The game runs on the Processing framework, which brings no ready made interface elements with it. Every button, every input field and every game state had to exist as a drawing before it could be programmed. Three decisions followed from that. The pixel style keeps the artwork readable at a very small number of pixels and gives the game a timeless look. The ships were given distinct shapes so their length can be read at a glance instead of counted. And because only the player who starts the round may change the field size and the number of ships, those inputs are greyed out for the second player rather than hidden: the state stays visible instead of disappearing without comment.

What I took from the project is that every piece of feedback needs its own channel. A hit and a miss are therefore marked twice, graphically by fire or a water splash and audibly by an explosion or a splash. A move is not only seen, it is also heard.