Ideas for Soldat Menu

[Bistoufly]

change current color of soldat window to black and you get the same result. I dont see anything wrong using black background  and framed buttons


Beside, as I said: Making HD-candy like Menu for such game as soldat(old/classic/small) is a bit idiotic.
Ok, we gonna have HD "oh-ah" Menu and then you enter game and see old ctf_ash or climb map made from few polygons... awkward.
If you think that would be good, imagine crysis menu with 3d background and then play soldat: most idiotic idea ever.


We should stick to game style, not  on "what other game have".

• Simple
• No candy colors
• static(not animated background etc)
• good for window mode

And for god sake, no menu background music... Soldat is small action game, that probably most people play in window mode(i play in 1024x600 windowed) and spend in menu less than 1min.
It dont need massive menu. Keep it simple

Agreed. The new GUI not only has to be good looking and practical. But it also needs to fit the game.

[Dusty]

Indeed I agree with Akinaro, my suggestion is for the distant future where Soldat could be seen as something other than that game everyone has tried back in 200X. This of course requires a complete remake of the game but hey, dreams of today might be the reality of tomorrow.

However for now I believe there are more important things to worry about than a poor GUI. A nice GUI won't attract new players and the current one isn't the cause of the decline in Soldat's popularity.

[Akinaro]

But I'm a bit bored anyway(don't have mood for maps) so I still gonna finish last project.
However this time its gonna be based more on new graphic that I think could be easily putt to soldat, even current version.
Because for now all that images were based on current soldat menu structure. So it was 2-4h work time for it.

I know its not gonna help dev's, but hell, I have fun making it and maybe someone could use some ideas in the future...

[Shoozza]

Dustys version is a step in the right direction.
The gui should make people notice that it is soldat but a fresh new version of it.
So using the same colors / fonts as in the original gui would be good.

Also making sure it can be used with mouse and/or keyboard is a plus.

[Akinaro]

OK. I think I have First Beta of third project...
For now only Homepage, Join Game and Profile. And for now classic select menu(text only) because I need new idea for it :/

I'm not gonna discover America again, so I'm gonna stick to classic game menu(text on the left). Its quick and focus on what user actually need.


And I was thinking about backgrounds, and currently I'm working on very light animated background of blurred  map, something like half-life 2 or minecraft.
For now I use this modified soldat logo with new Text style.


But for now here is first version:
HOMEPAGE


JOIN GAME


PROFILE



PS. I'm gonna add some 3D effect for Soldat logo, so character on the left would "shoot it", so I would add some bullet holes and bullet trail
 

[Dusty]

Much better, though I'd prefer the text aligned to left instead of center. Also I think it's not necessary to have "free multiplayer action game" in the game itself.

[Akinaro]

With text centered?

And As I said its first beta. i'm gonna add some bullet holes and trails near the Soldat text so its get better look.


PS any idea of "select" graphic of menu? I should make it simple(line small border) or maybe something more candy(glow etc)
I'm trying keep it simple as possible without useless addons so nothing extreme because I thinking about animated background(really slow blurred map that move really gently) xD

[Dusty]

Sorry language barrier

[Shoozza]

I'm not a big fan of background images in menus.
There are a few problems with them:
1) They aren't resolution independent
2) They disctact from the content (if not dimmed)
3) They take space

I prefer menus which keep the colors of original soldat but make it work with keybaord and mouse.
It should show less unnecessary content.

The curernt menu item should be highlighted (in color and font)

Don't limit your ideas to what you think would possible. It's inspiring to see nice designs
Make sure the resolution works in 640x480 as well as in full HD or 3k 4k
It would be great to integrate the config exe stuff without making it look ugly.

Screenshots from existing games could help to find a nice solution.
Keep going!

[Fryer]

OK. I think I have First Beta of third project...
For now only Homepage, Join Game and Profile. And for now classic select menu(text only) because I need new idea for it :/

I'm not gonna discover America again, so I'm gonna stick to classic game menu(text on the left). Its quick and focus on what user actually need.


