PEAK Description: PEAK is a chaotic climbing game where you and up to three friends play as stranded nature scouts trying to survive and scale a mysterious island's mountain to get rescued.
Project Deliverables: Add in-game chat Active State and ownership. Redesign the in-game item “Guidebook” for returning players.
A guide that updates or evolves as you play adds another layer to an otherwise single-use item.
Adjustments such as adding animation to the speaker icon or player name could help with communication.
PEAK Description: PEAK is a chaotic climbing game where you and up to three friends play as stranded nature scouts trying to survive and scale a mysterious island's mountain to get rescued.
Project Deliverables: Add in-game chat Active State and ownership. Redesign the in-game item “Guidebook” for returning players.
A guide that updates or evolves as you play adds another layer to an otherwise single-use item.
Adjustments such as adding animation to the speaker icon or player name could help with communication.
A guide that updates or evolves as you play adds another layer to an otherwise single-use item.
Adjustments such as adding animation to the speaker icon or player name could help with communication.
A guide that updates or evolves as you play adds another layer to an otherwise single-use item.
Adjustments such as adding animation to the speaker icon or player name could help with communication.
PEAK’s gameplay can get very chaotic, and having a clear UI to indicate who is talking can turn those frantic moments into manageable situations. While I do want to address not having an icon in the HUD, I think that players can still experience all the game has to offer with a speaker icon added to the game.
PEAK’s gameplay can get very chaotic, and having a clear UI to indicate who is talking can turn those frantic moments into manageable situations. While I do want to address not having an icon in the HUD, I think that players can still experience all the game has to offer with a speaker icon added to the game.
The images show the current state of the game with its current in-game chat UI (Top) versus the version with the new changes such as the color coding that reflects the players skin color and their name that is highlighted with a speaker icon to inform players who is talking (Bottom).
The top image does not have a chat icon visible or any indication of chat unless the player is actively talking. Having a persistent speech icon along with the player's name indicates who is talking even if you don’t see them on screen. The names will light up when the player is speaking and become more transparent when the player is not speaking.
The images show the current state of the game with its current in-game chat UI (Top) versus the version with the new changes such as the color coding that reflects the players skin color and their name that is highlighted with a speaker icon to inform players who is talking (Bottom).
The top image does not have a chat icon visible or any indication of chat unless the player is actively talking. Having a persistent speech icon along with the player's name indicates who is talking even if you don’t see them on screen. The names will light up when the player is speaking and become more transparent when the player is not speaking.
The images show the current state of the game with its current in-game chat UI (Top) versus the version with the new changes such as the color coding that reflects the players skin color and their name that is highlighted with a speaker icon to inform players who is talking (Bottom).
The top image does not have a chat icon visible or any indication of chat unless the player is actively talking. Having a persistent speech icon along with the player's name indicates who is talking even if you don’t see them on screen. The names will light up when the player is speaking and become more transparent when the player is not speaking.
The images show the current state of the game with its current in-game chat UI (Top) versus the version with the new changes such as the color coding that reflects the players skin color and their name that is highlighted with a speaker icon to inform players who is talking (Bottom).
The top image does not have a chat icon visible or any indication of chat unless the player is actively talking. Having a persistent speech icon along with the player's name indicates who is talking even if you don’t see them on screen. The names will light up when the player is speaking and become more transparent when the player is not speaking.
Prototype
Prototype
Prototype
Peak’s gameloop not only requires the player to explore and navigate a variety of obstacles, but also use items and the environment around them to overcome challenges. The major issue that my group and I experienced was not being able to look up any information on items that we previously discovered. We often found ourselves forgetting the use of certain items along with identifying hazards in the environment. Without a logbook or codex to familiarize the players in a safe space like a pause screen, players run the risk of playing multiple runs without necessary preparation leading to frustration. By implementing a way for players to track and reference information, players can become better acquainted with obstacles and items to assess dangerous situations.
My big questions before even designing a solution were “would adding a logbook/codex greatly take away from the gaming experience?” and “does adding a logbook/codex add to the player’s gaming experience?”
A lot of my ideas didn’t fit the game’s design unless the player was in the lobby or looking at a pause screen, but I also wanted the player to have the option of accessing the logbook during a run, not just in a pause screen because that would take away the game's tension. So I looked at the only item that has any sort of text, the guidebook item.
Peak’s gameloop not only requires the player to explore and navigate a variety of obstacles, but also use items and the environment around them to overcome challenges. The major issue that my group and I experienced was not being able to look up any information on items that we previously discovered. We often found ourselves forgetting the use of certain items along with identifying hazards in the environment. Without a logbook or codex to familiarize the players in a safe space like a pause screen, players run the risk of playing multiple runs without necessary preparation leading to frustration. By implementing a way for players to track and reference information, players can become better acquainted with obstacles and items to assess dangerous situations.
My big questions before even designing a solution were “would adding a logbook/codex greatly take away from the gaming experience?” and “does adding a logbook/codex add to the player’s gaming experience?”
A lot of my ideas didn’t fit the game’s design unless the player was in the lobby or looking at a pause screen, but I also wanted the player to have the option of accessing the logbook during a run, not just in a pause screen because that would take away the game's tension. So I looked at the only item that has any sort of text, the guidebook item.
Prototype
Prototype
Prototype available on Desktop and Tablet.
Prototype available on Desktop and Tablet.
The guidebook item serves as a readable tutorial for the game with no other use. This item is great for new players and as a reminder for returning players, but doesn’t really function outside of that. One unique trait the guidebook has is that it has a diegetic UI–the environment around the player can still affect them while they are reading the book.
