Interface - New version

It's been some time since I last wrote here, but I have just finished a first version of the combat interface:

In order to have a first launchable version by the end of the year, here are the main points that still need to be done:
- Improve the interface of the home page. This include a teaser-like description of the game.
- Improve the interface of the chat screens
- Create a "real" interface, with a consistent theme and custom made graphics (this is one of the biggest parts ^^)
- Improve the account management: encrypt passwords, allow one to retrieve a lost password, and change a password.
- Localization (at least in French and English)
- And, most of all, playtest a lot and improve the gameplay.

There are of course lots of minor things to do as well, but I'll tackle them as they come.

Interface - Current state

Nothing much to say, but I just wanted to post a screenshot of the current version of the interface for history purposes.

Everything is being done with images coming from google, which more likely than not aren't public. But for now it will do :)

Rethinking the interface

A huge part in the process of going live is to rethink the interface. The current web version has indeed been developed to test the gameplay, but is too crude and too obscure to be going live.

A way I like to proceed when building interfaces is building paper prototypes:

(as you can probably guess, interface design and drawing is not my forte ^^)

 Paper prototyping allows me:

• To draw each piece of the interface separately. If I wish to change something, I don't have to redo all my work, but can only change the part that is affected
• Allow me to play with the different pieces and see how to arrange them on the screen
• Allow for "live-testing", i.e. take a potential player, have them interact with the paper interface as they would with the digital one, and modify the pieces on the "screen" as they do things. 

The picture above represents a current idea for the interface. It will most likely change based on how the testing goes, but at least it gives me a foundation on which to start - I still have many things to understand as far as client interface coding and implementation goes :)

Going live

I have decided to start building a first full version with the current gameplay (for people who have played the recent cards version, it actually means the game with the 6 revamped moves, but without transformations). This means that it will have to include a proper interface, text translation, bug fixing and of course gameplay experience. In other words, I will focus on polishing the current version instead of trying to add more scope to it.

Hopefully, this will mean that by the end of the year, I will have a first (though basic) version to release for beta testing. The downside is, the gameplay will be more limited than what I had hoped for (and that's something very frustrating, having to postpone all these ideas). But I think releasing as early as possible and then iterating on it will be better for the overall quality of the experience than trying to put too many things in the beginning.

Of course, the game design and playtesting sessions will continue, but as far as development goes, I'll focus on getting something out first.

Stay tuned ;)