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Hey Dreamers!
As you might’ve seen on our recent social media posts, there were some mentions about an article regarding the current look for our HUD and UI. Now, don’t freak out but… this is the article!
Yeah, we know, total surprise! The fact that we have (probably) got you here from an actual social media post literally spelling out what it is wasn’t any indication at all! Uh, anyways!
In a small “celebration” of the team's great effort and a chance to show off, we have made a decision to create this very article to highlight the complete revamp of our older UI and HUD. Many new additions and changes were made and because of that we’ve had to abandon the older versions (with a heavy heart) and create the new and improved versions you see here today.
Since it was a collaborative effort of multiple departments, an effort was made to gather their thoughts and a few quotes as for their inspiration, references and decisions for the look and feel that we’ve achieved today!
The part where they didn’t consent to 24/7 monitoring into their daily life was a bit of a setback but they did agree to give a few quotes and general feedback on some parts, so it’s all good! For now…
Now, without further ado, let’s jump into “the show and tell” part of the article!
The HUD exists to give you all the information you need at a glance and makes the combat and exploration easier.
As you can see on the image, it’s quite packed with all manner of icons and various things. Worry not, the HUD in Origins: The Fall of Azoria is dynamic, out of combat most of the visible parts will be hidden away until they are needed.
Here’s an image with the descriptions of areas in the HUD to make things more understandable for newcomers, before you commit them to your memory.
When it comes to UI design, there are some important parts to consider.
Federico, our Senior UX/UI Designer, mentions this when queried:
“I think that a good UI design lies not only in the look of each individual part but also how beneficial it is for the player. It’s important that they enjoy both the visual aspect and the information feedback they get from it.”
Matteo, our Game Designer, agrees with that notion.
“When I plan out the aspects of the game, the most important part is what I, as a player, would like to see in the game. Functionality is what helps the game be enjoyable, no point in designing something that is going to hinder the player. Unless the game is “meant” to do that of course, hahaha.”
Yup, definitely important to keep things understandable and visible when needed and out of sight when you could do away with them!
Following up on the main character menu, the team began finalising the design to make it more condensed and without overwhelming your eyes with too much information.
“The early versions of our UI had a little bit of “raw” feeling to it. As we’ve added more things, the display has become a bit… disarrayed.” says Federico.
“The most recent versions are a lot more polished and organised. They have all the information you want to get, without it “spilling out” onto your screen. Want to check your life force secondary attributes? Just click the appropriate tab and voila. No need to sift through all the info at once.”
Since Origins: The Fall of Azoria is going to be released on the mobile phones, the space on the screen can be quite a concern to the overall design on the UI, luckily both Federico and Matteo keep tabs on it, under the watchful eye of our co-founder, CMO and Creative Director, Paulii.
“When as a team, we took a deeper look on how we want the player to engage with the game, we have come to the conclusion that less is more and that UI components need to be more of the decoration than an obstruction preventing us from engaging with the world of Azoria. Hence whenever players go into the menus, they're still able to see what's happening to their character.”
Similarly to our character screen, your equipment window has your gear on the display and the detailed description of each part in the middle for ease of reading.
Once you've built up a large amount of items in your pack, it’s important to have a way to go through it quickly and efficiently. You’ll have plenty of filters in your inventory to make its management easier!
It might feel like it’s a pattern but yup, the crafting screen also went into a more packed and tidy look.
But it still provides all the information and a cool style we’ve wanted to add in there!
“It’s one thing to design something to look great on a monitor for a PC or MAC, it’s completely another to do the same thing for a phone.” mentions Federico
“There are definitely some limitations and restrictions with mobiles but even so, I think we’ve managed to successfully add a unique look and comprehensible visual aids into each part of our UI for our players to enjoy.”
The last part we’ve wanted to briefly jump on is our quest reward system.
As you can see here, the completion of the quest won’t have a “pregenerated” reward, rather it’ll be created as you complete the quest, so with a bit of luck you can pull some really cool stuff.
And as you’ll be going through your various quests and adventures, you’ll be able to quickly check what’s there to tackle and what’s already been done and still requires some elbow grease.
For the final part we’ve asked Federico and Matteo if they’ve drawn inspiration from other games and media.
“Of course, there are many great games out there that were partially helpful in some way. But there are plenty of games that had this one really cool part about them but couldn’t deliver on others. Which is unfortunate, especially for indie developers that simply didn’t have the resources to implement their ideas fully. I’d like to think that by drawing from their creations I can bring something that they couldn’t themselves.” says Matteo.
“Absolutely, I believe that we’re all drawing inspiration from one thing or the other. Not to say that original ideas don’t exist but if something works in one game, then there is a reason for it. And by no means I’m talking about copying the work of others, that thing gets you in trouble, hahaha!” says Federico.
With final closing statement coming from Paulii:
“We have looked at numerous games for reference and we have not found exactly what we are doing anywhere else. We have looked at best practices and added our own visual language to the mix. Our game mechanics are quite complex for mobile games and the limitations on a small screen unfortunately make it harder to achieve great visuals and usability. I am convinced though, that we will soon hear from the players themselves as to how unique and interesting Origins: The Fall of Azoria is, in both design and the world itself!”
By close cooperation and intertwining their own visions, ideas and experiences they’ve managed to bring out what they believe were the most important aspects of UX/UI.
That is, to allow players to enjoy the unique look of our IP through great functionality and intuitive design.
The UI is there to assist you, not hinder or slow you down. And as you’ll explore the vast world of Azoria, the menus won’t detract from the mystical and magical vibe contained within its realm. Everything is meant to be a part of the whole experience for you to immerse yourself into, that is the core belief of our upcoming game Origins: The Fall of Azoria!
Well, that concludes the UX/UI article. We’re grateful to everyone who helped us create this article for you to enjoy!
Hope you’ve learned something from our deeper dive into the creation of Origins: The Fall of Azoria game and we’ll continue to do our best in developing it and to bring you the finished product as soon as it’s ready!
Until next time Dreamers!
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