Exploring Information Design in WARLINE

After months of play testing with the current full-scale prototype of WARLINE, we have come to the conclusion that the information design (aka, “GUI”) on the Battalion game components is less than optimal. Me being a stickler for communication in game design (putting it at the very top of my Game Design Parthenon), I made a big push over the past couple of weeks to re-work the face design of the Battalions to better serve players. This process was very engaging and fun—Chen (our artist and graphic designer) is always such a pleasure to work with.





To kick off the re-design process, I mapped out all of the game-critical information and applied it to the face graphics in a very raw proxy layout—providing Chen with a foundation on which to work his magic.





Chen sketched up a few ideas and iterations, adding visual flare and embellishments. More importantly, though, Chen demonstrated some wonderful ideas of his own about consolidating certain information.





After analyizing each iteration, and discussing ideas with Chen, we came to the conclusion that having am embellished “frame” (as seen in some of his ideas displayed above) created a little bit of unwanted visual noise, and also pulled the eye away from the gorgeous fantasy war illustrations. Even though the frames do look more lush, complex, and fantasy-art-ish, we decided to explore a more streamlined frame.





In the end, we settled on option “C” shown in the image above. This version is excellent, communicates everything very nicely, and adds even more character and cohesion to the full game graphic design. Amazing work, Chen!