[font="]STANDARDS[/font] Controller, Interface, and Game Sequence Standards All software products published for PlayStation must follow certain basic rules to ensure that consistency is maintained across products. The main topics this chapter covers are the implementation of setup and menu screens, the sequence followed when starting a game, the method of pausing and un-pausing a game, the behavior of a game while paused, the method used to support RAM card saves and loads, and the mapping of controls to actions within the game. [font="]External Consistency[/font] 1. Startup Sequence 1.1 On powerup with a game disc in place, the system will display the SCE Logo screen, followed by the PlayStation Logo screen. Following the PlayStation screen, the Publisher logo sequence may appear. Any of the Publisher Logo sequence screens must allow the user to bypass them by pressing the Start button, after being displayed for 5 seconds. 1.2 After this, any introductory sequence which “sets up†the story of the game should play. This may consist of a full motion video sequence, or at the very minimum, text scrolling over a slide show with appropriate voice over. This sequence may be of any length, but the user must be able to bypass it. When this sequence ends or is skipped, the title screen should be displayed. This screen should contain (where possible) all necessary legal information. In cases where such information will not fit, a secondary legal screen may be displayed either prior to the title screen (preferably) or after exiting that screen. 1.3 From the title screen, the user should be given the choice of starting the game (either a new game or where applicable, a saved game) or of choosing to set game options. This should be done by presenting a menu of choices. 2.SCE Logo and Copyright Screens 2.1 The words “Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment of America†must appear on the PlayStation logo screen, underneath the word “Playstationâ€, that is beneath the PlayStation logo. 2.2 The user must not be able to bypass the PlayStation logo or any screen containing copyright or other legal information at startup. The PlayStation logo screen must be visible at least once on powerup for a minimum of two seconds, but must not exceed 10 seconds. Publisher legal/logo screens must not exceed 10 seconds each, and the user must be able to bypass each of them after 5 seconds by pressing the Start button. If these screens repeat during demo mode, the user should be able to skip them without the delay. 2.3 The SCE logo, PlayStation logo, and PS logo graphics must never be used within a game. 3.Loading 3.1 At no time during the initial load or any following loads should the user ever be presented with a blank screen. Whenever a load occurs which would interrupt play, some sort of display must be used. It is strongly suggested that such screens not be simple “Now Loading†messages, but should incorporate some sort of entertaining and/or informative display whether it be interactive or not. A simple example would be a graphically pleasing counter showing load status. Blank screens lasting no more than 4 seconds are allowable, but discouraged. ANY load that last longer than 4 seconds while on a screen with graphics (such as an option screen), must notify the user that a load is occurring. 4.Demo Sequence 4.1 Demo modes must be included in every game and must show representative gameplay sections in rotation with the title screen and occasionally, the full startup sequence including the PlayStation logo. There should be a clear text indication that the software is in demo mode, such as the word “demo†blinking at the top of the screen. In addition, cinematic sequences may be played in rotation with gameplay scenes. However, no individual portion of the running demo should take more than 30 seconds. This means that you should not play the lengthy opening cinematic introduction as part of the demo. Demo mode must start if there has been no user input for 30 seconds from the time the title screen appears. Pressing any control button must end the demo and take the user to the title screen with the menu visible. Example Demo Title Screen 15 seconds of Level 2 Startup sequence 15 seconds of Level 1 10 second FMV Title Screen 30 second FMV 5.Menus 5.1 For any list of options or a menu of items, all movement of the cursor or highlight area must be done with the DPAD. 5.2 Selection (activation) of the highlighted item must be accomplished by pressing the X button. 5.3 In cases involving a range of settings for a single menu or list item, Left/Right on the DPAD must be used to change between the various settings. 5.4 On screens where the selection of a single item takes you to another screen, pressing the X button must make the choice and advance. All of the same menu/list rules apply that applied to the original screen also apply to the new screen. 5.5 On screens where there are multiple settings to be adjusted, the X button must activate/choose the item. Once all items to be modified have been selected, the user must either press Start to proceed or highlight an explicit EXIT command and press the X or Start buttons to proceed. 5.6 Cascading or hierarchical menus/windows are discouraged. If they are used, there should not be more than 3 levels. A page backward/forward icon, such as an arrow, must be selectable to the user with the DPAD, with the X button performing the action. 5.7 Activation of normally hidden menus should generally be done by pressing Select. All rules for external menus apply within the game as well. Additionally, it is permissible to present setup and options menus when the game is paused (by pressing Start). 