[Scummvm-devel] Please give feedback on splash screen mockup

Max Horn max at quendi.de
Wed Jun 9 00:36:39 CEST 2010


Hi there,

Jordi (and Yotam before him) raises some good points. I agree with most everything, and will only respond to a few select parts.

[...]

> - The "Powered by" text could make sense in commercial releases that
> only run one game and don't show the menu at all, but it feels a bit
> strange for the standard releases. I open ScummVM, not something
> powered by it. Maybe it could be replaced by "Loading", or something
> more creative :P

I do see your point, but let me give some background why the "Powered by" (or something in this direction, at least) *does* make some sense after all. Of course if you explicitly download ScummVM, install it on your device, and start it, you most likely know what ScummVM is. You, in fact, don't need a splash screen to be reminded of the fact that you just started ScummVM.

But now think of a GOG.com bundle which installs ScummVM in the background, and then runs it with some specific game data, to transparently start that game. From the user's perspective, they installed some game, and they have absolutely no clue what this "ScummVM" thing is. If they start the game and suddenly it just says "ScummVM" in big letters (maybe with "Loading..." and a version number below it), they'll be quite confused and have no idea what this "ScummVM" thing is...  "Hey, I though I installed SuperAdventure 2, and now it starts this ScummVM thing, wtf???"

The "Powered by" at least gives an indication that ScummVM is some tool that is used to run the game. And get an URL where to find more info (granted, entering scummvm into google would yield the same result).

So, while I am not totally thrilled by this phrase, I do think it serves some purpose. If there are suggestions for better phrases which convey a similar message, let's hear 'em!



> By the way, do we want to show the version number or other information
> on the splash screen? I vote for showing the version number (Oh! It
> could be placed where "Powered by" is now ;)) and maybe a note about
> it being released under the GPL.

Sounds sensible to me.


Cheers,
Max



More information about the Scummvm-devel mailing list