This style reinforces the setting and helps immerse players in the world of a tabloid newsroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Screen Layout<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udcbbTo maintain gameplay flow, the overall screen layout will be divided into four functional regions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Central Workspace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This screen is all on the monitor in a 2D format. It\u2019s for interactive UI such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Inbox<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Evidence viewer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Archive Files<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Photo tools <\/aside><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/01\/image-15-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n2. Narrative Text Box<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udcbbThis will be a fixed, semi-transparent box acoss the bottom 20% of the screen that displays:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Player\u2019s inner monologue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dialogue from other characters<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Narrative<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- System messages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This placement ensures the narrative never covers evidence or UI elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Choice Bar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udcbbThe Choice Bar appears as a horizontal strip directly above the Narrative Text Box at the bottom of the screen. It spans approximately 80% of the screen width, leaving a small margin on either side to maintain clarity. Each choice will displayed in a clearly separated box with retro-inspired pixel borders, matching the CRT monitor aesthetic. When the player hovers over a choice, it subtly highlights or changes colour to indicate selection. The bar allows the player to make decisions efficiently while keeping the central workspace and evidence viewer fully visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Risk and Readership meters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udcbbThe Risk and Readership meters will be positioned in the top-left and top-right corners of the screen. They will occupy a small but noticeable portion of the interface so they are always visible but will never obstruct key elements like the evidence viewer or central workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Risk Meter (top-left):<\/strong> A horizontal bar that fills with a warning-coloured gradient as risk increases. It reflects attention, suspicion, and danger levels, rising when risky choices are made.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Readership Meter (top-right):<\/strong> A horizontal bar that fills with a bright, positive colour as readership increases. It reflects story popularity and editor satisfaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Both meters will feature subtle retro-style CRT glow effects and simple pixel indicators, keeping the visual theme consistent while providing instant feedback to the player about the consequences of their decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u25ab\ufe0fThe UI for Archive 13 is designed around a retro 1990s newsroom desktop, combinging functional clarity with atmospheric immersion. The interface will prioritise readability, narrative pacing, and player decision-making while maintaining the aesthetic of old CRT monitors and office systems. The design will support all four gameplay loops: evidence analysis, narrative progression, editiorial decisions, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2321","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"kubio_ai_page_context":{"short_desc":"","purpose":"general"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2321"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2395,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2321\/revisions\/2395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/is3g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Readership Meter (top-right):<\/strong> A horizontal bar that fills with a bright, positive colour as readership increases. It reflects story popularity and editor satisfaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Risk Meter (top-left):<\/strong> A horizontal bar that fills with a warning-coloured gradient as risk increases. It reflects attention, suspicion, and danger levels, rising when risky choices are made.<\/li>\n\n\n\n