Possible Menu Concept

[Springheel]

Well, I think I now understand the resolution issue...or at least what it is, if not why.

 

I've gotten ahold of a pretty good gui tutorial, so I'll see if I can design a main title screen...it's very easy to substitute different graphics later, as long as the interactive parts don't move.

[New Horizon]

Well, I think I now understand the resolution issue...or at least what it is, if not why.

 

I've gotten ahold of a pretty good gui tutorial, so I'll see if I can design a main title screen...it's very easy to substitute different graphics later, as long as the interactive parts don't move.

Cool. Is the GUI tutorial online? I would love to have a look at it.

[pakmannen]

I agree, it would be best to have a few animated objects.

That doesn't mean we can't have a small doom 3 level as the background. I still think this would be the best way. I can record a small video of how it looks in Half-Life 2, if you want.

[Springheel]

Sure, I'll take a look at it. But I don't see the point of having an actual level (unless you mean a screenshot, which was the idea all along).

[SneaksieDave]

No one thinks it would be a good idea to have the "animated objects" be townsfolk milling about the city scene? Heck I thought people would eat that up. It's something you can watch and be entertained by, as opposed to being just a title screen. *shrug*

[pakmannen]

Okey Spring, it's on the FTP under Art-Concept folder. Called "half-life-menu.avi" (very low quality though, but I didn't want to go higher than a meg in filesize, and I suck at video-compression)

[Springheel]

No one thinks it would be a good idea to have the "animated objects" be townsfolk milling about the city scene? Heck I thought people would eat that up. It's something you can watch and be entertained by, as opposed to being just a title screen. *shrug*

 

Well, people will return to the main menu fairly regularly, so it needs to be something that will load quickly. And when your text is directly over top of the image, you want to be aware of what colour is going to be behind it. You have less control over how readable things are with a moving in-game shot.

 

I don't hate the idea...I just don't know the benefit is worth the cost. But I'll take a look at that .AVI tonight. Maybe I'll be blown away.

[sparhawk]

I don't hate the idea...I just don't know the benefit is worth the cost. But I'll take a look at that .AVI tonight. Maybe I'll be blown away.

Enemy Territory also uses an animated movie as background for the menu. No problem there either. It all depends on how the foreground is done.

[Springheel]

I have no problem with an animated movie as part of the menu. It just means we would have to change the design again. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but I thought pak was talking about having a 'live' shot of a map behind the interface...AI wandering around just as they would in a game. Not a pre-recorded movie.

 

Actually, the new design I'm considering DOES include a brief animated movie, kind of like the planet coming into view in the original D3 menu. I'll post more about the idea this weekend, once I get this GUI tutorial under my belt.

 

Cool. Is the GUI tutorial online? I would love to have a look at it.

 

It's on the Doom3World forums under scripting. Damn, can't remember the title offhand...something like GUI Tutorial #3. I'll post the url later when I can find it.

 

Edit: here it is, NH:

 

http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3241

[sparhawk]

I have no problem with an animated movie as part of the menu. It just means we would have to change the design again.

I don't mean that we have to have one. Just that we can if we want to.

[pakmannen]

but I thought pak was talking about having a 'live' shot of a map behind the interface...AI wandering around just as they would in a game. Not a pre-recorded movie.

Yes, that's what I'm talking about. Of course it has to be quick to load, but such a small level should not mean any problems in that area. And regarding text that's not an issue either, since we place them were we want to. Another cool thing would be that when you click on "load game" for instance, the camera could move forward a bit, pherhaps inside a nearby house or something like that. (But it shouldn't take more than 2-3 seconds, or people would be annoyed).

 

And I wouldn't like a street crowded with people. Just a sort of abandoned alley, pherhaps a guard patrolling in the distance. Some birds taking of from a roof. Small things like that.

 

Also, I seriously doubt you'll be blown away by the avi. I did mention I suck at video compression, didn't I?

[SneaksieDave]

Well, people will return to the main menu fairly regularly, so it needs to be something that will load quickly.

Good point. I think the D3 screen is a map too (you can see the polys with r_showtris 1) but it's obviously tiny and quick to load.

 

Hey... maybe D3 has a certain amount of memory set aside specifically for the menu, and that's how their Mars model is instantaneous. I wonder how small a nice street scene (building facades only) could be made.

[Springheel]

Pak, I dled that file, but I get nothing when I try to play it.

