States should display icons, not text/annoying sounds

[infiltrator 275]

So it was raining, and I was walking through the forest.. you guessed it, it was like a car alarm went off.. beep beep beep.

 

Which gave me an idea so I did a quick PS mockup (I do 2d/3d design for a living) of how I think the icons should be in dayz (minus the sound). At first I went with color, then I thought, hmm, thats not right, and this felt more like it. Icons are wet, bleeding, hungry, thirsty and fracture. I know there's more states but I you get the point.

 

Edited February 19, 2014 by Infiltrator

[360Nation 60]

So it was raining, and I was walking through the forest.. you guessed it, it was like a car alarm went off.. beep beep beep.

 

Which gave me an idea so I did a quick PS mockup (I do 2d/3d design for a living) of how I think the icons should be in dayz (minus the sound). At first I went with color, then I thought, hmm, thats not right, and this felt more like it. Icons are wet, bleeding, hungry, thirsty and fracture. I know there's more states but I you get the point.

 

Temporary everything is subjected to change. 

[infiltrator 275]

Temporary everything is subjected to change. 

 

You don't say?

[Khad (DayZ) 293]

No. Please. Just no!

 

I don't want too much of an UI. ... I even don't want an UI at all. The Chat, the hotbar and the confirmation-messages are the must have, but there mustn't be any more. 

Everything else should stay in seperate windows. Loke the inventory. 

 

I can't figure out, why the hell there is this strange sound for damped clothes, but I guess, it will be removed, sonn. 

[Nicko2580 398]

Please no. No icons, no status updates, buffs, debuffs etc. It's bad enough having the reticule and the toolbar. I can deal with the text updates (just because I grew up playing MUD's and other such roleplay type things) but even they are pushing it a little. 

Less is far, far more in DayZ. You should have to figure things out yourself. 

If you hear your character sneeze, you're sick. 
If you're bleeding you need to be bandaged.
If you're shaking and moaning you're in pain.
If you're screen is grey and fuzzy you're in bad shape.
etc etc. 

You should find these things out by paying attention to your character, not by the game holding your hand and telling you exactly what's wrong. 

The only exceptions are hunger and thirst because it's pretty hard to show those on a character model. 

Edited February 19, 2014 by Nicko2580

[PhilB 230]

Yeah, I'm not sure icons will ever go away. I'm surprised they haven't already conceded this and implemented pretty much exactly what you posted. Seems like a no brainer. The current text system is just the opposite side of the same coin, here. 

 

These systems aren't that invasive if they operate like the hot keys where they fade away over time.The more urgent your particular icon need, the more urgently it flashes. 

 

If you enhance this with some light audio suggestions where possible and keep the visual icons on a "prompt me as needed" basis, that's a workable solution. 

 

Also, your design evokes a certain nostalgia for the mod but is clearly modern, updated. Looks great! I might lower their vertical location and soften them up a bit, but they look "right".

[darksteeljorge 96]

I would like to be able to turn icons on and off in normal servers, and permanent off in hardcore. I like the model you did

[infiltrator 275]

Please no. No icons, no status updates, buffs, debuffs etc. It's bad enough having the reticule and the toolbar. I can deal with the text updates (just because I grew up playing MUD's and other such roleplay type things) but even they are pushing it a little.

Less is far, far more in DayZ. You should have to figure things out yourself.

If you hear your character sneeze, you're sick.

If you're bleeding you need to be bandaged.

If you're shaking and moaning you're in pain.

If you're screen is grey and fuzzy you're in bad shape.

etc etc.

You should find these things out by paying attention to your character, not by the game holding your hand and telling you exactly what's wrong.

The only exceptions are hunger and thirst because it's pretty hard to show those on a character model.

Less is more? Than you'd want icons by your logic, since they take far less screen real estate.

Also, you can't just selectively put some things for show klike hunger) while others not, it just doesn't make sense.. Either all or none status effects should be displayed, for consistencies sake.

Thx for the comments all, appretiate it. I like the flashing idea..

Edited February 19, 2014 by Infiltrator

[Nicko2580 398]

Less is more? Than you'd want icons by your logic, since they take far less screen real estate.

