Why now

I'm about to show Lore of the Ember properly, and to gather around it the first people who will want to follow it, give me ideas, help me see it through. And the very first thing you perceive of a game, before you even understand what you do in it, is its interface. A scruffy banner, and the whole game looks like a rough draft.

So I wanted to lay down a simple interface, but a polished one. Nothing flashy, just something clean and readable, worthy of what I want Lore of the Ember to become.

What the HUD has to say in one second

At the top of the screen, a thin dark strip ringed with gold. It shows only the essentials, but it has to say them at a single glance, mid-fight, without you having to take your eyes off the action.

Three things, not one more:

  • The hearts: Alaric's life. Three hearts that empty a quarter at a time when you take a hit. You watch your health drain without having to think about it.
  • The lantern gauge: the reserve of light. It's both the weapon and the shield of the game, so knowing how much is left, at any moment, changes how you play. I drew it as a row of small cells that go out one by one.
  • The score and the number of lives: placed to the side, clearly readable, without stealing the show from the rest.

Simple, but professional

The trap, when you want to "make it pretty", is to put in too much. I did the opposite: a restrained background, a thin frame, nice white digits, warm hearts, and that is all. A designer will have to come through here, but not right away ;)

The rule I set myself: it has to stay crisp even when very small, and even in slightly compressed video like the ones that will do the rounds on social media. If the interface holds up at that size, it will hold up anywhere. Contrast does the work: black, gold, white, a touch of orange for life and light.

Room for a second player

Lore of the Ember is played by two, in split screen, and the interface says so from the outset. The banner is cut down the middle: the left half is you, the right half is waiting for a friend.

As long as nobody has joined, that right side simply displays "Press Fire". The second someone grabs a second joystick and presses, they enter the game in progress, and their half of the HUD lights up: their life, their score, their own lives. No menu, no waiting screen, you sit down next to each other and play.

What comes next

The interface is in place, clean, ready to be filmed and shown. Now I want to see it in other people's hands: can you read your health at a glance, does the lantern gauge really create that little fear of running dry, does the arrival of a second player make you want to join? Those are the responses I'm waiting for.

To see where the game is at, see the homepage.