Higby's Stream + HUD Issues

[Pyreal]

I am really digging the sound effects, and the base art is beautiful! :D Drooled all over my keyboard watching the tank fighting on Indar.

Design Issues:

- Center screen info alerts - Please allow this to be disabled. The influence from BF3 is obvious regarding the center screen 'Base Defended' flashes (size, art, and location). They were one of the things I most disliked about BF3 and am disappointed they are being reproduced. It is extremely annoying to be playing a game where my visual acuity is of top priority only to have half my screen taken up by a message that can be displayed 1/10 the size and out of my FOV.
(I am aware of the Dev posts regarding this, and am under the impression that the size and location of certain alerts will remain. The size and location are my concern.)

- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled. Upper right hand corner shows who killed who. I don't care about who killed who, all I need to know is the condition of my squad at a glance. It takes up space on my screen and is in a popup/flash form that can be distracting.

- Red pulsing screen frame - Please allow this to be disabled. If I get wounded all my concentration needs to be on hitting my foe in a vital spot, not silently thanking God that I am not an epileptic.

[PhoenixDog]

- Center screen info alerts - Please allow this to be disabled. The influence from BF3 is obvious regarding the center screen 'Base Defended' flashes (size, art, and location). They were one of the things I most disliked about BF3 and am disappointed they are being reproduced. It is extremely annoying to be playing a game where my visual acuity is of top priority only to have half my screen taken up by a message that can be displayed 1/10 the size and out of my FOV.
(I am aware of the Dev posts regarding this, and am under the impression that the size and location of certain alerts will remain. The size and location are my concern.)

http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=44741

Higby already covered that

[Pyreal]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=44741

Higby already covered that

Did you even read what I wrote? : (I am aware of the Dev posts regarding this, and am under the impression that the size and location of certain alerts will remain. The size and location are my concern.)

And Higby has said this: 2 - the large messages should only play for your currently active region, not each region on the map, other regions will play a smaller message that's way less intrusive.

So there will still be "large messages".

So No, Spot, Higby has not covered this.

[Yutty]

im glad they decided to get rid of the blue colored map & went with actual terrain colors. One thing that bothered me was the faction pop & base labels. Seems redundant having squares labeld A,B,C ect on the side and then have them up on you screen as directional markers. Also not a fan of or wish we can resize them & adjust transparency.

[PhoenixDog]

Large may not be the size they are now. They may just be larger than the off-region ones.

Also, the killspam is a great tool is knowing how well your empire is doing around your vicinity. You may not care beyond your squad...But your squad might need the use of the rest of the empire. And if they're all on the right side of the kill spam, you know they're losing and may have to rethink your strategy.

[willaguy]

This is a subject that revolves around preference. Although for other people's sake it should be a customizable thing.

[Shade Millith]

I agree whole heartedly. The BIG LOUD MESSAGES!!! are too big and the red throbbing is annoying. Either give us an option to change their size or an option to turn them off completely.

[Khellendros]

Yes, those messages need to be customizable, including turning them off. That is just way too much real estate given over to them.

That stuff would really get people killed.

[Naz The Eternal]

The flashing part of the message is understandable, but the location and size are most certainly not.

Too intrusive, if playing in the dark when its night time in game a big flashy message like that will cause some light adjustment issues with most peoples eyes.

[vVRedOctoberVv]

I second these points. It needs to be adjustable at the least.

[Caddrel]

One of my friend's first comments upon seeing the stream was, "Wow, there's so much UI."

Granted we'd just come off playing Arma, but there must be about 15%-20% of the screen covered in Stuff at all times.

Which is fine if that's what people want, but definitely give an option to turn it off and/or minimize it.

Arma has a very good system where if you want something up, you can toggle it on/off. GPS (mini-map), compass, or watch can all be gotten up or dismissed at the press of a button.

[infinite loop]

/agreed

I don't care if the frequency is adjusted, the fact remains that I NEVER want to see that huge message in the center of my screen. EVER. If that isn't configurable it is going to drive me goddamn crazy.

[Winfernal]

Make it an option. Please...