And I was thinking about backgrounds, and currently I'm working on very light animated background of blurred  map, something like half-life 2 or minecraft.
For now I use this modified soldat logo with new Text style.


But for now here is first version:
*stuff* 

I love everything about this. I agree with Dusty about the text alignment though. Keep the good work up!

I'm not a big fan of background images in menus.
There are a few problems with them:
1) They aren't resolution independent
2) They disctact from the content (if not dimmed)
3) They take space

1) With a large enough image to fit the highest resolution acceptable, I don't see how it would be a problem.
2) Depends on the image used really, ofc using a messy image with a lot of contrast would be bad.
3) A perfectly acceptable tradeoff for a better looking game if you ask me.

I prefer menus which keep the colors of original soldat but make it work with keybaord and mouse.

Meh, it will never be good with those colors. :/

[Akinaro]

Dont get me wrong, but in one way you want New style like current games have(and they have loots of graphic and fancy windows), and in other way you want plain colors of old soldat(so why new menu?)...



Currently there are few types of menu for games, maybe you could choose one and everybody would stick to it in future concepts:

Most common for action games.

• Simple and fast, text menu on left, well known graphic from game on the right.
• When you chose menu window show up covering graphic so you focus on window.
• You can resize and move windows.

Most common for indie games, classic like hell.

• List Menu.
• When you chose something, you get new window that cover main menu and you need to use ugly [X]/back button.

Mix of new one and old one, I used it.

• Good for window mode.
• You get simple list menu on left.
• And window on right that cover graphic.
• You can't move this windows so less work on it. and it take max space for content.

Menu for Kids full of crappy animations and ugly texts

• Big buttons everywhere With ugly font.
• Animated, everything.
• Full of annoying sounds.

Simple menu good for games with nice graphics.

• Long Menu, when you click it window pop up.
• Good for panoramic screens.
• Every menu usually have his own background.
• Game console style.

HI TECH menu style.

• Change depend on user action.
• 3D-like effect when moving menu.
• One, max two color style.
• Game console style.

And Background:
1. One colored. Like current soldat.
2. Simple graphic that is on the opposite side of menu, when you click menu, window cover it
3. Blurred Background, something like minecraft and HL2 load screen have.


I was thinking about third. With random soldat map that are blurred:







PS. about logo, I've added some bullet holes and bullet traces:

[Drax]

I like your last picture Akinaro, I wish we could have: Join server, create server, profile, options, exit on this last picture...

[Sipar]

throw grunge away
get inspired by clean flat ui and combine it with oldschool soldat look, which is kind of flat already

http://bashooka.com/inspiration/flat-web-ui-design/

enjoy

[homerofgods]

Wasteland 2 has look looking gui/menu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYtc5Y96coM

[Bistoufly]

Wasteland 2 has look looking gui/menu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYtc5Y96coM

Red Boots DLC
Only $49.95!


 

[nosejj]

I still like L[0ne]R's menu the most. He kept the simple spirit of the current design, and just made it's graphics way nicer.

[Blacksheepboy]

I'm not a fan of dark grey, or dark blue. For some reason, I don't like dark colors like that, similar to one of the versions of Photoshop's colors.

That's just me. But I did like the elements of Loner's design, though having images of blurred maps in the background was kinda spiffy, though not sure how fluent or easy that would be, especially if it worked out and you got some ugly map.

[Mittsu]

Loner's design looks good and all, but it reminds me of a webpage more than a game menu

[Petterkowski]

just viewing the old topics. this is awesome, so many cool ideas that can be implemented into current look. bumping in case someone wants to continue this work.. Someone really needs to come up with a better technical solution that fits devs expectations? there are so many things that can be done to make this game look so much better.

Also here, here, here, here and perhaps many other great projects that were stopped at some point for some reason.

[jrgp]

Also here, here, here, here and perhaps many other great projects that were stopped at some point for some reason.

Those were more ideas and playing with photoshop to make mockups than actual projects/code/work towards implementation though.