Main Menu

[VooDooQky]

My idea is, again, a polishing phase thing, but I see some more potential in the current main menu, which might not be noticed yet. Instead of that "list" type of selecteable options (come on, we see those boring stuffs in a lot of game's main menu), how about being a bit more unique, and making the actual objects on the screen interactive? Something similar to this:



Without the list, there is more free space on screen, so the garage could be also brought to vision, with the current chosen car spinning, on it's maintenance platform, with some crew members welding it, or just minding their business, or even the pilot itself fidgeting around with a tablet-like thing.

If you hover the cursor over the objects, they start to highlight, or animate (wheels start to spin slowly for e.g.). If you click the specified object, the game could utilize more the already awesome 3D menu, and the camera could make a circle around the CLICKED object, then settle down in front of the car in another angle, thus bringing forth the sub-menu.

Would be a banger of a feature, and yes, i know this is a resource sink too, but, well, first impressions are significant aswell.

[Broscar]

UI is all about (managing) user expectation and ease of navigation.
Having random elements scattered around the screen instead of actual buttons might be cool in highschool, but you'll either get fired on the spot if you try that in the field, or get hired by Microsoft. If people have to fight your UI at ANY point in time, it is a failure.
I like the very web 1.0-vibe of your suggestion though ;p

[Queadah]

There's definitely something to be done in the menu department for later.

+1 here. I was day dreaming similar-ish stuff myself anyway now that you mention it Voo.

[VooDooQky]

To start out with, I'm not a programmer or webdesigner or developer or anything, just a casual gamer.
BUT.
Not really getting why would labelled objects (which, in looks are thematically resembles their purpose), acting as entries, would seem as a capital prime to you in an indie video game. As far as I know, this game isn't going to be a notarial documentary, heading straight to MIT, or wherever, for it to be in a soldierly strict order. There isn't even that much options yet to choose from, so I don't see why would you rather fight a menu like this, instead of using it. People cannot find a bigass 4 wheeled monstrosity on their screen or what?

Now that you mentioned web 1.0, I can agree on the part that the concept reminds me of some early flash games, which were in this kind of style

Okay, it might be not that alzheimer-friendly, but CE is an independent studio, and it being daring to be a bit something else in it's own game wouldn't really hurt, would it? Still have the option to switch it back, if people don't like it after all.

Thx for liking my highschool-project idea anywayz!

[Chris_CE]

Sorry Voodoo but that looks really messy and unintuitive to me :/

That said, thanks for trying!

And yes, the menu will get better

[shadyx49]

wow I like your imagination and creativity though