Note: The nutrition/energy/mineral icons that pop up when the resource tab is clicked are placeholders. The original game showed icons when the resource tab is clicked, so I needed to have something pop up when I had my tab clicked, but the priority of making great icons for something like that is at the bottom of my list for right now.
Diplomacy v1
sketching out ideas to show thought process
Diplomacy v2
The first thing Dave pointed out after watching this is that in the first screen, he doesn't like the light text on selected tabs and darker text on unselected tabs. He had suggested that I go in this route, but seeing it in action he prefers dark text on light buttons and light text on darker buttons. "Clarity", he says,"there needs to be no question about what my options are as a player."
Second major thing that he wants to see in the next pass is that need to consolidate my color scheme. Each time I move to a different part of the project I accidentally introduce different versions of colors that I've been working with. Moving forward he doesn't want anymore blueish text on orange buttons. Make the colors of the text either be white or black for clarity, and if I use glows make sure that they match the color button they're on.
Third, he'd like to see me finish off this project this semester with stronger button designs. Cool buttons will really help sell this project some more.
A few side notes and nitpicks
- consolidate the box shapes in the HUD, decide where beveled corners and squared off corners go
- look at Valve and their color scheme decisions -- similar to what I have going on now
- whites and cyans are getting mixed -- go back and adjust everything to make unified
- transparent buttons are losing their base color and getting muddy due to the game's environment showing through them -- test out how they look not transparent
- Boxier more sci fi type is suggested for buttons and headers -- he brought up something important concerning UX and localization. The type that I chose for things like the city title have kerning that's too wide. If translated into another language like German, the titles wouldn't be able to fit.
- Lily of the Valley "button" doesn't feel like a button at the end. I need to either redesign that or do something to make it more clear that it's something that can be clicked on.
- Introduced an "X" in the top corner of the diplomacy screen when there's an OK button -- redundant (note to self: don't feel the need to implement new functions to the UI at 5 in the morning after a night with too many Red Bulls)
-- Extra note to self: tighten up animations for the main HUD after leaving the Design Workshop screen. Make things popping on screen feel extra tight and not slow and labored on.
Ref that he threw my way --
More sci fi kind of type for buttons.
Black Ops 3
Digs the clarity that Treyarch has going on in the Black Ops 3 UI. Dark text on highlighted buttons with light text against a dark background.