Need honest opinion on this screenshot for the app store

Unity Engine
,
1

Hi all,

This screenshot had mixed reviews from my friends. Would you guys give me your opinion?
This is supposed to be the first in-game screenshot players will see on the game’s app store page.
Feel free to comment what you would modify.


(edit the newer versions)

Stephane

2

Your avatar looks to be from the same game, but with more interesting colouring. Perhaps looking at doing something with that?

3

ok. Will do that too. Thanks for your comment!

4

if you change the GUI elements and add more detail it can be really good. instead of using a regular font you can use bitmap fonts. And for some reason it looks kind a empty maybe you consider putting some trees or bushes.

5

ok thanks!
Anyone can recommend a tool for adding a shadow to t true type font?

6

EZ GUI is a powerful tool vs the Unity’s crappy GUI system.

7

That may sound silly but I can t find a good tool/way for dropping a shadow on my TTF…
Another screenshot there if you d like to comment.

8

I used separate PNG images(different image for each digit) and then wrote a script for changing them based on your score ,time ,etc… with this method you can add any effect you want.

Here is an example script for changing the first digit based on your score;

var Zero : Texture2D;
var One : Texture2D;
var Two : Texture2D;
var Three : Texture2D;
var Four : Texture2D;
var Five : Texture2D;
var Six : Texture2D;
var Seven : Texture2D;
var Eight : Texture2D;
var Nine : Texture2D;

var Score : int;
private var digitA : int;

function Start()
{
	score=0;
}
function Update ()
{ 
	if(score < 10)
		digitA = score;
        else if(score > 10  score < 100)
               ..............
	switch(digitA)
	{
		case 0:
			guiTexture.texture = Zero;
			break;
			case 1:
			guiTexture.texture = One;
			break;
			case 2:
			guiTexture.texture = Two;
			break;
			case 3:
			guiTexture.texture = Three;
			break;
			case 4:
			guiTexture.texture = Four;
			break;
			case 5:
			guiTexture.texture = Five;
			break;
			case 6:
			guiTexture.texture = Six;
			break;
			case 7:
			guiTexture.texture = Seven;
			break;
			case 8:
			guiTexture.texture = Eight;
			break;
			case 9:
			guiTexture.texture = Nine;
			break;
	}
}

you can easily expand this and make it work with other digits. in my game I made it work with three digits. I know it’s not the best way,but it works perfectly fine on iphone.

9

i vote the second screenshot is better than the first. a lot more simple and easy to read from a color perspective. the first one is a bit all over the place.

simplicity is golden.

10

The blue background is the best of the three.
Any time you have a background that is similar in value and saturation to the foreground images they are harder to discern.

Some simplified design rules…
The eye is drawn to contrast and complexity. There is no single area in the red and orange images that is more complex or higher in contrast than any other, or if there is it is overwhelmed by the backgrounds with highly saturated color.
A good image will have primary, secondary and tertiary ‘read’, as in what the eye is naturally drawn to first, second and third.
The first should be the most important thing on the screen and should have the most complexity and/or contrast to draw the eye.

The blue image works better because there is negative space with not much visual info on the left but there are some clear lines and good contrast to follow on the right. It is also helped because cool colors tend to recede while warm colors tend to come forward, another way to draw the eye. So the most interesting part of the blue image happens to be the orange explosions where the actions is.

Once I get started it’s hard to stop so…
It would probably be worth your time to take a look at the textures you are using for the terrain and backgrounds to try to tone them down so the elements in the foreground pop a little more if not in your game at least in the stills.
Some of this is naturally overridden during game play because motion draws the eye significantly more than either color, contrast or complexity but you might find the game looks even better with background elements that aren’t more saturated than the game play elements.

-kory

11

Excellent comment Kory!

12

So I followed Kory 's comment and made the lanscape a little bit darker.
I like it actually!

13

Yeah looks better… im still a “blue” guy myself but looks good how is

14

So here it is (first post) with the avatar one

15

I like it better, but also opt for the blue terrain…