Forums » Suggestions
A few HUD indicator ideas
There are a few things about the current HUD that I think could improve it.
First of all, as I said in a different thread, the "Nearest Large Object" indicator at the bottom of the screen could be replaced with a bar graph that measured the distance to the nearest object. The reason for this is that printing "Nearest Large Object" in large red font is a poor use of valuable HUD space. Indicators on a HUD do not need to be identified in text. Instead, an analog bar graph could be used that would start at empty (0m distance) and gradually fill up to full (3,000m+ distance). The numerical distance could still be accessed by going to the nav menu, or it could still be printed next to the bar graph.
Second of all, a sector indicator could be positioned just above the distance indicator. The sector indicator would identify what sector the pilot is in using the three letter system designator followed by the letter-number sector designator. For example, Sen. D8 for Senega system, sector D8.
Next, (but less importantly) a useful indicator on the HUD would be an Angle Of Engagement indicator. The angle of engagement is simply the angle between the pilot ship's nose and the target ship's nose. If a target was approaching head-on the AOE would be 180 degrees, if the player was directly on the target's tail, the AOE would be 0 degrees. This would be incredibly useful in a dogfight, especially when the target is not close enough to immediately tell what direction it's facing. The AOE indicator could be a small tic mark that progresses in a half-circle around the center-screen crosshairs, 0 degrees would be pointing straight down, 180 degrees would be pointing straight up.
I have created a few images using photoshop to give a better picture of what I am talking about.
Picture 1:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-8/803558/fAspect.jpg
In this image the pilot is caught in an ion storm, so the distance indicator remains empty (distance = 0m). The sector is printed in small aqua text just above the distance indicator. The targeted defender is directly facing the pilot, so the AOE indicator is at the top of the crosshairs.
Picture 2:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-8/803558/rAspect.jpg
In this image the pilot is approaching from behind the target, so the AOE indicator is toward the bottom of the crosshairs. The range to the nearest large object is about 2k, as indicated by the bar graph.
Picture 3:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-8/803558/sAspect.jpg
In this image the target is facing nearly perpendicular to the nose of the pilot's craft, so the AOE indicator is halfway around the crosshairs. The distance is over 3km (safe jumping distance) so the distance indicator is full and has gone to green.
A few other ideas I had for the HUD (but didn't have time to render) was a rate of closure indicator, which would be very useful for telling how fast the target was moving toward you or away from you. You can eyeball it by looking at the range to target and how fast it's changing, but having an actual number would be useful, particularly when you need to know the exact instant an enemy starts boosting at you. Also, some sort of experience bar graph that let you know how close you were to reaching the next license level(s) would be nice.
Well, let me know what you think.
First of all, as I said in a different thread, the "Nearest Large Object" indicator at the bottom of the screen could be replaced with a bar graph that measured the distance to the nearest object. The reason for this is that printing "Nearest Large Object" in large red font is a poor use of valuable HUD space. Indicators on a HUD do not need to be identified in text. Instead, an analog bar graph could be used that would start at empty (0m distance) and gradually fill up to full (3,000m+ distance). The numerical distance could still be accessed by going to the nav menu, or it could still be printed next to the bar graph.
Second of all, a sector indicator could be positioned just above the distance indicator. The sector indicator would identify what sector the pilot is in using the three letter system designator followed by the letter-number sector designator. For example, Sen. D8 for Senega system, sector D8.
Next, (but less importantly) a useful indicator on the HUD would be an Angle Of Engagement indicator. The angle of engagement is simply the angle between the pilot ship's nose and the target ship's nose. If a target was approaching head-on the AOE would be 180 degrees, if the player was directly on the target's tail, the AOE would be 0 degrees. This would be incredibly useful in a dogfight, especially when the target is not close enough to immediately tell what direction it's facing. The AOE indicator could be a small tic mark that progresses in a half-circle around the center-screen crosshairs, 0 degrees would be pointing straight down, 180 degrees would be pointing straight up.
I have created a few images using photoshop to give a better picture of what I am talking about.
Picture 1:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-8/803558/fAspect.jpg
In this image the pilot is caught in an ion storm, so the distance indicator remains empty (distance = 0m). The sector is printed in small aqua text just above the distance indicator. The targeted defender is directly facing the pilot, so the AOE indicator is at the top of the crosshairs.
Picture 2:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-8/803558/rAspect.jpg
In this image the pilot is approaching from behind the target, so the AOE indicator is toward the bottom of the crosshairs. The range to the nearest large object is about 2k, as indicated by the bar graph.
Picture 3:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-8/803558/sAspect.jpg
In this image the target is facing nearly perpendicular to the nose of the pilot's craft, so the AOE indicator is halfway around the crosshairs. The distance is over 3km (safe jumping distance) so the distance indicator is full and has gone to green.
A few other ideas I had for the HUD (but didn't have time to render) was a rate of closure indicator, which would be very useful for telling how fast the target was moving toward you or away from you. You can eyeball it by looking at the range to target and how fast it's changing, but having an actual number would be useful, particularly when you need to know the exact instant an enemy starts boosting at you. Also, some sort of experience bar graph that let you know how close you were to reaching the next license level(s) would be nice.
Well, let me know what you think.
Good idea. I like how you don't have to take your eyes off the center just to see your distance. The graphical indicator really helps.
I like this idea a lot. very very good Phaser!