Admin
03-09-2012, 03:33 PM
Mar 7th 2012 3:00 PM by Brian Robert (http://geek.pikimal.com/author/mrmutani/)
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xheader-copy1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.MSNXNMp-qH.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/header-copy-2/)
I love PC gaming. I love the level of customization and control it affords. I love the convenience of digital distribution. I love the smug superiority I feel as I walk among console peons.
Once upon a time, I would spend days modding my PC games to look and behave exactly as I wanted. My HUD for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was a point of pride, a testament to my hours of careful tweaking. In fact, it was almost laughable to think that anyone would settle for the default setup.
Perhaps it’s my old age catching up with me, but these days I just prefer something that works right out of the box. I expect intuitive interfaces in all products–video games are no exception. For that reason, it’s time to yell at the PC version of Battlefield 3.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xmohahud.jpg.pagespeed.ic.mImybldHJ1.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/mohahud/)
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate when a game goes out of its way to provide a customizable experience. It upsets me when a service like PunkBuster threatens to ban me from online play if it detects altered files in my install directory. But, given the opportunity, how many gamers actually tweak their interface and control settings? Mod-ability is not a substitute for a proper default user experience.
The following observations were made using Battlefield 3 exactly as it looks on first launch. I set my resolution, let the game auto-detect my graphics hardware, and went to town.
1. Setup Shouldn’t Cause Anxiety
I ran into my first user interface issue before taking my first step in-game. Because Battlefield 3 is launched from a browser window, I had no opportunity tweak my options before joining a server. This didn’t seem like a big deal, as I planned to check everything before the round started.
It wasn’t that easy. Being somewhat familiar with the Battlefield franchise, I knew I would want to browse through a selection of weapons to pick the best fit for my class. I was greeted with this menu when the map finished loading.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xbf3spawn.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Xb17JoXQdL.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/bf3spawn/)
Pretty straightforward, right? It looks like I can pick a spawn point and some weapons, then hop into the action. But wait, what about that customize button at the top
of the screen? It gives me a screen that looks like this.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/726x426xbf3_customize.jpg.pagespeed.ic.ZoEQ6_JADA. jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/bf3_customize/)
Now we have a problem. There are two pathways to reach very similar options in the same series of menus. This effectively doubles the required effort from me, the player. If I make a selection on the first screen, will my equipment also change on the second one? Through trial and error, I determined that both menus act as weapon selectors.
But why did we need two separate screens to accomplish this? Did the developers think we would be too stupid to handle a single weapon menu? Creating a “quick switcher” may help a few impatient players, but in the long run it just adds duplicate choices and increases the potential for confusion.
2. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
Redundancy isn’t the only shortcoming of the weapon selection interface. The two screens were designed to accomplish very similar tasks using very similar layouts. Unfortunately, their interactivity doesn’t remain consistent.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xcompare.jpg.pagespeed.ic.cF-JE5bgZS.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/compare/)
On the first screen, I click a weapon and a menu flies out. On the second screen, the weapons are unclickable. It does nothing but show my current equipment for each class. Nothing is editable until I click the Loadout button to move to a new screen.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xloadout.jpg.pagespeed.ic.ns7UHHWZrb.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/loadout/)
Now we have another completely different system. Weapons are selected using the left and right arrows, not a fly-out menu. Clicking on those accessory slots under the gun has no effect. You must go yet another level deeper to change sights and attachments.
This equipment selection carousel is very limiting and inconsistent with the interfaces we’ve seen up until this point. There is no way to choose a specific item unless you know exactly where it falls in the rotation. Again, the burden is placed on the player to memorize data that could have been displayed much more elegantly.
3. The Sexy Map
You can tell a lot of work went into Battlefield 3’s aesthetics. Everything is minimal, modern, and–let’s face it–pretty sexy. Does the game focus too heavily on form over function? Many Battlefield veterans think so, but I beg to differ.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xmap.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Rfz-NAFJl_.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/map/)
I agree with the old-timers on one thing. Battlefield 2 had a great map interface that provided lots of information about your surroundings. Yet I still prefer Battlefield 3 with its relative lack of map detail.
Disclaimer: I have never been in the military or anything remotely resembling a war. However, I can imagine what my situational awareness might be like in that scenario. As far as I know, I wouldn’t have a real-time Google Maps feed in my face at all times.
Battlefield 3 doesn’t give me a live satellite image. Instead, it has a general blueprint of the surrounding area. It may not be as informative as its predecessor, but I actually prefer that vagueness. I have a general understanding of what lies ahead and where enemies have been spotted, but I couldn’t give you their exact coordinates on the spot. As a result, I spend less time looking at the map and more time taking in my surroundings.
Don’t worry, the minimap isn’t about to escape unscathed. As we saw in the spawn interface, available spawn points are listed neatly down the side of the map.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xmap2.jpg.pagespeed.ic.FB5_lKimSO.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/map2/)
Now here’s a test: which shape on the map represents Point B, The Alleyway? Can’t tell? Me either. I don’t know how this made it to release, but it seems like a simple fix to me. Put a big letter B on the correct point on the map, problem solved.
Despite my interface grievances, I enjoy Battlefield 3. The gameplay is solid and it feels just like a Battlefield title should. This is only the second truly multi-platform Battlefield title, so I can even understand DICE’s struggle to create a flexible UI.
