When You Run Out Of Ideas, Work On The Start Screen.

Implementing Blinking Text and Interactive Buttons for "Descent into Madness"

The start screen is the first thing players see when they launch "Descent into Madness," so we wanted to ensure it sets the tone for the rest of the experience. We aimed for a balance of eerie atmosphere and intuitive functionality—achieving this with blinking text and buttons that react to the player's mouse movements. Here's how we did it.

Blinking Text for Atmosphere

First, we wanted the title text to "blink" as if it were flickering in and out of reality—a subtle nod to the unsettling vibe of the game. To create this effect, we wrote a script that smoothly fades the text in and out. By adjusting the alpha value of the text's color, we were able to achieve a fading blinking effect that feels alive yet haunting.

Here’s the core of our script:

using System.Collections;
using UnityEngine;
using TMPro; // For TextMeshPro

public class FadingBlinkingText : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float fadeDuration = 0.5f; // Time for a complete fade-in or fade-out

    private TextMeshProUGUI textMeshPro;
    private Coroutine fadeCoroutine;

    private void Start()
    {
        textMeshPro = GetComponent<TextMeshProUGUI>();
        if (textMeshPro != null)
        {
            fadeCoroutine = StartCoroutine(FadeLoop());
        }
    }

    private IEnumerator FadeLoop()
    {
        while (true)
        {
            yield return FadeText(1f, 0f); // Fade out
            yield return FadeText(0f, 1f); // Fade in
        }
    }

    private IEnumerator FadeText(float startAlpha, float endAlpha)
    {
        float elapsedTime = 0f;

        while (elapsedTime < fadeDuration)
        {
            elapsedTime += Time.deltaTime;
            float alpha = Mathf.Lerp(startAlpha, endAlpha, elapsedTime / fadeDuration);

            Color color = textMeshPro.color;
            color.a = alpha;
            textMeshPro.color = color;

            yield return null; // Wait for the next frame
        }
    }

    private void OnDisable()
    {
        if (fadeCoroutine != null)
        {
            StopCoroutine(fadeCoroutine);
        }
    }
}

We attached this script to our title text GameObject in the Unity Editor and set a fade duration of 0.5 seconds for a smooth, eerie effect. The result? The title text now feels like it’s phasing in and out of existence—perfect for setting the mood.

Interactive Buttons for Intuitive Navigation

Next, we turned our attention to the start menu buttons, ensuring they felt responsive and interactive. We wanted each button to highlight when hovered over, giving players clear visual feedback.

Unity’s UI system makes this easy with built-in button color transitions, but we needed a bit more control to match the aesthetic of "Descent into Madness." We wrote a custom script to handle color changes dynamically:

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
using UnityEngine.EventSystems;

public class ButtonHighlighter : MonoBehaviour, IPointerEnterHandler, IPointerExitHandler
{
    private Button button;
    private Color originalColor;
    public Color highlightColor = Color.red; // Set the highlight color in the Inspector

    private void Start()
    {
        button = GetComponent<Button>();
        if (button != null)
        {
            originalColor = button.image.color;
        }
    }

    public void OnPointerEnter(PointerEventData eventData)
    {
        if (button != null)
        {
            button.image.color = highlightColor;
        }
    }

    public void OnPointerExit(PointerEventData eventData)
    {
        if (button != null)
        {
            button.image.color = originalColor;
        }
    }
}

This script listens for mouse enter and exit events using the IPointerEnterHandler and IPointerExitHandler interfaces. We attached it to each button GameObject in the menu and configured the highlightColor to be a slightly menacing red. As a result, when players hover over a button, it subtly shifts to this color, drawing attention without overwhelming the design.

The Result

With these two features, the start screen of "Descent into Madness" is both visually engaging and user-friendly. The blinking text draws players into the game’s unsettling world right from the start, while the interactive buttons provide intuitive navigation with a touch of personality.

This implementation was a relatively small addition in terms of development time, but the impact on the overall presentation of the game is significant. It’s always worth investing effort into those first impressions—they set the stage for everything that follows.