A HUD to match the visor
Night_Eagle
Join Date: 2003-11-07 Member: 22373Members
Join Date: 2003-11-07 Member: 22373Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Example included</div>Inspiration:
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/08/marine_concepts.html" target="_blank">Marine concepts (Unknown Worlds Game Development Blog)</a>
Looking at the "full images of the final design", I noticed the curvature of the holographic HUD.
Well, this must mean we are going to have an awesome 3D and curved HUD for the Frontiersmen!
<img src="http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/9835/gmconstruct0061pg4.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
<img src="http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/3950/gmconstruct0068bm8.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
HUD lag, flicker when damaged - I just re-themed my Garry's Mod HUD to Natural-Selection.
The only textures I used include a white texture and real time textures.
I'll remove the Y point modulation some day to make it cylindrical rather than spherical and see how it looks.
I read about real time textures for ammo counters and figured that it would make some type of standard, so I didn't add an ammo counter for this example - it adds to the immersion somewhat. A gauge for ammo on hand, however...
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/08/marine_concepts.html" target="_blank">Marine concepts (Unknown Worlds Game Development Blog)</a>
Looking at the "full images of the final design", I noticed the curvature of the holographic HUD.
Well, this must mean we are going to have an awesome 3D and curved HUD for the Frontiersmen!
<img src="http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/9835/gmconstruct0061pg4.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
<img src="http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/3950/gmconstruct0068bm8.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
HUD lag, flicker when damaged - I just re-themed my Garry's Mod HUD to Natural-Selection.
The only textures I used include a white texture and real time textures.
I'll remove the Y point modulation some day to make it cylindrical rather than spherical and see how it looks.
I read about real time textures for ammo counters and figured that it would make some type of standard, so I didn't add an ammo counter for this example - it adds to the immersion somewhat. A gauge for ammo on hand, however...
Comments
<img src="http://www.mywii.com.au/img/game/metroid-prime-3-1.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
It makes everything a lot more immersive, especially if there's a tiny bit of a bob about it. As long as it's easy to read, of course.
--Scythe--
Check it out, HUDs already exist.
Is the image "flat" or "rounded"? Geuss its really not that un-imersive to not be curved.
I am pretty sure it boils down to user preference, in that the explanation would be where and how the image is displayed by the system in place. Seeing as we're dealing with a space faring age, I think its safe to say that they have some pretty decent eye movement recognition systems, if not just straight up cyber jacks and/or impants for the "third eye" enhancement approach.
Face it TSA marine, the matrix has you. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I thought you guys would blame resizing and jpeg format (as is the problem).
<img src="http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6795/croppedpl0.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
You didn't think I played at a 640*512 resolution, did you?
(It would be even easier to read if the NS team decides to do something like this and adds RT texture support better than in Garry's Mod.)
Also, is that picture a mock-up? It is absolutely straight and has fine jaggies.
If we want to talk aesthetics, I can always bring up this thing:
<img src="http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/7166/thumbmoty22759copyhr3.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
Is it there to be realistic, or is it there to look good?
I <strike>mentioned</strike> blatantly emphasized the blog post, first thing, where their final design is a curved holographic visor - from there, we can exaggerate and what-not.
Some possible guidelines:<ul><li>Make it clear and easy to understand</li><li>Don't let it take up too much space, keep clutter down</li><li>Make it unique, and curving helps with that, just not as much as Metroid please</li></ul><b>vote <!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green"><!--/coloro-->yes<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--></b> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
Anyway, my point is, the curvy hud sort of lets it "fit" to the view a bit nicer.
Edit: Of course, my avatar could indicate a bias here. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
In Half-Life, normal FOV is 90 degrees. You can mess with it by typing "fov #" (where # is > 0, < 360, and positive) and see what it does and how much even a tiny alteration in Field of View really screws with your aim.
But a slight curve is very cool.
Natural Selection 2 needs a improved and unique HUD that will make the marine experience feel good.
and i cant really say if i would like either normal or curved hud better, maybe small curvature ;d
In the Insurgency Mod, at the top of the HUD it shows objectives in a kind of spherical Compass which is a huge plus to what the curved huds can do, and a standard hud can't do without looking terrible
Personally, IMHO, I like the ever so slight curve to the HUD, but like one says, in our own time we can solve curvatures, why wouldn't the future warrior's in space engineers and manufacturers be able to solve it? Especially considering this particular future has nanites (incredibly small robots) working for them. In fact, with nanites in the picture, I'm a little surprised we don't see more robots on the macro scale in the realm of the TSA.
The thing I am looking for is something less obtrusive than what we have, yet looks nice and is easily interpretable. For example, the blue chunk below the health bar covers 50% of the length - and you thought it was just for looks! (Although, the triangle portion should be centered so it does not create the illusion of it being less than half.)
