HUD Updates and Ideas

[DDD113]

This thread is just for the tweaking of the HUD, not suggesting major changes, just discussing changing and visibility issues. On that topic, here is my idea of how to make the weapon logos easily identifiable in day and night modes:

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Obviously the HUD is too small compared to the icon, but I along with others think that the HUD needs to be bigger or there needs to be a scaling option. Therefore, I sized the logos how I thought they should be sized, so they are easily visible and large enough to read at a glance. Also, if you had a scaleable HUD, it would resize the weapon icon too, personally I think it would be best to make it resizeable, and to have a background behind the weapon icon.

[docfo4r]

I am not quite sure of how to add background to the weapon icons other than having the current blurry pulsing [that's not really a background, but at least a change of focus]. Since all other elements [music equalizer, font] don't have a strict background shape, I think it doesn't look nice to simply put a white square in the background. I know your pictures only refer to the size, but am just saying that for the future.

The idea of the resizeable HUD sounds very nice, though.

[DDD113]

Yeah, this was more of a size example with a picture taken from your website, but it seems like the icons can be hard to see at night. Not sure what to do about it, maybe if the HUD was resizeable it would be easier to see, and wouldn't be a problem.

[rdmx]

Yeah, a HUD scale option is sorely needed, perhaps alongside a 'HUD Margin' option (allowing you to push the HUD elements closer to the center of the screen if desired)

I feel that the current integrity meter is hard to read at a glance which is a bit of a failure in the initial design.

One such issue - the current meter doesn't make it clear enough that you're taking damage - I'd suggest adding a flashing red quadrant (the space between your current shield and 100%) to the integrity meter, which pulses a few times after taking damage. This will hopefully make it more obvious your ship has sustained damage.

The weapon icons are also hard to read at a glance. Part of the issue is that too many of their overall designs look like 'circles' and all begin to blend into each other. (Cannon, Tractorbeam, EMP, Magnet, Mine, Tractortrap, Atom, Teleporter). You've also got things for instance, both the Atom and Teleporter (both Green weapons) using a 'bladed circle' motif. Throw Magnets in there if you want as well. It's just confusing.

[docfo4r]

To be honest, the health bar is useless in it's current state... It is a white bar that increases and decreases in size, but you have no connection to anything that indicates your integrity... I mean, when you are at 60%, you can't see that in the health bar at all.... You might notice that it is smaller than before, but it doesn't really indicate your current integrity.

For the pickup symbols, just throwing a plane background or a frame/border around it isn't the solution. It might be more readable, but it looks ugly and doesn't fit to the style of the HUD at all. Maybe we need some sort of "field" that is always there and stays empty as long as you don't hold a pickup, like WOHD has. But this empty field can't just be a half transparent filled square. A little bit more style would be apprechiated.

About resizing and margin I agree. I'd even say we provide a "free hand" tool that lets you drag certain HUD areas unlinked from all the others, like you can drag and resize the left bottom area, the right bottom, left top and right top area. This way we can also deal with all the different resolutions that could come up [I dunno if you have seen that SSGX video posted on youtube from some guy who has a superwide screen].

[DDD113]

Again, the square icon was just a size reference, screenshotted from your website. Not the background I would want, but I think we do need something to make them stand out. Also, the weapons I get confused with the most are the mines and magnets, and I think it would help if you put the text that shows the number of mines remaining beneath the icon when you pick it up, not just when you use it, so it's easier to distinguish.

[KronicReaper]

What about the curved HUD display like on Wipeout Pulse that was cool or a cockpit HUD display like on XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association? That's a new HUD idea.

[Lolmadmanlol]

maybe all of the hud items like the speed indecator and stuff could be in wee screen/moniter looking things like if you where inside the ship i think that would like quiet nice and maybe different teams could have different screens and stuff

[docfo4r]

The idea with different HUDs for each time has been discussed before but was left behind due to the inconvenience that you need to re-adapt your eyes to the new elements every time you switch the team.