Improved UI?

[chewmyheadoff]

This has probably been mentioned before but really bugs me. As an art student I find that the user interface in KF is really bland, with no disrespect but the menus feel really 'moddish' and unprofessional. These are the worst offenders:

- The main menu, figures fading in and out? That's kind of overused these days, its like a slideshow. Maybe something dramatic , or subtle that is actually interesting to look at and maybe warm up your senses before the start of the game.

- The loading screen is very boring, the only good bit is probably the killng floor logo on the bottom left, but that itself is kinda out of proportion. The screenshot of the level looks like it was quickly put up there with no thought, and a random zombie figure stuck in the background. The composition is overall really amature.

- The server list, I mean what's with the 3 black figures in the background? It looks like clip art put on a red screen. The tabs and words could also be improved to be more interesting, and not blocky.

- And so are the other menus, with blocky buttons.

- What's with the huge text on the screen when you walk up to a door? You kinda get the idea that you can either open or weld the door. All you'd neeed is a little symbol on the side of the screen. Maybe you can use different symbols for different things such as being able to heal, open doors, buy weapons etc.

- The wave incoming words at the beginning of the level are really cheesy, at least change the font please.

- And during the actual game, the HUD is a bit cluttered, with blocks. I mean the numbers such as the health, and armour could have a nice change of font and maybe a texture and placed right in the corner and not spread across the screen, to maximise the actual view of the gameplay.

Again this is nothing personal just a few things that are on my mind.

 

[Killing Guide]

I have nothing against the HUD, but I do think that some texts in game would need change. And also the server browser could use a face lift.

 

[Mallius Insanos]

The UI may work, but it could definitely be prettier. You'd see no opposition from me in making it easier on the eyes.

 

[thrash242]

It's basically the same UI style from Red Orchestra.

I agree that it's nothing fancy, but I really don't mind. There is something to be said for clean simplicity.

 

[jesters puppet]

Im sorry but there "clean simplicity" and then theres MS paint >.> this game needs a smooth and easy to navigate menu system, pretty much everything bar the game needs chsnging, HUD, text saying incoming wave, menus server browser, shop menu, and the splash screens all looks like ****e! sorry but red sqaures with arial just doesnt do it for me, makes me look on source engines menus rather kindly >.> try something modern like the L4D menus or UT3's or gears of war? look at any modern menu in a game and it looks nice appealing and fits in with the games theme, jeez even cod4 did a better job with its semi static background animation. please do something to make this game look like its a retail game, by putting in pleasent menu's, fonts, splash screens, and an attractive server browser. i think everything the OP says is right and should be changed!

 

[SgtStress]

All those games you mention were full price releases.

Its a budget title, you should not expect an incredibly polished modern masterpiece at this price. Its function over form in the budget realms.

 

[Darkcoder]

All those games you mention were full price releases.

Its a budget title, you should not expect an incredibly polished modern masterpiece at this price. Its function over form in the budget realms.

Why not? It's not like the UI is the hardest thing in the world to program(granted, it is very difficult to make one that looks and functions well). It shouldn't take more than a few days to completely redo the GUI including media provided you have a decent design planned so why not? As you pointed out, this isn't a full priced release and it's from an indie developer so we aren't expecting it all to be AAA work but it can be as close to it as possible in the few areas that aren't so difficult to excel in, and this is one of them.

 

[jesters puppet]

I agree with Darkcoder here, the UI and HUD arnt the hardest thing in the world to change! and wouldnt take to long either. and no im not looking for some awesome 3D glass panel user interface like some large budget game, just that they make it look presentable because the font and sloppy presentation is pulling the game down and makeing it look like a mod, you wouldt serve caviar in a grotty chipped mug would you? the game is fine i just wish they would take some time to touch up the HUD menus and server browser as they all look lackluster bland and poorly designed.

 

[chewmyheadoff]

Im sorry but there "clean simplicity" and then theres MS paint >.> this game needs a smooth and easy to navigate menu system, pretty much everything bar the game needs chsnging, HUD, text saying incoming wave, menus server browser, shop menu, and the splash screens all looks like ****e! sorry but red sqaures with arial just doesnt do it for me, makes me look on source engines menus rather kindly >.> try something modern like the L4D menus or UT3's or gears of war? look at any modern menu in a game and it looks nice appealing and fits in with the games theme, jeez even cod4 did a better job with its semi static background animation. please do something to make this game look like its a retail game, by putting in pleasent menu's, fonts, splash screens, and an attractive server browser. i think everything the OP says is right and should be changed!