[New Horizon]

Pak, I dled that file, but I get nothing when I try to play it.

You'll probably have to install the proper codec to view it. I would suggest downloading the latest release of XVID. It supports xvid and divx.

[Springheel]

Hmm, tried the codec, still nothing.

[pakmannen]

Well it's compiled with XVID, so it should work. (Hah, what did I say? I really suck at video compression)

[Springheel]

Well, now that I understand a little more about how to make guis, I've come up with a slightly different idea for the main menu. It will still show off a city environment, and will include a small animation like the current D3 one does. I'm working on putting together a small .avi to show you what I have in mind, but it will take a few days to get the images I need. I hope to have at least a rough version by Friday.

[Fingernail]

The D3 one is actually a 3D model.

[Springheel]

Ok, here is a mock-up of my new menu proposal. I didn't have much to work with to animate this, so bear with me.

 

When the menu loads, we will see a warm, inviting mansion room. A crackling fireplace creates flickering shadows. Through a window we can see the roof-tops of the city.

 

The camera zooms in slowly, until the window fills the left side of the screen.

 

The title and menu options are visible from the beginning (couldn't add them to the video). When the zoom finally stops it will look like the still shot below. Through the window we can see clouds moving across the sky, window lights blinking on and off, and smoke from great factories belching forth into the sky.

 

When the player clicks a menu option, a black, shadowy silouhette passes suddenly across the screen (turning it briefly black). Once the shadow passes, the new menu text (the option screen, for example) is now visible.

 

All the while, our intro music plays, perhaps with the sounds of the fireplace in the background.

 

Obviously this is a mock-up. The real thing would need a bigger window, probably without glass (or very clear glass).

 

The animation is on the ftp site at:

TheDarkMod/Files/Darkmod_Intro.mov (I don't know how to link directly to it)

 

 

[BlackThief]

the screen here looks quite nice, however I can't play the movie - seems that I need some quick time codec...

 

maybe someone could convert this to mpeg ?

[New Horizon]

the screen here looks quite nice, however I can't play the movie - seems that I need some quick time codec...

 

maybe someone could convert this to mpeg ?

There is a neat little plugin available called Quick Time Alternate. Much nicer than having to install the full quicktime suite. The plugin is free. Just do a little search on google and you should find it right away.

[Fingernail]

Yeah, or just download Real Alternative and be able to play virtually any format.

[New Horizon]

Ok, here is a mock-up of my new menu proposal. I didn't have much to work with to animate this, so bear with me.

 

When the menu loads, we will see a warm, inviting mansion room. A crackling fireplace creates flickering shadows. Through a window we can see the roof-tops of the city.

 

The camera zooms in slowly, until the window fills the left side of the screen.

 

The title and menu options are visible from the beginning (couldn't add them to the video). When the zoom finally stops it will look like the still shot below. Through the window we can see clouds moving across the sky, window lights blinking on and off, and smoke from great factories belching forth into the sky.

 

When the player clicks a menu option, a black, shadowy silouhette passes suddenly across the screen (turning it briefly black). Once the shadow passes, the new menu text (the option screen, for example) is now visible.

 

All the while, our intro music plays, perhaps with the sounds of the fireplace in the background.

 

Obviously this is a mock-up. The real thing would need a bigger window, probably without glass (or very clear glass).

 

The animation is on the ftp site at:

TheDarkMod/Files/Darkmod_Intro.mov (I don't know how to link directly to it)

 

 

Wondering if I might make a suggestion?

 

Depending on how this can be made.

 

Opens with the crackling fire in our view...we hear the sound of a rope arrow ...thwooop-twang..slight creaking noises..the camera begins to pan right towards the window, we hear a creak and light footsteps. The camera finally settles on the window only to reveal that it is wide open and the rain is pouring in, but there isn't anyone in sight. The camera continues to zoom in and settle as your video demonstrated. Then the rest unfolds as you described with the silhouette and such. I really like the mood Springheel. It's very nice.

[oDDity]

How about we do a Mafia/Driver style menu, a model of our thiefs room, which the camera floats around, as you hover the mouse over the 'exit' text the camera moves to the door, you hover over the' load game' text and the camera moves to...wel I haven't worked it out yet, but you get the idea.

[Fingernail]

would be quite nice, I know what you're talking about, Oddity.

 

But I also like SH's movie idea. But there's no reason why it couldn't be ingame (with minimal loading, only one room).