Forums » Suggestions
Hmm... yeah, something where everything is more integrated would be nice... but people only have a certain amount of hands, so the important data should just be shown anyway (in this case, such a circular thing would only add more stuff to the hud.)
I don't really understand your speed bar???
Your menu-thingy is a bit like I had in mind (and actually 'designed'...), but only with more colours and icons and stuff.. this is more minimalistic, which is nice too.
I don't really understand your speed bar???
Your menu-thingy is a bit like I had in mind (and actually 'designed'...), but only with more colours and icons and stuff.. this is more minimalistic, which is nice too.
If any of you have ever played Mech Warrior 2: Mercs (or pretty much any other older-than MW4 mech game), you'll understand what I mean by the MFD slots. Once you set up the ones you like, you save them, and you can quickly switch between sets at the press of a key.
This gives a better representation of the alpha:
http://www.marginsoftware.com/vendetta/HUD-2-black.png
This is a mock-up... still not quite as "gamey" as most of the others:
http://www.marginsoftware.com/vendetta/example.png
Also, I'd expect the menu text to be bent around the curve of the inner circle - I was just too lazy to figure out how to do that in this program...
As for the odd speed indicator... most ships have two engines, or two hemispheres - left and right - which impulses to change vector come from. The amount of force coming from each hemisphere is represented - thus, strafing left will have 0 energy in one hemisphere, 100% in the other. Turboing increases both, etc.
This gives a better representation of the alpha:
http://www.marginsoftware.com/vendetta/HUD-2-black.png
This is a mock-up... still not quite as "gamey" as most of the others:
http://www.marginsoftware.com/vendetta/example.png
Also, I'd expect the menu text to be bent around the curve of the inner circle - I was just too lazy to figure out how to do that in this program...
As for the odd speed indicator... most ships have two engines, or two hemispheres - left and right - which impulses to change vector come from. The amount of force coming from each hemisphere is represented - thus, strafing left will have 0 energy in one hemisphere, 100% in the other. Turboing increases both, etc.
yea i like that hud darkstorm
Hmm.. such a round thingy is quite a nice idea, but the rest... just "keep" it the way it is.
Also, the radar; I don't think you can quite figure out where everybody is on that one...
Also, the radar; I don't think you can quite figure out where everybody is on that one...
I have solved that problem Arolte. Just bind /hudmode to a key (Mine is !) That way, a simple stroke of the ! will toggle between your ship stats and the group menu, although I hope a more elegant solution is in the works, this will do for now. I like the percentage idea though. Takes up less space and leaves room for your ship stats.
I'm not too crazy about the huge multifunction HUD elements that hog up the screen there, Darkstorm. And the radar IMO is good as it is now. Having a single spherical radar can present problems with depth perception. I do however like your use of indicators. I have no objection if these suggestions are merely optional/custom HUD features.
Anyway, I just tried out the group feature for the first time and I like it so far. It's cool that you can see your teammates' hull integrity without having to look around. What I don't like is the elimination of your personal information. I had to keep hitting my sector stats key to check my score and bounty while botting. There's no way of knowing how much money you have either.
I propose that a collapsible HUD element be placed in the personal information window to allow players to see who is on your group and what their health is. Rather than having huge bars to indicate health, their percentages can be typed out to conserve space. Or if you want to get graphical you can use the traditional color coded system--green is 100%-76%, yellow is 75%-51%, orange is 50%-26%, red is 25%-0%. The player's name (text) change color according to their health.
Seeing as how the cargo area is collapsible, having another collapsible area with the group info seems like the best way to keep the HUD design consistent and easy to use IMO.
Anyway, I just tried out the group feature for the first time and I like it so far. It's cool that you can see your teammates' hull integrity without having to look around. What I don't like is the elimination of your personal information. I had to keep hitting my sector stats key to check my score and bounty while botting. There's no way of knowing how much money you have either.
I propose that a collapsible HUD element be placed in the personal information window to allow players to see who is on your group and what their health is. Rather than having huge bars to indicate health, their percentages can be typed out to conserve space. Or if you want to get graphical you can use the traditional color coded system--green is 100%-76%, yellow is 75%-51%, orange is 50%-26%, red is 25%-0%. The player's name (text) change color according to their health.
Seeing as how the cargo area is collapsible, having another collapsible area with the group info seems like the best way to keep the HUD design consistent and easy to use IMO.
*bump for Spider*
thanks rouge, interesting read.
*shrugs* Ok, I see the differant HUDs. I'm not going to bother posting what *I* think the perfect one would look like. Instead, I think there should be some option to customize (add/remove/change/etc.). That's just my thoughts. Seems that every pilot would do some customizing on their ship (if this world truly existed) and it makes sense that differant piloting styles would prefer differant HUD displays (combatants/traders/etc.).
