Hud Mock-up

[Springheel]

Now that we have a new lightgem, I've been working on a way to put all our HUD elements together. Here's what I have come up with so far.

 

 

Larger version

 

With all elements visible, compass on:

 

Example 1

 

Partially wounded, with compass off:

 

Example 2

 

There are options to turn all of these off, so that you can play with no HUD at all if you wish. So comments should be restricted to how to make it more visually appealing, rather than why we should or shouldn't have an indicator there at all.

[BlackThief]

hm, the version without the compass looks a bit strange...and why the hell did you switch the position of the weapon and the inventory, like in T3???

[sparhawk]

I think the brightest value is to bright. It's ok for now, but before we release we should render it with different settings. I guess I will have to download some tutorials for Lightwave so I can do such trivial stuff myself.

[Springheel]

hm, the version without the compass looks a bit strange...and why the hell did you switch the position of the weapon and the inventory, like in T3???

 

What's wrong with the version without the compass, specifically? (note that this isn't Tyrot's version...I just chopped the spikes off. But it looks fine to me)

 

And having the weapons on the right makes sense to me, seeing as the Thief is right-handed. But I don't have a huge problem either way.

 

I think the brightest value is to bright.

 

It doesn't seem any brighter to me than the bright settings in the original games. But that's something that can be determined through playtesting, I suppose.

[New Horizon]

I really like the style of your mockup.

 

It's a minor detail, but I would prefer the weapons in the T1 and 2 positions. Of course, that's not going to be an issue for those turning them off.

[oDDity]

Perhaps we could have this as a minimal HUD. THe health bar and light gem are incorporated together, and the compass is off.

[Renzatic]

Oddity's idea isn't bad at all but it has one problem...unless the bar itself glows, which could be confusing, you'd have a hard time seeing how hidden you are if you're low on health.

[New Horizon]

Yeah, it might not be a good idea to combine conflicting elements.

[sparhawk]

Following the trend that we do the HUD customizable, why do we worry at all? We provide the standard Thief HUD with lightgem, and all and if somebody doesn't like it, he can customize it.

[Springheel]

It's hard to come up with a balanced display with four elements. Here's another possible configuration. I've shrunk the inventory objects even smaller, as people should need only a small reminder of what they selected.

 

 

 

if somebody doesn't like it, he can customize it.

 

But they can't move things around, can they?

[New Horizon]

Yeah, I think Spar and I discussed that way back in the beginning. We can leave the Hud options customizable through .ini files or .cfg files. Whichever it is. I really like your classic style display though. Feels like home. Dear Lord....I'm showing signs of getting old...."it's comfortable..don't you change that HUD!"

[sparhawk]

But they can't move things around, can they?

Sure they can. We can tell them where they have to set the coordinates to move it around. It's the same with T3. You can specify where it should go and that's it. That's what NH did with the minimalistic HUD IMO.

[Springheel]

Ah, ok then. So what decision, if any, do we need to make?

[sparhawk]

Ah, ok then. So what decision, if any, do we need to make?

Basic HUD as for normal Thief game. And then we include instructions how to change it. If more people want this, we can do several version in preparation.

[Springheel]

Ok, sounds good to me. One other thing...does the health-bar need to be a 3d model?

[sparhawk]

Don't think so. It can be just a texture. As well as the sides of it Then we just scale down the bar.

[Darkness_Falls]

I still like the simplicity of this blue bar GIMG created a long time ago. I'm referring to the blue portion, not the tips. I like the tips you have better, Springheel. Here was GIMG's creation:

 

For a health bar this should obviously be red, and there shouldn't be any really dark parts on the far right, but I think the center part would work. If any texture is added, then only add a little bit. I don't think it needs a lot. I don't think it needs to be a 3-D model either.

 

EDIT: And in looking at the screenshots there, I admit I prefer the elongated style in T1/T2. *sigh*. Thanks for making the screens, Springheel. Unfortunately, I know Tyrot won't be too happy to hear me say this I think the gem could be squished into more of the style it was in T1/T2 and still have the perfectly circular compass (in perspective) rotating around the gem.

Edited January 24, 2005 by Darkness_Falls

[Ishtvan]

I thought the point was to make it configurable so you can have the 3d lightgem, or the elongated light bar, whichever one you want?

Edited January 24, 2005 by Ishtvan

[New Horizon]

I thought the point was to make it configurable so you can have the 3d lightgem, or the elongated light bar, whichever one you want?

The configurability is more for placement rather than different models.

