I've recently assigned myself on a project to redo the Nexuiz menu. :)

I did check out the smenu branch, will look around and see what black did.

First things first however, I need a vector format of the Nexuiz logo. So guys... help.

What are your design goals? I'm interested in seeing how you aim to rework it.

If you're taking suggestions from the community... well, choosing a map from the Create menu is torture when you have a lot installed

well, don't have an SVG for you but I want to ask you what you are doing, redesigning it, or re-doing the code for it?

Shoe wrote:What are your design goals? I'm interested in seeing how you aim to rework it.

Two directions: eye candy and usability.

For starters, I think the current menu looks doesn't do the game good. It's the first thing a newcomer will see after the splash, and it looks errm.... unconvincing.

Second, rethink the architecture of the UI: pushing the important / more likely to be used stuff upfront, rephrasing various items. Am also imagining a multi-level menu style where applicable, to ease navigation.

Shoe wrote:If you're taking suggestions from the community...

Of course I am. Or at least I will.
At first however, I want to meet with a 2D artist friend that offered his services, sketch a preliminary layout and information architecture, and present you that stuff. (I'd say this is due in 1 week's time) .

Shoe wrote:well, choosing a map from the Create menu is torture when you have a lot installed ;)

Yes, there are many things that need working on. In this specific case, first thing that needs to be done is turning that "Filter" into an expanded "menu" (collapsible if space turns to be an issue). I myself have many-a-times overclicked it just to click around and overclick once more.
Besides, the zillion of options there make it a very good case study for restructuring the IA, selecting only the stuff that's likely to be used, and pushing the rest away..... If anybody thinks they can do it... hint ;)

psychiccyberfreak wrote:I want to ask you what you are doing, redesigning it, or re-doing the code for it?

At first I'll try to stay away from qc. At some point that won't be possible anymore, and extra hands will be needed for the project.

Some stuff I'm thinking of might even need modifying the server code (send that game type along with the map name, and let me filter by it in the client). But there's a long way till that.

NotMe wrote:

psychiccyberfreak wrote:I want to ask you what you are doing, redesigning it, or re-doing the code for it?

At first I'll try to stay away from qc. At some point that won't be possible anymore, and extra hands will be needed for the project.

Some stuff I'm thinking of might even need modifying the server code (send that game type along with the map name, and let me filter by it in the client). But there's a long way till that.

If you ever need help I'm your guy, I figured out the menu stuff for psychmod (look in my sig)

I also know how to use photoshop very well, so just let me know when you need the extra help

First mockup of the main menu:



The logo should be spinning, with a dim blueish backlight (think electro hit in the distance) -- we'll see if that's possible.

Need to find a nice GPL-ed font: it should be sans-serif and a tad square-ish. Taking suggestions.

More to come.

Looks good, alot better than the current one

It's about time nex stopped stopped trying to look like quake 3.
There was a thread in the old forums (i think) which came up with some great menu designs. Hopefully some of them can be recovered.

ihsan wrote:It's about time nex stopped stopped trying to look like quake 3.

ihsan: meaning this looks like q3, or it's a good thing it doesn't?

ihsan wrote:There was a thread in the old forums (i think) which came up with some great menu designs. Hopefully some of them can be recovered.

If someone could recover them, would really like to take a look.

I'd not have the logo spinning, and mabie have a demo playing in the background if possible. So far, it looks good. Remember I can give you a hand, just IM me or something.

[TSA] Psychiccyberfreak wrote:I'd not have the logo spinning, and mabie have a demo playing in the background if possible. So far, it looks good. Remember I can give you a hand, just IM me or something.

This was discussed before in other mockup threads. It'd add a lot to the initial loading time, which could be detrimental to the userbase.

Still using the alpha blending technique they use now whenever the menu comes up over an active game would be fine, but having to load all of the assets before you could even get to the menu would be annoyingly long.

his menu is neat, i would use it as it is... can u share it m8?

I am actually making a 3d model of the logo. I felt we could use something that pops out more instead of the flat logo we currently have. I'll hook you up with pictures of it when I am finished with it. It'll be the same logo except it'll have a glossy look to it. I think I will look more crisp then the one we have now.

One thing I'd like to see in the new menu: In character selection, it would be neat to load up the characters in 3D too, while the model is slowly spinning (ala quake2). Some nice buttons to animate the model would be nice too.

Oh I've got an idea, on startup we'll edit the code. We'll create a map with some things (and a rotating nex logo) and then have the menu come up. it will stay that way untill a defined state changes (for example "connected"). On a disconnect, the state will change back to disconnected and that map will be shown. It would be a little tricky though...

vs.