Also, you can't just selectively put some things for show klike hunger) while others not, it just doesn't make sense.. Either all or none status effects should be displayed, for consistencies sake.

Less things on my screen. Less things that would not be there if I was really a survivor in an apocalypse. Less hand holding. 

I want to have to figure shit out on my own, not be told by a gui every time something happens. That's really irritating and breaks immersion. 

Hunger, even, can just be a stomach grumbling noise as far as I am concerned. Thirst is about the only one I can't think of some way to model without intrusive GUI.

Sorry if I seem rude, it's nothing personal, I'm just sick of these supposed 'survival' games holding your hand every single step of the way. If we're really out there surviving, no convenient little icon is going to appear when we're sick or need food or are thirsty. No convenient little reticule is going to appear if we decide to shoot from the hip at zombies. 

I'd be satisfied if Hardcore servers had all this turned off, but I can't even get onto a Hardcore server in my region so I'm screwed either way.

[infiltrator 275]

Having an icon is no less hand holding than a message saying 'Im bleeding'.

[Nicko2580 398]

Having an icon is no less hand holding than a message saying 'Im bleeding'.

Exactly. So get rid of 'I'm bleeding'.

All you have to do is look down to see quite clearly the blood gushing out of you. You should have to check yourself after a fight.

[infiltrator 275]

The gushing blood as it is, is hopefully a placeholder. But you're in the wrong place, you want to make your own thread and not derail this one with 'get rid of everything', because I'm just suggesting alternatives to whats already there.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Infiltrator

[Nicko2580 398]

The gushing blood as it is, is hopefully a placeholder. But you're in the wrong place, you want to make your own thread and not derail this one with 'get rid of everything', because I'm just suggesting alternatives to whats already there.

Okay point taken. 

For the record, your icons look good and if they do have to have a gui then something polished like that would be good. I do hope they don't though, no offence. :p

[Martmital 436]

One or the other, personally I prefer the text.

[TIC 1050]

I'd rather have audio indicators than visual. Visual indicators eliminate the feeling that you are that survivor you're playing as.

[Artophwar 42]

I like the icons. They are simple and unobtrusive.

 

To the people that say we shouldnt have icons, or even the text telling us what is wrong because of "realism", I would like to point out that I would know if I was thirsty, hungry, or bleeding in real life. I could feel these things. The point of the icons is not hand holding, they are there to represent what I would know about myself in real life. We cant feel our character so the game has to let us know some way the status of our avatar. I would much prefer visual cues over audio because in real life my stomach wouldnt be constantly grumbling. The repeated audio cues would get annoying very quickly, where simple gui icons are much less intrusive. I would also have an option to disable them if you so inclined.

[liquidcactus 719]

Icons stay in the inv menu to less clutter my mad dog screen shots I take of me surviving like a LORD

[TEST_SUBJECT_83 465]

Less is more? Than you'd want icons by your logic, since they take far less screen real estate.

Also, you can't just selectively put some things for show klike hunger) while others not, it just doesn't make sense.. Either all or none status effects should be displayed, for consistencies sake.

Thx for the comments all, appretiate it. I like the flashing idea..

No, he was saying the player should tell you, not some annoying icon.

Maybe if it there was a toggle option, but not the only way.

 

Like Nicko said:

Less is far, far more in DayZ. You should have to figure things out yourself. 

 

If you hear your character sneeze, you're sick. 

If you're bleeding you need to be bandaged.

If you're shaking and moaning you're in pain.

If you're screen is grey and fuzzy you're in bad shape.

etc etc. 

 

You should find these things out by paying attention to your character, not by the game holding your hand and telling you exactly what's wrong. 

 

The only exceptions are hunger and thirst because it's pretty hard to show those on a character model. 

 

Why would you rather see an icon on your screen when you character can tell you?

Edited February 19, 2014 by TEST_SUBJECT_83

[DMentMan 707]

no, don´t want this.

[infiltrator 275]

 

Why would you rather see an icon on your screen when you character can tell you?

 

 

Because some things (like rain) would be pretty annoying to be told by your character, like we've seen in the experimental batch.

 

What do you expect when walking a forest (where trees constantly change the status of getting/not getting wet)? The way it's currently working?

 

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

 

This is how it is now, with a beep every time you're not getting wet.

