The HUD Revamped - Increasing Immersion
Bringing "First Person" To Life:
As a veteran player of SE diving into SE2, the first thing that struck me was the graphical fidelity of this game. It is an incredible leap forward and continues to impress me with every update. The first person experience of SE has always needed a bit of a boost, and I think the best way is by "reinventing" the HUD for SE2.
I've built some mock-ups of what I call the "Immersive HUD" (visible at the link below). This was made to minimize screen blockage, feature all relevant information, and feels like an built-in visor HUD. As I've been playing, I continue to feel that so much of my screen has been covered by GPS markers, the ToolBar, UI elements, etc.
I want to see the universe the Dev's are making for us!
My idea is that this Immersive HUD experience flows throughout gameplay - from on foot to piloting our built grids. Everything should feel right for the players - conceptually to literally. Intuitive controls are very important to maintain for accessibility, as well as maintaining immersion. Avoid pulling the players out of the experience whenever possible. This just comes back to the beauty of the game... and I can see a whole new player-base exploring this game's visuals alone with the introduction of a new highly immersive experience!
How It Works:
"U" - Toggles Toolbar Only "Build HUD"
"Alt + U" - Toggles All HUD
*Could be color-customizable*
New Information Displayed:
See my mock-up for visual reference, but an immersive HUD naturally begs a need for information like a global "compass", local Data info, Active tool/weapon stats, etc.
The HUD should feel reactive to the world around it. I've seen people say SE2 has the potential to be the next big Space Sim and I can, without a doubt, see that happening!!! But it requires some big changes in the FP user experience.
I honestly think Star Citizen has many many great ideas that can be translated to SE2 mechanics. Both exist in thematically a similar way of "fiction but scientifically grounded" as well.
And as an artist, I believe in:
A) Not reinventing the wheel and
B) Inspiration from others make us better
..so why not learn from how other games are solving problems? That's the Engineer's way!
Hope you consider this idea, a bunch of my SE2 ideas are directly below as well - and I'm happy to share more if interested - contact me on the site :)
Mock-Ups:
https://www.artstation.com/ianjt
Additional notes:
- Can we make Walking (slowest speed) the default? And remove caps-lock toggle. Try this out... I promise it feels so much better for this game, especially cinematically!
-The 3rd person UI can be different if that feels like the proper design choice. I personally would expect a slightly differently designed HUD for 3rd person.
-I feel the Inventory menus etc. can be more integrated for a seamless experience. Think: the Mobi-Glass in SC - a wrist hologram that displays of all needed menus.
-There should be a "default" view setting (1st/3rd person) for those who prefer only playing one way or the other.
-I referenced "Build HUD" above, this is a conceptual idea and I will keep it brief:
It is the bottom tool bar AND a new collapsible pop-up called Blueprints. It is a way to quickly access blueprints for modular building. "B" to open, "B + 1,2,3,etc." to select. I also would like to see folders for the Blueprints menu.
I like this feedback
Another "walk-by-default" player? I thought we where an extend species!
If I may add: Draw from the "iHUD" mods from Skyrim and Fallout 4 by Gopher, so that certain HUD elements are context-sensitive, or can be toggled on/off according to user preference. I am one of those players that do not like a cluttered HUD. I would rather not see my O2 bar, and then it come up it is down to 25%, or my inventory is 75% full, than see it at all. I only want to see my hunger bar, if I am below 50% of food, et cetera.
Another "walk-by-default" player? I thought we where an extend species!
If I may add: Draw from the "iHUD" mods from Skyrim and Fallout 4 by Gopher, so that certain HUD elements are context-sensitive, or can be toggled on/off according to user preference. I am one of those players that do not like a cluttered HUD. I would rather not see my O2 bar, and then it come up it is down to 25%, or my inventory is 75% full, than see it at all. I only want to see my hunger bar, if I am below 50% of food, et cetera.
UI can change depending on what you have in hand too. Welder gives you more building-related UIs and hints. The grinder can show inventory fill. The weapon in hand (or when controlled in ships) shows ammo available in all connected inventories. Selected consumables can show you a preview of what will happen if used. For example, how much HP would be restored as a surplus green bar on top of existing HP bar, the same for gases and food. When controlling a ship/drone, some additional HUD might appear under certain conditions. For example, if you approach the max thrust in a given direction or directions , a visual indicator might appear to let you know this. This would be extremely useful to know if you are almost at max lift capacity. Seeing your trajectory of movement is also a modern day tech that can easily be added to the HUD, together with warnings about collisions. To see those additional HUDs you might want to wear a specific helmet or build advanced cockpits or install special modules into the cockpit block.
In summary, the UIs don't clutter the screen all the time, but only when needed the most. And, instead of memorizing hotkeys, the in game tools/weapons/consumables/modules/blocks is what triggers them.
Want to quickly see your inventory fill? Select the grinder in you hand.
Want to have a quick preview of all items in your inventory? Select the welder.
Select the building block in your hotbar, the contextual help about how to open the G menu pops up (toggle off later if you don't need).
Want to toggle an additional HUD when in cockpit? Add an action to your hotbar from the cockpit block itself.
UI can change depending on what you have in hand too. Welder gives you more building-related UIs and hints. The grinder can show inventory fill. The weapon in hand (or when controlled in ships) shows ammo available in all connected inventories. Selected consumables can show you a preview of what will happen if used. For example, how much HP would be restored as a surplus green bar on top of existing HP bar, the same for gases and food. When controlling a ship/drone, some additional HUD might appear under certain conditions. For example, if you approach the max thrust in a given direction or directions , a visual indicator might appear to let you know this. This would be extremely useful to know if you are almost at max lift capacity. Seeing your trajectory of movement is also a modern day tech that can easily be added to the HUD, together with warnings about collisions. To see those additional HUDs you might want to wear a specific helmet or build advanced cockpits or install special modules into the cockpit block.
In summary, the UIs don't clutter the screen all the time, but only when needed the most. And, instead of memorizing hotkeys, the in game tools/weapons/consumables/modules/blocks is what triggers them.
Want to quickly see your inventory fill? Select the grinder in you hand.
Want to have a quick preview of all items in your inventory? Select the welder.
Select the building block in your hotbar, the contextual help about how to open the G menu pops up (toggle off later if you don't need).
Want to toggle an additional HUD when in cockpit? Add an action to your hotbar from the cockpit block itself.
Looks great! I really like your ideas 😀
Looks great! I really like your ideas 😀
A contextual HUD would be a good thing...
But an even better thing would be a HUD with meaningful information content....
A contextual HUD would be a good thing...
But an even better thing would be a HUD with meaningful information content....
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