Level Up.pdf

196 LEVEL 8 Sign Language—HUD and Icon Design
• With the rise of HDTVs, developers can display higher resolution fonts.
However, I have found that any font size under 18 point is very hard to
read on a standard definition television. Remember that not every player
has a state - of- the - art screen 17 !
Remember, the goal of all of these screens is to communicate clearly and
efficiently to the player. Now let ’ s move on to the good stuff: the game itself!
But first, the obligatory Universal Truths and Clever ideas section …
Level 8 ’ s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas:
• The HUD communicates game concepts to the player.
• The player should be able to access the HUD information
quickly.
• Keep HUD elements away from the sides of the screen
and closer to the safe frame.
• Design easy - to - see and read icons.
• Make QTEs fair and easy to perform.
• You should never have to press a button more than three
times to reach anything in the game.
• Don ’ t make the player dig through screens for important
information.
• Fonts should be easy to read: don ’ t make them too small
or too fancy.
• Even the most “ boring ” screens can be exciting and
interesting.
• Give credit where credit is due.
17 The text displayed in Dead Rising (Capcom, 2006) was so small that players couldn ’ t read
mission objectives — rendering the game unplayable to those with standard definition sets.