Off With Their HUDS!

Gamasutra has a piece looking at the move to unite player and gameworld by removing the HUD from the gameplay space. From the article: "Many elements found on a typical HUD are there not out of necessity, but out of convention; they represent a sort of 'info overkill' that, for the vast majority of players, has no impact on gameplay at all. For every piece of information you offer the player, ask, 'Is this information essential to the game experience?' In doing so, you might find that you don't need to bombard the player with quite as much data as you once thought you did."

Comments

Not sure

[Anonymous Coward]

I know I've always liked an interface where everything is visible, even if not strictly needed to play the game.

This one isn't hard

[TubeSteak]

Allow users to select what & how much information (if any) the HUD shows.

This one is a no-brainer.

The article isn't just talking about removing HUDs, they want alternative methods of conveying the same information.

Anywho, reading the conclusion gives you a good idea of what the rest of TFA is about

The games mentioned above offer numerous examples to show how player status information can be presented in ways that are immersive and innovative. There are countless other solutions; in fact, the more specific a solution is to a particular game, the greater the odds that the developer is offering the player a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. As developers continue to challenge themselves to achieve more sophisticated levels of immersion and intuitive gameplay in their creations, they will no doubt devise equally sophisticated and unique ways to communicate critical information to the player.

Re:HL Series

[IgLou]

But didn't you find when you played after a while you forgot about the HUD? I did. In fact I had a bad habit of running out of ammo because I wasn't actively thinking about it until I was in a non-action sequence. :D

Although what I think would be really cool for that type of experience would be when you're in the thick of a combat the hud should fade out so you can't really gauge how much ammo and health you have. But that's just my sickness.

Cycling colors?!?

[swmccracken]

"Cycling colors or animated textures can also invigorate a lifeless HUD while decreasing the threat of burn-in."

Aaargh! I HATE gratitious animation in programs. Things should NOT attract my attention unless they are important!

The other problem is that fundementally computer games are running on a computer. They are not real life - thus, a HUD showing "your" health is just part of the connection between you and the game-world. In real life, you would already know how you were feeling.

Metroid Prime/Prime 2 do this well

[Akaihiryuu]

The HUD in the Metroid Prime games is actually really well done. Of course, in that game it has a reason to be there...since you're walking around in a really high tech powered armorsuit. It's okay to have a HUD if it's believable in the context of the game and isn't excessive.

Re:HL Series

[MjrTom]

Agreed. For a 'realistic' game, the unpleasent click that you get from an empty magazine is the best indicator that you're out of ammo. It's hard enough to count your shots with a semi-auto. In my very limited full-auto experience it's impossible. I don't know about health, but I think that maybe the blood and debris might work, or maybe a visual sagging of the player, or some kind of visual effect to indicate the dizziness/fatuige/general unease that comes (at least to me) after a grave injury.

Re:HL Series

[Golias]

Removing the cross-hair would probably be a bad idea.

In most FPS games, the cross-hair is a stationary object, because the player is always facing exactly where they are aiming. This means that PvP gamers could "cheat" to get an edge on their opponent by adding a cross-hair to their monitor with a small transparent vinyl sticker, or even hanging a weighted string down the center, and taping another string across the horizontal axis.