After the recent last article I actually have something more I say about Red Faction: Guerrilla before letting the game go. I have actually spent a lot of time with the game. Most of it playing multi-player. For once because I wanted to once get in such an on-line gaming community. So far I’ve been playing multi-player only very briefly. So I was never quite able to fully understand the cultural idiosyncrasies of communities like the one around Halo multi-player. I wanted to find out what the fuzz is about. The other reason was that I’m a shameless achievement whore.

I have spent a significant portion of my lifetime grinding this game and all I got was this silly ostrich…

It was interesting. I gained a few insights which I would like to share with you. Generally I think there is a lot wrong with how the multi-player in that game works. The basic blocks are in place, they are just not fully thought-trough. They expose fundamental problems with how game designers approach multi-player today.

Continue reading “Red Faction Guerrilla: On Multi-Player”

Welcome to the third and last part of the Massive Interface Fail Trilogy. In this series of articles I’m discussing the manifold interface design shortcomings in BioWare’s Next-Gen RPG Sci-Fi blockbuster Mass Effect.

- “Ok, Artoo. Now zoom out. NO! Don’t close the galaxy map! Goddamn Artoo, if I only had a healthy hand, I’d smack you!

As previously stated, almost EVERY screen in Mass Effect contains at least one major interface design flaw. In previous parts (Part I here and part II here) we already discussed many parts of the interface – from extremely common screens such as the HUD to more obscure but not better-designed parts like the “Recovered Items” menu. This time, I would like to address the remaining parts of the interface. They are remarkable because they include what seems like the most commonly praised parts of the interface. In reviews of Mass Effect it is often the galaxy map and the conversation menu which receive some favorable mentions. While I do understand why, that doesn’t mean they are well-executed from the standpoint of interface design – sadly. So let us finish this epic saga by taking a closer look at those audience favorites.

Continue reading “Mass Effect: Massive Interface Fail Part III”

Mass Effect received a lot of praise when it came out. It still receives a lot of it. It is considered as one of the prime examples of next-gen western RPGs. It is a status I don’t think it quite deserved. Yes, Mass Effect offers a visually and thematically rich, cinematic experience. But that thin veneer only barely covers an otherwise amazingly unpolished game. It is a game with great but unfulfilled ambitions. In that sense, it is an prime example of western RPGs, indeed.

“You won’t get away with your sloppy interface design this time. I’m gonna track you down.”

One can argue a lot about the various shortcomings of the game and whether or not they bear a significance to judge the game. But one particular area leans itself pretty well to a thorough analysis as it provides some tangible evidence to root the debate on actual facts. Almost EVERY screen in Mass Effect contains at least one major interface design flaw. When discussing this with fellow gamers, my observation was often met with disbelief. So I set out to list all of Mass Effect’s interface design flaws.

The endeavor turned out to be more laborious than I thought. The first draft was over 7500 words long. It became one of the reasons why I wasn’t able to post for such a long time. I decided to split the article into an epic trilogy of interface failure – somewhat fitting considering the game is an epic space opera. So without further ado, let us open up the first chapter. In a world of bad design choices and poor execution, there was one game that ruled them all…

Continue reading “Mass Effect: Massive Interface Fail Part I”