Just to give myself some credibility I want to give some of my background. I have been in the mod community for over 7 years. I have done 3D modeling, Mapping, Art Direction and Graphic/UI design. I work as a graphic designer for a marketing firm and I have an education in Graphic, Web, UI design and branding. So please know that there is more behind my suggestions than blind opinion.
Here we go.
The Name
So this may be a touchy subject...but the name really needs to change. "WWI Source" just sounds as unoriginal and uncreative as possible. Additionally why does there need to be "Source" in the name at all. HL2 came out over 6 years ago and this isn't a port of a previous HL1 game. So why the need to point out the engine in the title is beyond me. And that goes with all mods currently doing that. Unless there can be confusion with a "Gold Source" title it really is superfluous. So get creative and clever. Try to come up with a name more deeply routed in the war or what you want to communicate about the war. Think of this as your 'brand'.
UI Design
Now this is where I could go on forever, but I will try not to. I will attempt to break things into sections and be brief but concise.
Typeface:
Right now the mod uses a variety of typefaces that, I must say, are poor choices for their uses. I understand that during the era in a few European countries there was a lot of blackletter typefaces (Such as used in the ammo counter) but for the sake of usability go for much less ornate fonts. This can make it easier for players to quickly read and scan their UI.
Visual Hierarchy:
This is actually a simple concept. The more important and relevant something is, the more it will stand out above lesser important things using size, position and color. Right now the thing that stands out the most is the damage graphic. Is this what you guys think is most important? The flags and morale meter get lost at the edges of the screen and the ammo is a decent size but almost illegible at a quick glance. Think about form and color with these things. Give elements some space from the edges of the screen.And figure out what you think is most important and relevant for the player.
Design:
Not to step on toes or insult anyone, but the whole UI needs to be reworked from the splash through to the kill icons. The quality is very low. The splash screen, while it has good composition, looks unfinished and slightly amateurish. I think it could use some fine polish.
Usability:
This is an area that is heavy in psychology. You have to think how a player would think. What features are necessary to make the navigation of the game natural and intuitive. Such as showing the number of classes already in play or information on their load-out. The number of players on each team in the team select to help keep teams balanced. Placement of buttons and call-to-actions that meet peoples expectations. People have to get through the UI before they can play the game, and as good as 'this' or 'that' may be in-game, if they hate the UI leading up to it they may already have made some judgments.
3D Art
This is something that I heard constantly in-game and even in the suggestions...positioning of the gun. Everything sits in the bottom right of the screen. And as silly as it may seem, it makes the movements in the game feel unrealistic and people start to feel a sort of disconnect.
Some animations could also use some fixing, but I am sure these will come with future releases.
Game Play Mechanics
Currently the game really can get confused. Multiple times in a game people will ask, "what is moral", "how did we lose?", "where are the flags"...People have a hard time figuring out how the game works. And as much as one would like to say "RTFM!" a key to game success is intuitive game play. Making things clear enough during play that people don't have to wonder.
Another thing I noticed is that game play is too fast. And this may be due to how new everyone is...but I think it is rooted in the level design. There are little to no choke points, flanking options or fortification spots. You will have houses in the maps but they are inaccessible. Open those up, then people will start sniping not just running head long every round. Give some variety.
This may seem contradictory, but the maps are large (for source) and you don't really move fast. So maybe having progressive spawns should be considered. It may seem like this would speed the game up, but I would disagree. If people spawned closer they may reinforce faster and gunfights could be more than two or three people and get intense.
Some other things I heard from many people:
- Reload is too fast.
- Bolting is too fast.
- Grenades seem too light
- Levels need more advancement cover (destroyed walls, tree stumps...something)
- Levels seem underdeveloped.
- Invisible walls in the open area are annoying.
- Guns are inaccurate and don't do enough damage.
Again, this is my feedback and feedback from people that quit the game after 20 minuted after frustration and may never return. These are things I would highly recommend thinking about and following through with. Honestly, study successful games to see what makes them good. Look at UIs across them all, and see the things that stay consistent...they do because they work.
I love that you guys have released this game at the stage it is in rather than trying to release some near commercial quality polished game that many mods do and die from. As any truly successful mod team or even Valve would tell you...Release early and often. Keep the updates rolling out and content every so often. Look at how DoD did it in the early years or CS. Don't let anyone tell you "This is a different time, that doesn't work"...it does.
If you need any sort of consulting or further advice on any of these areas, especially UI, let me know.
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