Development Update #18 - New UI
[h2]Greetings, Dwarven Lords![/h2][p][/p][p] We are happy to let you know that King of the Dwarves is starting to look better with each passing day. If you are closely watching our announcements, you might have noticed that here and there, we were showcasing screenshots or videos from the game with a very placeholder User Interface (UI). But not anymore! The new UI is here, and we are eager to show you the early preview! [/p][p][/p][h2]New UI[/h2][p]
The new interface takes inspiration from the sharp, minimalistic shapes of Nordic runes, giving it a clean yet striking look. But it’s not just about style - the layout follows familiar patterns from other games in the genre, so it feels natural right away. And most importantly, all the key info is right where you need it - no digging deep (pun intended) through menus and panels required. [/p][p][/p][h3]Inspirations[/h3][p]We looked at many other games while designing the UI: Timberborn, Against the Storm, All Will Fall, the Civilization games and even Baldur's Gate 3. All of them had some elements or layout decisions that we liked, but at the same time, every game is unique, so we had to combine different ideas into the final UI. Within the gameplay itself, we wanted everything to be as compact as possible, so that you would see most of the necessary information right on the main in-game screen (by the way, if the UI is still too big for you, you can scale it down).[/p][p][/p][p]We didn't want heavy details that are there just because they're pretty. However, we still wanted to convey the feeling of luxury, so we added golden borders and some decor on the buttons, windows and other elements. All in all, UI is very important in a game like this, since there's a lot of management going on, which is why we took our time with it. Of course, we'll keep iterating, but we're excited to show you what we have now. Have a look![/p][p][/p][h3]Main Menu[/h3][p]In the main menu, we wanted to immerse players right into the world of the dwarves, but keep them wanting to go into the mountain itself. Therefore, we're showing this animated outside view of the mountain with the gates wide open and dwarves going into their new kingdom. You can already see the minimalistic UI design with the subtle decor that we talked about.[/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][h3]Gameplay[/h3][p]At first, we had many foldable elements, like groups of resources, but they covered too much screen space when expanded. But in the end, we put most of the stuff right on the screen. Also, you can once more see some decor around some elements, but it's quite simplistic, so that it wouldn't cover the precious gameplay area too much. By the way, almost every element has its own tooltip when you hover, which provides extra information about what you're seeing.[/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][h3]Knowledge Tree Panel[/h3][p]And here's a work-in-progress knowledge tree. There will be more information here, but the overall look shouldn't change much.[/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][h2]Closed Demo Test[/h2][p]
Important reminder! If you have missed the last announcement, we have opened the sign-up form for the Closed Demo Test of the game. Join us if you want to play King of the Dwarves before everyone else and share your feedback with the developers. It will be the best moment to share your thoughts about the game and impact the development of our game in a significant way. Closed Demo Test is coming in November 2025.
Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team[/p]
The new interface takes inspiration from the sharp, minimalistic shapes of Nordic runes, giving it a clean yet striking look. But it’s not just about style - the layout follows familiar patterns from other games in the genre, so it feels natural right away. And most importantly, all the key info is right where you need it - no digging deep (pun intended) through menus and panels required. [/p][p][/p][h3]Inspirations[/h3][p]We looked at many other games while designing the UI: Timberborn, Against the Storm, All Will Fall, the Civilization games and even Baldur's Gate 3. All of them had some elements or layout decisions that we liked, but at the same time, every game is unique, so we had to combine different ideas into the final UI. Within the gameplay itself, we wanted everything to be as compact as possible, so that you would see most of the necessary information right on the main in-game screen (by the way, if the UI is still too big for you, you can scale it down).[/p][p][/p][p]We didn't want heavy details that are there just because they're pretty. However, we still wanted to convey the feeling of luxury, so we added golden borders and some decor on the buttons, windows and other elements. All in all, UI is very important in a game like this, since there's a lot of management going on, which is why we took our time with it. Of course, we'll keep iterating, but we're excited to show you what we have now. Have a look![/p][p][/p][h3]Main Menu[/h3][p]In the main menu, we wanted to immerse players right into the world of the dwarves, but keep them wanting to go into the mountain itself. Therefore, we're showing this animated outside view of the mountain with the gates wide open and dwarves going into their new kingdom. You can already see the minimalistic UI design with the subtle decor that we talked about.[/p][p][/p][p]
Important reminder! If you have missed the last announcement, we have opened the sign-up form for the Closed Demo Test of the game. Join us if you want to play King of the Dwarves before everyone else and share your feedback with the developers. It will be the best moment to share your thoughts about the game and impact the development of our game in a significant way. Closed Demo Test is coming in November 2025.
Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team[/p]