Designing and Placing the Mini Map: Guidelines for Game Developers
The mini map is a staple in many game genres, providing players with essential information to navigate and interact with the game world. But where should it be placed on the HUD, and what factors should guide its design? This article explores conventions and best practices for mini map placement, including genre-specific trends and practical guidelines to create an effective, user-friendly mini map.
Why Do Games Need a Mini Map?
Mini maps offer orientation and help ease navigation within game worlds. They evolved alongside world maps, particularly in RPGs and adventure games, as a compact means of providing real-time spatial awareness. Though not all genres need mini maps—puzzle, board, fighting, and some adventure games often forgo them—they’re nearly indispensable in fast-paced games such as shooters, RPGs, MOBAs, and racing games. In these genres, the mini map acts as a player’s primary tool for situational awareness.
Common Mini Map Conventions Across Genres
To understand mini map placement, we analyzed a selection of 66 games. While no strict standard exists, some clear patterns emerge:
- MOBA Games: Typically place the mini map at the bottom left.
- Strategy Games: Usually prefer the bottom left, favoring players’ lower visual fields.
- MMORPGs: Frequently use the top right for their mini maps.
- Racing Games: Often position the mini map on the left side of the screen.
- First-Person Shooters: Also prefer the left side.
Mini Map Scope and Design Variations
The mini map’s scope and presentation vary by genre. Action and shooter games generally limit the mini map’s view to the player’s immediate surroundings. Meanwhile, in sports, MOBA, and racing games, the mini map may encompass a broader view of the game world. In genres with larger virtual environments, mini maps often include cardinal directions and use circular frames, reflecting a compass metaphor that aids navigation.
Guidelines for Mini Map Placement and Design
When deciding where to place a mini map, it’s essential to consider both player usability and established conventions within the genre. Misplaced mini maps can cause player frustration and confusion, particularly in fast-paced games where quick access to HUD elements is crucial.
1. Optimal Placement
- Left-Side Placement: Western players tend to focus more on the left side of the screen, making it ideal for games that require rapid decision-making.
- Minimize HUD Distance: Avoid placing the mini map too far from other core HUD elements. This minimizes eye movement, reducing reaction times and missed clicks.
- Divide Information and Interaction Zones: Position the mini map within a “pure information” zone of the HUD, typically in the top half of the screen. If the map allows player interaction, consider placing it closer to interactive HUD elements at the bottom.
2. Visual Consistency
- Integrate with HUD Aesthetics: Ensure the mini map’s design complements the overall HUD layout in terms of proportions, colors, and style.
- Avoid Obstructing Essential Gameplay Elements: Place the mini map in a way that doesn’t obscure critical gameplay visuals unless it’s toggleable.
- Consider Iconography and Color: Use high-contrast colors for important elements like allies, enemies, and objectives. Account for colorblind accessibility by using distinctive shapes or textures.
3. Information Display
Mini maps provide essential information that players rely on for situational awareness. Here’s a breakdown of essential and optional elements:
- Must-Have Elements:
- Player Position: Central to helping players orient themselves within the game.
- Friends and Enemies: Mark opposing players or units in clear, distinguishable icons.
- Barriers and Obstacles: Use color contrasts (e.g., dark for obstacles, light for accessible areas) to highlight boundaries.
- Points of Interest: Checkpoints, bases, objectives, and other strategic markers.
- Optional Elements:
- Fog of War: Common in strategy games to obscure unexplored areas.
- Health or Status Indicators: Show unit or player health in games with survival elements.
- Terrain Details: Use subtle shading for elevation or terrain differences.
- Peripheral Indicators: For large maps, peripheral arrows or symbols can indicate the direction of off-screen points of interest.
Interactivity Options
For games that allow it, a mini map can go beyond passive display by providing interactive options. These features enhance usability and give players greater control over navigation and communication:
- Setting Waypoints: Players can mark specific destinations by clicking on the mini map.
- Pings or Alerts: Useful in multiplayer games, these allow players to communicate through “Target” or “Retreat” pings.
- Zoom Controls: Allow players to zoom in and out, potentially transitioning to a full-scale world map.
- Drag or Pan: For larger maps, players may need to drag or scroll to view different segments.
Recommendations for Effective Mini Map Design
- Use Established Conventions: Players often have genre-based expectations for mini map location. If your game belongs to a genre with common mini map conventions, consider using them to ease players’ learning curve.
- Ensure Scalability: In games with large worlds or changing environments, a scalable mini map that adapts to zoom levels or displays relevant information based on player progression is essential.
- Prioritize Readability: A mini map should communicate key information at a glance. Opt for simple, recognizable icons over detailed illustrations to reduce cognitive load.
- Leverage Known Metaphors: Use universally understood icons—houses for bases, flags for checkpoints—to communicate game elements. When in doubt, simple geometric shapes (dots, arrows) are preferable to abstract symbols.
- Support Peripheral Awareness: Fast-paced games, particularly in the action and shooter genres, benefit from positioning the mini map within the player’s peripheral vision, reducing the need for direct eye contact and increasing reaction time.
Closing Thoughts
The placement and design of a mini map might seem trivial, but it plays a significant role in a player’s experience. By considering genre conventions, integrating design within the HUD, and ensuring clear readability, game designers can create mini maps that enhance rather than hinder gameplay. Thoughtful mini map design not only supports player orientation but also contributes to an overall immersive experience that keeps players engaged and fully aware of their surroundings.