The latest episode of Dying 2 Know More explores Techland’s approach to user interface design (UX) and accessibility in Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Accessibility, in particular, is becoming more and more significant in the games we play, and Techland boasts that Dying Light 2 Stay Human has more options than any other game it’s ever made.
The UX journey for Techland’s designers begins with watching the hundreds of hours of recorded footage of people playing the game. Then, several profiles for the different types of users they see in the footage are created. UX elements are then developed to help cater to the needs of these profiles.
For example, some players are thoroughly experienced and want an immersive title, meaning all HUD elements need to be turned off. Conversely, some users want as much information as possible, meaning every HUD element must be turned on and new ones that aren’t enabled by default need to exist as well, such as damage calculators.
One of Techland’s main comments following its recent playtest of the game was about health bars. Some players didn’t like them, and others wanted them. Now there’s yet another option that can be enabled or disabled from the in-game menu.
Interestingly, aspects such as the game’s quest log have been given a dynamic trigger so that they’ll only appear when you’re in a quest’s relevant area in the world or while completing an action related to the quest. Those who want the quest log to be visible at all times can, of course, enable that option.
Finally, accessibility options are being added to the game all the time. In addition to colorblind options and button prompt configurations, a full left-handed mode will be present in the game. Many more accessibility options will be present in the game at launch because Techland wants as many people as possible to be able to play.
Techland also released a happy holidays video for Dying Light 2 Stay Human to help keep it in people’s minds over the Christmas period.
