Yield! Fall of Rome
Onboarding redesign and full UI overhaul for Billionworlds
Yield! Fall of Rome is a turn-based 4X strategy game set in the final days of the Roman Empire, developed by the studio Billionworlds and published by Daedalic Entertainment. I was the sole designer, responsible for game UI, UX and graphic design, not including the 3D modelling of the game itself.
Role Game UI, UX and graphic design
Studio Billionworlds
Result From a beta struggling with retention, to thousands of players shortly after Steam launch
The problem
Billionworlds had a strong concept, funding and a core of highly engaged long-term players. But the beta numbers told a different story: new players were dropping off before they ever reached the core game loop. For a strategy game with real depth, that first encounter was make or break, and too many people gave up before they got to the good part.
Screenshots from user testing the early sketches of the onboarding sequence, from before I redesigned the UI.
The city view before and after my UI makeover.
The process
We started with open user tests to find out where the challenge actually was, rather than assuming. The tests revealed a clear pattern: the onboarding explained the game without teaching it. Players were handed information but not experience, and by the time the explanation was over, many had already lost interest.
I iterated towards an active onboarding suited to the game's complexity, shorter, more engaging, and designed to get players through the actual mechanics before they gave up. Instead of being told how the game worked, players were guided through doing it.
Alongside the onboarding work, I led the transition of the product from mobile to desktop, a significant shift in interaction model, and a complete redesign of the entire UI, which is what the game looks like today.
Before and after redeisgning the tech tree shown below. Through testing I realised that the different techs needed better explanations and solved this through the use of symbols, differentiating connections between unlocked and locked technologies further, and writing out the benefits of each tech in more detail. I also gave the visual side of it a lift, moving away from the retro 2D, but still matching the game theme of ancient Rome.
The result
Retention and player satisfaction improved measurably after the redesign. Yield! Fall of Rome went from a beta struggling to hold onto players, to thousands of players shortly after its Steam launch.
Some more screenshots from the finished game UI shown below.
