user-interface posts

WIMP Environment [noun]: Window, Icon, Menu, Pointing device (or Pull-down menu) - A graphical-user-interface environment such as X or the Macintosh interface, esp. as described by a hacker who prefers command-line interfaces.

- The Jargon File

These wonderful, powerful, magic boxes of ours can turn long strings of ones and zeroes into dazzling graphics with breathtaking speed, perform tremendous, complicated mathematical computations in the blink of an eye, and, in a pinch, do a fair impersonation of a space heater. They are ours to command, ready to do our (possibly nefarious) bidding. Whether we know what we want or not, if it's within the operational parameters and capabilities, a PC will do exactly what we tell it to do.

Of course, there's a catch or two. First, we need to know how to tell it to what we want. Heuristics be damned, other than on-the-fly spell-checking, no matter how sophisticated the modern PC is, it's not clairvoyant. Ask anyone who's done time in a call center how much disconnect can exist between what a user wants, and what they say they want. Unlike our not-so-hypothetical phone staffer, the computer can't ask questions or make inferences. They're fabulously literal.

The second catch is having some way to communicate our wants and needs to our willing digital minions. And that's where our input devices come into play.

Three new videos for Mass Effect PC have parked themselves in our Big Download servers today. Two of the videos feature the much improved user interface in various combat situations. While the third video uses a cutscene to show off the noticeably improved graphics of the PC version. From the looks of the two combat videos it seems like the group who ported the game onto the PC took much into consideration in terms of interface. It really tickles us to see the mysterious player in these movies pause the game and deftly select abilities without any trouble at all.

If you've been on the proverbial fence about getting Mass Effect for your PC, these videos should help make up your mind. At least they'll give you something incredibly pretty to watch, if nothing else. Seriously, we've never seen Krogan skin look so good!

• Mass Effect Combat Video 1
• Mass Effect Combat Video 2
• Mass Effect Tenuous Diplomacy Video