What did you use to make that? I think it needs a bit of work, especially porportion-wise. The nex logo should be black, sleek, and badass, maybe with a few bolts, etc, not like some ill-knitted christmas stocking.

I forgot to mention that I like your rendition of the logo, psychiccyberfreak. Dont know where you got it/ how you made it, but it looks cool, in a minimalistic sort of way.

The Nexuiz logo is taken from the Japanese word "Chikara" meaning "strength, force, power, energy, might..." etc.. It is also the exact same character as the Katakanas "ka" so either you can look up (google) for the word chikara or a katakana chart and use that character. But to get a big picture which you can use in Maya as an image plane I would recommend looking up chikara, as it is just one character and not a whole chart.

The one that you've shown us needs more work indeed. And I figured while having an image plane (I read you work in Maya so I asume you used it here too) it should be a picknick making that character

KISS guys .. please no demos or anything in the background.

Notme > Does ur menu work, i would love to get my hands on it now, its so sweet

Ivan, if I'm not mistaken, your work is based on the actual strength model in the game's md3.

Thing is, it looks very different from the one in the splash screen (and other game graphics). I personally like the version in the 2D graphics more... don't know about the rest of you.

Ivan, if you want, i can give you this other version as paths (svg or something else... you name it), and you could easily extrude it. However, I traced the paths from a bitmap, so the best thing would be for someone to come up with that original logo in vector format.

NotMe wrote:Ivan, if you want, i can give you this other version as paths (svg or something else... you name it), and you could easily extrude it. However, I traced the paths from a bitmap, so the best thing would be for someone to come up with that original logo in vector format.

First of, what's paths? I've never heard that term in modeling before. And extruding an .svg file? What? Could you explain, don't quite understand how one would go about doing that.

And

Second of, it's not that hard to make that model from either curves or a custom polygon. I think a polygon would be much better here as you can bevel it and do other nice things fast. I most likely could make that model in a minute if not less

ai wrote:First of, what's paths? I've never heard that term in modeling before.

Maybe because it's a 2D term. :) Any 2D vector graphics application works with "paths": a straight line is a path, just as well as a bezier curve.

ai wrote:And extruding an .svg file? What? Could you explain, don't quite understand how one would go about doing that.

You import the 2D vector graphics in the 3D modeller, and simply add the 3rd dimension. Most 3D modelling apps should be able to extrude a 2D object. (I know blender does)

ai wrote:Second of, it's not that hard to make that model from either curves or a custom polygon. I think a polygon would be much better here as you can bevel it and do other nice things fast. I most likely could make that model in a minute if not less :)

Please do. Given it's an open source project, there should really be 2D and 3D logo versions in the repository... not only because it's normal, but because they're needed for artwork.
The 2D version should however make use of bezier curves, not just poly lines, to look smooth.

Well, here I thought I wouldn't make this thing as I didn't want to take away Ivan's mojo But I just wanted to try it out as it is easy like hell making it. Though, when I did this I was (and still am) tired and I didn't even think of making it looking good. I just wanted to model it for funzies. I can if I want make it lot better (smoother, little rounder etc.). But here goes:

http://www.origionstudios.com/ai/nexuiz ... hikara.jpg

http://www.origionstudios.com/ai/nexuiz ... ra_640.jpg

PS. Bah.. Stupid IMG and URL tags doesn't want to work for me and I'm too lazy to figure out their mechanics... Could someone (admin, moderator) fix that for me?

Those renderings are still a little funky if you ask me.

They're not clean and aggressive enough. They look like they were drawn in a shaky hand by an insecure child.

No offense...just trying to get across how they feel at the moment.

torus wrote:I forgot to mention that I like your rendition of the logo, psychiccyberfreak. Dont know where you got it/ how you made it, but it looks cool, in a minimalistic sort of way.

hm... do you mean the one on the CDs? that's from the loading screen... lol

I give you too much credit

well .. i think we are making too much fuzz on the logo issue. The important stuff here is the menu that we are trying to make more user-friendly.
I think while we get our way through the game's menu as easier as possible, we accomplish what we are trying to make. it's true, i see the menu very stylish and cool but i heard that are some limitations in implementation.
so the main question(s): is the menu in this mock-up more user friendly? are your needs satisfied?

kudos8406 wrote:well .. i think we are making too much fuzz on the logo issue. The important stuff here is the menu that we are trying to make more user-friendly.
I think while we get our way through the game's menu as easier as possible, we accomplish what we are trying to make. it's true, i see the menu very stylish and cool but i heard that are some limitations in implementation.
so the main question(s): is the menu in this mock-up more user friendly? are your needs satisfied?

awesome first post, but not the most awesome. the one with the patches with the sound system were the most awesome.

I vote yes.