Dear Developer: Is your User Interface... functional?

I'm not going after any particular developer in this article (although I could) but... I want to talk about the UI in games.

Short for User Interface... its "the means by which the user and a computer system interact, in particular the use of input devices and software." - Oxford Dictionary

For the life of me, I don't understand why some User Interfaces are so... freaking... complicated. One thing that continues to hold true for me and many... many... many many many many many people that I know, is that we don't care for complicated UI.

It goes a bit further than this though, because many things can initially be or appear to be a complicated process... until you learn them. That said, complicated UI should always come with a full blown tutorial that keeps it so simple... a child can do it (or at least the least technically savvy person in the room).

Even if i'm able to play a certain game or use a certain program and find it easier to navigate the UI, it doesn't mean that applies to everyone and it should be important to all software developers (not just game devs) because the skill levels of your customers will always vary. This is just a fact.

It drives me nuts when I can't navigate a UI and there is nothing available to truly explain what does what.

The more complicate the UI is with little to no "Step by Step Instructions" to utilize each aspect of the interface... the more likely someone will walk away from that particular software and any other software you release on the market. Even if future software is simpler or provides full instruction... you don't always get a second chance.

There are software developers who even have the nerve to sell instruction guides for their software, instead of including a simple guide. I can see if its more advanced techniques and things of that nature, but... every owner of your software should know how to use it.


Think of the results that follow an easy-to-use interface:

• Great software builds confidence in the customer.

• A customer who enjoys your software will likely recommend it to others.

• If the customer is able to utilize the software and get their full use of it, the chances of buying new software goes up (if they can afford it and find a use for the upgrade).

Just think about how crucial the UI is when it comes to utilizing the software. It can be the coolest software on earth, but if you can't use it... it's just a waste. Think about it.

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Anthem: The actual development is underway not a rebuild

If you were on the fence about buying the infamous Anthem...
keep your eyes peeled, it may be worthwhile. Just look at... No Man's Sky.

Bioware was planning a longer life than the one Anthem was facing after launch, and I still don't know how things will work out... but editor Rob Fahey (in his Feb. 14th article) feels that it's a "rare second chance" that they're able to prevent the game from going into the scrap pile.

Nothing against Rob (I can agree with that part), but this whole situation involving Anthem is one gigantic cow pie (not the edible kind)! I don't see it as a rebuild of the game using the existing... bones, they're more so continuing the build and... replacing the placeholders + fillers that were put there to get you by until the game could actually move forward in development.

I'm not saying that they can't go back and do the right thing, I commend them for doing so... but the game was thrown together for release. EA has to get better with the QA (quality assurance)... we've been here before.

Developers: You can only cut corners so much before you end up cutting the wrong thing. I could really unload on EA right now, but... I'll leave it at that. I think the game is going to turn out to be good once it's fully developed... and no one had better be charged for what should have been the real game in the first place.

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Google Plus goes buh-bye!

As of February 4th, Google Plus began its shutdown. Google Plus pages like ours will also bite the dust April 2nd, 2019 (tear tear). 

https://plus.google.com/+SDGTEntertainment

Google plus always felt like the little engine that couldn't... but... it tried. Why didn't it reach its full potential? That's a great question for Google. They have a popular phone OS (one of the giants), they have Chromecast, they have Chromebook, they have Chrome, they have YouTube (and then some). There was actually going to be a "Dear Developers" post speaking about Google Plus (etc) but... it's still sitting in the draft area from January 2nd, 2019.

Now that it's end has come... I guess i'll go ahead and speak about it and how it could've survive. Basically, I think Google Plus would've been bigger than it was if it were actually a lot more cohesive with other Google apps than it was. Yes you can share... just like we shared on Google Plus, but if it were more integrated in the Android phones, Chromebooks, and so forth... it wouldn't have felt like it was tucked in the back somewhere.

Before they even launched Google Plus... they should've figured out how to have Google Plus comments sync with YouTube comments or replace it. Standard chat on Chromebook and Android could've been through Google Plus using our contacts that we add to our chat list. That could've included standard phone contacts, and contacts through Google apps. Google Plus isn't the only app that would've been covered in that post... because I wanted to highlight that Google and other software developers should consider making things cohesive for one kick ass ecosystem.

Making multiple ambitious apps that serve a number of purposes is cool. Different strokes for different folks, but... if its something meant to target the user base at large... its sad to see the resources wasted on something that likely just needed a bit more integration in the right places. I'm curious though... will there be something new from Google that rises like a Phoenix from the ashes of Google Plus? We shall see.

If you have content that you'd like to salvage, get to it asap.

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Best of Stardock Bundle!

It's almost safe to say that everyone can benefit from this

游戏开始！

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