[Redshift]

[COLOR="YellowGreen"]
- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled. Upper right hand corner shows who killed who. I don't care about who killed who, all I need to know is the condition of my squad at a glance. It takes up space on my screen and is in a popup/flash form that can be distracting.

You want that turned on, it gives you information about enemy numbers and classes, you'll be a better player if you learn to use it

[OnexBigxHebrew]

I want them on, but I can see why they might need a toggle for others.

[TheLeader]

[COLOR="YellowGreen"]

- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled. Upper right hand corner shows who killed who. I don't care about who killed who, all I need to know is the condition of my squad at a glance. It takes up space on my screen and is in a popup/flash form that can be distracting.



Did you ever play the original planetside? maybe you dont understand how much of an awesome thing this is.

[TaintedPaladin]

Kill notifications are a valuable source of intel, you can tell when those defenders down the stairs have fallen and you need adjust your planning. Just one of many examples.

[Ale]

Not reading killspam is a poor choice for anyone wanting to be situationally aware. That said, there should be an option to toggle anything and everything. because PC game.

[Winfernal]

That said, there should be an option to toggle anything and everything. because PC game.

Indeed. The UI is ALL about personal preferences.

[Kran De Loy]

With the level of customization for iPads and Androids and what not that was been boasted about at E3 I would down right expect the same level of customization to be available for the actual game client.

because PC game.

I just raged so hard because of that comment and why it's an actual legitimate point/concern.

I have no hate for consoles.

I do have oceans worth of hate for developers that bank on making consoles 'accessible for all players' by removing options.

[RSphil]

Higby said in twitch chat about the large massages. they where a bit of a pain and he will look into it. if they where smaller they would be ok.

i agree with the kill notifications. not bothered who kills who, aslong as i and my squad are still breathing its all good :)

the red screen is a pain. blood around the edges or something would be ok. maybe battlefield style. you have to have something though.

Kill notifications are a valuable source of intel, you can tell when those defenders down the stairs have fallen and you need adjust your planning. Just one of many examples.

not unless you know the name of the guys downstairs lol. i know what you mean but that is where communication of your team comes in tbh. i never found it any use for any fps. i always relied on intel from my fellow team mates. either in chat or over what ever voice system you use with friends ect

just imo :)

[deltase]

I want there to a option to remove the signs and alerts on my screen. Its to big and distracting. If they wont do that, at least make them smaller.

[SniperSteve]

Just because another game uses it does not make it bad.

[TAA]

- Center screen info alerts - Please allow this to be disabled.
- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled.


YES and YES!

I also want to be able to turn off all 3D indicators. I dont need to see floating icons everywhere.

[infected]

i completely agree with the OP. the hud should be a utility, not a distracting show of display.

the center message is massive and needs to go.

the top right corner (kill messages) needs to fade in and out and scroll slowly, so as not to alert/distract us from what we are doing.

i also noted that one of the objectives in 3d had like a hologram-style thing and you couldn't see the enemy on the other side. it was obstructing the view of the player. no need for it to be so massive in size. (like the annoying objective gui in red orchestra that you can toggle off because it gets in your way)

[Canaris]

I am really digging the sound effects, and the base art is beautiful! :D Drooled all over my keyboard watching the tank fighting on Indar.

Design Issues:

- Center screen info alerts - Please allow this to be disabled. The influence from BF3 is obvious regarding the center screen 'Base Defended' flashes (size, art, and location). They were one of the things I most disliked about BF3 and am disappointed they are being reproduced. It is extremely annoying to be playing a game where my visual acuity is of top priority only to have half my screen taken up by a message that can be displayed 1/10 the size and out of my FOV.
(I am aware of the Dev posts regarding this, and am under the impression that the size and location of certain alerts will remain. The size and location are my concern.)

- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled. Upper right hand corner shows who killed who. I don't care about who killed who, all I need to know is the condition of my squad at a glance. It takes up space on my screen and is in a popup/flash form that can be distracting.

- Red pulsing screen frame - Please allow this to be disabled. If I get wounded all my concentration needs to be on hitting my foe in a vital spot, not silently thanking God that I am not an epileptic.

