Chapter 2: User Interface

Overview

A game would not be any fun if the player had no way to interact with it. Although you are probably dying to get right into the 3D graphics part of the game engine, we are going to spend a little time first on the user interface. This will give us the ability to move around in and manipulate the 3D environment once we begin rendering it.

The user interface can be broken down into two major categories: user input and data display. First we will explore the three primary input methods : keyboard, mouse, and joystick. Some high-end systems are capable of doing limited voice input control, but we will not explore that option, since it really hasn t been a factor in game play to date.

After we look at the way we receive our input from the player, we will examine three ways to present information to the player. Two of these were mention in the last chapter: splash screens and option screens. The third choice, consoles, provides a command interface for the application. While you may not feel the need to give players access to the console for a particular game, you will find a console invaluable during your development process.

The final section of this chapter will illustrate how these new classes are used by the game application. The sample game as it stands when we finish the chapter will be our first executable version. It will display the developer and game splash screen, a simple option screen that responds to mouse option selection, and a functional console that understands three commands.