What can you do with a loading screen?

[Tsukihime]

So if you've played the browser demo on the pre-order page, you'll notice that there's this "Now Loading" screen. This screen is used whenever the game is fetching data from wherever.

It also means that you could potentially have a loading screen whenever you want, such as when you're trying to pre-cache some assets before you enter a map or battle, or you're getting the engine to do some heavy-lifting.

Of course, the default loading screen is just an image, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to, for example, play an animation, or display some other image, or perhaps even display some sort of relevant, context-specific image depending on what you're loading or where you're going.

If loading takes a long time you could even have them amuse themselves with a mini-game.

What kind of things can you do with a loading screen?

 

[David FoxFire]

I'd use a loading screen to show random tips while the engine is doing heavy lifting. Perfect place for that "Save Regularly" line or a feature in the UI that most people need to remember. "Press the Q key to bring up a map."

 

[Rise Evil]

So many options, people will have to be extremely creative.

 

[LTN Games]

I would do the same as DavidFoxFire said, have little tips and tricks. I would also have it in between most big maps, but skip out on little maps. I would love to utilize it though.

 

[Bizarre Monkey]

So if you've played the browser demo on the pre-order page, you'll notice that there's this "Now Loading" screen. This screen is used whenever the game is fetching data from wherever.

It also means that you could potentially have a loading screen whenever you want, such as when you're trying to pre-cache some assets before you enter a map or battle, or you're getting the engine to do some heavy-lifting.

Of course, the default loading screen is just an image, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to, for example, play an animation, or display some other image, or perhaps even display some sort of relevant, context-specific image depending on what you're loading or where you're going.

If loading takes a long time you could even have them amuse themselves with a mini-game.

What kind of things can you do with a loading screen?

Already done Loading screens in the past, mostly when pre-loading images for gigantic picture cutscenes to avoid harsh stops.

I also just made some for giggles. I'll probably have loading tips like WoW does.