competing GUI designs (as is what happened with Myst Online's old user selection page). I also liked how in pre-gametap URU Live you could get quick news updates from the game launcher, so I decided to add a scrolling news feed near the bottom to make up for it not being there anymore.

Link to full size version: http://arch.kimag.es/share/41357068.png

I like it..

I quite like that, the scroll bar needs a bar though, one of the biggest issues I had with the KI was clicking down and up arrows over and over to scroll. When lag picked up it was a wretched nightmare.

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Tweek@Guild of Writers - Age development Blog.

I have an idea (Or two), but my photoshop-fu is weak (And I don't have Uru installed, so I can't get the required screenshots), so you will have to bear with me on this one.

To begin with, you will have to select a shard to play on. I see this being done either with some form of list, or with a bookshelf (Like in Relto). Each book would represent a shard, with the shard's name written on the spine of the book, and the pages would be filled with text from the shard owner(s) describing the TOS etc. By picking up the book, reading the TOS and turning the page (To get to the linking panel) you will have signified you have read and agree with the TOS.

You then touch the linking book panel, which connects you to the shard. You are then shown an imager (Like the 'hood ones) that is interactive, and asked for your username and password on that shard, or given the option to register. Shard owners can decide what details they want to ask for during registration, and what is required (E-mail address, real name, age, birthstone, gender, preferred style of coffee, you name it!).

Once you have logged in, you are taken to (Dry) Cleft, where your currently created avatars (if any) are standing, along with an amorphous blob (Or cloud of fog, or something similar) to create a new avatar. Avatar selected (Or created), your avatar wilkl then link to Relto (If you've got a Relto book), or the other avatars can fade out/link out/walk away back into the desert, and you start your journey from the Cleft.

That's my thinking, anyways (As each Shard will be handling it's own authentication, right?).

Let me know what you think.

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Avatar: Anaerin
Ki: 118686

StarLion wrote:

You prefer buttons in a black void with no stylistic connection to the game whatsoever?

Yes.

If I wanted a relevant connection to the game, I would make the login a 3D realtime puzzle. The interface should be clean, simple, and quick. It is not the game. Yes, the interface should be well designed and mystical, but it should not cover or obscure the game.

A KI or bookshelf themed GUI is, in my opinion, tacky and unnecessary. Keep the design clean, simple, spare, and elegant. Let people enjoy Uru, not your interface.

@StarLio
You're beating me to it, i'm still in the process of visually mocking up the main primary KI UI, not the Big KI though, i'm going to replace the


KI to the old style, but slightly differently, and involves quite a bit of image manipulation, that is why its taking so long, the old KI had a few defects that interfered with usability when if used in that format

This KI image is just a colour scheme that will fill the top part of the Big KI when it is toggled on.

Could you expand on your mockup for windows for chat, buddies, neighbours, settings, ages, players in ages (invited or part of a party), party manipulation please?

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Grogyan KI# 00793984 -> www.guildofwriters.com

It's simple, but I think it's nice. Login and shard choosing (and also a maessage from cyan worlds) is done with an out-of-game manu (like the other games). I wish I could make the other manus too, but it would take a lot of time.

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Previously known as "The stranger"

Gehn, lord of ages wrote:

The interface should be clean, simple, and quick.

Yes it should, if you take a look at my KI login page it's actually quite a bit simpler than your mockups. It's also more legible, and more logically laid out.

Gehn, lord of ages wrote:

It is not the game.

I beg to differ, the login screen is as much a part of the game as the in-game KI interface; it should have a stylistic tie-in at the very least. My mockup would also allow for user switching without a total brake of gameflow.

Gehn, lord of ages wrote:

Yes, the interface should be well designed and mystical, but it should not cover or obscure the game.

The login screen is pre-game, there's no game to obscure at this stage.

Grogyan wrote:

Could you expand on your mockup for windows for chat, buddies, neighbours, settings, ages, players in ages (invited or part of a party), party manipulation please?

I'll be making my own thread shortly with a bunch of mockup shots, I'll shoot you a PM when it's up.

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StarLion
The Meeting Place Hood

Hey StarLion,

I resurrected your old KI interface discussion and crossposted it to the Suggestions area at http://forums.openuru.org . I hope you don't mind - and I hope you'll check in over there.