Well said, and if there's a developer reading this they should take this into account as probably everyone would agree with. I could lend a hand with the design and layout if you need it.

 

[Raj]

Agree with the 'KF logo being out of proportion'. Atleast it seems like that (maybe it's supposed to look stretched?).

The main menu looks good. I like the simple server browser (i've used to ut2004 server browser).

The 'wave incoming' text could be smaller. There's on-screen text announcements in ut2004 in text, but they're in smaller font. In KF it looks way too big, in mid screen. I think most of the people know when wave starts, no need to watch large text announcement in middle of the screen.
Just imitate ut2004 in this.

The loading screens look messy indeed. They even looked better in KF mod 2.0.

Some very easily changable things...

 

[Temstar]

Main menu's background is the big thing that let's down KF's presentation. Rather than a slide show, TWI should record a few demos of particularly cool ZED times (multiple headshots with 1 crossbow bolt, commando getting 3 ZED extension with one burst, a mob knocking down a door and the six guys all pouring lead into the breach, that sort of thing), put them together in a video and use it for background both for main menu and server browser

 

[-edy-]

I'd love to see a new or redesign UI . I'm sure it'll get done sometime in the future though. I'm sure TWI has lots of other things to be fixing in Kf other then the UI though...I mean the game just came out awhile ago, i think the last they have to worry about is the UI D:. At least it works for now though . Then again a new UI would be nice .

 

[Nurae]

Yeah, the UI have been bugging me aswell abit. So i've started editing the ingame HUD (progress can be seen here) but since i've never played around with any of the unreal engines i still have some trouble with it (which can be seen here) As for the GUI i haven't quite figured that out yet, but if anyone can point me in the right direction i'd love to take a crack at that aswell

 

[Raziel]

KF uses .rom files as main menu background.
That means every map could be turned into one ...in theory...
Maybe choppers flying over Westlondon or clots feeding on bodies in Bioticlabs or something would look rather cool.

Or (If downloading isn't too much effort) you may use backgrounds from KFmod releases.
(twitching hand FTW!)

 

[affliction91]

i thought the UI was very poorly constructed from teh beginning..
the great thing is that you can mod it yourself if you feel like it...

its gets the job done.

 

[Rak]

I agree with all points the OP suggested. Even screens from 2.5 UI during gameplay look much better than current red blocks.

- The server list, I mean what's with the 3 black figures in the background? It looks like clip art put on a red screen. The tabs and words could also be improved to be more interesting, and not blocky.

The figures also stretch out at widescreen resolutions and look really weird. Surely it can be done much better.

 

[typeislow]

Main menu's background is the big thing that let's down KF's presentation. Rather than a slide show, TWI should record a few demos of particularly cool ZED times (multiple headshots with 1 crossbow bolt, commando getting 3 ZED extension with one burst, a mob knocking down a door and the six guys all pouring lead into the breach, that sort of thing), put them together in a video and use it for background both for main menu and server browser

i agree with Temstar, maybe some more clips that make the classes look more B.A., like a zerker cutting off a scrakes head in ZED time, or just some random clips of specimens walking would look nice(a flesh pound going into rage, some clots marching with a gorefast or two and a bloat,). or even some specimen kills that were recored, like a stalker getting a backstab kill, one team member killing several clots while some crwalers swarm him from behind, the patriarch firing his mini-gun/rocket launcher.

wont be that hard to make, just record with the in-game recorder, or with x-fires' recording feature

 

[Kogitsune]

The only thing I find that doesn't look very nice is the labels with borders in the boxes.

I'd either nix the label borders entirely ( so it more looks like floating text ), or instead mount them in outer frames, like a frame / groupbox in windows forms controls.

Really, although a more Web 2.0 design would look spiffy, the UI gets the job done currently.

 

[chewmyheadoff]

The loading screen is really bugging me now. My shaun of the dead map has a preview screenshot with the same dimensions as the original Kf maps, but in the loading screen, it is stretched vertically... Basically it looks crap. Anyway I don't know if this is bcause it's widescreen, but why cant they just keep it the same proportion!?

 

[CheeseN1P]

I couldn't agree more with the "next wave inbound!" and "wave complete! get to the trader!"

should be eventually changed. to a better looking font, maybe even some blood splatters and drips to go with it, just something more pleaseing to the eye and less like it was being read in notepad

it cant be terribly hard, its just the matter of finding the time to fix it.

IMHO the text should be a bit less technical, instead of "next wave inbound" and "wave complete! get to the trader!" maybe something more along the lines of "They're coming for you..." and "You still breath..."