Game Engine: HUD Design

[T MAN]

My main criticisms is with all fluffy 'art' that does little more the obstruct screen real estate. It's well know that using flat 3D overlays and the transition from 2D overlay (or HUD) to anamorphic 3D perspective 'breaks' a lot of the illusion of depth in a game. This is why so many game publishers take the HUD out of screenshots -- they know it creates a sort of 'flat' comic book cell like aesthetic to the screen shot; but the psycho-visual effect with moving anamorphic 3D rendered under crowded 2D overlays is even more dramatic.

What I'd recommend is attempting to create a HUD with more continuity, scale, and congruence with the rest of the games art assets. On approach that could work very well is where the HUD itself is made to look like a anamorphic projection on a helmet visor or reticule system; examples of this kind of HUD can be seen in DeusEx Invisible War where the HUD actually moves with it's own viewer vection, Hollow Moon a UT2004 Mod, and beyond a doubt the best Republic Commando which offers especially convincing effect by adding visor flares, moving translucency shader effects, and illuminatied projections.



The Metroid Prime HUD is clearly the standard setter that was imitated by others (like Republic Commando & DeusEx II); one of if not the first to use dynamic 3D projected HUD elements, scaled anamorphic distortion, vection, glare and other transparency effects to give the effect of visor thickness, curve and movement independent of your head. Also Metroid had it where you could toggle the movement independent of your head on or off and a slider option for transparency.







In each case it's better to see them in game or video for their more convincing effects and qualities.

[Bags]

Crysis does this to an extent too.

[krnasaur]

the less HUD i see the better. the only problem with republic commando and the metriod games is it takes up so much room with saying very little.

[T MAN]

The examples I posted were intended to be examples in technique only not a suggestion of style for copying. The style could easily be employed in a anamorphic projected HUD design.

Using a subtle curved animorphic HUD not only will make identical HUD elements use less screen realestate (as the polygons are rotated slightly) it has the bonus of enhancing perspective and creating a more natural sense of pointing in a game.


While it certainly comes down to the aesthetic preference of the game designers; I (and fans like me) prefer HUD design were the actually telemetry display i.e. the game status information takes up MORE screen real estate then the art goo-gaws.

Good HUD design either goes for a pure form that follows function approach, uses art assets only to enhance clarity of presentation, and/or, uses art assets to create a convincing integrated environment that's making the effect more convincing and immersive -- like the projected HUDs depicted.

[headcrab13]

It would be awesome to see PS2 introduce a HUD system where stats appeared to be displayed right on your visor. If that were the case, I'd also like some customization where you could dial down the opacity and add new elements to your visor by way of the skill tree.

For instance, maybe with a brand new character you wouldn't see a HUD count of remaining ammo, but you could upgrade your visor to show certain stats that you personally considered important.

-HC13

[BorisBlade]

What about an open UI code, sorta like WoW and other MMO's do where you can use the base ui or user created ones. WoW would not have many of the ui and other great functions it has today that really add a ton to the quality of the game, if not for mods that proved so popular they were adopted by blizzard into the base UI.

It allows for alot of customization. You want the crazy ui that covers your screen and gives you heads up info on everything in the middle of your screen? do you want to see as little as possible and make it fade in only when teh values matter or change? Anything you like could be done in a system like this.

[Bruttal]

While i agree i don't like the hud much i still need it, but if it looks like the screen shots in your post id hate it and want to design my own. I like what wow,everquest,everquest2 did witch was alow you to make your own GUI. they give you the basics then you can edit color change them anyway you want. only thing is you have to have some skill in xml they never released a good editor to help you. so my suggestion would be to release a tool that would alow you to customize your GUI offline and upload it with the posability of earning some small amounts of xp for so many downloads.

[EASyEightyEight]

I want what he's talking about + the sweet helmet graphic. It should be toggleable (before y'all jump me like rabid hyenas) for the sake of those whom don't care for the effect. I just want to see the corners of my screen present the inside of my helmet.

[Lartnev]

I really liked Republic Commando's HUD so yeah, wouldn't mind seeing it in PS2.

[Sirisian]

I prefer a minimalistic HUD design. Just show me the basics and move it out of the way when it's not important. If I'm at full health and armor I don't want to see that stuff on my screen.

Not to mention your idea doesn't work for those of us using 3 screens to play this game. It just looks like a distorted mess most of the time.

[dsi]

It'd be awesome to see a helmet HUD, even if 'only' as an option.