6.Feedback 6.1 All user selections must have visual and audio feedback. Clicks, dings, highlights, etc. should occur within 1/10 of a second of pressing an action button. 6.2 Any option screen where the user is able to take an action must have an on-screen button text prompt, indicating which buttons perform the actions. 7.Options 7.1 Options available should include difficulty settings, controller setup, audio tests, and other settings which will allow the user to customize play. In addition, access to RAM card utilities such as loading data, duplicating saved games, and copying cards may be done from the Options screen. 7.2 While the controls used outside of gameplay must remain constant, all in-game controls must be re-mappable by the user. Two ways to do this are to allow choices among limited alternatives (minimum of 3), or to allow any function to be mapped to any button. An exception is the Start button, which is always to be used to pause and un-pause the game. Choices must be displayed on-screen with a representation of the controller for the user’s reference, or with a list of the buttons, and what action they perform. 7.3 Music volume and sound effects volume must be independently adjustable. It is suggested that the use of slider bars representing Music and SFX be utilized. This function can be performed by accessing an option from the main option menu, and/or being able to access this option when in pause mode. 8.Game/Options Saves 8.1 Any game which has a game save feature must offer a password feature for those who do not have access to a RAM card. This can be a less complete save than is possible on RAM card. It is suggested that a password have some type of logical link to the game. 8.2 If the game detects the presence of a RAM card in either slot, it must offer to save the game to the card. A game MUST NEVER overwrite another saved game without the user giving an explicit approval. If there are no slots available on the selected RAM card, the program must inform the user clearly and request that the user either delete a slot or insert a different card. If the user elects to cancel the RAM card save for any reason, the password save must be displayed. Game saves must include a representative icon and a descriptive text string. Whenever possible the text should be unique to the saved game, to allow the user to identify his saves when using the system RAM card utilities. 8.3 If the game detects the presence of an un-formatted memory card, the user must be presented with a dialog box that asks if the user would like to format the card. 8.4 All game Options set from the Options screen must be saved along with game data when a game is saved to a RAM card. 8.5 If high score information is a part of the game, this information must be saved as part of any and all existing game/controller option save records. 8.6 There should also be an option on the Options screen that allows the user to save all preferred controller and game options. Preferably the user should also be able to associate his/her initials/name with each option save. There should also be another option on the Options screen that allows the user to access these saved options (i.e. Save & Load Options). 8.7 The game must detect whether a memory card with saved game options is present when the game is booted, and if so, restore the 1st set of saved game options. 9.Cinematics 9.1 To skip a cinematic or other long sequence, the user must be able to press the Start or the X button. In cases of multiple introduction sequences, pressing the X button must skip to the next section and Start must skip to the end of all of them. 9.2 If the game contains a commercial for the developer’s or publisher’s products, it must be accessible only from the main options screen. 10.End Game 10.1 If a user successfully completes a game, it is strongly suggested that he/she receive a reward sequence. Often this will be a lengthy animated or FMV sequence. 10.2 Developers are encouraged to have multiple levels of rewards, based on player performance and/or game difficulty. 10.3 If important information (for example a secret password or control sequence) is presented at the end of the reward sequence, then pressing Start must skip only the FMV or animation. In ANY case, the Start button must be used in place of any other control button so the user does not accidentally skip the password or control information. This information screen must not detect a button press for 5 seconds. At 5 seconds, a button prompt must appear, and the user can then press the Start button, which must return the user to the title screen. 11.Credits 11.1 It is appropriate and encouraged to give on-screen credit to the teams who create PlayStation games. It is recommended that credits be displayed at the end of the game, whether the user wins or loses, after any reward sequences have been displayed. 11.2 It is also permissible to include limited credits at the beginning of a game in one of two ways: as a part of the intro FMV or setup sequence, or as a selectable item from the options screen. It must be possible to bypass a credit sequence by pressing Start or the X button. 12.Text/Graphic Displays 12.1 Large amounts of text should either scroll or page. Scrolling text speed should be determined by the user using Up/Down on the DPAD. Paged text should advance under user control by pressing the X button or Up/Down on the DPAD. Whenever there is additional text to display beyond the current visible portion, an indicator should be displayed showing the direction to move to get to the text. For example, up and down arrows (drawn so as to not be confused with the triangle button) should be displayed as appropriate, to indicate additional scrollable or paged text. The user must be able to bypass scrolling or paged text by pressing the Start button. 