But I'll stop before I get stones thrown at me.
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Lives in a glass house.
But I'll stop before I get stones thrown at me.
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Lives in a glass house.
The devs have said that they intend for the HUD to be modular and therefore customizable.
Make the HUD scriptable and themeable, and everyone will be happy ... well .. perhaps not the devs, but everyone else will :)
/G
/G
Scriptable? Do I sense a really easy way to make bots? :P
Hmm.. From a usability perspective I'm usually -against- things like "completely customizable HUD". Unless they are thought out -very- carefully, and a -lot- of design goes into a few select "default" examples, Customizability will reduce the playability and attractiveness of a game considerably. It gets even worse when you have to custom-design the interface for -designing- the HUD.
Just a note, I really hope there goes a -LOT- of thought, and more design, into this before its made "completely optional".
Just a note, I really hope there goes a -LOT- of thought, and more design, into this before its made "completely optional".
Alrighty, So I looked over the designs and some are pretty nice and have some good points and some bad points, but, not really sure this is the best way to go.
Sure, we could redesign the hud, but are we going to have 1 hud, that's it, always and forever? With occasional redesigns? Or are there going to be several to pick from, each with an advantage for the type of player you are (cargo, fighter, pirate, defense).
What I'd much rather see, would be something you could change... yes, I see the "against customizable HUD" postings, but, that's probably because they arent sure how we would make it customizable...
I suggest this. Make it customizable like a web browser. I'll explain better so stick with me.
Give the stations a "Change Hud" configuation panel so you can tinker with this while docked. And put a screenshot, maybe animated, in, so you can see what it will look like while flying. Then, quite simply. Let people click on the screen just like they're using Opera, or KDE, and put "Add Hud Panel (Left, Right, Top, Bottom, Or Specified Corner)."
And the game just plops about a 1 inch wide semi-transparent, blank, hud panel on the side, or corner, they want it in. You can then drag it to any place you want, or adjust the height and width to fit your needs... Then then click again, and choose.. "Add Features, Monitors" And a window pops up, sorted by catagory and labeled, and they just drag what they want wherever they want it. Radar panels automatically place their circle shape into the panel, and can be adjusted for size as well... Put in anything anyone might want to know... velocity, vector gauges, and you can add/delete things to be what you want it to be... Maybe special things like a button that blinks when you've been targeted...
Then give the ability to add text for labels, and you have something everyone can get used too after a little playing...
Sure, would take a bit of work. But as long as you have a default hud that pops up when you install, to keep the noobs happy till they figure out how to work the thing, wouldnt that work out then fighting over what gauges and features should be on the screen and what should be hidden, in menus.. click throughs and otherwise?
Sure, we could redesign the hud, but are we going to have 1 hud, that's it, always and forever? With occasional redesigns? Or are there going to be several to pick from, each with an advantage for the type of player you are (cargo, fighter, pirate, defense).
What I'd much rather see, would be something you could change... yes, I see the "against customizable HUD" postings, but, that's probably because they arent sure how we would make it customizable...
I suggest this. Make it customizable like a web browser. I'll explain better so stick with me.
Give the stations a "Change Hud" configuation panel so you can tinker with this while docked. And put a screenshot, maybe animated, in, so you can see what it will look like while flying. Then, quite simply. Let people click on the screen just like they're using Opera, or KDE, and put "Add Hud Panel (Left, Right, Top, Bottom, Or Specified Corner)."
And the game just plops about a 1 inch wide semi-transparent, blank, hud panel on the side, or corner, they want it in. You can then drag it to any place you want, or adjust the height and width to fit your needs... Then then click again, and choose.. "Add Features, Monitors" And a window pops up, sorted by catagory and labeled, and they just drag what they want wherever they want it. Radar panels automatically place their circle shape into the panel, and can be adjusted for size as well... Put in anything anyone might want to know... velocity, vector gauges, and you can add/delete things to be what you want it to be... Maybe special things like a button that blinks when you've been targeted...
Then give the ability to add text for labels, and you have something everyone can get used too after a little playing...
Sure, would take a bit of work. But as long as you have a default hud that pops up when you install, to keep the noobs happy till they figure out how to work the thing, wouldnt that work out then fighting over what gauges and features should be on the screen and what should be hidden, in menus.. click throughs and otherwise?
I was just thinking a drag-n-drop interface. The HUD has module zones. You then "pin" the module into the zone you want it. So a radar would be a module, you pin it to the zone in the bottom right, etc. And there would be different types of displays and readouts that you can pin. Think the customize toolbar option in OSX.
