HUD Issues/Suggestions

Discussion in 'Testing Discussion' started by BlackRedDead, Aug 17, 2016.

  1. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    maintenance "team" :sleep::gasmask::whistle: messaged & queued

    Hey guys,
    at first, i personally like the old HUD more, so i kindly ask for a legacy option :)

    Issues:
    • grenadiers minecount displayed at the left side instead right, where the ammocounter is
    • the chat&ticket colorissue (NF way to dark, BE a bit to bright) doesn't
      work so well with transparency!
    • sizes are an issue (look at the upper bar and compare it to the lower ones - they do not match visually nor practical! - seems to be a resolution scaling issue!)
    • useless health value at command diamonds / health value missing at building health bars
    Suggestions:
    • old hud as legacy option
    • a recolored hud for NF
    • fix(using the actual keybind instead of sturdy "F"!)&reposition the voice command menu icon to the right (where there's now room for it!) and categorize it as a "hint" (to be removeable)
    • use framed (instead of shadowed) letters for transparent HUD
    • health bar should be more visible again (maybe colorgrading from green-yellow-red, changing at 50% and 25%)
    • change unasigned and spectator chatcolor to a mild green - only admins and servermessages should be yellow!
    • use "rounded"/"non-sharp" dark colored transparent text background - and add them to chatmessages and gamenotes (kills and stuff at the right side - examples will follow)
    • double open chat height (maybe not double, needs to be tested with squad panel)
    • changing the health value at command diamonds to percentage / add health value to health bars (Awpol)
    some already existing examples:
    [​IMG]
    good old hud - the coloring issue is shown aswell^^ (the chat on the left ofc)
    compare this picture with the following ;-)
    [​IMG]
    the transparancy hud with sizeing issues (actual release of 2.9.3.)
    [​IMG]
    anther example for the coloring issue, now in conjunction with the transparency an even bigger issue!
    [​IMG]
    fast recondition of the hud to show the idea for NF - the metal surfaces could get "rusty" or even the whole HUD getting more "solid metal" to match theire general visual style ;-)
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2016
  2. Z100000M

    Z100000M Vithered Weteran

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    Yeah, i agree with the healthbar blending a bit too much with its background.
     
  3. Devourawr

    Devourawr Member

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    Everything is going to be 5% transparent in the patch coming out next week. For some reason the more transparent textures got merged instead of the more visible ones, duck up on my end.

    Everything else you've said has been discussed to death, and the answer is sure, but we can't do it yet.

    The top textures and the menus look different to the HUD due to how the code stretches them out to match your resolution, so it has to be same horizontally the whole way along.


    On another note, what resolution are you playing on which makes your ammo counter not centered?
     
  4. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    ohm, i have no problem with the transparency, just the "style" isn't to my likeing (the old ammocounter in particular, i don't need a big-fat number that punchs me in the face my actual remaining bullet count! - espeacially because there's no tactical reload in this game! ;-) - also i just love the "ticking bullet" counter of the old hud^^)
    also when you use transparency you need to adjust everything else - especially text - very carefully to it and test it in different envirements! - i'm a bit upset that it got merged into the main branch in this stage :-/

    what exactly can't be done and why? ;-)

    you're refering to the chat suggestion?, but the lowest sense making resolution is 800x600px, and i think 1024x768px is the lowest used one these days - adjusting the chatwindow for it should be no big deal^^
    (i have indeed no idea of how the sourceengine actually builds/handles HUD/textures - but as far i can tell from playerexperience it's orientation is set by the game - so changing it is possible!
    (i mean if actual HUD textures are orientated on one axis and stretched on the other, just placed onscreen regardless resolution or streched on both axis freely to match resolution or in ... well, the other way, missing words to describe it properly)

    the screens are made in 1366x768px
    (the expensive equipment is reserved for work xP)
    but why the big-fat ammo counter should be centered? O.o
     
  5. Devourawr

    Devourawr Member

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    Look for my threads in the Art section, there are 10-15 pages of conversation that cover all of the things you stated. The basic one size fits all answer is until it's overhauled we can't change the code, only the textures.

    The number 40 on your screen should be in the centre of the box, in your screenshot it's sitting lower. I'll do some more testing and see why. Did you change your resolution after launching empires?
     
  6. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    if you then could kindly provide a link? :)
    (i have no idea what you mean with art section...)

    lol... thats really not much of an issue! xD
    nope, but will test it because the upper bar seems to have the same issue then - where its much more of a problem because of its size!

    Post Scriptum:
    great - at 1280x600 the ammo counter disappears to the bottom-right while the other hud elements got strangely stretched...
    [​IMG]
    as you can see - health&stamina bar got smaller, top bar remains in size (related to the rest of the picture, compared to my "normal" resolution) and the ammo counter says bybye and falls off the screen xD
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2016
  7. Devourawr

    Devourawr Member

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    Go to the forum main page, scroll down and click Art.