I'd go one further beyond just having an on/off for the first two problems and make it so they can be resized and moved around the HUD or placed into chat channel alerts for ease on the eyes. :)

definitely agree on the last issue, I don't mind a red shot direction indicator but they need to leave the strawberry jam in sandwich's and not on my HUD ;)

[Charred]

Center screen info alerts - Please allow this to be disabled. The influence from BF3 is obvious regarding the center screen 'Base Defended' flashes (size, art, and location). They were one of the things I most disliked about BF3 and am disappointed they are being reproduced. It is extremely annoying to be playing a game where my visual acuity is of top priority only to have half my screen taken up by a message that can be displayed 1/10 the size and out of my FOV.
(I am aware of the Dev posts regarding this, and am under the impression that the size and location of certain alerts will remain. The size and location are my concern.)
.

"Yes, that facility defended stuff is fixed in the latest build, but not the build we were just playtesting. Drives me nuts too."

@mhigby

[Jeepo]

Full customization would rock, particularly having an off option for all of it. All I want is an ammo count and my squad status. The rest is just fluff.

[TAA]

Full customization would rock, particularly having an off option for all of it. All I want is an ammo count and my squad status. The rest is just fluff.

For me its: names of people in squad, an indicator that comes on to tell me who is using the voice channel, a small chat window that fades out of view quickly, facility/capture point status and status of shields. I prefer visual indicators of health (eg. screen turning grey) but will take a discrete bar next to my shield status bar if I have to.

I can do without crap like crosshairs, ammo count, 3D icons, minimap, kill displays, notifications, etc. All that stuff breaks immersion for me and I would like to turn it off.

[Dart]

I couldn't disagree more about the Kill Spam. As other have said - the situationally aware soldier uses the kill spam to keep an eye on who is where around him. For instance if I see a friendly run past me down some stairs I check his name - if he then dies 15 seconds later I know exactly WHO killed and with WHAT and I have a good idea WHERE. That is invaluable information. I'd rather see it there permanently, instead of having it fade out. Although I'm all for giving us the choice. The less people who use the tools their given, the less competent players I'll have to fight against!

Speaking of HUD issues - did the Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) system seem poor to anyone else? I was finding it very difficult, at a glance, to tell which faction players belonged to and judging by the amount of TKing we saw at E3 and again last night, I'm obviously not the only one.

There also needs to be some kind of Outfit Tag or Outfit Name display beneath friendly players.

I can do without crap like crosshairs, ammo count, 3D icons, minimap, kill displays, notifications, etc. All that stuff breaks immersion for me and I would like to turn it off.

If you're not joking I find this staggering. Each to their own, that's cool but you're effectively tying both hands behind your back in an FPS. Without all of the things you've just listed, if you ever managed to have a positive impact on a battlefield you'd have to be an incredible player. Although, if you were, there is no way you'd dream of disabling all that information.

I'm not trying to tell you how to play - and if that's how you enjoy PS2, more power to you! I just hope you're never guarding me while I'm capturing a base!

[Baron]

Even in PS1 you could toggle the chat window / kill spam ...or even keep the chat window at max size to basically overtake the kill spam part. I'd think that in PS2 you'll have even more flexibility.

[TAA]

If you're not joking I find this staggering. Each to their own, that's cool but you're effectively tying both hands behind your back in an FPS. Without all of the things you've just listed, if you ever managed to have a positive impact on a battlefield you'd have to be an incredible player. Although, if you were, there is no way you'd dream of disabling all that information.



Crosshairs - they are in the same spot they have always been. I have no need to see them. After years of COD and BF hardcore mode I really do find them more irritating than useful. Lets put it this way: at close range its not like you can really miss (even headshots are easy), at medium/long ranges you should be ADS anyway.
3D icons - there is no need to see where the bases are with 3D icons if you know the battlefield. The facility/capture point status indicators tell you what is happening and where.
Health - health bar is not needed if there are visual cues on your screen (eg. screen starts pumping blood or whatever). If the visual cues are not clear then its needed.
Ammo - anyone can estimate how much ammo they have left in their clip within minutes of playing, and it only takes a little bit longer to get used to how much ammo you can carry and use before you need a resupply.
Kill displays - who cares? With so many people dying its one endless stream of noise.
Minimap - I would use this if I can switch off 3D spotting, but mainly so that I get the compass directions of contacts I call out over voice. If the game uses audio spotting I would be forced to use it just because of how powerful it would be.
Notifications - you really want that crap filling up half your screen randomly throughout the game? Even if it was smaller I am not sure it would be useful at all. Cant you just take a look at the map next time you go to spawn to see what areas are under attack?

