Multiplayer Dev Diary #5 - User Interface

Hello raiders!

Welcome to another development diary for our multiplayer game. Today, we’re giving you an in-depth look at one of the most important aspects of your experience as a player: the user interface, or UI.

Keep in mind that what you’ll see today are our initial tests of the game’s UI. The design of the UI must fit the gameplay and rules of the game, as well as our vision for the product. Since we are also working on the gameplay and experimenting with different solutions, everything we show you today about the UI is a work in progress, with a design ready to adapt and change as the gameplay requires.

When discussing the UI, we must start with the pillars of the game’s art style, closely tied to our vision.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this journey, the basis of our IP is a fusion of pure sci-fi, Mad Max-like post-apocalyptic atmospheres, and a touch of Lovecraftian imagery. Our study of the game’s UI begins with the sci-fi elements but also aims to express the violence of battles, incorporate war technology, and reflect the mysterious aspects of the planets you will explore, along with the ruins of worlds ravaged by numerous conflicts.

We designed a UI with a worn and dirty look, reminiscent of a veteran of space battles, using a color palette ranging from bright greens to duller earth and desert tones. We added details like rust, dirty and broken glass, holograms, and interference associated with makeshift technology. Through the UI, we want the player to feel immersed in the world we are creating, without losing the immersion and adrenaline of combat.

Another cornerstone is minimizing visual clutter for the player. We don’t want a UI that’s beautiful but too invasive, making the experience unclear. Since we are designing a multiplayer space combat game, our goal is for the UI to provide all the necessary information without overwhelming the screen with unnecessary details. We are striving to build a UI that is fluid and readable, keeping essential information at the core of our design.

In short, we want a UI that is visually appealing and enhances the gameplay experience without making it frustrating for players to find the most important information. As you can see from the screenshots, we are currently working on consolidating all necessary information into one dial, using the color palette to highlight the active weapon, and experimenting with different markers and styles of indicators for ship selection.

We’ve reached the end of this entry. We hope you enjoyed the look at our UI, and we look forward to seeing you here for the next dev diary!

Farewell, raiders!