Ring Menu: Difference between revisions

A practical upshot of this format is that it can hide the fact that not all options are yet available to the player, since removing one option will not [[Interface Spoiler|leave an empty space behind]]. The second type also has the advantage of being quicker than a traditional menu, sometimes quick enough to be accessed without having to pause the actual gameplay in progress.

 

 

=== Type 1 - Spin the wheel ===

 

* The ''[[Secret of Mana]]'' series, if not the [[Ur Example]], is likely the [[Trope Maker]], using a ring menu system in almost every game of the series.

* ''[[Metroid Prime]] 2'' had a variation in which menu options were displayed emanating from a central node, and the user rotated the menu in three dimensions to bring one node to the front.

* ''[[Odin Sphere]]'' uses separate rings for each inventory pouch in the player's possession.

* ''[[Persona 3]]'''s battle menu.

* ''[[Secret of Evermore]]'', which was built using the Mana game engine.

* ''[[Tomb Raider]]''s ''1'', ''2'', ''3'', and Anniversary, for both its frontend and in-game menus.

* The inventory menus in ''[[Bayonetta]]'' are rings. Sub-menus, menus outside gameplay, and Rodin's inventory in the Gates of Hell are traditional linear menus.

* The first ''Grandia'' had this in its battle menu, going in one direction, left - right/right to left. The third game had this and would be able to go up - down/down-up as well in a sphere.

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* ''[[A Boy and His Blob]]'' for the Wii

* ''[[Dragon Age]]''

* ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]: [[Twilight Princess]]'''s used this for Link's inventory items specifically to avoid an [[Interface Spoiler]] -- although it still provided a separate 'Quest Status' screen with a traditional layout.

* ''[[Mass Effect]]'''s abilities, as shown in the page image, are displayed like this.

* The ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' series used this to switch between Samus's visors and beam weapons. In the [[Game Cube]] originals they corresponded to the controller's directional pad and second analog stick respectively; ''[[Metroid Prime]] 3'' (and the ''Trilogy'' edition) made this explicit by overlaying the menu across the game screen.

* ''[[Ratchet and Clank]]'' series: Ratchet's quick-select menu (and Clank's action menu). Later games even expanded the menu to hold two or more 'pages' of items.

* ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' when selecting weapons.

* ''[[Sonny]]'' uses this in combat. You click on the target, at which point any useable options are highlighted (healing/buffs on Sonny or allies, attacks on enemies).

* ''[[Second Life]]'' used to have a few of those, but they are cranky. Now replaced with drop-down menus, that are crankier.

* While the default interface in [[World of Warcraft]] doesn't have this feature, a popular add-on, [http://www.go-hero.net/opie/ OPie] allows it to be applied in-game. It is a great tool to utilize sparsely used skills, items, macros, abilities, and other things while minimizing interface clutter.

* ''[[Rainbow Six]] Vegas'' and ''Vegas 2'' have two such menus of this type. The first brings up the inventory menu for switching weapons and grenades/equipment. The second brings up options for your current gun, such as changing the rate of fire and attaching a suppressor.

 

=== Mixed or unsorted variations ===

* The three levels of magic in ''[[Bullet Witch]]'' are displayed in a ring setup. The size of the ring is inversely proportionate to the power of the magic you select.

* Common in later [[Lucas Arts]] Adventure Games.

* ''Noctropolis''

* ''[[The Sims]]''

* the iPod game ''Song Summoner'' had this to match the clickwheel interface of the platform.

* ''[[Temple of Elemental Evil]]'' uses a radial menu that was basically a multi-tiered ring menu for each category, so "attack" has sub sections for attack modes (such as the option to deal non lethal damage) and attack types (such as trip and full attack) under it.

* ''[[Phantom Brave]]'' uses a ring menu for character creation. This gets a little annoying as you always start at the same spot in the ring each time and you eventually get enough generic character classes for ''two'' rings.

* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons Shadow Over Mystara]]'' as well as its prequel [[Tower of Doom]] had this. Spellcasters got more rings for spells.

* The [http://www.foxtab.com/ FoxTab] add-on for Firefox has an option for this.

* ''[[Rune Factory Frontier]]'' uses separate ring menus for tools, seeds, and weaponry. You can even customize a ring menu to store the tools you use most frequently.

* In ''[[Drakengard]]'', you choose your weapon from a ring of sharp objects.

* ''[[Hitman]]: Blood Money'' does this.

[[Category:Video Game Items and Inventory]]

[[Category:Ring Menu]]