[Dart]

You and I clearly prioritize very different things when it comes to playing FPS games TAA. I'm less bothered about immersion and more interested in effectiveness. I won't go to the trouble of explaining why each of those things is a useful tool in making you a better gamer because I don't think you'd really care. But that's fine - it takes all sorts to make the world go round!

[MrBloodworth]

Just because another game uses it does not make it bad.

Just because another game uses it, does not mean you need to have it. :D

[Karrade]

Crosshairs - they are in the same spot they have always been. I have no need to see them. After years of COD and BF hardcore mode I really do find them more irritating than useful. Lets put it this way: at close range its not like you can really miss (even headshots are easy), at medium/long ranges you should be ADS anyway.
3D icons - there is no need to see where the bases are with 3D icons if you know the battlefield. The facility/capture point status indicators tell you what is happening and where.
Health - health bar is not needed if there are visual cues on your screen (eg. screen starts pumping blood or whatever). If the visual cues are not clear then its needed.
Ammo - anyone can estimate how much ammo they have left in their clip within minutes of playing, and it only takes a little bit longer to get used to how much ammo you can carry and use before you need a resupply.
Kill displays - who cares? With so many people dying its one endless stream of noise.
Minimap - I would use this if I can switch off 3D spotting, but mainly so that I get the compass directions of contacts I call out over voice. If the game uses audio spotting I would be forced to use it just because of how powerful it would be.
Notifications - you really want that crap filling up half your screen randomly throughout the game? Even if it was smaller I am not sure it would be useful at all. Cant you just take a look at the map next time you go to spawn to see what areas are under attack?


I disagree with just about all of this, so I think the only way is to make it an option to toggle. I want as much feedback as possible when I play a game.

(Attempting) to come from a neutral perspective you'd be raising the bar to entry into the game far too high.

[julfo]

Crosshairs - they are in the same spot they have always been. I have no need to see them. After years of COD and BF hardcore mode I really do find them more irritating than useful. Lets put it this way: at close range its not like you can really miss (even headshots are easy), at medium/long ranges you should be ADS anyway.
3D icons - there is no need to see where the bases are with 3D icons if you know the battlefield. The facility/capture point status indicators tell you what is happening and where.
Health - health bar is not needed if there are visual cues on your screen (eg. screen starts pumping blood or whatever). If the visual cues are not clear then its needed.
Ammo - anyone can estimate how much ammo they have left in their clip within minutes of playing, and it only takes a little bit longer to get used to how much ammo you can carry and use before you need a resupply.
Kill displays - who cares? With so many people dying its one endless stream of noise.
Minimap - I would use this if I can switch off 3D spotting, but mainly so that I get the compass directions of contacts I call out over voice. If the game uses audio spotting I would be forced to use it just because of how powerful it would be.
Notifications - you really want that crap filling up half your screen randomly throughout the game? Even if it was smaller I am not sure it would be useful at all. Cant you just take a look at the map next time you go to spawn to see what areas are under attack?


I agree with all of this. ALL of it.

[TAA]

I disagree with just about all of this, so I think the only way is to make it an option to toggle. I want as much feedback as possible when I play a game.

(Attempting) to come from a neutral perspective you'd be raising the bar to entry into the game far too high.

Most people do want that stuff. As much as I hate it, having these things on should be the default mode of the game. I just want the ability to turn the crap off.

[Jeepo]

Toggle is the answer. As for the kill feed, after playing Project Reality for 5 years or so I feel using the kill feed to confirm info on the battle feed is a bit cheap. Not being critical as I get the usefulness but just my opinion. Maybe there will be a server control to turn it off.

