After confirming my responsibilities, I did some research based on Lett’s description in GDD to see how the UI was done in other similar games. Since this was my weak point, I spent more time on it.
The first game I chose was Fran Bow. I did this because I saw a video about it while researching Lett’s GDD, and its gameplay style was very similar to the game we’re going to make, so I wanted to start by looking for inspiration from it.
The UI of this game is very similar to that of other games in the same genre, featuring classic click-to-interact or dialogue-based gameplay, with the dialogue box displayed at the bottom of the screen.
However, it has a unique feature that sets it apart from other games: it combines narrative and UI.
It has a Pill mechanic; clicking it changes the world and the UI accordingly.
Then there’s another game called Sally Face, which is another game of the same type that I discovered. Its UI doesn’t have any particularly unique design; it’s basically all very classic. This helped me understand what this type of game is generally like. Also, since we’re making vertical slices rather than complete games, this style might save us time.
I divided it into different sections using a grid. Sections 1-6 are entirely game scenes, while only sections 7-9 feature dialogue boxes during conversations. The game’s interface design is extremely minimalist; the HUD lacks a health bar, quest markers, and a map. This enhances player immersion but also increases the game’s difficulty. The lack of a map significantly increases the likelihood of players getting lost, so this design has both advantages and disadvantages.
Similarly, in terms of interaction methods, it also uses a player-click interaction format, including clicking on objects or NPCs to trigger dialogue.
The dialogue box design is also minimalist, using the character’s name to distinguish whether it’s a player or an NPC speaking. The overall dialogue box is very simple without excessive decoration.
These are basically the UI styles of this game.