I keep seeing this, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. It seems everyone making a hud. Why do you people keep throwing random overlays in.





That one for instance, is just absolutely terrible, they literally cut the clearly viewable area in half with that. Not only that, but the overlay contrasts way too much with everything else the player is seeing (purple and blue do not go together in this case)

I'm not going to pull out more examples because this should get the point across very clearly.

Now let's look at halo's hud.



Dead simple, but all relevant information is clearly presented to the player in a way that isn't distracting at all from the gameplay and environment.

This seems to be something almost EVERYONE I see making huds here forgets. (The first image is one someone released recently, the other is a request someone else was making.)

Now, I'm not saying overlays can't be used effectively to improve the hud. They can.

However you want to use them so that the information is easier to see, while not conflicting with the players ability to focus on the gameplay. For instance.



This one should probably have the info moved further towards the screen edges.



Notice how both of these use the overlays as a way to create a slight background just behind where the information is just to draw the players attention to it ever so slightly.

Lets look at some other games that did it nicely.





The overlays take up a minimal amount of the screen, or are not present at all and let the player focus on the game. The Metroid one also draws the players eyes to each stat with it's lines.

I hope this helps.

tl;dr Stop taking up the entire screen with distracting overlays, thanks.

Games have it for a reason... probably because a developer guy thought it was a good idea and other people who were working on HUDs like it, or it wouldn't be in the game.
I see your point, but why make a rant topic about it?

My oracle HUD was a near-complete recreation, so it would include the visor as well. You don't HAVE to use the HUD's with visors, its your choice.

Quit whining.

inb4yougetmadthatiempty-quotedohtoolatethismakesitnotanemptyquotepost

That's a screen capture from the Halo: Legends short film titled: The Package. Derp. Also, the purple is there because they're fighting on a Covenant Capital Ship. Another derp.

This is what it looks like looking inwards:

I wouldn't call that cutting the viewable area in half if you can see his face!

Other views:

Master Chief (John-117)'s HUD:


Fred-104's HUD (the one that you posted):


Kelly-087's HUD:

---

Please get your facts straight before you start hating on HUD's that aren't even IN games.

HUDs (heads Up Display) should never ever under any circumstance block or impede the field of view. This is the first thing you learn when you design for them. A HUD is there to supply concise relevant and simplified information to the viewer and should never distract. Surrounding overlays or eye distracting accent lines are forbidden in actual HUD design. HUD elements should be minimal and appear as a peripheral element in the visual field of view. Game and tv/movie HUD designs are nothing like real HUD designs.

The HUD's that were posted in the opening post, didn't really block the field of view. In the Halo 3 HUD pic, it used opacity to make it look as if you were actually the master chief looking through his visor. I my opinion, that isn't a bad thing, its not like you cant see through the visor, its just there for looks.

Simple is usually better. Bigger isn't always better, how would you like a milkshake... that is 10 feet tall. I would like the small size please. Simplicity isn't always better, but when you make it complicated, you want it to retain elements of simplicity. Making games is complicated, but when you play the game, you don't want it too be too complicated. :P

Opacity blocks the view. A speck of dirt blocks the view. Even the HUD information blocks the view. You should never design something for a HUD that blocks the view without having a dire need for it. That is why even the important information displayed in a HUD is normally opaque. Rule number 1 in HUD design never obstruct the field of view. Rule number 2 is only display the absolute minimum information required.

Damn typos
Edited by Dennis on May 23, 2011 at 08:32 PM

How does something block your view if it is transparent? Isn't that what opacity is?

opacity =/= completley clear.
Edited by Higuy on May 23, 2011 at 08:57 PM

As I said, I pulled these from requests people made ON THIS FORUM to have these huds created. Thanks for reading the first post.

Additionally the point was why they were terrible, regardless of whether they're in a game or not, so excellent post!



Transparent and Translucent are two entirely different things. If it was transparent it wouldn't be visible at all.



I don't care whether you recreated something, all it means is you have even less creative ability than I would have originally thought, anyway the point is why it's bad, not whether I would or would not use it (I wouldn't).

Responses in red. Hopefully you can get over yourself enough so you can relize who you're insulting, 'cause it sure as hell isn't me.

Anyways, why do you care what people want in a ten-year-old game? I thought you were working on better games and engines, like TF2 and Crysis 2?

