[MUD-Dev] When the interface becomes the challenge.

[Alex Kay]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ola Fosheim Grøstad" <olag at ifi.uio.no>
To: <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2001 5:50 AM
Subject: [MUD-Dev] When the interface becomes the challenge.

> Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com wrote:

>> That, and the appalling 1st person controls may be enough to seal
>> its fate for me...

> The basic mistake all MUD developers make is not in the game
> system but in the interface and the legibility of the world :-).
> Game designers should try to make an interface that suit their own
> parents, and then make a smooth transition to a more transparent
> interface for the hard-core players. Designers seem to think the
> other way, hard-core first (themselves), then add some tweaks as
> an after-thought to lower the threshold somewhat. (I believe you
> can use the TAB key or something to shift focus, there's a lot of
> keyboard-accessed functionality, did I mention focusing on the
> hard-core?) Btw, the movement controls are fairly DOOMesque, arrow
> keys?

> Btw, I personally find virtually ALL 3D games confusing. I
> basically need several hours just to manage the interface well,
> and that goes for any game! (except some racing games, but they
> fake a lot in order to make the interaction smooth) Maybe
> realistic 3D is ill suited for casual players... Actually 2D games
> used to be quite hard in the old days, remember getting stuck at
> corners? Eventually all designers added magic-forces-at-corners
> that pushed you in the right direction. Lots more need to be done
> in the 3D realm IMO.

> Anyway, it would be interesting to know how you feel about the
> interface and the game when you hit level 20-30.  If it is mostly
> a familiarity problem, then you should've gotten used to it by
> then.  

What I don't understand is why developers insist on almost always
trying something different when it comes to basic control
input. Ever since Doom/Quake there has become a defacto standard
layout of keys and mouse use. Why change what ain't broke?

I will only play in first person for the immersion feeling alone. As
such I expect a fully functional and 'easy' to use control
method. Many years of Quake (Teamfortress), CounterStike and other
FPS', along with EQ (which thankfully used the same mouse-look as
those FPS') have in- grained a basic affinity.

As such I can get 'into' a game all the faster because I'm not
fighting to work out a different control system. This is what killed
AC for me as it's 1st Person view was fundamentally broken in my
opinion.

AO on the other hand is almost passable, but they would do well to
still have the option of a simple mouse-look ability (as does EQ).
Someone had an impromptu poll up on a board for AO and the
respondents clearly indicated their desire for this basic
functionality.

There is no excuse for not allowing this as at least an option in
any 1st person 3D game. Remember, 'don't fix what ain't broke' and
'keep it simple stupid'!

Alex


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