I hoping someone will put something different into my mind for an idea i''ve got for a cybernetics gui. The character gains cybernetic parts for their body and i can''t stop thinking about the way diablo equip weapons to the character. This type of gui used in diablo seems to me to be the best way to go for the task at hand. It won''t get out of my mind, bugger. As you enhance you''re character with cybernetic parts they are placed in a gui like the one they used for fitting weapons and rings in diablo. Could someone please give me some inpiration here, i just can''t think of any better/another way to do it?! I love Game Design and it loves me back. Our Goal is "Fun"!

Difference for the sake of being different is not necesarrily a Good Thing. What''s wring with the Diablo interface ? Do you know any other interfaces ? What can be improved in those interfaces ?

Maybe describe the interface in more details, because I, for one, don''t know it.

youpla :-P

How much detail do you need Paul?
What I mean... if you use the Diablo-like interface is that going to give you the level of detail that you need? For example, what if you had eye implants? You would need a way to show which eye has implants or something like that. Get what I''m saying?

You might be able to do something this... show a picture of the body and when they click on specific areas then a enlarged section would be presented. Again, I suppose it depends on the types of implants the cyborg can have.

Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser

I think this depends on what sort of graphics you game uses--2D or 3D.

Dak, the level of detail would probably be one more than Diablo. So an each arm (upper and lower) could have something assigned there, legs the same. You might be able to have you''re ribs and skull replaced (internal armour). Then on top you would assign weapons. I''m unsure atm if weapon can be built in.

I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!

I you wanna get ideas for the kind of stuff you could do, you *HAVE* to check out Cyberpunk, especially the different Chrome catalogs. This RPG has been out for like 10 years, and was the first of its genre. You could also check out Shadowrun for a lighter taste, with a zest of fantasy put in.

As for the form you would use, I am still wondering, what do you want to show ? What do you want to make important to the user ?
What about a view where you''d have a scan view of the player, with color coded zones, and if you double click on them you get a little menu that describe the various stats for each zone, including any wetware installed ?
Personally, I am for extendable interfaces, rather than the old "carved in stone" interfaces. I think for a future based game, this would be even more appropriate .

mmmh ?

Deus Ex had something like that: picture the character with a bunch of boxes around it with icons of the cybernetic augmentations in them. It worked fine.

-Jussi

Paul, OK. I thought you would want/need an extra level.

I''m going to try to be as descriptive as I can in explaining my thoughts on how you might go about presenting the GUI

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The entire body would be displayed on the screen, maybe an image of the old clear human anatomy that you might see in a science class (hope you know the one I''m speaking of). The user is able to rotate it on the X axis.

Lets use the arms as an example:
When the user LEFT CLICKS on the arm a "digitized box" would size itself to the arm and then zoom the arm to the full area of the image. When the mouse passes over any implants the implant will hilite and information will be presented using an overlayed effect.

If the player is going to be placing a new implant, then the area that the implant can be placed would be shown by displaying a faded image of the implant when the mouse passes over this area.

When the user has completed his task with the arm a RIGHT CLICK will un-zoom to the full image of the body.

Apply this same technique to all body parts that can be implanted.
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OK, it''s not new, youv''e probably seen something like this before in a movie (think Robo Cop). That is why it works. It was simple for movie goers to comprehend and it should feel that way for gamers.

Just my .2 credits worth

Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser

Once again, thanks Dave. I think i know the pictures of the human anatomy from the science classes you''re talking about. Usually they are a poster on a wall or something like that i believe. I don''t know how difficult such a system that you''re talking about would be to code. Do you know?


And thanks Ahw. The most important thing in this gui would be "ease to see, use, change and activate the implants" It will probably end up having a comfortable number of different implants like around 10 - 16 spread through the body.

quote:
Personally, I am for extendable interfaces, rather than the old "carved in stone" interfaces. I think for a future based game, this would be even more appropriate .

Just to be sure i know what you''re talking about (because we tend to think on different wave lengths ). When you say "extendable interfaces" i presume that you''re talking about a gui that opens up new gui''s when used in a certain way?!


I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!

uhuhuh, indeed.
I am thinking about an interface, that, instead of taking 50% of the screen, with all the parts of the body displayed with their content, would be more something like the new trend of transparetn HUD display. Hover over a portion of the anatomy, and you get a wee popup displaying what''s inside, click, and you get a content window to show up... the question I have is, do you have to be able to transfer things from one part of the body to another... otherwise this solution seem quite nice. you would have a 32x32 pixels little icon of your guy a la Starcraft (green-yello-red coded) in the bottom of your screen, and if you click on it, you get this transparent zoomed version on your screen ...

as well, I was thinking that your can easily prototype this kind of things using a bit of java-script and some layers, you know. (OK, maybe the transparency wouldn''t be as easy, but to get an idea...)

youpla :-P