Mass Effect 4: 10 Ways It Can Revolutionise The Franchise
10. Limit The GUI
On N7 day of last year, Bioware revealed some early pieces of concept art for the next Mass Effect, and one of them shows a soldier looking at what appears to be a hologram of a planet. There are many theories as to what it means, one of the most intriguing of which is that it could be concept art for an in-world real time mapping system. Basically, instead of pulling up a flat standard map, the map would be a three-dimensional representation of the area. Further reflection reveals how brilliant this would be if true. It would simultaneously limit the graphical user interface while keeping the player immersed in the game. If this is the direction Bioware is going with Mass Effect, then they are on the right path. And if not, they should be. For a long time the GUI has been an integral part of game design, but developers are increasingly finding new and innovative ways around this. Youd be hard pressed to find any gamer whod favour a standard GUI over seamless in-world solutions. The fact is that the less a game breaks immersion and reminds you that its a game, the better experience it is. If this design philosophy were to inform every element of the next Mass Effect, it would be taking the correct and necessary steps into the next generation of gaming.
