HUD discussion thread - My suggestions for PC

[Zakka]

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/7172/dehud.jpg

We know the pc will get it's own HUD. The current console HUD is okay, but could be better. Some of these suggestions could also work for the console, but are mainly for the PC HUD. Currently, there is too much stuff on the hud. The less you see of the HUD, the better. It makes the game look 'cleaner' and more immersive. Also, having stuff in every corner of the screen is distracting.

Good things about current HUD:

+ at least some transparacy.
+ fits with DEHR theme.
+ batteries look cool and functional

However...

One particular thing bothered me: The health. Either show the health in numbers, or show the health in a bar. BOTH (like it is now) is totally unnecesasry and takes up space. Put the health on the bottom and combine it with what's there. I prefer numbers for my health, because it's more accurate. I would put the batteries next to the numbers instead of those stupid little triangles. Example here: http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1372/hudexample1.jpg

Also:

- I'd request everything being showed at the bottom of the screen.
- XP popups should be a lot smaller and more subtle on PC.
- Option to turn off minimap
- put HUD stuff more in the corners. Better yet: I want the hud touching the bottom of my screen. Not 'floating' like it is now.


Feel free to add your own suggestions/opinions. Interesting point of discussion is if the hud should have visible number slots with a thumbnail image of the image it's holding. Personally I want this, but only in a very minimal way. That was it, thanks for reading. Looking forward to the game!

oh and here is a pic of Adam's butt for the ladies:

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5313/84445524.jpg

[Wunderbar_007]

Great ideas! Hope the devs listen.

I despise the radar and I'd also like the objective marker to disappear.

[II J0SePh X II]

Hopefully you PC guys will get a less obtrusive HUD, but I think it's a bit late in the day for us on consoles - if the one we see isn't bugged, then I doubt it'll change. Still no harm in saying what you'd like.

Dead Space 2 has changed my view on HUDs. For. Evah! Having all the information that needs to be conveyed to the player show up as part of the gameworld, is one of the best design choices I've seen in a while.

Granted, DS2 is a third person game, and Adam's HUD is an aug (making it part of the gameworld) but it's still a HUD like in any other game with a HUD. Would've been nice if he'd had some kind of interface on his left wrist, and all info pertaining to weapons on his gun. His augmented vision could have been then used for something sexier than the current highlighting - such as a radar sweep.

[Red]

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5313/84445524.jpg

Hehehe, this stillshot looks as if he's jumping into a pool (of water/choose your liquid). :thumb:

[Rainbow6Team]

Adam's augmented butt.

[VectorM]

Don't tell me you jump in a pool like that, Red.

[Red]

Hey, people have different styles :)

[Pretentious Old Man.]

Hey, people have different styles :)

Like the doggy style, for example.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/08_01/JettyDogiISF_468x303.jpg

[nomotog]

You know I think ideally they should let PC players grab onto the different hud elements, drag them around, re-size them and delete them if they so feel the need. You know just take the MS word approach to it.

[mahmoudd]

Dead Space 2 has changed my view on HUDs. For. Evah! Having all the information that needs to be conveyed to the player show up as part of the gameworld, is one of the best design choices I've seen in a while.



it's all about proper implementation

i always thought that in the elder scrolls games, it would be very great to have a 3D map, that is binded to a key and that the player can take out to see where he has to go next, instead of having to pause the game and see some menus with buttons
they did this properly with fallout 3 and the pip boy

[oscarMike]

While standing behind cover in TP and looking at shoelaces, player is being enabled to observe the whole goddamn landscape with a simple swing of a mouse! This blasphemy is not enough BUT he also have mini radar! So player is able to SEE enemy while he actually CAN'T SEE enemy, and now, thanks to radar he can SEE enemy and a whole bunch of them long before that! Double fraud!! Where's the joy in that EM??

Plain and simple, mini map/radar got to go!

...or at least enable it as an aug that can be acquired through the play, for christ's sake not in the beginning of the game!!!

[oxoxoxo]

personally i wouldnt want hud elements touching the borders of the screen. It makes you feel like looking through a frame.

[mahmoudd]

While standing behind cover in TP and looking at shoelaces, player is being enabled to observe the whole goddamn landscape with a simple swing of a mouse! This blasphemy is not enough BUT he also have mini radar! So player is able to SEE enemy while he actually CAN'T SEE enemy, and now, thanks to radar he can SEE enemy and a whole bunch of them long before that! Double fraud!! Where's the joy in that EM??

Plain and simple, mini map/radar got to go!

...or at least enable it as an aug that can be acquired through the play, for christ's sake not in the beginning of the game!!!

I feel the same for health regen

[Zakka]

personally i wouldnt want hud elements touching the borders of the screen. It makes you feel like looking through a frame.

How so? I mean, that's hard to believe. I only have that feeling when every side of the sceren is covered with something.

