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I have a design question nobody has been able to answer. PLEASE HELP!
hydrofox
Member UncommonPosts: 17
Okay. You know when you download a game like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Wildstar, Archeage, etc?
When you have fully installed it on your computer, you will see the icon for it on your desktop or task bar. When you click on that icon, it will always open up a portal, UI thing that will display there recent news, updates, feeds, etc. On that UI there will be a play button, and until you click that play button the game doesn't open.
This question is about that UI, Portal type thing. What are those called and how are they made?
I am trying to figure out how to have one designed and created, not for a game, but for something else. I can't google it because I have no idea what to google.
I google apps, UI's etc, and all I get are cellphone app creator websites and other crap I'm not looking for. Please, someone help me with this if you can. I just need to know what they are called and how they are created? Are they done with gaming code,?LUA language? Javascript?
Where do I go to get something like that made if money is not a problem?
thanks to anybody who can help me with this.
The image below is an example of what I'm talking about using Hearthstone's portal/UI thing.
Comments
It is called Launcher.
One of the main features of the launcher is patching. Before the client launches, it checks for the game files and client version, executes download and update if needed.
It is often handled by 3rd parties.
It's not likely to be a web design, it's more likely C++ or C# since it'll ultimately have to interact with your PC at some point, and it's just easier that way.
Google something like WPF Desktop Launcher. That should get you a lot of good starting links. Also, there's plenty of sample code, etc., floating out there. Not sure how daunting it'd be for you to do on your own, but something like elance would probably be a pretty good place to find it.
PS, for all of their conveniences, people don't really like launchers.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
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Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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I think you have an idea of what I mean, yes. I dont think its a multi-million dollar thing though.
My mission is to have one designed for the sole purpose of being an info portal for a a performing artist.
So you can download the application, run it, open it, and see a portal launcher, that will have the artists, images, twitter feed, facebook feed, live music stream, recent videos, etc, but its all in one application in a launcher window. But it doesn't launch anything. Just allows the user to click play next to songs and videos and listen/watch them inside the portal.
at a later date I would like to add a mini game for people win the artists merchandise. That type of thing. But right now, I just want the launcher made
From the description given, I think a typical web page would serve you well enough. It's certainly easier to build, and cheaper, too.
If your choice of a launcher-type application is driven by copyright concerns with the media (illegal copying), then I think you'd be better served to look at DRM-type protection schemes. These can be incorporated into the player (and media sources) to help control distribution.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
Launchers that have complex functionality (like Blizzard's or Steam's) are programs just like all other computer programs. For something as complex as you want there's no ready-made solution available, you'll just have to start programming.
Or you can create a webpage with all that content.
Don't do it....... just don't.
A web page will be more than enough for what you're trying to do, and would be much more acceptable. You can still put a game on a web page, and it's much more acceptable as a vessel for delivering information. Honestly, it would be a really, really bad PR move to try something like a launcher for a performance artist. Nobody loves someone enough to download a desktop application for them. Stick to a website and facebook page.
Crazkanuk
----------------
Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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Not to mention, anti-virus programs like Avast would simply start blocking the site on the grounds it's trying to launch a program. Even if it was a download, it's extremely easy to get your site on a "harmful" list if there's links to unknown downloads.
It's a Launcher.
They are just a simple applications which you can write in any language which starts another process when you click "Play".
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What you are talking about is bad design. its been superseded by the internet. Why would someone go to the internet, download your "App" just to view adds in said "app" which gets its content from the internet anyway?
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
If you were gona do it WPF would be the way to go (Which can be written in VB, C#)
WPF uses a markup language called XAML for describing Views so you would have to learn that aswell.
Once you have all that down, You can use something as simple as a web browser control to present content from the internet within that view.
What the OP is talking about making can generally be done within 20 minutes for an experienced programmer.
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
The most important thing you want to do is attract people to your content. This is the biggest reason why you shouldn't do a launcher, but a website instead. Having to download something adds a huge barrier and would cut off majority of your potential viewers/clients.
Websites are no longer static, boring objects - they haven't been for a long time. HTML 5 will let you design amazing interactive websites that will let you do all that you are describing, plus will make it accessible to everyone.
There is absolutely no advantage at all to building an application over a website for what you are describing - in fact, there are many many disadvantages.
Did a quick google search and found these sexy websites for inspiration:
http://www.ooyaka.com/
http://mintdesigncompany.com/
That is called..a APP these days..
A simple program to pulls feeds from social media's , since windows 8 its getting more populiar on the windows platform but typical those kind of things are developed for android and iOS (apple)
Any decent programmer can make such a thing , all it requires is a server for the music/video if not directly using something like shoutcast and youtube and pull the social feeds using the supplied API's from the developers of the social media's.
Don't see a good use for such a Application tho, perhaps for hardcore fans but i doubt anyone not realy known with said artist would bother downloading and installing such a Application and frankly its more important (new fans/income) than having a tool that makes it a requirement to update all social media more often in order to keep the old fans happy.
(boo <artist> neglects us, dont love us, got our money ..now keeps silent...sort of stuff)
If mmorpg staff would stop publishing articles ppl will come less to this site even tho theres plenty of room for interaction between members, hence why mmorpg.com is always trying to add more non mmo's to its article list and sometimes publish articles that only are made to invoke a reaction from the users in order to keep them here.
/shrug could be wrong ofc.. and if nobody ever tried coz it might not work..well then we stil be using CPC and playing pingpong