[SA] or [MOD]: Move the HUD to your inventory screen

[BC_Hawke 276]

I did a search and couldn't find this, so hopefully it hasn't been brought up already.  I think the HUD could be placed in the inventory, and here's why:

 

There's been a lot of talk about the HUD in the mod and how much it affects immersion.  I know that Dean has already planned on having no HUD at all in SA and using text to convey information.  I personally don't like the idea of the game instant messaging me on a constant basis.  I think it works for limited things like "you drank a can of soda" or "there is no room in your inventory".  One day while watching a devblog video on the SA and not liking the messages popping up, I suddenly remembered that my favorite survival horror game of all time, the original Resident Evil, had NO HUD or any indicators that popped up on-screen.  In RE, when you brought up your inventory, there was an EKG that indicated your health along with limping animations to indicate injury.  Similarly, SA could have the typical blood, food, and drink indicators in the inventory, so after taking some hits or getting shot in a fight, you could bring up your inventory to see your blood level.  There could be some visual or aural indicators that let you know you're getting hungry or thirsty (animation of hand over stomach, sound of stomach growl, sound of dry throat and parched lips, animation of feeling your throat).  Upon seeing/hearing those indicators, you bring up your inventory to see hunger or thirst flashing.

 

With this method, you would have nothing getting in the way of the visual aspects of the game.  You wouldn't be in the middle of a battle and notice your hunger flashing and be like "oh, I'd better eat soon".  However, it would be there nagging at you when you went into your inventory, reminding you that you're getting hungry, the same way we get that reminder in real life by feeling the onset of hunger, which we notice when doing something mundane, but tend to overlook when we're deeply engrossed in something or experiencing an adrenaline inducing event.

 

Just a suggestion.  What are your thoughts?

[Capo 323]

i like this idea. I get the feeling i just wouldn't see 3/4 of any text indicators unless they're a constant, in which case they'd be worse than a UI.

 

something to think on. 

[applejaxc 2500]

-snip-

 

I 90% agree with you. Here's what I like

 

• A thirst meter. Obviously in real life you can feel in the back of your throat when you're getting thirsty.
• Hunger meter. Obviously you can feel your belly grumbling for food.

 

What I don't like?

• Remaining-blood.

 

The reason, I think, is pretty simple: You can't tell how much blood you have in your body without training and medical technology. What I WOULD like to see, however:

• Heart beat monitor.

 

IRL you can put your fingers to your wrist/neck and check your pulse. I think this system would work exceptionally well; whenever your heart right spiked it would mean you were exhausted/did too much running/et cetera. When it started dropping, that meant you're low on blood. That visual representation of tactile information is far less immersion breaking than "You have X/Y blood."

[colekern 1364]

I made this a while back, but I think it hits the basic idea:

 

[King of kong 1117]

I'm pretty sure I don't need to open my pack to see if I'm hungry.

[Hackettbear 1]

I like the concept, Metro 2033 used a similar system for its harder difficulty settings which allowed for easy-access to your HUD information without breaking immersion.  

 

Default

Checking Watch

Checking Journal

 

I also had a slight knee-jerk reaction to the idea of being constantly messaged about my status, I'd prefer physically visual or audible updates to actual text. 

[enforcer1975 1111]

Nice idea but since you already have problems reading any kind of intrument incl. the watch you need high res models, as everyone can see most instruments are not even working correctly in the vehicles. I would love to have a "live" watch and map though. Metro focused on that feature so it's no wonder they made in in detail. While ArmA seems to be clunky and old compared to other games of it'S kind ( there are no games of it's kind btw. ) it focuses on other things all the other games don't. Even Minecraft is closer to ArmA in it's day/night cycle than other games with faked ones just to show an example.

[BC_Hawke 276]

I'm pretty sure I don't need to open my pack to see if I'm hungry.

 

 

There could be some visual or aural indicators that let you know you're getting hungry or thirsty (animation of hand over stomach, sound of stomach growl, sound of dry throat and parched lips, animation of feeling your throat).  Upon seeing/hearing those indicators, you bring up your inventory to see hunger or thirst flashing.

 

Nobody said anything about opening a backpack.  If by backpack you mean inventory, you would already know you are hungry by visual and aural cues, so no, you wouldn't need to open your inventory to see if you're hungry.  You also don't need somebody text messaging you to tell you you're hungry (current method being used in SA with text based notifications).  You also don't need a floating display in front of your face with a picture of a plate, fork, and spoon blinking to tell you that you're hungry.  What's your suggestion that eliminates anything that you wouldn't need to tell you that you're hungry in real life?

[AP_Norris 1017]

It would be more immersive when just walking around.

I gotta agree on that fact, maybe enable and disable chat box button.

Then when your hungry your stomach can grumble, I'm not sure what a thirsty person does though...

[King of kong 1117]

Nobody said anything about opening a backpack.  If by backpack you mean inventory, you would already know you are hungry by visual and aural cues, so no, you wouldn't need to open your inventory to see if you're hungry.  You also don't need somebody text messaging you to tell you you're hungry (current method being used in SA with text based notifications).  You also don't need a floating display in front of your face with a picture of a plate, fork, and spoon blinking to tell you that you're hungry.  What's your suggestion that eliminates anything that you wouldn't need to tell you that you're hungry in real life?

I'd much rather stay with my HUD icons thanks very much. 

[RedTailedLizerd 12]

@King of kong

You did mention a "pack".

"I'm pretty sure I don't need to open my pack to see if I'm hungry. "

[AP_Norris 1017]

I'd much rather stay with my HUD icons thanks very much.

I'm not sure, maybe we need a special hardcore mode, with no 3rd person and no HUD.

[h3l1x 327]

Very nice idea OP, have some beans.