[oDDity]

This is all because of Sparhwks insistence ion a completely useless tilting compass, everyone else hatd the idea...

..but hey, only completely useless people who use the completely useless tilting compass need see their HUD like this.

[Renzatic]

We love you too, Oddity. Comeon over here and give us all a big ole hug!

[sparhawk]

everyone else hatd the idea...

Didn't know you were "everybody else". Seems to be abit lonely over there ...

 

..but hey, only completely useless people who use the completely useless tilting compass need see their HUD like this.

 

I really wonder how much you stand up to, taking your mouth as full as you do.

 

I'm glad that you don't do the design decisions on the mod, because this would be a big waste of effort, as narrow minded as you seem to be.

[oDDity]

It's unfortunate for the gaming public that I dont make the design decisions on ths board. I'd soon ween them off all their stupid hackneyed conventional gaming habits. You're the narrow minded blind man, not me.

Your big idea for everything is 'let's do it the way its always been done, because that's what people expect and want'

 

'but games AHVE to have ahealth bar, games HAVE ALWAYS HADA HEALTH BAR, we can't possily make a game without one'

'but thief has ALWAYS had a lightgem, it's impossible to playe the game wihtout it, we HAVE TO HAVE a liht gem'

'but games always have HUD display of your weapons and items .we can't use go and do animatinos that let the player see wht he's holding in his hand, so no HUd is required whatsoever, no we couldn't POSSIBLy do that. THAt would cokpletey ruin the game for everyone'

We all know having an iconic representation of everyting plastered all over your viewing screen is absolutely essential for enjoyment.

How do we know this? - well, because Zelda did it 20 years ago and it worked.

and don;'t give mne this 'choice' crap, sometimes you have to tell people what they want, or they'll never know they wanted it and just go on with what they have forever.

[sparhawk]

It's unfortunate for the gaming public that I dont make the design decisions on ths board.

 

Yeah. I can imagine that the two raving fans of your playstyle will be pretty dissappointed.

 

Your big idea for everything is 'let's do it the way its always been done, because that's what people expect and want'

 

You know I'm quite selfish. I want as many people, as possible can, enjoy the game in order to get many FM missions back for freem without sacrificing gameplay to the XBox crowd (like T3 did).

 

'but games AHVE to have ahealth bar, games HAVE ALWAYS HADA HEALTH BAR, we can't possily make a game without one'

 

As there is no body feedback in a game, the player has to get some info on his state. Not everybody is directly connected into his machine with a brain interface.

 

'but thief has ALWAYS had a lightgem, it's impossible to playe the game wihtout it, we HAVE TO HAVE a liht gem'

 

Who said it's impossible? You can play it without it, no problem. What you don't seem to get is, what OPTIONAL means. Nodboy is forcing a lightgem on you, so I don't really know why you bring this up again and again.

 

'but games always have HUD display of your weapons and items .we can't use go and do animatinos that let the player see wht he's holding in his hand, so no HUd is required whatsoever, no we couldn't POSSIBLy do that. THAt would cokpletey ruin the game for everyone'

 

Weapons are not really needed on the HUD. Doing distinctive models the player can see what he has equipped just by glancing at the screen.

 

We all know having an iconic representation of everyting plastered all over your viewing screen is absolutely essential for enjoyment.

 

Yeah. I know why you are annoyed about this. Because we couldn't make our minds up and now we have 351 icons simoultanously on the screen. I didn't tell you this earlier because I was afraid you wouldn't approve, but after carefully thinking it through I came to the conclusion that we can't do without them.

 

and don;'t give mne this 'choice' crap, sometimes you have to tell people what they want, or they'll never know they wanted it and just go on with what they have forever.

 

Yeah. That's why we provide the default version. That's what choice is about. And as long as YOU are not forced to use this version, I don't see a problem. It's not as if you need to stick to it. I don't want your playstyle and you don't want mine. You should be able to respect that because it will not interfere anway.

[oDDity]

I think you underestimate the number of hardcore thief players out there (or the number there would be if more peole were given a little shove in the right direction)

Giving choice doesn't work to change attitudes, because people are so comfortable and used to playing a certain way, they won't even bother to change given the option. Why are they conmfortable and used to playing this certain way? - becasue they are constantly spoon fed it by game developers who underestimate the adaptibility of gamers, and so remain stagnant in so many areas where innovation should be occuring.

I'm not arguing for what we shoud do in this mod, I realise the decisons have been made, I'm just taking about he general principal of it.