Terminal Voltage

STRATEGY

Game Outline

Terminal Voltage is a tower defence game created over a 48 hour period as part of a game jam. I participated as the UI artist on a large team to bring the game to life.

As is often the case with game jams, the coders didnt have enough time to implement all of the systems so the game remains somewhat unfinished. Still, working as part of a team to analyse and execute on the best direction for the UI was a fantastic learning experience.

Wireframe

I was supplied with a rough wireframe of the game functions. We discussed this as a group and brought it to the level shown here. Once satisfied, i went away and started working on some UI sketches.

SURFACE

UI Sketches

The general tone of the game was decided to be Sci-fi. To express this i used straight edges and simple iconography, this gives a more industrial futuristic feel than something more curved and smooth. This worked well as our towers were designed to be quite similar to robots.

UI Elements

Once i had sign-off from the team on general style i moved into full design.

Screen space was limited due to the depth of functions that had been decided, so as much as possible we used easy to understand icons that didnt require much explanation.

I used greens for clickable buttons with contrasting highlights for clicked states and hover states. to make important elements eye catching.

Icon Designs

The game included placeable pylons and towers. So we decided a drag and drop system would work best.

The icons here are representative of counters, and their designs are informed by their in-game sprite counterparts.

In-Game UI

This is a mock-up of the in-game UI with some of the game sprites included.

The tool tips box (to the right of towers) would contain information for whichever button or item was being hovered over. This was an elegant solution for our lack of in-depth tutorial.

Furthermore, the base’s power consumption would work the reverse of a life bar. When the coloured blocks fill the bar it means you are over your power limit and will suffer negetive effects.

Logo Sketch

I also played the role of logo designer for this project.

The name “terminal voltage” was chosen by vote and its meaning connects to the power level mechanic of the game.

I did some quick sketches for the team and once signed-off i started planning out the process i would use to for construction.

Logo Final

The final logo has a strong retro aesthetic and a contrasting use of block letters with graffiti inspired lettering.

I used the same colour palette as all the in-game assets which gives the game a strong cohesive style.

UI Screens

The title and settings screens were kept simple with some classic 8-bit inspired buttons.

The settings screen is also kept minimal with toggle buttons and sliders which are easy to understand.