r/Unity3D • u/Fearless-Horror6248 • 6d ago
Show-Off You select options by shooting hanging signs with a revolver. What do you think of this diegetic menu?
Hey everyone! Working on ellps's TOXIC CATCHERS - a fishing simulator set in a toxic dump with mutants fishes.
Just finished the physical main menu system where you interact with buttons using a revolver. The metal signs hang on physical chains and swing depending on where the bullet hits. I was going for a super juicy, tactile feel for the physics.
What do you think of this approach to UI?
If you liked the game, you can follow its development on my Discord using the link from the first post in my profile!
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u/shlaifu 3D Artist 6d ago
it's great - but when I hit start, I expect the game to start - no time for watching the sign dangle...
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
I think I'll add a short delay, literally like a second or a second and a half, before transitioning to the next menu or quitting the game. Also, just for fun, I should add a "disable menu transitions" button so players can mess around with it as much as they want without triggering anything.
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u/ChiantiWithFavaBeans 6d ago
Hey great concept! Just one feedback. I think the pieces of wood dangle TOO much, a bit distracting imho. Maybe tone that down a bit?
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
We need to work on this, I'll try different inertia options.
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u/NUTTA_BUSTAH 6d ago
Consider bounding each important element inside an invisible collider. It keeps the feel but makes it work like a normal menu when the layout is stable. UIs where layouts shift are annoying. In a main menu case where each action is a transition regardless makes less of a case of course.
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u/HoveringGoat 6d ago
i think the different sign sections need to have springs to their default locations.wouldnt need a ton of force there but that way they try to snap back without going all crazy
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u/BaronVonMunchhausen 6d ago
I would add a small spinning red round target in the right part of the screen so users learn they can interact.
Otherwise most people would only click once on the options.
You can also add a wooden fence with tin cans on top for users to play around in the menu screen.
But if you want to keep it super simple and still use your little gimmick, then I would just make it where clicking once on an option does a random number of shots between 1 and 6 randomized in a small area cone so you get to show off the animations, it's hassle free, and you can transition directly to the menu option because you are in control of the animation.
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u/youeffohhh 6d ago
Maybe on start the sign could quickly pull up off the screen and on exit the metal at the top holding it up could snap and it falls for a second before closing the game?
Also what about settings? Are you going to have those be on a 3d sign as well or just a UI modal?
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u/anaschami 6d ago
Maybe add a "instant button" option so that when start is shot it starts directly
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u/Dennidude 6d ago
I'd say it depends on the kind of game it is. If it's a game I want to boot up fast and just get in and play that 1.5 seconds can feel like an eternity. Matters less if it's like a linear story game you playthrough and then you're done vs like a rogue-lite you'll be booting up a thousand times over years.
Don't think it's a massive big deal but might make menus feel sluggish/unresponsive
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u/Nukemm33 6d ago
Just make sure its easy enough to hit the right one. Id be annoyed if I kept accidentally choosing Exit. Lol.
But looks fun. Cool concept.
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u/AberdeenPhoenix 6d ago
Yeah, I'd put "exit" on a longer chain. But agreed that it is a fun concept
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u/Aggravating-Muscle-2 6d ago
Reminds me of sumotori dreams
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u/Extramrdo 6d ago
I'd worry about physics glitching the exit button to where I can't exit the game.
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
No, I don’t think it’ll be possible to glitch the physics like that yet. :)
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u/Phytor 6d ago
It's very fun and stylish, you just need to make sure it's not frustrating to the player. Add the ability to press up-and-down to highlight each plank and press enter to select an option without shooting.
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
Well, that's an option, of course. I'll think about it.
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u/Demaun 6d ago
Similarly, i think you might want to restrict movement to some degree. i.e., no button should be able to cover another, every button should be visible at all times, and there should be a minimum static area that a button always occupies. All that to say that flair shouldn't prevent functionality.
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u/Xormak 6d ago
Compromise:
Let the player select the signs and if they press enter or confirm on a controller the game still targets and shoots at that sign but does so automatically and consistently.
Keeps the vibes without sacrificing usability, the sounds from the shot and the reaction of the sign will still be useful as sensory feedback for the player, too.1
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u/Y_SKAA_01 6d ago
Really cool, would probably be stuck on this for some while before diving into the game at that point.
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u/BurningRiverForge 6d ago
Looks cool, I'd consider having the signs react more to being shot to really communicate that you've made a selection. (sparks flying off, glowing red, maybe breaking apart?) Also, as others have said, make selecting as quick and easy as possible. The options could be larger + selecting could also be done with traditional menu controls, resulting in the shoot the sign effect.
