3 ms·

Dwarf Fortress. By far the most complex game I've ever played, and yet the interface was simple. The dozen-items menu you see on screen is just a block of text

by BoppreH 16y ago

Dwarf Fortress. By far the most complex game I've ever played, and yet the interface was simple. The dozen-items menu you see on screen is just a block of text telling you the hotkeys. Nothing to click, push or drag, no focus to worry about, you just pressed keys away. And once you memorize enough of them, you can just hide the big block of text and go completely UI-free. No wasted space, no button hunting or "I didn't know you could right-click". Just you, the game, and the keyboard to translate your thoughts. I wish it was possible to implement this in every software.

mey 16y ago
DF is a bad example, because of the learning curve. There are things that the UI could've done (especially if it left ncurses) that could make the game more approachable for new players.
- BoppreH 16y ago
  I always thought the hardest part of the learning curve was understanding the game itself, not the interface. What each workshop does, why that dwarf have been in bed for two months, what pissed the elves. Not saying it's perfect either, but what do you think the UI could have done better?
  - mey 16y ago
    The game operates like a cross between VIM and NetHack. You have to jump between modes of operation (selection,placement,navigation,element action) If the world was iso metic 2d, with context mouse sensative information, and when clicking on something available
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
chipsy 16y ago
Having hotkeys onscreen is a great help, but being required to use them is still a terrible cognitive burden if you have lots of them and they impose modal effect(which DF does in spades). When you're "browsing" for actions to perform, it's easier to click on something when you see it than it is to see a keyboard binding and then find the key a second time on the keyboard - and it is a "find" on the keyboard because the muscle memory is going to be different from regular typing. As well, the visualization style has fundamental limitations. The 3D structures are hard to understand well with flat 2D. You can learn what the icons are, but embedded within them is a small pile of properties that have to be enumerated separately. No health bars, status effect overlays, etc. This obfuscates a lot of the game's mechanics.

by BoppreH 16y ago

mey 16y ago

DF is a bad example, because of the learning curve. There are things that the UI could've done (especially if it left ncurses) that could make the game more approachable for new players.

BoppreH 16y ago
I always thought the hardest part of the learning curve was understanding the game itself, not the interface. What each workshop does, why that dwarf have been in bed for two months, what pissed the elves. Not saying it's perfect either, but what do you think the UI could have done better?
- mey 16y ago
  The game operates like a cross between VIM and NetHack. You have to jump between modes of operation (selection,placement,navigation,element action) If the world was iso metic 2d, with context mouse sensative information, and when clicking on something available
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

chipsy 16y ago

Having hotkeys onscreen is a great help, but being required to use them is still a terrible cognitive burden if you have lots of them and they impose modal effect(which DF does in spades). When you're "browsing" for actions to perform, it's easier to click on something when you see it than it is to see a keyboard binding and then find the key a second time on the keyboard - and it is a "find" on the keyboard because the muscle memory is going to be different from regular typing. As well, the visualization style has fundamental limitations. The 3D structures are hard to understand well with flat 2D. You can learn what the icons are, but embedded within them is a small pile of properties that have to be enumerated separately. No health bars, status effect overlays, etc. This obfuscates a lot of the game's mechanics.