Your logic : Because MS, bungie and 343 made this they are therefore infallible and can do nothing wrong.

Criticizing people's work is insulting

Honestly, I don't think I can explain this to you in terms you could possibly understand if your posts in this thread are any indication, so I'm not going to bother.
Edited by SeL on May 23, 2011 at 10:12 PM
Edited by SeL on May 23, 2011 at 10:13 PM

No; opaque means that some light can get through. Transparent means that all light can get through. A window may be transparent but a foggy window is opaque. With HUD design rule number one is THE rule that cannot be broken. When designing the LED units that projected the HUD information we had to make sure that the lumen output of the display would change with the ambient light so that the visual HUD element would never obscure even the small portion of the field of view where it was placed. That is why I cringe when I see the maps with the HUD taking up so much of the screen or so bright and prominent.

I understand that in game design by limiting the view with a pseudo-HUD it is an artistic decision to build tension in the game but it still makes me wince at the violation of the primary rule of HUD design.

Opaque
Adjective: Not able to be seen through; not transparent.

You're looking for translucent.

Adjective: (of a substance) Allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through; semitransparent

Opacity is the noun form of opaque. If something has anything less than 100% opacity, it is slightly translucent and light can get through. You're both correct.

I dig this AR so much.
Edited by DarkHalo003 on May 23, 2011 at 11:03 PM

I like that fricken dinosaur grunt, we need one of those. (Top left corner charging plasma pistol)

I agree completely with this topic. Even Bungie's ODST hud was overly obtrusive, imo.

@idltp is there anything you can discuss intelligently?

haha didn't think so.

You still haven't answered my question as to why you even care about this outdated game. It's almost as if I still care about my nine-year-old computer and want to upgrade it even though it's a piece of shiz - which I don't.

And I'm not going to answer your question because not only is it stupid, it's totally irrelevant!

I'll agree on the irrelevant part, but as for stupid? Is trying to get clarification on whether you've moved on to better games/engines being stupid?

Actually, no, I don't want to know. You'll just probably end up acting all high and mighty again.

Guys: You're all dumb. Overlays that take up half the screen and are more than 30% opaque block vision. This is not okay.

I've always liked the HUD for Gears of War, as it is incredibly simple. Same goes for Grand Theft Auto, Mass Effect and Bioshock. The Fallout 3/New Vegas ideas were pretty good too.

^

Excellent examples of good HUDs.
Edited by SeL on May 24, 2011 at 02:10 PM

I have to agree here. My favorites among them are Bioshock's and New Vegas'. Clean and simple HUDS that tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it, and they are usually accurate. Halo Reach's HUD is also a great HUD in my opinion.

tbh, HUD overlays can be in both annoying and asthetically pleasing. Even if it goes against that rule you keep on stating dennis, If you have one stretched out towards the edges of the screen (Somewhat like Crysis 2's design), then the overlay wont distract too much from what you're looking at, even with the ODST HUD though, it was mainly in place to give you specific information (Mainly how much Stamina you had left, and how much health, and in firefight what skulls were on). Reach as i remember doesnt have the overlays but the screen consistently seems very empty, and then the actual space you need to look at for the Ammo and etc isn't all too big (normally anyhow)

TLDR: Make the Overlays close to the edges if you need to, But try to keep proportions as well

overlays suck hard

Agreed. They literally suck a lot of your field of view so it really ruins your gameplay. To me, they really don't have much artistic value because they are just translucent backgrounds really.
-Zekilk

I think that the one used in STKFT was more effective because it wasn't hard lines, more like dirt in the corner of your eye. I think that overlays can work, but they would need to be really subtle - something to make you feel like you are actually wearing a helmet or w/e, rather than someone running about holding acetate with shapes drawn on in front of your face. Which is what Halo 3 and ODST did...

I've always wondered if you could have one that maybe just darkened the edges of your vision, but literally only just at the edges so your FOV isn't greatly affected (maybe a degree or so, as opposed to 5..) which could increase immersion without being distracting. Something I will probably try later.

Also just to reiterate, overlays can be used well, but only as a method to draw your eyes to important information, like :



Where the overlays provide an ever so slight contrasting background around information, and don't really have a major presence anywhere else.

Or



Where the lines guide players eyes to each information source.

ok lol first u dont kno what a overlay is itz when u hav a layer over a nother layer

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