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  • Multiplayer Video
  • Competitive & Comparitive Analysis
  • Progression Sphere Metagame
  • Usability Research Chart
  • D-Pad Mapping Concepts
  • Controller Configuration
  • Utility Rig Cockpit
  • Miscellaneous Mockups

Lost Planet 3

Lost Planet 3 Box Art - PS3
Published by:  Capcom, August 2013
Developed by:  Spark Unlimited
Platforms:    Playstation 3, XBox 360,  PC
Languages:    English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese,  Polish,  Russian,  Portuguese
Tools & Tech:  Visio, Photoshop, Illustrator, Unreal Engine 3, Flash, Scaleform

Services Provided: 
  • Lead UX and Multiplayer Design Teams
  • Created Wireframes
  • Multiplayer Progression Systems Design
  • Multiplayer Project Management
  • Player Mechanics Design and Tuning
  • Usability Testing


MULTIPLAYER GAMEPLAY VIDEO


PRESS TO WATCH
DESCRIPTION AND CREDITS
This video presents a good holistic snapshot and flow of all the multiplayer UI features in the final product, including menus, HUD, Progression Sphere, and the pre/post-game lobbies.   (It's not me narrating, BTW!)
"RESEARCH LAB"  MAP DESIGN:  Jordan Smith
"RESEARCH LAB"  ART:  Sam Wey, Tom Nguyen
"CONTACT" MAP DESIGN:  Roy Orr
"CONTACT" ART:  Alden Fillion, Andrew Harrington


COMPETITIVE & COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions
Lost Planet 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Killzone 2
Killzone 3
Dead Space 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 3
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Battlefield 3
Halo Reach
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Max Payne 3
Left 4 Dead 2
Mass Effect 3
Monday Night Combat
 The Online Shooting Games Researched for Lost Planet 3
A major part of heading up both the UX and general multiplayer  game design effort was to understand the modern  console competitive "shooter" landscape. This included not only the previous  LOST PLANET titles, but also numerous games across both the first and third person shooter categories.  Through  playing and analyzing  these titles for strengths and weaknesses, a picture started to form of what type of UX we should create for online players. 
Some of the early design goals that emerged from this process included:

  • Create a "blue ocean" multiplayer shooter with unique features
  • Focus on co-operative teamplay
  • Create Handcrafted, narrative-centric gameplay scenarios
  • Support player-choice and customization
This audit also resulted in screenshot libraries of UI screens to inform how features like matchmaking lobbies, heads-up-displays (HUD), and user progression systems could work and function. It also guided the design and development of gameplay mechanics, including cover systems, camera, cooperative mechanics like teammate healing and revival, and player respawn patterns.


"PROGRESSION SPHERE" METAGAME DESIGN


PRESS TO WATCH
PROGRESSION SPHERE CREDITS
ART DIRECTION:  Daniel Cabuco
FLASH  ART & SCRIPTING:  Chris Stuart
ADDITIONAL ART:  Stuart Kim
PROGRAMMING:  David Forhan

ADDITIONAL DESIGN:  Greg Wondra, Roy Orr
AUDIO:  Ricardo Hernandez,  Brian  DiDomenico
WHAT IS THE PROGRESSION SPHERE ?
For the online gameplay modes, a key objective was to create an innovative  unlockable system or "metagame" interface to  increase player choice and long-term engagement. The design team looked to similar, successful systems  in  Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) like  FINAL FANTASY  and  SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI  for   inspiration.    
HOW DOES THE PROGRESSION SPHERE WORK?
A matrix of hexagonal cells mapped onto the surface of a sphere represents the set of purchasable weapons, upgrades, abilities, and characters.  Players begin in the middle  of the sphere with their basic gear, then in between battles,  they purchase items and reveal  more cells  in the grid.
PROTOTYPING THE PROGRESSION SPHERE
This progression system went through a wireframing and physical  prototyping phase using laminated tokens so that we could write and erase details from the cards.   Images of the physical prototype materials, wireframes, and final concepts can be seen here.
HANDLING RESISTANCE WITH RESEARCH 
During development, some teammates felt the Progression Sphere UI was too complex.  The usability research showed that users thought it was  cool and unique, and this gave the design team the data to stand behind the concept.   However, the team refined the design with additional  elements, such as  the  Tutorial Splash and Class Overlay shown here,  and changed some of the metagame "rules" in response to these internal concerns.   


USABILITY RESEARCH CHART

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PRESS TO ENLARGE
CONDUCTING UX RESEARCH
Usability research methods included  regular focus group studies (consisting of  in-person observation, written surveys, and recorded roundtable  discussions), and "mock" reviews.  To track progress, the team collected, tabulated, and graphed survey results.  This helped validate  design and tuning decisions and inform next steps.  Fun fact, in mock reviews, the  UI was the only aspect of the game that earned a score of "9."
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D-PAD MAPPING CONCEPTS  

MAPPING FUNCTIONS TO BUTTONS
This gallery depicts several  interface design concepts for mapping functions to a set of console controller directional "d-pad" buttons.  The intent was to let users specify which buttons activate  special "deployable" items or  abilities.   



NAVIGATION CHALLENGES
The hex-based nature of the cells   presented  some navigation issues, as did choosing a direction button to map, followed by using the same button to navigate options.  While the concepts explored category filters to reduce the number of options to choose from, as well as  horizontal and vertical cells, the team didn't pursue this design. 



EMBRACING CONSTRAINTS
In the final interface design, the team backed away from giving players four "D-Pad" options to customize and settled on just two.  While this reduced player customization, the gameplay impact wasn't as great as anticipated.  In fact, it streamlined some of the decision-making processes and allowed the team to reuse pre-existing interfaces for weapon selection.   It's a good example of how embracing constraints can result in a win.  


COntroller CONFIGURATION MOCKUPS

UX STRATEGY FOR MULTIPLE PLATFORMS
 There are versions of  LOST PLANET 3  on Playstation 3, XBox 360, and PC.  While the console versions were largely the same, the PC version required special case UI features (mouse and keyboard support, graphic options, etc...).   In many cases this more than doubled  the amount of up-front UX work and  UI implementation, as every part of the UI had to be evaluated  to support  the three platforms, as shown with this controller  configuration screen.


UTILITY RIG COCKPIT

COCKPIT FEATURES 
These are some very early wireframes for the vehicular mech cockpit.  Maps, objective tracking, player status, and even a Music Player were all feature requirements for this interface.    The requirements for the Cockpit UI changed significantly over time.   Eventually,  many aspects were removed, built into the actual cockpit geometry, or represented as "sprite" overlays.

PRESS TO WATCH
COORDINATING WITH MODELERS
Because many of the "holographic" UI elements were projected onto the "glass" of the cockpit (using Scaleform) designing this 3D UI had to be coordinated with the  character team modeling the Utility Rig geometry.  Check out the video to see how the Utility Rig Cockpit turned out in the  final game. 

Job Log Mockups
Job Log Prototype
Job Log - Global Map
Job Log - Global Map (PC)
Job Log - View Contracts (PC)
Job Log - Local Map
Job Log - Local Map w. Contracts (PC)
Job Log - Weapons
Job Log - Upgrades
Job Log - Utility Rig Equipment
Job Log - Messages
Job Log - Messages (PC)
Job Log - Music Player
Job Log - Music Player (PC)
Multiplayer Statistics
Multiplayer Leaderboards
Multiplayer Awards

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