The Menu Today Is...

Hi, howdy, hello, friends! Maxi, eni and Stoker here for a visual THK Thursday!  

It's our goal to keep you apprised of as much of the behind the scenes work as possible, whether it be as exciting as character design updates or the nitty gritty details of design and interface updates.  

As we mentioned in the previous update, The Hayseed Knight is made in a visual novel engine called Ren'Py. It comes with a number of basic functions that are common to most visual novels out in the market today such as saving, loading, skipping through lines, etc.

Some of these options are bound to keys and mouse inputs, but all the essential functions are intended to be easily accessible on a mouse-only layout through something called the Quick Menu, the default position of which is right below the textbox.  

The Quick Menu is a handy feature for the most part, but given its default size, position in the screen, and the amount of options assigned to it, it can overwhelm new VN players to the point that they might not engage with it at all.  

(Current in-game UI in v1.5, soon to be outdated)

Maxi has been working hard on revamping the entire GUI, and the new Quick Menu layout is an essential part of it! After all... how many of you never even saw the Encyclopaedia button the first time you played the game because you thought it was just a decoration?

Many techniques are used to help lead the eye across the GUI: colors, shapes, contrast... and one can't forget the accessibility needs players may have, of course! GUI sets aside the weak of heart from those for whom graphic design is truly their passion!

Thus, a new GUI springs forth!  

(Upcoming standard and Accessible version of the Dialogue Window)

While there is no such thing as a perfect UI, for every player has different experiences and reacts in wildly variable ways to the same interfaces, we believe that this is an improvement that makes the menu easier to handle, ditches options that most players don't use, and in general gives the Dialogue Window a much cleaner look.  

((Hopefully people will start wondering what's that curious purple button right there in the middle and notice the encyclopaedia at last, as well...))

What do you think of the new look? Do you like it as much as we do? Let us know in the comments!  

Until next time, take care, friends, and remember to stay hydrated! Stay safe out there!