Cross-platform Strategy Board Game Adaptation for Tablets, Mobile, and PC
Axis & Allies has an avid fanbase comprised of history and wargaming enthusiasts. Notorious for its complexity, this board game has a 40 page rulebook and a steep learning curve. The User Interface needs to bring simplicity and modernity, while remaining true to this classic game’s roots.
Designing iconography with mobile and tablet users in mind, the symbolism is anachronistic and familiar, requiring minimal cognitive load for deciphering their intended meaning. Extensibility was also a consideration, as the base symbols needed to be suitable for multiple style applications in different areas of the user interface.
As the experience of playing the board game involves handling figurines, tokens, cards, and die, there is an undeniably tactile element that was adopted as a visual target. Importantly, the physicality of a skeuomorphic approach guides players towards interaction elements on touch interfaces for tablets and phones.
An important consideration when designing layouts for these devices are the ergonomics of a human hand, considering optimal button placement, sizing, and padding.
All aspects of the user interface are constructed with HTML, CSS, and javascript, as the game essentially runs in a browser. Keeping this in mind, when prototyping layouts and presenting mockups, attention was paid to the constraints of the toolset, both in the construction of the assets and the means by which they can be animated.