With guidebook as a template, the solution that I created was creating a logbook item that functioned similarly to the guidebook, but the info serves as a point of reference for players to look up an item's function or an environment's hazards. The game still runs in the background and this approach to a logbook still maintains tension because the player isn’t saved by a pause screen. Taking all this in mind I started to break down the logbook and its contents.
I divided the logbook into three sections: Biomes, Environmental Hazards, and Food and Gear (items) and called it the Wilderness Handbook. The handbook would have sections that players could jump to a specific section. Not only would the logbook only contain information on the biomes players were currently in, but also contain item information based on the player’s inventory in order to narrow focus and reduce time looking at the handbook. On top of the handbooks function, the item's design is on par with the game's theme being presented as a survival guide.
This case study was a lot of fun and looking for a solution to both problems had me really analyze the PEAK’s design and its game balance. I can see why UX design for games like PEAK are so important! PEAK’s fun revolves around the player group dynamic and the last thing that I wanted to do was to add something in the game that would take away the player’s fun. I had one huge takeaway from this case study that stood out to me.
The takeaway was learning how to balance the usefulness of HUD elements with game difficulty. Helping players too much can remove the game’s designed friction which is what I wanted to avoid. I sought solutions that would add to the experience of players by means of clear and constant indicators when they were talking to one another. The addition of the speaker icon doesn’t make the player automatically better because the communicated information is only as good as the player delivering the information is.
In addition to adding a simple icon function for communication, I also added an entirely new item to the games that could vastly change the way players approach unfamiliar items and places in game. While I did give the players a strong resource in the form of a logbook, using the item still comes at a cost. Not all UX focuses on helping the player overcome the game's difficulty, sometimes it's about having the player experience the game’s intended design.
The guidebook item serves as a readable tutorial for the game with no other use. This item is great for new players and as a reminder for returning players, but doesn’t really function outside of that. One unique trait the guidebook has is that it has a diegetic UI–the environment around the player can still affect them while they are reading the book.
With guidebook as a template, the solution that I created was creating a logbook item that functioned similarly to the guidebook, but the info serves as a point of reference for players to look up an item's function or an environment's hazards. The game still runs in the background and this approach to a logbook still maintains tension because the player isn’t saved by a pause screen. Taking all this in mind I started to break down the logbook and its contents.
I divided the logbook into three sections: Biomes, Environmental Hazards, and Food and Gear (items) and called it the Wilderness Handbook. The handbook would have sections that players could jump to a specific section. Not only would the logbook only contain information on the biomes players were currently in, but also contain item information based on the player’s inventory in order to narrow focus and reduce time looking at the handbook. On top of the handbooks function, the item's design is on par with the game's theme being presented as a survival guide.
This case study was a lot of fun and looking for a solution to both problems had me really analyze the PEAK’s design and its game balance. I can see why UX design for games like PEAK are so important! PEAK’s fun revolves around the player group dynamic and the last thing that I wanted to do was to add something in the game that would take away the player’s fun. I had one huge takeaway from this case study that stood out to me.
The takeaway was learning how to balance the usefulness of HUD elements with game difficulty. Helping players too much can remove the game’s designed friction which is what I wanted to avoid. I sought solutions that would add to the experience of players by means of clear and constant indicators when they were talking to one another. The addition of the speaker icon doesn’t make the player automatically better because the communicated information is only as good as the player delivering the information is.
In addition to adding a simple icon function for communication, I also added an entirely new item to the games that could vastly change the way players approach unfamiliar items and places in game. While I did give the players a strong resource in the form of a logbook, using the item still comes at a cost. Not all UX focuses on helping the player overcome the game's difficulty, sometimes it's about having the player experience the game’s intended design.
Prototype
Peak’s gameloop not only requires the player to explore and navigate a variety of obstacles, but also use items and the environment around them to overcome challenges. The major issue that my group and I experienced was not being able to look up any information on items that we previously discovered. We often found ourselves forgetting the use of certain items along with identifying hazards in the environment. Without a logbook or codex to familiarize the players in a safe space like a pause screen, players run the risk of playing multiple runs without necessary preparation leading to frustration. By implementing a way for players to track and reference information, players can become better acquainted with obstacles and items to assess dangerous situations.
My big questions before even designing a solution were “would adding a logbook/codex greatly take away from the gaming experience?” and “does adding a logbook/codex add to the player’s gaming experience?”
A lot of my ideas didn’t fit the game’s design unless the player was in the lobby or looking at a pause screen, but I also wanted the player to have the option of accessing the logbook during a run, not just in a pause screen because that would take away the game's tension. So I looked at the only item that has any sort of text, the guidebook item.
Peak’s gameloop not only requires the player to explore and navigate a variety of obstacles, but also use items and the environment around them to overcome challenges. The major issue that my group and I experienced was not being able to look up any information on items that we previously discovered. We often found ourselves forgetting the use of certain items along with identifying hazards in the environment. Without a logbook or codex to familiarize the players in a safe space like a pause screen, players run the risk of playing multiple runs without necessary preparation leading to frustration. By implementing a way for players to track and reference information, players can become better acquainted with obstacles and items to assess dangerous situations.
My big questions before even designing a solution were “would adding a logbook/codex greatly take away from the gaming experience?” and “does adding a logbook/codex add to the player’s gaming experience?”
A lot of my ideas didn’t fit the game’s design unless the player was in the lobby or looking at a pause screen, but I also wanted the player to have the option of accessing the logbook during a run, not just in a pause screen because that would take away the game's tension. So I looked at the only item that has any sort of text, the guidebook item.
Prototype
Prototype
Prototype available on Desktop and Tablet.
Prototype available on Desktop and Tablet.
Prototype
Prototype