It would be really nice if we could save HUD configs and bing them to a key. So each stroke of the key would put us in a different HUDmode. One Hudmode would be for combat with good threat evaluation modules, damage readouts, and group statuses; another for trading/cruising around and chatting with detailed inventory, and threat detenction modules; another for exploring with enhanced navigation features and scanners (for cargo and specs on other ships, etc); and another for cruising around and chatting with enhanced chatlog readouts, etc.
By threat evaluation modules I mean proximity alarms, more detailed radar, and readouts of pilots whose names you flag as a "threat" in your options menu.
It would be really nice if we could save HUD configs and bing them to a key. So each stroke of the key would put us in a different HUDmode. One Hudmode would be for combat with good threat evaluation modules, damage readouts, and group statuses; another for trading/cruising around and chatting with detailed inventory, and threat detenction modules; another for exploring with enhanced navigation features and scanners (for cargo and specs on other ships, etc); and another for cruising around and chatting with enhanced chatlog readouts, etc.
By threat evaluation modules I mean proximity alarms, more detailed radar, and readouts of pilots whose names you flag as a "threat" in your options menu.
Whoo...
Multiple huds, with keys to toggle them...
All you need to add is multiple colors that you can choose from for the menu schemes and...
***RED ALERT!***
Everything goes red and combat readouts come out...
Yellow alert would change everything appropriately and bring up sensors and long range stuff...
Multiple huds, with keys to toggle them...
All you need to add is multiple colors that you can choose from for the menu schemes and...
***RED ALERT!***
Everything goes red and combat readouts come out...
Yellow alert would change everything appropriately and bring up sensors and long range stuff...
http://www.roguelazer.com/HUDs/Vendetta-New-HUD-1.gif
I like that design very well. Except I wouldn't have the tabs switch everytime you select a different one.
I like that design very well. Except I wouldn't have the tabs switch everytime you select a different one.
> http://www.roguelazer.com/HUDs/Vendetta-New-HUD-1.gif
The fact that interface issues move around is bad design, it goes against the path of least resistance, as in: "Things should stay in place". Highlight the selected tab. Since the rest of the interface in vendetta doesn't do any "grow larger on the active tabs" theese shouldn't change either.
The bars on the right "Group" tab are pretty unclear and don't allow for -instant- grasp of the facts. (UI elements are grouped too tightly, and you have two different sized bars for UI elements. This is bad for how brains work with regards to proportions.)
The interface visualizes scrolling in some parts, which is never to be had in a case like this, as we want UI elements to be static so people "learn" them by heart.
The use of "56%" "45%" and so on in the numerical update isn't good on its own, as it requires -reading- and active understanding of the numbers, better use a bar-graph (with the number inlay if appropiate)
Numbers should in general be avoided in an interface, especially for "fast acclaim" items. Score, money and so on aren't fast-acclaim, You don't need instant feedback on it, health, shields and so on, should be. (on fast-discharge weapons, this would also be good, in combination with numbers usually)
Also, the suggested interface is "too cluttered", the FOV for a player is cut down pretty badly by the size of the interface. Remember that when you place something in the center (tabs on left and right) you "destroy" the field above and below. This is a complaint about the location of the current map as well ;)
The fact that interface issues move around is bad design, it goes against the path of least resistance, as in: "Things should stay in place". Highlight the selected tab. Since the rest of the interface in vendetta doesn't do any "grow larger on the active tabs" theese shouldn't change either.
The bars on the right "Group" tab are pretty unclear and don't allow for -instant- grasp of the facts. (UI elements are grouped too tightly, and you have two different sized bars for UI elements. This is bad for how brains work with regards to proportions.)
The interface visualizes scrolling in some parts, which is never to be had in a case like this, as we want UI elements to be static so people "learn" them by heart.
The use of "56%" "45%" and so on in the numerical update isn't good on its own, as it requires -reading- and active understanding of the numbers, better use a bar-graph (with the number inlay if appropiate)
Numbers should in general be avoided in an interface, especially for "fast acclaim" items. Score, money and so on aren't fast-acclaim, You don't need instant feedback on it, health, shields and so on, should be. (on fast-discharge weapons, this would also be good, in combination with numbers usually)
Also, the suggested interface is "too cluttered", the FOV for a player is cut down pretty badly by the size of the interface. Remember that when you place something in the center (tabs on left and right) you "destroy" the field above and below. This is a complaint about the location of the current map as well ;)
I am just wondering do you take those screenshots and then draw over it or how do you make these desing, I think they all look great i like http://www.roguelazer.com/HUDs/Vendetta-New-HUD-1.gif
Photoshop is your friend.
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