Poll: FPS: Time for the HUD to evolve?

[bjj hero]

I tend to play a lot of COD4 and always in hardcore mode. For those who dont play this means that bullets do far more damage and there is no HUD.

No cross hair, no health gauges, no area maps or ammo count, nothing.

The screen is completely uncluttered. If you want to aim then you have to press the aim button which brings up the iron sight/scope of your gun.

I've got used to this now and much prefer it. Games with a busy hud and cross hair now tend to kill some of the immersion for me. I vividly remember how painful it was to play COD WAW long enough to unlock hardcore mode. Does anyone else think this is a move forward? Will it catch on?

 

[not a zaar]

No actually, just the opposite. HUDs have been getting more and more minimal and as a result games have been getting more dumbed down. Compare Deus Ex, which has a complicated as hell HUD system and great gameplay with your average modern FPS.

 

[Sewblon]

I love overly intricate huds and interfaces, because I love useless information.

 

[NimbleJack3]

For me I love as many info feeds as possible. Ammo, reticle, part-specific damage, energy, radar, comms, twitter feeds...

 

[Valiance]

It depends on the game.

As far as I'm concerned, Mirror's Edge lack of a HUD was brilliant, and some games just wouldn't feel right without a bunch of information on the bottom (Duke Nukem 3D).

Anyway, I like information that I might at some point need to know being readily available. Armor, Health, Ammunition, are all nice to know, and crosshairs are pretty vital to me in most situations (again, Mirror's Edge didn't really need one.)

Maps are nice but not required, or pressing another key to turn it on and off would be fine.

But it really depends on the game. I keep all useful information there, no matter how little I look at it. And radars really, really are nice.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Riddick did the whole "no HUD whatsoever" bit well in advance of CoD4. Of course, I'm sure somebody else did it before they did.

I like the way Halo does it. Sometimes your ammo readout is on your weapon, and the HUD is minimal but still important. The idea of radar being motion sensitive is cool, since non-moving enemies don't show up on it.

 

[bjj hero]

Riddick did the whole "no HUD whatsoever" bit well in advance of CoD4. Of course, I'm sure somebody else did it before they did.

I like the way Halo does it. Sometimes your ammo readout is on your weapon, and the HUD is minimal but still important. The idea of radar being motion sensitive is cool, since non-moving enemies don't show up on it.

Id forgot about Riddick on the xbox, a great game. My biggest issue with radar is it makes it near impossible to sneak up on someone if you took the time to flank around.

 

[F17]

It totally depends on the game. Some games need a HUD, and others would suffer without one. For instance, stealth games usually have a minimal HUD to increase immersion, while a sci-fi shooter would feel weird with no or a limited HUD.

 

[bjj hero]

It totally depends on the game. Some games need a HUD, and others would suffer without one. For instance, stealth games usually have a minimal HUD to increase immersion, while a sci-fi shooter would feel weird with no or a limited HUD.

I can see your point. I liked the way the HUD was part of the helmet and weapon on Republic Commando.

 

[4fromK]

I usually only use health and ammo, with a crosshair. all other things should be dedicated to menus. (even a map)

 

[messy]

For me I love as many info feeds as possible. Ammo, reticle, part-specific damage, energy, radar, comms, twitter feeds...

A twitter feed would be awesome, you'd be able to storm alien fortresses and still be able to here Stephan Fry's opinion on current affairs.

Personally I like a minimalistic HUD; Ammo, Radar, Cross hair.

 

[manaman]

I usually only use health and ammo, with a crosshair. all other things should be dedicated to menus. (even a map)

Until graphics improve to the point where they have near photo realistic environments I kinda think some people are going to need a mini map. It would at least help when there is a certain uniformity to the environment, unlike real life where you can tell each rock apart, and one cliff face does not look exactly like the next one 30 feet away.

All the other things people complain about, the way I see it the character is supposed to be a total badass, but most (really all) gamers are not. The extra info, the cross hairs, etc all help to bring the player up to the same level. Not that I think they should not be selectable, hell you should be able to turn of everything in a game, no reason why it cannot be an option.

 

[Magical Hans]

I love overly intricate huds and interfaces, because I love useless information.

I agree

 

[Flour]

Fuck realism when playing games.

I want my map/compass, health meter, stance indicator, ammo display and crosshair.

 

[benwaddell]

I think the greatest HUD has got to be the one from Half Life 2... So yeah, i like the whole Health Meter, Ammo Display, the works

 

[Bluebacon]

It would be pretty cool to have the character's emotions displayed on the HUD. They could range from 'cool as a cucumber' to 'feeling a bit nervous. Could do with a hug' all the way to 'I need a new suit and a shower.' Not sure how it would work though.

 

[curlycrouton]

Boy, it sure is dark under this here rock.....

I'm so glad I can get an internet connection! I thought the massive boulder I'm living under might hinder it, but no, clear as day. One of my woodlouse buddies set it up for me. He's pretty good with all them finicky electronicy things. There's quite a lot of woodlice down here. They're quite nutritious, but I can't eat them because they own most of the property round here, so I end up just eating the moss from the rock. It tastes a bit like spinach, which I suppose is alright if you like spinach, but if you don't then perhaps not.

Yep, living under a rock sure beats living in the open air! Plenty of little insect buddies, and as much moss as you can eat.

 

[Overlord2702]

It would be pretty cool to have the character's emotions displayed on the HUD. They could range from 'cool as a cucumber' to 'feeling a bit nervous. Could do with a hug' all the way to 'I need a new suit and a shower.' Not sure how it would work though.

Those sound more like things Duke Nukem would say...

I would like to be able to customize my HUD (turn things on and off) and also the layout (some games just put shit in the wrong spot and/or make em to big/small)

 

[Quick Ben]

When there should be no HUD, I prefeer it not to be. So if I'm playing a normal soldier or something like that, I don't want any HUD.

However, it's fine to have one as long as it makes sense in the context. Like in Metroid, Halo and Crysis, where you have suits. Then it makes sense to have a HUD, because it would be integrated into the suit.