 

Obviously, an icon would be much, MUCH better (and no sound).

[Nicko2580 398]

Because some things (like rain) would be pretty annoying to be told by your character, like we've seen in the experimental batch.

 

What do you expect when walking a forest (where trees constantly change the status of getting/not getting wet)? The way it's currently working?

 

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

"I'm getting wet"

"I'm not getting wet"

 

This is how it is now, with a beep every time you're not getting wet.

 

Obviously, an icon would be much, MUCH better (and no sound).

I really don't think there needs to be an indicator for rain. Or for when you get wet. 

Look down at yourself. If you have water dripping off you, you're wet (fairly easy animation to just have some drips coming off you as a status indicator). If it's raining it's going to be pretty obvious anyway. Have an indicator upon inspecting clothing, "This is a worn tattered red shirt. It is damp. I need to dry it or I might get sick."

Edited February 19, 2014 by Nicko2580

[infiltrator 275]

I really don't think there needs to be an indicator for rain. Or for when you get wet. 

Look down at yourself. If you have water dripping off you, you're wet (fairly easy animation to just have some drips coming off you as a status indicator). If it's raining it's going to be pretty obvious anyway. Have an indicator upon inspecting clothing, "This is a worn tattered red shirt. It is damp. I need to dry it or I might get sick."

 

What you describe seems (to me) a lot more fitting for a single player survival game. Often times, you need to assess situations much more quickly when in the heat of battle with other players.

[Nicko2580 398]

What you describe seems (to me) a lot more fitting for a single player survival game. Often times, you need to assess situations much more quickly when in the heat of battle with other players.

That you're wet? I don't think so. If you're assessing things like wet/bleeding/sick/hungry in combat you're doing something wrong. All of that can be left until after the few minutes it takes for combat to resolve in this game. 

Besides, anything combat related you're going to know about immediately anyway.

Get shot? Very likely you're bleeding at minimum.

Got a broken leg? You can't stand. 

In shock? Your vision lets you know. 

In pain? You have the shakes bad. 

 

These are already in the game and do a fine job of letting you know what's happening without breaking immersion and most of them don't have those sounds you don't like related to them (except pain I think).

Again, I don't want to sound like I'm being rude but to me this all just sounds like hand holding. Why can't you take the three seconds it takes to look over your body to assess whether you're wet or bleeding? If you run through a creek, obviously your boots/pants are going to be wet. If you're sitting in the rain for hours, obviously you've got a good chance of getting sick. I really don't understand how I need an icon to tell me something that's so obvious.

[infiltrator 275]

That you're wet? I don't think so. If you're assessing things like wet/bleeding/sick/hungry in combat you're doing something wrong. All of that can be left until after the few minutes it takes for combat to resolve in this game. 

Besides, anything combat related you're going to know about immediately anyway.

Get shot? Very likely you're bleeding at minimum.

Got a broken leg? You can't stand. 

In shock? Your vision lets you know. 

In pain? You have the shakes bad. 

 

These are already in the game and do a fine job of letting you know what's happening without breaking immersion and most of them don't have those sounds you don't like related to them (except pain I think).

Again, I don't want to sound like I'm being rude but to me this all just sounds like hand holding. Why can't you take the three seconds it takes to look over your body to assess whether you're wet or bleeding? If you run through a creek, obviously your boots/pants are going to be wet. If you're sitting in the rain for hours, obviously you've got a good chance of getting sick. I really don't understand how I need an icon to tell me something that's so obvious.

 

Often getting shot doesn't involve bleeding, especially at longer ranges. I've been shot plenty of times since KoSing armed players is my daily activity.

Pain doesn't often manifest itself until you moan and someone conveniently finds out that you're there, again, this is typically in the heat of combat.

 

You're not coming off rude, but again you're telling me like what I'm suggesting is hand-holding while this is something already in the game..

[Kintaro (DayZ) 11]

I like having no UI when I'm playing. Much more immersive. It's ok to have infos in the inventory menu tough but I'd like better to have sounds/visual (sneezing, bleeding, etc) when possible. But obviously you can't do that for everything since IRL you can feel your body. So icons / text in inventory or dedicated menu is fine, just not in the main screen.