Anyway, don't let me lead you to believe that this is what the NS team will implement - it is merely an idea. Ideas can be molded, rejected, and replaced, mind you. Let me tell you right now, they will only implement one HUD. Prove me wrong - I would be delighted.
(For the love of humanity, don't get technical on me.)
Also, think about this - a flat holograph in front of your face would be hard to read unless all of the elements are close to the center. With a curved holograph, text is displayed equidistant from the eyes - on the contrary, this curve would make it seem *flat* when looked at directly with one's eyes. (Because this text is displayed in the peripheral, you cannot easily read it unless you look at it.)
Works just like the flat HUD, but which is more realistic depends on your perspective. (Also, I think the curvature shown in my HUD is too exaggerated.)
Right now, I am wondering if they are thinking of fully animating the marine in the devour attack. Dear god that would be gruesome...
I <strike>mentioned</strike> blatantly emphasized the blog post, first thing, where their final design is a curved holographic visor - from there, we can exaggerate and what-not.
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Well it does take a split second to read i would say, perhaps its just getting used to it, but i believe it would be more annoying than immersive, it is of course user preference - if it was up to me I wouldn't have a hud, all i need is ammo counter's on my guns, health indicator if i look down towards my left wrist (if could see your own body) and a nice small transparent cross hair in the shape of a + with the middle cut out.
surely the curved visor could be programed to skew its images so that they appear flat to the marines eye.
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Haha! Well you have a point there. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
No really, why would you have a curved HUD? It wouldn't happen in real life, because Liquid Crystal Displays can't bend that far, can they? And that is surely how a HUD works, that or a mini projector onto a piece of glass in front of the eye; which still wouldn't result in that much curving as the majority of the front of the face is quite flat when you have to place a piece of glass/plastic across it. Well defiantly not as much as you have shown in your Pic. That kind of curve might happen as you get into your blind spot or your ear, but not really at the front of your face unless you were in a giant bubble...? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nerd-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::nerdy::" border="0" alt="nerd-fix.gif" />
<b>SAY NO TO CURVED HUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!</b>
That's a curved hud. If you have trouble reading that then you need your eyes checked.
I swear to god, if <b>one more person</b> vetoes a stylistic design choice based on the fact that it would somehow disadvantage competitive players, I'll gut them with a spork.
@INKEDOUT: I suggest you look at the <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/08/04/final.jpg" target="_blank">recently released marine concept art</a>. Particularly the one on the left. In case you hadn't noticed this is the future. Magic curved holographic projections are commonplace now.
--Scythe--
@INKEDOUT: I suggest you look at the <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/08/04/final.jpg" target="_blank">recently released marine concept art</a>. Particularly the one on the left. In case you hadn't noticed this is the future. Magic curved holographic projections are commonplace now.
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Scythe the curve on the front of that concept art HUD is minor, on the sides it is a lot, but you can clearly see that there isn’t anything projected on the side, because that is a blind spot, which was my point. Take a look at any pair of glasses/shades, the curve isn't much on the front, and instead designers choose a greater curve on your blind spot, even on really expensive shades curves aren’t much.
I do however really like that pic (which Star Wars game is that? Is it Star Wars at all?) the HUD on there looks a million times better than the one at the start of this thread. Especially with the rain. But the curve isn't that much there, not as extreme as some examples on here so far. I can imagine a lot of people complaining about blind spots on that HUD though, especially with flying skulks landing on you.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skulk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::skulk::" border="0" alt="skulk.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skulk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::skulk::" border="0" alt="skulk.gif" />
The mock-up posted by the thread starter was a rough, thrown-together-in-gmod-in-a-few-minutes-job. In a proper implementation the text would be adjusted such that it wasn't bent, but the frames the text sits upon would be curved, as would any graphical stuff. Minimaps and suchlike.
--Scythe--
Scythe the curve on the front of that concept art HUD is minor, on the sides it is a lot, but you can clearly see that there isn’t anything projected on the side, because that is a blind spot, which was my point. Take a look at any pair of glasses/shades, the curve isn't much on the front, and instead designers choose a greater curve on your blind spot, even on really expensive shades curves aren’t much.
I do however really like that pic (which Star Wars game is that? Is it Star Wars at all?) the HUD on there looks a million times better than the one at the start of this thread. Especially with the rain. But the curve isn't that much there, not as extreme as some examples on here so far. I can imagine a lot of people complaining about blind spots on that HUD though, especially with flying skulks landing on you.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skulk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::skulk::" border="0" alt="skulk.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skulk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::skulk::" border="0" alt="skulk.gif" />
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I have a pair of prescription sunglasses, which happen to bend very noticeably on the sides. And by noticeably, I mean you actually see the world bent on the sides.
For marines why don't we have HUD's that flicker/temporarily fails when they (and consequently the electrics in their armour) are attacked?
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this would be cool
I would love to see some HUD reaction to armour and body damage niaccurshi.