The Importance of Excellent Game UI and Control

World of Warcraft is weird in that it’s one of those games I seem to get enjoyment out of by doing things that can’t really be considered playing the game. One of those things is making the perfect user interface setup for my character.

There’s just something so satisfying about putting something together that looks and functions better than the UI Blizzard came up with back with the launch of WoW. But it’s also strange because I know many people who are perfectly fine with and can function with no problems using the default WoW UI (as blasphemous of an idea that may be…)

The thing is, people are different and people have different needs and wants. This is no different with controls and user interfaces in games. Thankfully, most games these days give us a plethora of options and possibilities, especially when playing on PC.

For example, I have been getting back into WoW lately to get ready for the new expansion, Battle for Azeroth, to come out later this year. I’ve mainly been working on leveling up alts as I’m not quite sure class I want to start with when the expansion drops. Part of my work in preparing for the expansion is putting together a UI that looks nice and will work with most classes and roles I’m looking to play. Mainly, I just want something that I won’t be embarrassed to show off should I happen to decide to stream WoW in the future.

But something I saw floating around while randomly looking up WoW content on YouTube was the idea of making the game more immersive and playable with a controller. To the hardcore raider that probably sounds even more blasphemous than using the default UI. But like I said, I’m mainly focusing on leveling alts for the time being. Making the game feel new and fresh is a great way to make leveling more fun and less of a chore.

Surprisingly enough, I’ve actually made it work! Admittedly, I mostly followed a guide by WoW content creator BellularGaming to get things rolling. But it really is amazing how doing things like putting the camera angle to be over the shoulder, removing most UI elements to reduce clutter, and simply having the comfort factor of being able to lean back in my chair with controller in hand completely changes the feel of the game and offers a brand new experience.

It really makes me wonder how high of a priority things like UI options and control options are to game developers. Being able to selectively tailor a game to your needs helps reinforce a positive gameplay experience. What I find interesting is that for the most part, the more meaningful UI and control optimizations that I think of are created by a third-party, or in other words modders or users.

Another crazy example of this is using the Steam Controller of all things with Divinity: Original Sin 2. My problem with RPG’s, especially ones that I play on the computer, is that I tend to get worn out. There’s just something about using a keyboard and mouse that takes more out of you. You have to sit up at your desk and you’re generally much closer to your monitors. When you factor in the extended length of most RPG’s and the reams of dialogue and text, it’s just a draining experience.

But one day I randomly heard that Divinity works incredibly well with the Steam Controller, and I had to try it out. I went on the forums and downloaded the most popular controller profile for the game, and boy was it a game changer. The track-pad is perfect for games that you can pause and take your time with. The paddles underneath the controller are used to bring up radial menus that offer shortcuts to your character sheets, inventory, quick save and load, etc. You have the ability to pan, rotate, and zoom the camera. It just did everything that I needed it to do. There’s something so empowering about taking the functionality of a keyboard and mouse and throwing it into a controller. It’s truly magical.

Of course the Steam Controller didn’t exactly live up to the expectations it originally put forth. I’ve tried playing action games like Batman: Arkham City on it with less than desirable results. I can only imagine trying to play a shooter with it. But the point is that the user experience is not just determined by the content of the game; it’s also determined by how well that content is delivered to the player. Different people want different things out of their games, and the controls and UI are no exception.

By giving your games more options for enabling or disabling UI elements, being able to move things around, having options with fade-in and fade-out elements, and simply giving full control customization, there’s suddenly nothing in the way for the player to experience the game. At very least in World of Warcraft’s case, the game was built to allow people to tear the UI apart and build it back up however they want. Either way, customization is always a plus and is something I greatly appreciate when I come across it in games.

What are your favorite games that offer you excellent UI or control options? Do you have any games that you enjoy more by playing them with mods or other things the developer didn’t originally intend the game to be played with? Let us know in the comments below!