Usual Suspects

Management - It's Only Money

A quick look at the terminals for managing business and world upgrades, an ATM for money management and the game's Settings menu.

Business management and old school operating systems go hand in hand visually, that's why I went for the nostalgic 98 look and a bit of the XP-era gaudiness for these screens.

This is where I began developing many of the elements for these screens. The CRT shader, which was initially used here, ended up being incorporated into several other screens, adding a cohesive retro feel throughout. The 98 theme proved to be highly reusable and flexible, allowing it to adapt to different contexts in the game. I also had a lot of fun creating the old-style bitmap icons, as they added an extra layer of nostalgia and charm to the overall design.

The ATM screen gave me the perfect opportunity to embrace that classic XP style, as ATM software has always had a bit of a dated look. The credit cards were a fun way to bring more skeuomorphism into the design, especially with the chrome digits that display the bank balance, adding a touch of realism to the cards. It was a great way to make something functional feel more immersive and visually interesting.

The redesign of the Settings menu was a quick process, as the functionality was already in place. Since the 98 style was well established throughout the project, it was mostly just a matter of reskinning the interface to match the overall aesthetic. This made the redesign efficient while maintaining a cohesive visual identity across the game.