[RageMasterUK]

Agree with points 1 and 2 although I probably wont toggle them off. I like all the information I can get when I play.

As for the red-pulsing when taking damage or on low health, this should not be toggleable. Getting hit by bullets and explosions, or being a fraction away from death SHOULD make it harder for you to aim IMHO. Grants a small bonus to the player who hits first. If it was toggleable, everyone would turn it off. Either way, It should be on for everyone, or off for everyone...

TAA, I dont mind if you want to turn those GUI elements off including the crosshair, you should be able to if you want (doesnt affect other players). That said I really find the crosshair-bloom an invaluable GUI element for seeing where your shots are going to land during hip-fire.

[Raka Maru]

I check killspam when deciding to go AA or AV before I walk outside. If lots of planes are killing my empire, I pull out the Burster max.

I hated anything that pops up right in the center of your screen. It's like someone stepping in front of the TV during a critical scene.

[Kalbuth]

I couldn't disagree more about the Kill Spam. As other have said - the situationally aware soldier uses the kill spam to keep an eye on who is where around him. For instance if I see a friendly run past me down some stairs I check his name - if he then dies 15 seconds later I know exactly WHO killed and with WHAT and I have a good idea WHERE. That is invaluable information. I'd rather see it there permanently, instead of having it fade out. Although I'm all for giving us the choice. The less people who use the tools their given, the less competent players I'll have to fight against!

Speaking of HUD issues - did the Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) system seem poor to anyone else? I was finding it very difficult, at a glance, to tell which faction players belonged to and judging by the amount of TKing we saw at E3 and again last night, I'm obviously not the only one.

There also needs to be some kind of Outfit Tag or Outfit Name display beneath friendly players.




Same as Dart, IFF seems rather weak and leading to many judgement errors

[Carnage]

There does seem to be an awful lot of unrequired information, like HERE (http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae150/Carnage009/Skyrim%20Screenshots/Host%20Pix/2HPbars.jpg) I see 2 HP meters... and in THIS (http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae150/Carnage009/Skyrim%20Screenshots/Host%20Pix/TooMuch.jpg) there are 2 compasses, that pic is getting ridiculous and it's not even the full amount you can get at one time... there needs to be full customisation on the HUD, most of us do not require most of it, but while I do not want it, it would be still nice to have it as an option...

[haticK]

They already said you will be able to move around parts of the HUD so I would assume you could disable whatever you don't like too. I can tell a lot of you never played a MMORPG with raid frames, boss mods, timers, etc.

[RSphil]

i like the hud bar the massive base notifications.

troops of today are getting hud on their helmets anyway so id say one day your ammo will be on it, aswell as other info. maps and txt are used atm but can be open to all sorts in the future like AR waypoints, iff and stuff.

as for being able to turn it all off. i say switchable. there will be alot of new players dont forget who are either new to fps's or used to how the newer mainstream fps's are visually represented. i see far too many post on here atm forgetting this game has to appeal to a wide range of people to be able to survive.

They already said you will be able to move around parts of the HUD so I would assume you could disable whatever you don't like too. I can tell a lot of you never played a MMORPG with raid frames, boss mods, timers, etc.

oh the amount of crap i had up in WOW when raiding lol. love being able to customize the hud though. i think there are only a few pre set ones in game atm though

[Tatwi]

I'm all for being able to turn off those center of the screen warnings.

1. They are way too huge.
2. They are way too colorful.
3. They happen way too often.
4. They stay on the screen way too long.
5. Honestly, I really don't care THAT much.

I am 100% fine with the standard MMO chat window scrolling text alerts, but if you must have other kinds of alerts, please allow to make them text only and (much like SWG) allow me to change their color and duration.

[GreatMazinkaise]

I'd go one further beyond just having an on/off for the first two problems and make it so they can be resized and moved around the HUD or placed into chat channel alerts for ease on the eyes. :)

definitely agree on the last issue, I don't mind a red shot direction indicator but they need to leave the strawberry jam in sandwich's and not on my HUD ;)

This cannot be emphasized enough... my health bar is already going to be at the center of my HUD... I don't need the world to turn red to know I'm in trouble.