If anything, Battlefield 3 is further proof that game interfaces should be developed separately for each platform. I could go on for pages explaining why unified cross-platform development is a bad idea when it comes to user experience, but we’ll save that rant for another day.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xheader-copy1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.MSNXNMp-qH.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/header-copy-2/)
I love PC gaming. I love the level of customization and control it affords. I love the convenience of digital distribution. I love the smug superiority I feel as I walk among console peons.
Once upon a time, I would spend days modding my PC games to look and behave exactly as I wanted. My HUD for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was a point of pride, a testament to my hours of careful tweaking. In fact, it was almost laughable to think that anyone would settle for the default setup.
Perhaps it’s my old age catching up with me, but these days I just prefer something that works right out of the box. I expect intuitive interfaces in all products–video games are no exception. For that reason, it’s time to yell at the PC version of Battlefield 3.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xmohahud.jpg.pagespeed.ic.mImybldHJ1.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/mohahud/)
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate when a game goes out of its way to provide a customizable experience. It upsets me when a service like PunkBuster threatens to ban me from online play if it detects altered files in my install directory. But, given the opportunity, how many gamers actually tweak their interface and control settings? Mod-ability is not a substitute for a proper default user experience.
The following observations were made using Battlefield 3 exactly as it looks on first launch. I set my resolution, let the game auto-detect my graphics hardware, and went to town.
1. Setup Shouldn’t Cause Anxiety
I ran into my first user interface issue before taking my first step in-game. Because Battlefield 3 is launched from a browser window, I had no opportunity tweak my options before joining a server. This didn’t seem like a big deal, as I planned to check everything before the round started.
It wasn’t that easy. Being somewhat familiar with the Battlefield franchise, I knew I would want to browse through a selection of weapons to pick the best fit for my class. I was greeted with this menu when the map finished loading.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xbf3spawn.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Xb17JoXQdL.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/bf3spawn/)
Pretty straightforward, right? It looks like I can pick a spawn point and some weapons, then hop into the action. But wait, what about that customize button at the top
of the screen? It gives me a screen that looks like this.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/726x426xbf3_customize.jpg.pagespeed.ic.ZoEQ6_JADA. jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/bf3_customize/)
Now we have a problem. There are two pathways to reach very similar options in the same series of menus. This effectively doubles the required effort from me, the player. If I make a selection on the first screen, will my equipment also change on the second one? Through trial and error, I determined that both menus act as weapon selectors.
But why did we need two separate screens to accomplish this? Did the developers think we would be too stupid to handle a single weapon menu? Creating a “quick switcher” may help a few impatient players, but in the long run it just adds duplicate choices and increases the potential for confusion.
2. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
Redundancy isn’t the only shortcoming of the weapon selection interface. The two screens were designed to accomplish very similar tasks using very similar layouts. Unfortunately, their interactivity doesn’t remain consistent.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xcompare.jpg.pagespeed.ic.cF-JE5bgZS.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/compare/)
On the first screen, I click a weapon and a menu flies out. On the second screen, the weapons are unclickable. It does nothing but show my current equipment for each class. Nothing is editable until I click the Loadout button to move to a new screen.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xloadout.jpg.pagespeed.ic.ns7UHHWZrb.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/loadout/)
Now we have another completely different system. Weapons are selected using the left and right arrows, not a fly-out menu. Clicking on those accessory slots under the gun has no effect. You must go yet another level deeper to change sights and attachments.
This equipment selection carousel is very limiting and inconsistent with the interfaces we’ve seen up until this point. There is no way to choose a specific item unless you know exactly where it falls in the rotation. Again, the burden is placed on the player to memorize data that could have been displayed much more elegantly.
3. The Sexy Map
You can tell a lot of work went into Battlefield 3’s aesthetics. Everything is minimal, modern, and–let’s face it–pretty sexy. Does the game focus too heavily on form over function? Many Battlefield veterans think so, but I beg to differ.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xmap.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Rfz-NAFJl_.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/map/)
I agree with the old-timers on one thing. Battlefield 2 had a great map interface that provided lots of information about your surroundings. Yet I still prefer Battlefield 3 with its relative lack of map detail.
Disclaimer: I have never been in the military or anything remotely resembling a war. However, I can imagine what my situational awareness might be like in that scenario. As far as I know, I wouldn’t have a real-time Google Maps feed in my face at all times.
Battlefield 3 doesn’t give me a live satellite image. Instead, it has a general blueprint of the surrounding area. It may not be as informative as its predecessor, but I actually prefer that vagueness. I have a general understanding of what lies ahead and where enemies have been spotted, but I couldn’t give you their exact coordinates on the spot. As a result, I spend less time looking at the map and more time taking in my surroundings.
Don’t worry, the minimap isn’t about to escape unscathed. As we saw in the spawn interface, available spawn points are listed neatly down the side of the map.
http://geek.pikimal.com/files/2012/03/580x326xmap2.jpg.pagespeed.ic.FB5_lKimSO.jpg (http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/07/old-man-yells-at-interface-battlefield-3/map2/)
Now here’s a test: which shape on the map represents Point B, The Alleyway? Can’t tell? Me either. I don’t know how this made it to release, but it seems like a simple fix to me. Put a big letter B on the correct point on the map, problem solved.
Despite my interface grievances, I enjoy Battlefield 3. The gameplay is solid and it feels just like a Battlefield title should. This is only the second truly multi-platform Battlefield title, so I can even understand DICE’s struggle to create a flexible UI.
If anything, Battlefield 3 is further proof that game interfaces should be developed separately for each platform. I could go on for pages explaining why unified cross-platform development is a bad idea when it comes to user experience, but we’ll save that rant for another day.