GUI advice needed from the players perspective.

[poc301]

My game currently has a very simplistic GUI setup.  I wanted advice on whether I should change it prior to going any further with the game, because I am having second thoughts about it.

The current setup has a single mouse cursor (an arrow-looking thing).  The player moves it around the screen, and if it goes over something it can interract with, it turns into an "OZ" symbol.  The player can then left-click on the object.  If the object can be talked to, it automatically talks.  If it can be picked up, it gets picked up.  If it can be moved, it is moved.  Etc, etc.  So no cycling through icons, or worrying about what to do.  Its all automated.

If the player right-clicks on an object, it is 'looked' at.  This goes for all things.  Both highlightable and non-highlightable things, like objects, floors, walls, people, etc, etc..

I am now worried it is too simplistic.  I know simple is good, but too simple might dumb down the experience...  I am a fan of all kinds of GUI setups.  I must say I liked the ones in 5 Days / 7 Days series of games, the Apprentice games, as well as in the classic Sierra and Lucasarts games. 

I was hoping to get some advice/input from you guys.

Thanks,

Bill

[Stickieee]

Quite a lot has been said and written about GUIs. They are often said to be the thing that makes or breaks the game, so it's really good that you give thought to your GUI.

I love GUIs. Still, I don't think there is such thing as "the perfect GUI". What you need depends quite a lot on your games style and theme. The GUI you described is quite okay for comedic, dialogue-driven games. (or so I'd think). Indiana Jones -games wouldn't work with that.

Adding more verbs means adding more interactions. It means more work, more coding. It means smaller chances to complete your game. If this is your first game I recommend using that 2-action GUI (I actually like that quite a lot).

Hmm.

The BEST solution is to think of a totally new way to think of GUIs. Something, that has never been done before. That's what I've been trying to do and I'll be releasing a sample of my work at the RELEASE SOMETHING day. (hype, hype!)

Uh, yeah. I hope I didn't answer you anything.

[nihilyst]

Didn't have Broken Sword that kind of GUI? It didn't bother me, I actually found it perfectly fitting to the game. Sure, when you have verbs, a lot of actions per object are available, but I never saw a game, where more than two commands on any object made sense.

[Snarky]

It sounds like a good GUI. It worked well for Beneath a Steel Sky and other Revolution games, after all. Before you decide on an interface, you should consider what it will do to the gameplay in your game. What kind of puzzles do you have, will players be able to do all the things they need to do, and will this particular interface make it very simple or very difficult?

When you talk about an "OZ" symbol, I just think of a prison tattoo. I guess you mean something else. Ã, 

[mätzyboy]

I am all for this type of GUI. I think this is the ultimate GUI. All to often does more alternatives in a GUI just result in a lot of clicking with different alternatives, since you already know what you want to interact with, just not what GUI alternative. I myself prefer having to double click on the left mouse button to interact, mostly because I want the player to be able to walk anywhere and that is done with the single left click. I also think this avoids interaction by mistake, say you want to go somewhere, and you miss slightly, click on a person and start an unwanted conversation. If you want to try out this GUI, check out my old MAGS game Crypt.

It's also important to know that people tend to not use the "look" action. At least that's my experience. I've had questions regarding puzzles that really shouldn't be hard if you look at things and get the tips I supply there... An alternative GUI that might work would be that left clicking = look/examine/walk and right = different types of interaction. This would however limit the use of looking to hotspots, characters and objects I guess...

[Raider]

You may want to have a look here...

[poc301]

Thanks for all the advice guys.  I am going to go with a 2-click interface.

[edmundito]

If you did it right, you can always change the GUI at any time you're working on the game without affecting the rest of the stuff you've coded...

[Reko]

I think it's all about how diverse the actions the player is going to perform are. For instance, the later VGA series of Space Quest involved 'smell' icons which were never really used, but were there nonetheless. The two-click approach simplifies everything very nicely and is nicer to use. And TBH, I can't much think of any instance in any adventure game I've played which would require more diversity than that when it comes down to it. But this is all before inventory items come into the picture.

How exactly are you allowing item interaction? I think the 7 Days GUI was one of the best after you consider this, since it's quite mindblowingly efficient. Left-click is walking, right-click on an item brings up a menu underneath the mouse pointer containing generic items like 'Use', 'Look', 'Talk', and all the inventory items in the same box, and your mouse cursor is already near it, so there's no unneccesary moving your mouse all over the screen. It's like pie menus, really.

Of course, then you have the issue of using inventory items not on anything in particular, and looking at them. IIRC, in 7 Days, right clicking on an inventory item would 'look' at it. As for just using an item not on anything in particular, I figure using it on yourself is the most logical action I can think of.