[Reizod]

Not reading killspam is a poor choice for anyone wanting to be situationally aware. That said, there should be an option to toggle anything and everything. because PC game.

^^^This... would fix all the "problems" and complaints. Simple really if you think about it.

Options are always good in my book. As a dedicated pilot, I would like the option to tweak my UI/HUD the way I like. Don't want or need unnecessary indicators popping up on my screen when in the middle of a intense dogfight.

[Braveliltoaster]

- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled. Upper right hand corner shows who killed who. I don't care about who killed who, all I need to know is the condition of my squad at a glance. It takes up space on my screen and is in a popup/flash form that can be distracting.

I disagree strongly on this one

[wasdie]

The alerts on the HUD being in the middle of the screen is pretty standard convention. Gamers expect it now.

As for the red pulse on the screen, as long as there is an option I'm all for it. Nothing sucks as much as going back to old school FPSs and having terrible indication of how much health you have left while you're focusing on your crosshairs, not your HUD.

That's one of my biggest peeves about older games, the lack of information they give you. I think FPSs today overdo the "bloody screen" jelly that smears the screen, but having a fullscreen indication of your health is a great. Diablo 3 even implemented it and it has saved my life more than once.

In an FPS, taking your eye off your crosshair can get you killed. Having the indication in your peripheral view is far superior than having it in the corner requiring to constantly take your eye off of it.

If you want it off, that's fine. Just don't remove it from the game completely. That would really upset me.

[SixShooter]

I'm hopeing that all this stuff will have optional toggles. I would presonally keep the kill spam up but would rather have the notifications there how it is in PS1 rather than all over the screen in a giant flashing sign.

[gigafunk]

Most seem to be missing the point that a red flashing screen when taking damge is MEANT to be distracting. Its part of the immersion that the OP seems so concerned about losing with the base info flashing.


Part of the negative of being shot is losing health and getting distracted. If we want to talk about HOW MUCH should be there, that is valid topic. Talking about complete removal of it, or keeping it (for all players) is a valid topic. However, talking about a toggle option that players can turn off for advantage in a hectic firefight, over the people that leave it on for the immersion and challenge, is not a valid topic.

[GreatMazinkaise]

Most seem to be missing the point that a red flashing screen when taking damge is MEANT to be distracting. Its part of the immersion that the OP seems so concerned about losing with the base info flashing.


Part of the negative of being shot is losing health and getting distracted. If we want to talk about HOW MUCH should be there, that is valid topic. Talking about complete removal of it, or keeping it (for all players) is a valid topic. However, talking about a toggle option that players can turn off for advantage in a hectic firefight, over the people that leave it on for the immersion and challenge, is not a valid topic.

It's annoying, option-removing debuff that I can't do anything about... I (and most others) don't play FPS games to be annoyed by debuffs that remove player agency in their own deaths.

And really, who really wants to feel like they're dying?

[Top Sgt]

higby was using the half centered UI tho with the stuff directly in the lower middle.

I wonder if your using the normal full screen version. if the notifications are that large still?

[Notser]

I personally would like some refinement with the UI, some of the elements overlapped and sizing was a little curious. I don't need a giant notification that a base was taken then have a tiny squad list. CUSTOMIZATION IS KING!

[Tsunami]

[COLOR="YellowGreen"]
- Killed notifications - Please allow this to be disabled. Upper right hand corner shows who killed who. I don't care about who killed who, all I need to know is the condition of my squad at a glance. It takes up space on my screen and is in a popup/flash form that can be distracting.


I can see this being an issue cause you could have a 100v100 match and blam that could be like thousands of messages a second

[fod]

i agree that all UI sections should be configurable so you can have it how you like

personally the main one i dont want is the kill combo and popup messages like
"super duper awesome killz combo - 15 killz"

[Notser]

i agree that all UI sections should be configurable so you can have it how you like

personally the main one i dont want is the kill combo and popup messages like
"super duper awesome killz combo - 15 killz"

WHAT! You don't want to get a pat on the back for everything you do while using autoaim and have a massive bar on your screen showing how awesome you are all the time!