12.2 All critical text must be in English. 12.3 Single width text is highly discouraged, in the interest of legibility. 12.4 Any text displays must remain on screen long enough to allow the average user sufficient time to read them. 12.5 All text and critical game objects must not be cut off on the screen. A safe region, smaller than the actual screen dimensions should be used for all text and important gameplay (i.e. user controlled ships, basketball players, etc). This smaller region is used because NTSC television (particularly older ones) displays can differ from one another. Some shift the picture up or down, some left or right, while others simply do not display the whole image. The following guidelines should be used: [font="]The following pixel values are based on a 640X240 display. Other resolutions should modify these values proportionally.[/font] [font="]Lowest Pixel Value for Text Highest Pixel Value for Text[/font] X 20 615 Y 20 225 [font="]Internal Consistency[/font] 13. Contols 13.1 A game must be playable with the standard Sony controller. Other peripheral devices may be used, but the game must be navigable using the standard Sony controller. Every game will have special control needs, but within each title controls must be used in a consistent and sensible manner. If a button is used to fire a weapon in one section, for example, it must not be used to jettison fuel in another. 13.2 In any game where secondary controllers are not used, but are plugged in (PlayStation controller port #2, Multi-Tap, etc.), those controller’s buttons(s) and D - Pad(s) should be inactive. 13.3 The user must be able to reset to the title screen during a game, using the following method: By pressing the Start button, and then the Select button, an option screen with “Continue†and “Quit†options appears. “Continue†continues gameplay from the same point at which the user paused, and must be the default selection. Selecting “Quit†brings up the message “Quit Game?â€, with “Yes†and “No†options, with “No†being the default selection. If the user selects “Yesâ€, the game is reset to the title screen. 13.4 Holding down the Select button, and then pressing and holding down the Start button for 2 seconds must return the user to the title screen. This must be mentioned in the game manual. 13.5 All game and controller configuration options that were active during a game must be retained when the game is reset using either of the two methods described above , or returns to the title screen at the end of the game. 13.6 The DPAD should be used exclusively for movement or for moving a selection cursor or highlight. When used for movement, the axes must map to the direction of perceived movement. The axes should correspond to either X and Y or to X and Z on the screen. For example Left on DPAD moves the character left on the screen, Up on the DPAD moves up the screen, etc. The only time this might change would be when mimicking the behavior of another controller, like a flight stick, where up on the pad is the same as pressing a stick forward, thus diving a plane. 13.7 The choice of whether to make controls relative to the user or relative to the on-screen character is dependent upon the game in question. When there is a lack of clarity as to which method is better, both should be available as options, with one set as the default. 14. Action Buttons 14.1 The four standard buttons must be used as action buttons, with the X button being used as the primary action button and the other buttons being assigned to secondary functions as needed. The circle and square buttons should be used as the next most needed buttons and the triangle button should be the lowest priority button of these four. 14.2 Select and Start must NOT be used as gameplay controls except as follows: Start pauses and un-pauses the game and Select can be used to open menus, switch to alternate screens, or to cycle through inventory or other lists. 15.Front Buttons 15.1 In general, use the front buttons (L1,L 2,R1,R2) for sharp steering (as in a driving game), banking (in a flying game), turning (walking in hallways), or for accessing an axis of movement not available from the DPAD (for example the DPAD moves you in X and Y and the front buttons handle Z), or to mimic special controls (left and right tread controls for example). The top two front buttons should be used for actions more commonly needed during play, with the lower two buttons being used more sparingly. Avoid creating situations in which the user is required to use the DPAD, two or more of the front buttons, and any of the other buttons all at once. 16.Pausing Gameplay 16.1 Pressing Start during gameplay must pause the game. A clear visual indication of the paused state is necessary, with the word PAUSED prominently displayed on the screen. All gameplay, music and sound effects must stop while the game is paused and resume at the same point on restart (done by pressing Start a second time). 16.2In a multi player game, only the person who pauses the game can un-pause.
Weird, Sega and Nintendo both splash their logo liberally through their games. Anyone hazard guess why they were like this? I'm guessing this must have been pretty early on, I can't think of many games which have password and save card options. I know there are some game which don't do this, I was playing one the other day (can't remember what it was now). These standards were slightly flexible then?
