FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN, SECOND EDITION
Choosing a Screen Layout
Once you have a clear understanding of what the player does in the primary (or any) mode and you've chosen an interaction model and a camera model, you must then choose the general screen layout and the visual elements that it will include.
The main view of the game world should be the largest visual element on the screen, and you must decide whether it will occupy a subset of the screen—a window—or whether it will occupy the entire screen and be partially obscured by overlays. See "Main View," later in the chapter, for more information about your options.
 |
You will need to find a balance between the amount of screen space that you devote to the main view and the amount that you devote to feedback elements and on-screen controls. Fortunately this seldom presents a problem in personal computer and console games, which use high-resolution screens. It remains a serious challenge for handheld devices and a very serious one indeed for mobile phones, which do not yet have standardized screen sizes and shapes.
