Real Project ( 2022 / 2023 )
nem item game menu
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Released in 1997 for PlayStation, and the following year for Saturn, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night mixed action, exploration and RPG into a 2D adventure game when three-dimensional games seemed to be the future. And it was with techniques from the past, surrounded by innovation and quality, that the game became a video game classic, being remembered to this day as one of the best electronic games ever produced.
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The development of Symphony of the Night, however, was not the easiest, starting during the Console War. At the time, Konami was working on an iteration of the series for the Sega 32X, but, probably due to the peripheral's lack of success, the development of The Bloodletting (as it was called at the time) was cancelled.
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Taking advantage of some ideas and concepts from The Bloodletting, Konami turned its efforts to the PlayStation, a Sony console that already held a huge share of the electronic games market in the first half of the 1990s. But this couldn't be another linear Castlevania like the previous ones.
In the middle of two worlds
For those responsible for creating Symphony of the Night, the new game would have to have a greater replay value, making the player return to the adventure as many times as possible and, unlike previous titles, it would last longer than one or two moves.
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Studying some classic games like Zelda, Metroid and even titles from the Castlevania franchise itself, the development team found the formula that seemed perfect for them. A 2D action game that allowed you to explore a huge map, but which would only appear gradually, while the player obtained new items and powers.
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The feeling of discovery and achievement would need to be constant, as there would be no phases to complete. And the game also had to be longer to encourage people to return, even after it was finished. Even the difficulty couldn't be scary, like in past games, as the production team wanted to reach a large audience.
New symphony
Combining elements from other games in the series, Symphony of the Night follows the style of lateral progression that established the series up to that point, but bets on the freedom of exploration of the huge castle map to create an experience of conquest and exploration.
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At the beginning of the journey, the character has few powers and abilities, limiting the player's access to few areas of the map. But, as you obtain new items, transformations and become stronger by defeating enemies, new routes become available, always gradually, making the player constantly move through the scenarios.
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This movement, however, is not slow or slow like in the first Nintendo games. Alucard is much faster, more powerful, and more versatile than any Belmont we've ever controlled before. This is due to the way the game was built around the skills that the player acquires and the constant progression of the adventure.
Item Menu
The complexity of skills, weapons, powers and their combinations bring an incredible gaming experience. But they also bring some complexity and that most of us players at the time, had the pleasure of taking the time to learn. It was not simple, but it is considered an efficient feat for the time in which it was developed.
There are many weapons, magic potions, food, armor, shields, rings, necklaces and many other items to be managed. How could we design a menu of items that would offer a better experience today? In addition to the experience, how could we bring a cleaner and more pleasant design with the resources we have today?
The original game menu
Inventory System - Item Menu
Inventory mechanics are widely used, designed to store, organize and display a character's items: the backpack is the most common symbol.
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Origin
The first game to implement an inventory system is uncertain. Two strong candidates are Hammurabi (developed by Doug Dyment and published by Creative Computing in 1968) or The Oregon Trail (developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger and produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium in 1971). For both, a textual representation of access to items: raw materials, weapons and armor. Jeannie Novak presents the game Colossal Cave (developed by Will Crowther and Don Woods and
published by CRL in 1976) in his book (NOVAK, 2011).
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Functions
The adoption of an inventory occurs in games with a large movement of items by the player's hand. The mechanics simplify the journey by allowing you to store different items, avoiding repeating paths to collect what was left behind. Strategic thinking is highly valued in its management, implying the choice of items according to current needs (NOVAK, 2011).
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Particularities of inventory system models
1. Rule of 99 (ninety-nine): items can be stored with a fixed limit per slot, typically 99. The limitation can be changed;
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2. Weighted: each item receives a numerical value that represents its weight, generating negative effects on the character as the load increases;
3. Visual Grid: stock items occupy fields according to their size. Generating the need for organization;
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4. Stackable Grid: some items can be stacked andthey receive a numerical indicator to represent their quantity;
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5. Large Slot: the entire inventory is made up of a single field. Can inherit characteristics from the weighted model;
6. Quick inventory: use of pre-selected items through shortcuts;
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7. Inventory expansion: considered a progression mechanic that allows you to scale your inventory
References ( Benchmark)
The games below were used as main references for building the new menu in Castlevania SOTN. These games are references in this genre and even the oldest among them have a large base of fans and admirers to this day.
Mega Man x
Super Metroid
Legend of Zelda: Breath of wild
Legend of Zelda: A link to the past
Based on these questions, doing a lot of research and talking to fans of the franchise, I decided to create a first version of a new interface for the game's item menu. This is a personal project that I used to present in a UI/UX Design improvement course that I recently took.
Result
The interface in the original menu appears to be quite confusing. The information hierarchy is not clear, as is the division and separation of spaces. This may be the only low point of the game
original menu
In the new proposal we have a cleaner and more organized interface, making it easier to use the items and clearly understanding the behavior of the combination of each choice for the character.
new menu