Here are some examples:

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/11/110578/1661898-dao2f_super.jpg

http://www.overclockers.com.au/articles/420166/fear_hud_small.jpg

do those look like you're looking trough a frame?

[Brock]

For me, the HUD is ok, just do proper scaling on PC and maybe move it a little bit closer to the edges. Also those XP and other text popups have to be somewhere more in the corner.

[oxoxoxo]

How so? I mean, that's hard to believe. I only have that feeling when every side of the sceren is covered with something.

Here are some examples:

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/11/110578/1661898-dao2f_super.jpg

http://www.overclockers.com.au/articles/420166/fear_hud_small.jpg

do those look like you're looking trough a frame?

Sorry, it was bad wording on my part.
Visually, elements touching the borders of the screen are bounded to the frame of the monitor. For tactical games like Dragon Age (or say, RTS games), the HUD is supposed to separate out from the game world for better utilization and control. On the other hand, for first person games, the HUD is part of the vision (visor/eye aug), and I think a floating HUD in a wide field of view works better in that case. (therefore, i believe the HUD in Fear 2 to be an improvement to that of the first game.)

just how I feel subjectively in general.
I do think that the DXHR HUD is too close to the center though.

[Zakka]

thanks for explaining. FEAR 2 hud reminds me of the crysis 2 hud in a positive way, but reminds me of DEIW hud in a negative way :(. Not a big fan of it.

[Srosa]

I made ​​sure that, in certain situations in the game, you could see Adam's eyeglass lenses cover the screen, coming at full speed from the sides accompanied by a slight SWAM! as seen in the Reveal Trailer. Then, I started drawing the HUD, composed of various elements almost attached to the edges of the screen. All maniacally minimal and unobtrusive.

Unfortunately, this is just a broken dream.

[Ganjadk]

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/7172/dehud.jpg

We know the pc will get it's own HUD. The current console HUD is okay, but could be better. Some of these suggestions could also work for the console, but are mainly for the PC HUD. Currently, there is too much stuff on the hud. The less you see of the HUD, the better. It makes the game look 'cleaner' and more immersive. Also, having stuff in every corner of the screen is distracting.

Good things about current HUD:

+ at least some transparacy.
+ fits with DEHR theme.
+ batteries look cool and functional

However...

One particular thing bothered me: The health. Either show the health in numbers, or show the health in a bar. BOTH (like it is now) is totally unnecesasry and takes up space. Put the health on the bottom and combine it with what's there. I prefer numbers for my health, because it's more accurate. I would put the batteries next to the numbers instead of those stupid little triangles. Example here: http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1372/hudexample1.jpg

Also:

- I'd request everything being showed at the bottom of the screen.
- XP popups should be a lot smaller and more subtle on PC.
- Option to turn off minimap
- put HUD stuff more in the corners. Better yet: I want the hud touching the bottom of my screen. Not 'floating' like it is now.


Feel free to add your own suggestions/opinions. Interesting point of discussion is if the hud should have visible number slots with a thumbnail image of the image it's holding. Personally I want this, but only in a very minimal way. That was it, thanks for reading. Looking forward to the game!

oh and here is a pic of Adam's butt for the ladies:

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5313/84445524.jpg

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/00cool%20story%20bro.jpg

get a life

[AlexOfSpades]

get a life


Ah-ha-ha-haa such a funny and constructive post, my friend!

Congratulations for your amazing creativity and originality.

Troll score: 1/10. Try again

[badhabitz]

I have not read through the entire highlighting thread but my main concerns are now with the mini map and the objective markers. I can live with everything else but those 2 features I hope and pray can be turned off through option settings or difficulty settings.

Even IW did not tell you where to go, where enemies are and even the direction they are facing...

Next we will hear about Bosses that have to be killed with a giant health bar top center of screen ala Alpha Protocol...

[[FGS]Shadowrunner]

I think the HUD is an excellent aspect of the game, personally dont like ammo counter on gun, but can be happy with it. Overall the HUD is fantastic though. Having said that, if highlight ain't optional, I will be forced to turn off HUD, simply way too busy for a 42 year old guy.

DX1 had me walking around New York, literally for hours on end (and the graphics sucked!), looking at the trailers, it's a much better world, yet I fail to see how my eyes are going to cope with even 30 minutes of HUD and highlighting of things I already know to be interactive, like a ladder etc. So yep, no option for highlighting of objects that are distant will mean goodbye HUD for me.

[nomotog]

Should they include HUD fade?

[Daedalus Ciarán]

Next we will hear about Bosses that have to be killed with a giant health bar top center of screen ala Alpha Protocol...

Well, there are bosses, and they have to be killed... it'll probably be part of the aug, which will somehow make it less of a joke. We did see in a couple of the trailers that the eye augmentation does give a detailed read-out on the health of people which, though it was CG, does seem to imply the existence of some sort of enemy health info in game. Does anyone know for definite? Anyone not connected with EM?