J
JVGameDev
Guest
Hi! I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to make a nice main menu?
-
Hey Guest! Ever feel like entering a Game Jam, but the time limit is always too much pressure? We get it... You lead a hectic life and dedicating 3 whole days to make a game just doesn't work for you! So, why not enter the GMC SLOW JAM? Take your time! Kick back and make your game over 4 months! Interested? Then just click here!
D
DyingSilence
Guest
Well, I usually design menus around the game, to complement it's feel and themes.
For example, my stealth+rythm game has only a title screen, hinting about hitting space to play. Escape key also works, but i think everybody expects that.
My mysterious game about being damned to hell has some burning letters as a title and caligraphed strings as menu options, the current one is surrounded by two flames, placed like skulls in Doom.
My overal philosophy is to keep it as simple as possible. I know PC players like to tweak their settings, but I'm against adding them just because they're expected to be there.
I usually emphasise on the mood/feel, so I like to skip the menu completely, like Braid or Limbo do.
For example, my stealth+rythm game has only a title screen, hinting about hitting space to play. Escape key also works, but i think everybody expects that.
My mysterious game about being damned to hell has some burning letters as a title and caligraphed strings as menu options, the current one is surrounded by two flames, placed like skulls in Doom.
My overal philosophy is to keep it as simple as possible. I know PC players like to tweak their settings, but I'm against adding them just because they're expected to be there.
I usually emphasise on the mood/feel, so I like to skip the menu completely, like Braid or Limbo do.
J
Jacob T Wharton
Guest
The most important thing is simplicity with ease of visibility.
Nothing is there on the main menu unless it is absolutely necessary, and buttons are easy to identify immediately.
You have decide for yourself what buttons are necessary, but most games only have a few buttons on the main menu.
Nothing is there on the main menu unless it is absolutely necessary, and buttons are easy to identify immediately.
You have decide for yourself what buttons are necessary, but most games only have a few buttons on the main menu.
JackTurbo
Member
Kotaku's 10 commandments is a good place to start.
http://kotaku.com/5955855/the-ten-commandments-of-video-game-menus
http://kotaku.com/5955855/the-ten-commandments-of-video-game-menus
J
Jaqueta
Guest
- Unskipable Intros, please don't. (I'm looking at you Bioshock Infinite).
- Options, I can't stress enough of how frustrating it is to play a game that doesn't allow me to use WASD instead of Arrow Keys. Or a 3D game that doesn't have an FOV Slider and gives me motion sickness. They exist for a reason, so make sure to put them in your game. (I'm looking at you Spec Ops: The Line)
- Slow Animations, that's a no, even if the menu looks good, people don't want to watch a 3 seconds long transition when you click a button. (I'm looking at you Killer is Dead and Bioshock Infinite)
- If your character is controlled by the keyboard only, don't make the menu controllable by the mouse only! And if you use the mouse... Make sure that you can control by both (As this will make Gamepad implementation easier later on)
- If you need to create a tutorial so people can understand the menu, it means that it's BAD. (I'm looking at you Line of Sight)
- And PLEASE, don't do this:
- Options, I can't stress enough of how frustrating it is to play a game that doesn't allow me to use WASD instead of Arrow Keys. Or a 3D game that doesn't have an FOV Slider and gives me motion sickness. They exist for a reason, so make sure to put them in your game. (I'm looking at you Spec Ops: The Line)
- Slow Animations, that's a no, even if the menu looks good, people don't want to watch a 3 seconds long transition when you click a button. (I'm looking at you Killer is Dead and Bioshock Infinite)
- If your character is controlled by the keyboard only, don't make the menu controllable by the mouse only! And if you use the mouse... Make sure that you can control by both (As this will make Gamepad implementation easier later on)
- If you need to create a tutorial so people can understand the menu, it means that it's BAD. (I'm looking at you Line of Sight)
- And PLEASE, don't do this:
Genetix
Member
There are different concepts of what makes a good menu or great menu - Depends on what you want to accomplish. I like to start my games off with a short splash screen/animation, followed by a simple title screen. Nothing menu like up to this point. Then the player is presented with a clean menu with just the basics - New Game, Continue, Settings, etc. From there you can lead them to additional menu screens (rooms) with more options for the specific area that they are in.
Cpaz
Member
To add on to this, don't make it complicated. If that means have a list of things to click, sure. If it means using the player to navigate in a sort of room that has things that represent options in the menu, sure.
Just don't have anything that the player won't understand just by looking at it.
F
frumple
Guest
On the one hand, you want to include as many settings as neccessary, so the user can tweak things to their needs. On the other, allways aim to put *fun* in front of everything else. That means the menu takes a back seat.
As a rule of thumb, the less often some setting is going to be looked at or changed, the deeper it should be buried. It wont hurt if i have to click 17 times if it's probably the only time i'm making this one change. Likewise, settings that may be used more often, should be more easily accessible. But nothing should get in the way of playing the game, and that should allways come first. Complexity can be offputting, so if the game needs deep customisation or you just want to cover as many conveniences or settings as possible, be sure to keep them out of sight unless the user actually wants to use them.
A slightly unusual example may be a typical monitor menu. There's some useful settings there and on rare occasion they can be needed. But for the most part all i ever press is the "auto" button, and even that is very rarely used. Point being, include everything that should be included, just keep it out of the way.
Something often overlooked is accessibility. People have needs or problems with vision or hearing that others can take for granted or not even notice. Paying attention to such issues can also help.
A personal pet hatred of mine are menus that exclude the mouse or keyboard on desktop releases. A mouse click is most likely used to run the game, so it really should be usable in the menu. If a game is played using the keyboard, then it stands to reason that the menu should be navigable using the keyboard as well. It is a pain to code and esp. keyboard navigation is harder than mouse navigation, but it's better to get it done and get it out of the way.
Finally, if the game has sound, it better have volume controls. And start at less than 100% by default.
As a rule of thumb, the less often some setting is going to be looked at or changed, the deeper it should be buried. It wont hurt if i have to click 17 times if it's probably the only time i'm making this one change. Likewise, settings that may be used more often, should be more easily accessible. But nothing should get in the way of playing the game, and that should allways come first. Complexity can be offputting, so if the game needs deep customisation or you just want to cover as many conveniences or settings as possible, be sure to keep them out of sight unless the user actually wants to use them.
A slightly unusual example may be a typical monitor menu. There's some useful settings there and on rare occasion they can be needed. But for the most part all i ever press is the "auto" button, and even that is very rarely used. Point being, include everything that should be included, just keep it out of the way.
Something often overlooked is accessibility. People have needs or problems with vision or hearing that others can take for granted or not even notice. Paying attention to such issues can also help.
A personal pet hatred of mine are menus that exclude the mouse or keyboard on desktop releases. A mouse click is most likely used to run the game, so it really should be usable in the menu. If a game is played using the keyboard, then it stands to reason that the menu should be navigable using the keyboard as well. It is a pain to code and esp. keyboard navigation is harder than mouse navigation, but it's better to get it done and get it out of the way.
Finally, if the game has sound, it better have volume controls. And start at less than 100% by default.
