This work was done for NFTChat. The website for which can be viewed here.

The Briefing

After my onboarding at NFTChat, then known as Colony Interactive, my first task was to develop the advanced settings menu for the game. The tenets were as follows:
1. The menu must fit within the design style of the rest of the game.
2. The menu must have certain settings, the list of which was given to me.
3. The menu must provide accessibility by creating an easy and intuitive interface.

The Style

The style utilized by NFTChat is quite, unorthodox. Playing the game will immediately feel different as the controls are intentionally not the standard for modern MMOs. In fact, the game is based on the old MMO from 2002, Toon Town. The decision to develop the Toon Town aesthetic was decided before my hiring, however, it does have some charm. Some elements of the style include uneven rectangles, thick sans serif font, thick outlines and large padding on buttons, and blue and light blue colors.
Designing for such a unique and archaic art style was fascinating and thrilling. Learning the design language by watching old YouTube videos for a game I never heard of in a style I’ve rarely seen was a fun experience in adaptation I hope to repeat with other avant-garde styles. In the meantime, I’m enjoying working and developing in this style.

Development and Implementation

After spending developing some mockups in Figma, the CEO greenlight my design, and prototyping in Unreal began. Given the number of options needed to be available, a tab system was made, using a widget switcher. The was preferred over a scroll box, as no scroll has been used in the game so far. After creating the design in Unreal, the next step was creating the logic behind it.

Developing the logic was an intense, but rewarding experience. The architecture was essentially getting the game settings on widget construct, setting the value of the sliders and buttons. Then a series of checks for the on-value changed events for each of the settings, then an apply settings function for resolution and non-resolution settings.
The graphics tab for the advanced settings was implemented in-game seamlessly along with the display settings. The audio tab has been left as just a master volume slider and the controls as a splash image of the control scheme, at the moment, with the plan to elaborate on the options further once other, more pressing, development priorities are satisfied.
I’m very proud of this menu, as was the CEO and game director, who immediately checked it into the main build.
My only issue with my build is that the elements could use a bit more padding from the edge of the screen The apply button is a little close to the edge and it shouldn’t be. Designing with proper whitespace is something I must feel more confident in for my skillset. Regardless, I’m happy with my first significant contribution at NFTChat.