Design feedback based on screenshot

[cliffski]

Hi, I'm looking for feedback on my design so far, in screenshot form. I'm not sure if this belongs here or the feedback forum.
The game is a 'sims' style life sim, but it's turn based.
Assuming all you had to go on was this screenshot:
http://www.positech.co.uk/milo/images/large_screen1.jpg
What is your first thought / opinion?
Any comments much appreciated.

[Savant]

If you're going to keep using the word "Sims", then I'm going to keep having unfair expectations pop into my head. :-/ I really want to see a 3D view behind those menus where I see my avatar and the world he's living in.

Other than that, I'm seeing something that personally looks a little slow and perhaps not really rewarding enough to play for extended periods of time. That is entirely based on the screenshot, of course.

[Christian]

Im seeing a very exiting and interesting game. A casual game to spend maybe an hour a day. But its relly difficult to judge a game by how it looks, if you want to impress by looks then you should put much more effort on that side, but im sure that a game about socializing can be very good, how many games like that you have?.
I say it CAN be very fun to play, but we have no way of knowing that...
Anyway, im looking forward to playing such game :D

[Sirrus]

Personally, I think it looks very interesting...

If it has a very complex personality creation engine as we've come to expect from your games, I think this could be very cool.

[svero]

My first thought was wow.. Cliff is finally going to be very rich.. I think you should reinvest the millions you make from this in advertising and really building a serious strategy game portal so I can finally get around to cloning heroes of might and magic.

- S

[Anlino]

Really nice, Cliffski! The avatars look really slick, and so does the Buttons and menues. But he doesn't know Japanese jsut yet, does he:p

This seems like something that could be really interesting - so keep working on it! I am eager to see a demo:)

[Vorax]

Interesting indeed. I don't know what exactly to make of it from the screenshot, but it definetly sounds like something to try out when it's released.

[lakibuk]

My first thought: This screenshot looks a lot better than the ugly screenshots i've seen of Democracy.

[simonh]

So is this a real-life simulator? I've thought about writing one of these before, but always had doubts about whether people will want to play a simulation of something that they can do anyway (get a job, make friends, bet money etc).

But, I think it definitely has a chance of doing well. And the screenshot looks good.

[GBGames]

Is anyone else getting a kick out of that line? "Hi, How's that dog of yours? We are going to head out to the casino tonight"

I cracked up imagining Ed Norton saying that to me...maybe it's just me.

Just based on that screenshot, I am wondering if I am just seeing a small part of the game (as in the main game is actually doing the stuff while this is a menu that pops up when you need to choose "missions") or if this is the game.

If it is the former, I feel like I am missing something about what makes the game The Game. If it is the latter, it seems like it could be a really cool simulation. Do you save money while losing a chance at having friends? Do you go into debt just to have a good time? Do you tell people that you have prior engagements and work on game development?

Cliffski, you do have the ability for Milo to become a game developer in this game, right? B-)

I guess maybe I know more about it than I should for feedback based just on the screenshot. That said, I think the interface looks intuitive enough. Presumably windows will pop up, and you need to make decisions. I'm not sure how it could be done better.

[Mark_Tempe]

Looks very sleek,
One minor thought, blue lines in the back ground leading to portraits of game characters look a little rough, otherwise great

________________________________________
Hunique Games (http://www.huniquegames.com/)
Huge and Unique Science Fiction and Fantasy Games

[cliffski]

yeah those lines are just placeholder, as is a few other things. Thanks for the feedback, it's very interesting. The games design is all very wooly at the moment, it's being pulled in all kinds of directions at once. You do have the option to stay in and save money, and you'll have to do that to afford stuff like a trip to the casino, or to buy certain expensive things.
By the time I release it, it will probably have changed big time. I just needed a 'sanity check' on the current direction.

[Gilzu]

Wow... even without knowing the concept, the screenshot fills my mind with scenes from varius FBI/CIA/Special-Forces/Nikita(!) TV series where you get info about people and what they're up to, find their occupation, criminal record, special features.

These are the kind of screenshots that I saw as a youngster in tv and made me want to be that wiz-computer-geek I am today.

Keep it up!

[Kite65]

It looks pretty good, though I'd echo what Savant mentioned on the lack of dynamism. Perhaps, there needs to be an indication about short term goals.

The cash of £16 is much more of a problem if it's still 6 days til pay day.:(
I think that finding some way to mix the long term goals and provide short term action will be the key to it.

I wondered about if you were allowing the movement of screen boxes to suit individual taste (me, I push all the stats into one area, bottom right)

[z3lda]

Jones in the fast lane

I alwasy wanted to make a clone myself.

[Greg Squire]

Looks interesting, though the UI elements seem cluttered/scattered. Also I didn't know if some of those status boxes were refering to the player or someone else (I assuming the player). It might be better to group related items together into one window (like all of the player status info, like age, money, emotion monitor, etc). I might also be useful to make them collapseable/expandable (if they are big) to reduce clutter. Anyway, just a thought.

[GBGames]

Jones in the fast lane

I alwasy wanted to make a clone myself.

It's also on my list of games to make. B-)

[Davaris]

Its hard to tell what sort of a game it is from one screenshot. Are there more screens than that one?

If that is the only screen, perhaps it could be a communications screen where you ring people in your social network. In another screen there could be a map of the city and you have to travel to locations to do things like meet a girl or go to the pub or go to your job. On the way to and from these places there could be random encounters.

There's too much blue on the screen. You need another colour in there. Don't ask me though. I'm no artist.

P.S.
I love what you've done with Poser. Especially since you've only just bought it. I'm going to have to buy it now. :)

[z3lda]

It's also on my list of games to make. B-)

Better make it quick cause that screenshot sure reminds me of how fun Jones was. I loved that game, and I'm sure it inspired "The Sims" :)

[GBGames]

Better make it quick cause that screenshot sure reminds me of how fun Jones was. I loved that game, and I'm sure it inspired "The Sims" :)

Heh, now that I am keeping track of all my game ideas on paper (er, digitally), it is a lot easier to prove that I came up with something before it was released. B-)