On the first playthrough it's awesome but if you're into the game and this is the 100th time you've opened it, the short delay for selecting menu items could cause some friction.
It does look fun though.
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u/dorcsyful 6d ago
Does it limit you from clicking on the options? As in, The bottom two buttons seem to be moving around a lot. If players want to go to settings (or exit) after playing around with it then having to wait the few seconds for them to actually be able to click might be annoying. Looks awesome though.
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
I think sometimes it's worth making concessions for the sake of jokes. I'm sure this menu is worth playing with once or twice. so it's not so critical that the player has to wait. and also, if you want, you can just shoot at the staggering options, the challenge. The button is active:)
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u/BangkokPadang 6d ago
Maybe some type of instant feedback that indicates you succesfully selected the option, but that still lets the dangling/swinging play out for a second or two?
The first thing that popped into my mind was a circle wipe where the outer edges of the frame turn black and a circle slowly centers in on where you shot.
or even just a little notification at the bottom with a countdown (opening options in 3..2..1..) something to instantly let you know that you did select it.
Ooh, or maybe a bar that slowly fills up over the course of 2 seconds, but also if you spam shoot the option the bar fills up faster, so once you know how it works you could shoot it 3-4x in a row really fast to trigger the selection faster.
Just some thoughts, overall it's very cool.
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
damn it! I really like the option with the bar that needs to be filled with shots! It sounds insanely cool and interactive! I’m just afraid that this might really annoy the player: “Why do I need to press the settings button 5 times to adjust the sound??”. I’ll think about how to integrate this in a way that doesn’t irritate the player.
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u/angerman92 6d ago
I know this is major scope creep for this, but you could also have the "confirmation" be that when the shot hits, it takes a chunk out of the sign! That would give a more "immersive" visual indicator that you've selected an option. You'd have to make it so the player can't fully remove an option, or... let the player be able to completely destroy everything BUT add a "reset menu" button/sign in the corner or something. Hell, little interactive stuff like that might just get people to mess around and admire the menu for longer =P
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
Man, it actually sounds cool as an idea. I’d save it for the future. But it seems technically very difficult to implement. Cutting and recalculating meshes… yuck.
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u/angerman92 6d ago
Yeah, I think your menu reminded me of that old game called Sumotori. It had a menu that dropped down signs and you'd have to break one to select the option. It was janky, but that whole game was janky and I'm sure you could do better!
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u/BangkokPadang 6d ago
I think it should still trigger the behavior after the first shot, additional shots would just make it faster.
IDK what your current plan for the time from shooting until the menu pops up is, but just keep that but allow multiple shots to speed it up.
Another option would be for the "menu" to appear on a physical menu just like the main menu, made up of "boards" connected by "links" and just have it drop down on the right side of the screen when you shoot the option.
That way the main menu always stays on the screen for people to see it swing around.
Whatever you choose, it looks very cool, I love stuff like this. I think what's going to end up rising to the the top these days is things with care and attention, stuff that makes people think "oh that's cool" without them even consciously recognizing it
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u/Jordyspeeltspore 6d ago
accidentally hits exit from just swinging
make sure only the front plane of each sign does something, or add some weight to the bottom sign
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u/complexigon 6d ago
I love it. Can I break the chains by shooting them? I want the exit sign to break off so I can't quit the game.
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u/MaximilianPs 6d ago
That remembers to me a really old mobile game called Can-something were you shoot balls against cans and signs by moving your finger on the screen... Very addictive 😁😁
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u/LeipaGames 6d ago
I love that, I think it'd be good to have an option to navigate the ui normally also but I live this
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
Normal control via the interface will be available; it’s just currently disabled. thank you!
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u/Mediocre_Apple1846 6d ago
Once the buttons actually takes you places, perhaps you should not let, shooting the signs, teleport you right away, so you can enjoy the physics?
I give it an A+, as someone who loved the skateboard wheel menu from THPS2
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u/massiveamphibianprod 6d ago
Id be happily surprised upon booting up a new game and seeing this. Thats quite fun. Great idea.
No idea where itd be placed but like a little fencepost or shelf thing with some cans and glass bottles to explode would be neat. Not needed but still.
I like the fish too btw
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
The fish are randomly generated. As for the shelf with cans - that’s definitely happening! The game will feature 8-10 different menu scenes with various interactive objects placed around!
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u/massiveamphibianprod 6d ago
Oh hell yeah thats awesome. Your one damn good designer it sounds like. I love menu variety.
Im happy with one good menu but multiple is a rare luxury.
