{"id":10300,"date":"2022-03-07T17:52:13","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T08:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=10300"},"modified":"2022-03-08T13:25:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T04:25:44","slug":"20220307-10300","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20220307-10300\/","title":{"rendered":"What if Ubisoft made Elden Ring? A UI mockup has fans discussing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article<\/a> (original article’s publication date: 2022-03-07 13:53<\/em> JST)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n



A mockup image of what Elden Ring<\/strong><\/em>\u2019s UI might look like if it was made by Ubisoft has sparked a big discussion among fans. This image looks to be a shot at over-the-top UI from Ubisoft and made waves just as developers were sharing their opinions on Elden Ring<\/em>\u2019s UI online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elden Ring<\/em> is the latest action RPG from FromSoftware and is set in a massive open field. The UI in Elden Ring<\/em> is relatively simple. It doesn\u2019t even have a quest log and players have to manually place markers on the map for points of interest. Players must also search for new locations and items themselves with a design philosophy that you could say respects players\u2019 autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the \/r\/Eldenring subreddit, an image<\/a> of Elden Ring<\/em> cluttered with UI elements was posted with the title \u201cIf Ubisoft developed Elden Ring,\u201d and has since become a hot topic with over 28,000 upvotes. This post looks to have taken an image from last year called \u201cWhat if Elden Ring was a typical open world? (OC)\u201d and added even more stuff to it. It\u2019s night and day compared to Elden Ring<\/em>\u2019s actual UI.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
User submitted mockup of Elden Ring<\/em>\u2019s UI
Image Credit: gamboozino\/Phedericus on Reddit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Actual Elden Ring<\/em> UI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


When you look at the Reddit post, there are certainly lots of UI elements we\u2019ve grown accustomed to seeing, but it\u2019s a lot when compared to the actual Elden Ring<\/em>. On the right side you can see quests and progress as well as a mini map. And on the left side, they added a message about microtransactions which don\u2019t exist in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also little hints saying, \u201cEnemies Detected,\u201d \u201cA Jump,\u201d and \u201cPress X to activate Tarnished Sense.\u201d It\u2019s not a feature that exists, but the Tarnished Sense perhaps highlights enemies and items in the vicinity. We can even see the protagonist muttering, \u201cHmm\u2026 maybe I should investigate that cave,\u201d which actually seems plausible. At any rate, the image takes UI elements that don\u2019t seem so farfetched and adds them to Elden Ring<\/em> for an exaggerated effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same post we can see many users happy that Elden Ring<\/em> doesn\u2019t have that kind of UI. That could be because of how the game presents visual information without relying on words and numbers. The level design is thorough in how it entices players\u2019 eyes and actions. Just by pursuing any landmarks, buildings, or side roads that catch your eye, you\u2019re naturally led to challenges and rewards. It abandons the idea of leading players directly with markers and steps aside so players can enjoy the fun of spontaneous adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of Elden Ring<\/em>, we can see this design being welcomed by players and a big success. It\u2019s interesting to see things trend toward not just making everything easy to understand for the player.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


But why is Ubisoft the one being targeted? One reason could be that they release a lot of open world games. But if you look at footage<\/a> of their recent title Assassin\u2019s Creed Valhalla<\/em>, the UI doesn\u2019t really seem over the top despite having more going on compared to Elden Ring<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason could be a tweet made by Ahmed Salama before the image was posted on Reddit. Salama previously worked as a UI programmer at DICE on Battlefield 2042<\/em> and is currently working as a UX director on an unannounced Ubisoft title. On March 3, Salama tweeted about how Elden Ring<\/em> having a 97% Metacritic Score was proof game reviewers don\u2019t care about UX. In other words, Salama doesn\u2019t appear to think too highly of Elden Ring<\/em>\u2019s UI\/UX design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the tweet, other developers responded by saying reviewers don\u2019t seem concerned with stability or performance either and Horizon Forbidden West<\/em> senior quest designer Blake Rebouche doesn\u2019t seem to think too highly of the game\u2019s quest design. These tweets ignited a big discussion on \/r\/Eldenring and were even picked up by media outlets like MP1st<\/a>. In other words, it looks like Ubisoft may have been targeted by fans because one of their developers shared a negative opinion of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other developers and players can be seen here and there sharing negative opinions on the game\u2019s UI and UX design, though. In Elden Ring<\/em>, users are mostly left to either remember or take down notes to keep track of subquests. One Reddit user commented<\/a>, \u201cI don’t want quest markers or something walking me through every step of the quest, but some kind of log of NPCs and the conversations I’ve had with them is, in my opinion, necessary for an open world game.\u201d Rami Ismail, a game developer known for working on titles like Nuclear Throne<\/em>, also tweeted, \u201cthe UI\/UX is absolutely atrocious,\u201d when pointing out that the way the map is closed can even cause confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/tha_rami\/status\/1500680333578092547\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The optimal UI and UX likely depends on the game and the philosophy behind its design. There isn\u2019t necessarily a correct answer. Is it best to pull players along or set them free? That\u2019s a question for the development team to answer, and players are free to accept it or not accept it as they please. However, many Elden Ring<\/em> players on Reddit appear to like having minimal UI elements and no quest markers. Perhaps these discussions in the industry will bring about new methods and philosophies for giving players information in open world games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Update 2022\/03\/07 18:00 JST] adjusted a sentence in the final paragraph to be more precise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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