Assetto Corsa Menu UI
Solo Project Redesigning Outdated Menu for PC Version of Assetto Corsa w/ Unreal UMG
After purchasing Assetto Corsa for PC at the request of a friend I was immediately challenged with the menu system as a new player and it was not nearly as accessible as I had hoped. As a fun solo project and an opportunity to practice I took a shot at redesigning the initial main menu page experience in a fashion in which it would be enjoyable and more understandable for a new player.
Continue scrolling to learn more about where things started and how I came to create the following using Unreal Motion Graphics, subtle animation, sound, etc. First I want to show you where I landed.
Understanding the starting point is key. Here is the current main menu for AC after initial install. There is a lot going on and it is hard to understand any of it without clicking into the experience, rolling over many of the items while trying to determine what each one does.
My first step was to put some assets together and quickly write down what I was working with. I started in my notebook with some simple lists and knowledge of what I was wishing for as a player. I moved into photoshop and came up with the following concepts.
Here is the same concept with a different background image.
After purchasing Assetto Corsa for PC at the request of a friend I was immediately challenged with the menu system as a new player and it was not nearly as accessible as I had hoped. As a fun solo project and an opportunity to practice I took a shot at redesigning the initial main menu page experience in a fashion in which it would be enjoyable and more understandable for a new player.
I was able to use Unreal Blueprints and UMG to create subtle animations and various menu interaction options including mouse only, keyboard only, and a hybrid of both. I know that certain simulator setups make mouse access challenging and so I wanted to be sure that I was giving users a chance to use just the mouse or keyboard or a combination of both as I often like to do myself.
Animation that is subtle but informative can be ultra helpful to a user. A small rotation and delayed fade can bring attention to a user option that was not apparent or would have been lost in the shuffle of the original perception of the user.