    Two more things; what do you mean greens can no longer see their mine count? Just go as a green and a new little bar pops up with the number of mines you have.

    The second is I don't know what you mean by the top bars being a different size. Less information needs to be shown, so we try take up less space. If people wanted I can add a little spike thing to the edges like the lower HUD elements have, but I feel like the less space the better when it comes to HUDs anyway.
     
  8. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    than it just seems to have not much reference, if you want me to read something you should link it!
    because befor i have found&read trough all of what you are refering to, we propably have next year!
    instead you know what you mean and where it is - thus are faster at searching it and can even link to the refered posts that are important - saveing us both time!
    if i wanna read something i search for it!

    [​IMG]
    no placed mine count - maybe just hidden because noone was placed?
    [​IMG]
    nope, still no minecount!
    [​IMG]
    placed half of allowed mines but still no hud element xP

    ehm, why you thinking that - haven't said anything that way about the top bar - it remains in size related to screenresolution - just like it should!
    the other major hud elements doesnt scale properly!
    (the only issue's with the topbar is that icons got shrinked and the transparency increases the font coloring issue)
    just compare the screens of old and new hud - then you get the issues ;-)
     
  9. Devourawr

    Devourawr Member

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    this is going to sound harsh, but I don't mean it to be. If I were to have the same conversation with every single member of the forums, walking them through what decisions were made and why, I would be unable to change anything at all because all my time would be spent here rather than in Photoshop and the empires repo.
    So generally it's best to have one thread per topic where everyone can get up to speed on what's happening before contributing, because likely all their questions will have been asked by somebody else.

    I personally shrank the icons up top to save space.

    The mine counter is on the other side of the screen above the health bar, where the turret/camera HP goes.
     
  10. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    well, i can get sturdy at such things - because it clearly cost you much less time than me! ;-)
    and i have my own small projects ongoing and less time to finish even a piece of them to a state where i could publish it!
    (noone wants messy code^^, even if it works, if noone can follow it it's worthless to share something unfinished!)

    yep, but there not much guidlines where to put what! - i have read since 2 weeks in this forum and for much things theres just no clear space - roughly organized :-/



    well, saw it after posting just in the moment i closed the preview of the image hoster xD
    but if someone lay mines he look more for how many layed&left - so moving it back to the right side would be nice ;)
    (to have it on 1 sight and not need to look left-right-left xD)
     
  11. Awpolt

    Awpolt Member

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    In regards to structures. What about replacing the HUD structure health value with a percentage value? In fact, 200 HP or whatever it may be, tells the player nothing about its condition unless you explicitly know, on the top of your head, what its maximum value is. I would personally prefer this approach.
     
  12. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    wich one do you mean? - the health bar is already semi-percentage (in ¼ steps) and the squad displayed is usefull as is, don't need to be changed or would make it more worse when changed to percentage value - because then theres no difference between 100 and 130 values - another idea would it to add bars - the more health the longer the bar^^
    but all off that is more effort than worth to do - only the optical appearance of the healthbar needs to be improved, because its barrely visible atm!

    also want the colored health&sprint energy/stamina icons back!
    but thats personal preference!^^

    at least there should be a legacy option!
     
  13. Awpolt

    Awpolt Member

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    Using Lightning's picture as an example:

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    oh... okay then sorry, missunderstood you :D
    ...kay, after some thinking its actually the wrong way around it should be! - we clearly need to change that mark to percentage but also add the health value to the percentage bar displayed when you are near a building! :)
    (so that you don't need to "guess" anymore how much dmg a building can take)

    i really need to polish this thread! - note placed
     
  15. LordDz_2

    LordDz_2 Strange things happens here

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    While you're at it, replace "Guard" with "Build this" when it's unbuilt.
     
  16. Awpolt

    Awpolt Member

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    In NS2, an icon appears (hammer) and it says "Construct" under it, which is cool. They have a voice for it as well.
     
  17. BlackRedDead

    BlackRedDead Member

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    NS2?
    well, i guess it's impossible to differenciate between unbuild and builded buildings due to engine limitations (correct me if i'm wrong, but from another mod i know that!)
     
  18. Sgt.Security

    Sgt.Security Member

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    This will make a good signature for me.
     
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  19. Xyaminou

    Xyaminou Member

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    I don't agree with that, unless you show both. Because if you know the values then you know that a building above X HPs will survive a mortar round, if you change this to percentage you will have to re-learn the value for all the different buildings, no thanks.

    Just "build" actually, would be nice.

    Indeed it would, hell I might just use it myself.
     
  20. Awpolt

    Awpolt Member

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    I agree on the health and percentage values being simultaneously displayed.

    Additionally, I have a suggestion for the map/minimap. I would like to see the vehicle status be displayed on the node that is selected so that you can be kept up-to-date on its condition. You would then be able decide if you want to spawn or not, without having to feel like you're going to instantly die.

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. Avatarix

    Avatarix Member

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    Also, could we get bigger/new revive icon? Sometimes it's hard to see what body need reviving.
     

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