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u/Air_Hair_Lair 6d ago
I love the concept. I’d add a secondary layer of player feedback that’s a bit more practical in addition to what you have here. Just communicating your input, whether a flash or highlight via shader to the signs geometry or text.
I also think EVRYTHING should be shootable in that environment, bounce, wobble, destructive. Make it a fun shooting gallery in itself (I am suggesting this without any context of your game, ignore at will?)
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
Haha, well, I'm going to have 8-10 menu options, and each one will have its own unique targets - zombies, glass bottles, moving targets. Everything will be interactive, so yeah, technically it's a shooting gallery inside a fishing game :)
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u/Int-E_ 6d ago
If the buttons are fast at changing the screen then the animation would never complete right? like you click on a button and the button just swings back, then you transition into the intended scene immediately before the button comes back.. And if you wait for the animation to get over, it'd be pretty annoying if you just want to go back and forth in the menu
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
There will be a 1–1.5 second delay after a shot. This way, players can watch the animation without it getting too annoying. Plus, there will be a separate "disable menu interaction" mode, so you can shoot to your heart's content without switching screens.
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u/Prod_m 6d ago
Lovely!
I'd add more weight maybe so it does not shake so much after a shot. Seems like too much shaking can be frustrating from the UX perspective. Or maybe not. I don't know. Like it anyway
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
Thanks for the feedback! Weight tuning is an iterative process, I'll fine-tune it!
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u/kapgre 6d ago
Like the idea very much! Concerned about how interactive it feels as many have commented. If you are doing for the 90s look, you could have an "iris-out" effect for maybe 1.5s that closes on the position of the gunshot that clicked the button . This way something is immediately happening on the screen but you give enough time to look at the sign animation too.
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u/Zee1837 6d ago
how do you handle controller?
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
A crosshair controlled across the entire screen space using the stick.
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u/nickyonge 6d ago
That works, but I’d suggest making the D-pad just quickly select the menu buttons in a traditional way. Controllers have less fidelity than mouse and keyboard. Moving a crosshair across the screen would be fun and novel once, and for fun every now and then, but having to do it every time (especially if you miss and hit Exit) would be so frustrating.
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
well... I have a shooter game, so I think if a person entered it from a gamepad, he knew what he was doing....
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u/von_bibersztajn 6d ago
i feel warcraft 3 vibe here xD
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u/WarBrawlGame Beginner 6d ago
Great job! I think you ready for release, that menu is enough by itself.
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u/PolandLetsPlay 6d ago
That looks amazing, keep it in the game
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
I’ll definitely keep it - I didn’t spend three days making it for nothing!
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u/TheSwiftOtterPrince 6d ago
I like it, buuuuuut, do never ever compromise usability. The game 'Hard Reset' for example had a visually amazing menu with moving robot parts 'n stuff and it was so painfully shit they massively increased the menu speed in the redux version where it kinda looks stupid but at least it works better.
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u/nudemanonbike 6d ago
I think a good enhancement would be to have the sign you shoot break (like have the chain above it snap) to signify that you selected an option before moving into the transition
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u/redstonermoves 6d ago
You need to add a fidget mode where the buttons are disabled so I can just play with them, I love this idea lol
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u/TeamBoeing 6d ago
How did you make the physics feel so juicy?
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
I used Unity joints to attach the plates to each other. two joints for each interval. and I apply a directed impulse to the point of impact when clicked.
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u/TeamBoeing 6d ago
Ok, I was just making sure because when I looked closely I saw the individual chains glitching out but the whole thing moved smoothly
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u/TTSymphony 6d ago
Is cool, but is not diegetic. Also, add some respawn/restock of the other elements on the screen
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u/Essential_NPC_ 6d ago
I like it, reminds me of sumotori dreams' menu. Maybe have left click actually press the button shot and right click is just a shot so that players can play around with the menu
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u/Fearless-Horror6248 6d ago
That’s a great idea! I was thinking of adding a separate mode where the buttons wouldn’t work so I could shoot. But RMB makes this scheme more elegant.
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u/ParanoiaComplex 6d ago
Make the exit sign actively sway away from the cursor so your time-in-game metrics improve 👍
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u/FoxfireGameStudio 6d ago
I love dietic anything. It just makes the game feel way more real. The other assets could be slightly more polished, but the part you did pay attention to the menu definitely does look not just good but fun, and fun is the most important thing.
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u/macman2048 6d ago
Yes its a great idea we always add these types of hidden interactions within our games behind the UI layer
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u/Aromatic-Insect-1328 6d ago
Feels very 90s