RPG Heads up Display
by Chosen.Kyle · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 11/13/2005 (8:20 pm) · 2 replies
Soo, you get to the point where you need a GUI and a HUD comes along with the package. Though making a nice one and useful one can be tricky. I believe its a very important aspect in a game since bad ones get annoying fast. Here's the HUD I currently have gotten from my artist as an example, though I'm not too fond of it. Idea's and comments are welcome (and needed :P), also if you could post your favorite hud in an rpg?
img243.imageshack.us/img243/763/teststyle3108kv.jpg
My favorite hud/and rpg ashenempires.com/Images/AE/ae_shot2_b.jpg
img243.imageshack.us/img243/763/teststyle3108kv.jpg
My favorite hud/and rpg ashenempires.com/Images/AE/ae_shot2_b.jpg
About the author
#2
What I don't like about the second HUD is that is sacrifices screen real estate for things that don't change that much, such as your equipment layout and character statistics. There's no reason to do so, since in most RPGs those things don't change enough to warrant HUD screen space. I try to only sacrifice HUD screen space for things that change moment to moment, such as radar or map displays, ammo inventories, and health and energy. The rest of the stuff (like the 'quest list', etc...) the players should probably retrieve in a popup GUI 'at will'.
05/13/2006 (9:16 pm)
I like the first one better in that it doesn't obscure the view as much. However, there's an awful lot of buttons on one level. As I recall, humans remember about 7 distinct things at once in their short term memories (attention spans). Providing considerably more than about 7 options at one time using pictographs might be pushing it. Putting the icons in a more hierarchically organized structure (organized by general function, etc...), might help the first HUD a lot.What I don't like about the second HUD is that is sacrifices screen real estate for things that don't change that much, such as your equipment layout and character statistics. There's no reason to do so, since in most RPGs those things don't change enough to warrant HUD screen space. I try to only sacrifice HUD screen space for things that change moment to moment, such as radar or map displays, ammo inventories, and health and energy. The rest of the stuff (like the 'quest list', etc...) the players should probably retrieve in a popup GUI 'at will'.
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