Direct link: http://forums.openuru.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=52

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Ooh, I had an idea - how about Kemo flies that follow your cursor on the login screen?

TG

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"The Ending has not yet been written" - Yeesha in Tomahna!

Here's my new and improved idea, taken from all the advise of you people's, and with lots of elements stolen straight from Tweek's version.

This is the main menu. I just put that picture there to give an idea of what the interface would look like. It wouldn't actually show the mystonline.com current mainpage. However, it would be that kind of look. It would start on the "about" section, as that is important. The other pages include what it suggests they would include.

All the odd edges and bits are because I'm working off of Microsoft Publisher. Deal with it.

I forgot to add the button here that says "Register" and takes you to a similar looking window.


If you want to switch shards... The "Info" section gives the Terms of Service as well as the Seal/Badge system I discussed earlier.


I consider the avatar to be insignificant at this point. The book would perhaps be replaced with a Nexus pedestal. And there's a "sign out" (actually, that should be "log out") here, so you don't have to start the game to sign out.

EDIT: I forgot to mention here that the "Create" and "Delete" would pop up boxes just like Tweek's proposal.

Quote:

Yes it should, if you take a look at my KI login page it's actually quite a bit simpler than your mockups. It's also more legible, and more logically laid out.

Touche. However, I just worked on that.

Quote:

I beg to differ, the login screen is as much a part of the game as the in-game KI interface; it should have a stylistic tie-in at the very least. My mockup would also allow for user switching without a total brake of gameflow.

It also kind of blends IC and OOC (or even in-game and out-of-game) a little too much (again, in my opinion). Also, he stylistic tie-in, although nice, does not have to be an in-game interface.

Quote:

The login screen is pre-game, there's no game to obscure at this stage.

Sorry, that was meant metaphorically. I can see how it could cause confusion.

I must say, that's a massive improvement! Your screen elements are still a bit too large, however, and the lack of contrast makes it hard to tell where one object ends and another begins (it's all just black). Might I suggest a 1 pixel white boarder around forground windows to ensure separation from the background?

Font choice is considerably better, though the "sign out" in the top corner looks out of place.

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StarLion
The Meeting Place Hood

I still prefer my version sorry;

Logging In



Usual log in name and password, an indication of what shard you were last on (or currently on). At the bottom (not pictured) would be a check box to remember your log in details.

Buttons provided are the login button and a change shard button, which would lead the user to the following;

Shard Options



A new overlay would appear listing the various shards, layout provides scroll bar for rapid scrolling through large lists.

On the right hand side there are two items, ToS and a Window icon.

ToS: Basically it brings up the Terms of Service for that specific shard.

Window Icon: If the shard has its own website, clicking this icon would open the shards website in your internet browser of choice.

If a shard does not have a website then the icon would be faded out to indicate as such.

Avatar Screen

Big changes here, basically full avatar view which changes depending on which avatar you have selected.



Create and Delete buttons for creating and deleting a new or old avatar.

Each has their respective overlay menus;

Creating An Avatar



A overlay menu allows for the entering of the new avatars name along with with male and female options. This area can be expanded to incorporate the importing of player progress if implemented.

Clicking the proceed to customization would then take you to the regular avatar customization screen.

Deleting An Avatar



Overlay menu once again, which asks you to type “delete” into the box provided in order to actually delete the character (to make sure you really want to do it and not delete by accident). The delete button is inactive until “delete” is typed into the box. After which it can be clicked and the avatar can be deleted.



That’s pretty much it.

Added the actual design to the thread instead of just linking to it

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Last edited by Tweek on Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:53 pm; edited 3 times in total

Quote:

Ooh, I had an idea - how about Kemo flies that follow your cursor on the login screen?

Good idea- considering I kept repeating it and even made a pic (powerpoint, you have no idea how hard it is ) with it...

Well, not exactly your idea. More like the fireflies around the options you put your crusor on. You can see such thing at CC site, and the pic I made few posts above.

You know, uru and fieflies always went well. I never understood why, but they do .

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Previously known as "The stranger"

I think Tweek wins, very well executed login screens and character management.

My KI rework is more for the in-game KI anyway, the login screen mockup was just a possible extension of the idea.

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StarLion
The Meeting Place Hood