Strategy Game — Command Interface
Average actions-per-minute up 28%
Players managing 50+ units needed to issue commands quickly without losing situational awareness or pausing the game.
A radial command wheel with contextual grouping, quick-cast hotkeys, and a minimal HUD that surfaces only relevant info per unit type.
28% increase in average APM, 40% fewer mis-commands in playtests, and players reported feeling 'in control' for the first time.
Led UI/UX design. Ran playtests, designed the radial menu system, and iterated based on input heatmaps and player feedback.
The Problem
The existing command system used nested dropdown menus that required 3-4 clicks per action. In a real-time game where milliseconds matter, players were either pausing constantly or making errors because the UI couldn't keep up with their intent.
“"By the time I find the right command in the menu, my units are already dead." — Playtest participant
Research & Discovery
I analysed input telemetry from 2,000 play sessions, identifying that 80% of all commands came from just 6 actions. The remaining 20% were situational and could be contextually surfaced. I also benchmarked radial menus in 5 competitive RTS titles.
Design Process
The radial wheel puts the 6 core commands at thumb-distance from the cursor. Context-aware segments appear based on unit type — infantry see different options than vehicles. I tested 3 radial layouts with 8 players each, measuring command speed and error rate.
Final Solution
The final system combines a radial wheel for mouse users, quick-cast hotkeys for keyboard players, and a minimal unit-type HUD that only shows relevant stats. The result feels fast, fluid, and intuitive regardless of input method.
Results
Post-implementation playtests showed players executing strategies faster and with more confidence. The most telling metric: players stopped pausing the game to issue commands.
Reflection
Radial menus are deceptively hard to get right — the angle, segment size, and dead zone all affect usability dramatically. The breakthrough was context-aware segments that reduce cognitive load by only showing what's relevant to the selected unit type.