In the depths of the office there is an “Alternativa Game” version for the people with luxuriant imagination.

We can think of the game as an object, which players use. In order to make this use (playing the game) pleasant it has to be intuitively clear, not demanding special skills and not overloading user with data. Say, you don’t think about frequencies when switching channels on a TV.

“Analog” thinking is natural for a human being. When someone works with numbers, he/she has to turn on inner analog-digital “converter”. When we get numbers, they transform in analog terms. For example, $1500 price for laptop is “average”, 2 cigarettes left is “runnig out”, 30 kilos - “heavy” and so on.

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When I want to take a pic, I push photocamera button. It has zoom, can save and use pics, and erasing too. It is not finished yet and has some bugs.

Players will be able to communicate not only by chat, but via mobile devices too (mobile phones, walkie-talkies, or pager).

Here is the demo. As you can see, it has all the basic functions of an cheap average phone (including signal level). You can activate the phone and then say something using chat panel. Yes, we can make real rich-boy phone with camera, streaming audio, and melodies, but we don’t need it right now.

We want to make this game real, so it needs TV too. When you use TV, it opens a window with some “broadcasting” channels. There will be news channel, some events (we got some ideas!), and some commercials too.

Interface is clear. Second channel shows Chooka the cat.

If you need to know presice time in ”Alternativa” - be sure to get your own watch. It shows on a screen where you like, and you can “minimize” it.

Newspaper is a voice of administration and the great possibility to get to know some latest news. You can buy it on the corner. You can find it on a street (but it is not the latest issue for sure). It has articles and pics. Everyone can become a newswriter, and aven get some in-game money by creating an interesting article

(!) Spoiler: powerful players can create their own newspaper. They will need money, a place to print it, and some administration connections, of course. As usual.

In this post, dear reader, I would like to tell you about game GUI. It was re-made a few times, and this one is the most simple and functional.

On the right there is a quicklaunch bar. It may contain not only objects, but actions too (this is useful when action if not the basic for an object). It may also contain avatar actions and gestures.

At the bottom there is a chat-panel which may change its height. The text is colored according the relationship level for each player (you set it manually) + it may have an icon (corporate, gang, etc…) You can whisper, say and scream. There is no private rooms. If you want to talk privately - go in a quiet place and whisper (out of other player’s “hearing radius”).

On the left there are 3 icons: emotions (they shows above an avatar), ”emoactions” (kinda gestures), and health (overall ratio on a button and precise data after a click). Then goes inventory button with weight bar on it.

At the beginning we all decided to choose something simple and re-usable, like Nike. No glamour, no metall highlights, no gothic elements.

We had a lots of signs, and each other was too simple. Then we gave up and stopped on this logo:

Then registration process has began, and we decided to make some (read: everything) changes. We came up with this one:

Is is still in progress, but we have the basics anyway.

I have found this central area sketch.