Consolidated GUI & POO MOD (With Pic!)

[Denny (DayZ) 0]

I'm probably not the first or the last to puzzle over a clean way to organize icons and info in DayZ (in a natural way) but here's my best rough shot at it :)

It dawned on me that the GUI is striving to represent the human form and its basic functions/problems, so why not get literal with that theme? So with that I started working out a happy little sidebar dude with organs and systemic functions where they should be.

* Loudspeaker: Your noise level (an ear is for listening but since this is about making noise...well you get the idea.)

* Head: Standard emoticon type changes

* Heart: Fill rate 1-10 with numeric and graphic value shown.

* Stomach (food): Fill rate 1-10 with numeric and graphic value shown.

* Hydration (Water): Fill rate 1-10 with numeric and graphic value shown.

* Temp: numeric and graphic value shown.

* Bone: General bone to show fractures and breaks.

* Infection: Turns red when infected.

* Digestive: In contrast to the others, this meter FILLS UP over time. Eventually you have to find a place to squat and do your business. If you don't? the shakes, potentially infection and if left long enough a complete loss of motor control and or conciousness. To me this is an important function which adds all sorts of fun consequences to the game. Its a meter that would fly under the radar for the most part until you forget about it in the middle of a firefight. Doing your business takes a bit of time leaving you vulnerable, would also attract flies, give a scent to zombies (zombies just love poo, didn't you know that?) and it would allow other players to potentially track you (unless you have time to bury it). I can think of dozens of potentially very funny AND very dangerous scenarios happening with the inclusion of this one simple mechanic.

* Body Outline: The main body outline can change to show 3 unique states; hidden, partially hidden and revealed. This would be handled by a simple opacity change depending on the players stance.

[Gravelsack 3]

I really like your gui, and I like the idea of having to go to the bathroom too...I mean, all we eat is beans, sardines, and chef boyardee, and we wash it down with caffeinated cola. We should all have the squirts by now.

[osme_oxys 9]

Oh wow, so far one of the few good suggestions Ive seen. I like it a lot, though perhaps with the exception of the digestive bit. Seems a bit odd, but not bad. Though I would still prefer the nice 0-12000 bit for blood.

Just realized it would fill depending of the amount of blood so nevermind, I like it

[Denny (DayZ) 0]

I really like your gui' date=' and I like the idea of having to go to the bathroom too...I mean, all we eat is beans, sardines, and chef boyardee, and we wash it down with caffeinated cola. We should all have the squirts by now.

[/quote']

Thanks Gravelsack! :) My thoughts exactly and a fun tactical problem too!

[Friend-or-Pho 0]

While I like the form and function of the GUI you propose, there is one thing about it that I find to be a problem; it is rather large. I do also like your suggestion about characters and thier bodily functions, but there is one change I would make, and that would be the affect of adrenaline on the need to poo. There is the saying about being so scared that you find yourself "puckered up". However the need to find a quiet and "safe" spot to pop a squat wouldn't be out of place.

This could bring an entirely new purpose to the entrenching tool.

[Katana67 2907]

I like the concept, but perhaps we could remove the human outline.

I don't know, it just looks cartoony. I like my HUD to be minimal.

[ytman18@gmail.com 9]

Nice effort and I clearly see where you are coming from but.... less is more in this game.

[osme_oxys 9]

Nice effort and I clearly see where you are coming from but.... less is more in this game.

And a single block of black is more or less a high definition block of black. I dont see your point with making something basic look nicer' date=' atleast not when you say it like that.

I like the concept, but perhaps we could remove the human outline.

I don't know, it just looks cartoony. I like my HUD to be minimal.

Now you, you make a point. I personally dont mind the outline, though I wish it looked different. Perhaps could change based on preferences/gender, or set back to basics by options

[RaymondThorne 0]

He originally wanted fill up style icons but Arma II wouldn't let him. I would like this GUI to be implemented, but for there to be a choice between this and the more minimalist version.

[kebbz@live.se 1]

This is awesome.

[Publik 404]

I'm a member of the no-gui cult, so I'd rather it be a step past minimalist :D

Edit: Oh hey, my sig was reverted. Odd...

Edit: Oh hey, my post count is lower. Odd...

[Littlenorwegians 3]

Just gonna say that it looks worse than what we have. It's bigger, clunkier, cartoonier and looks like a game of Operation is going on.

Neat concept, but errr....

[pogoman979 4]

Howabout the GUI can be brought up by holding down a key, but otherwise is hidden. And there is a minimalistic warning icon in the corner that flashes when ever a particular bodily problem is critical/requires attention, at which point u open the GUI to see whats up.

[zonbie11155 0]

Remove the human body outline and you will be onto something, but it would not be much different than what we already have, which is a minimalist HUD with a line of unobtrusive player status indicators. The most applicable phrase here is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[l mandrake 61]

Taking a shit in a computer game....surely a world's first? :D

[Sarissofoi 40]

It look awful.

Really standard UI is better. It show all needed information and that is enough.

Make it optional if you can otherwise dont bother.

[dale0404 16]

It does not look awful at all. I think its extremely well done and well thought out, not sure about the pooing bit though!

Having an option to change to a minimal HUD or leave it as it is would be cool also.

Welll done mate.

[adimch 1]

Awesome!

Would be good if you could toggle it, instead of it being there all the time. I could see it being distracting at night.

[Denny (DayZ) 0]

Thanks for the feedback all! This is really a great community!

Let me just say that this was a very quick rough comp (I was slacking at my real job: www.worldworksgames.com and had a few minutes). So yes, it absolutely needs some spit and shine to bring it from raw concept to an attractive GUI. You could go for minimalist treatments or something more realistic.

GUI Size: A few of you said that it was "too big" but if you click through to the full screenshot, its actually not much bigger than the original GUI (and it would be scalable too) http://dayzmod.com/forum/attachment.php?aid=609 . Pogoman brought up a hidden GUI that comes up when there's a contextual need for it (or by clicking an icon), I actually REALLY like that idea!

Body Outline: The body outline changes opacity to show your visibility. It could also be creatively repurposed to show temperature (color shift) or even general well being. I mean, the parts are all there, you may as well represent it as what it is; an operating human system (hence my reference to the game operation...lol).

To Poo or Not to Poo: Honestly, whether people like or hate the GUI concept itself, I think the digestive system is the real winner here. Adding it to the game would probably be fairly trivial but the consequences would be both engaging and entertaining (in terms of shakes, detrimental physical consequences to holding it too long, giving a scent to zombies, having players track you, or finding safe places to do your business while you are fairly vulnerable). What other game forces you to use the bathroom with regularity? No other game even has a context for that but here it makes perfect sense! Really like Friend-or-Pho's idea about having adrenaline exerting an influence here to. I can't help but to picture firefights having all kinds of quite funny consequences if someone neglected to find a safe place to squat earlier.

Anyway, wish I could work on this more and WILL if people like it. I'd crank out a professional set of icons (animated even) for Rocket if he liked what he saw but I also realize that Bohemia has final say here in terms of look & feel.

[grease 0]

I'm loving this hud!

Keep going on!

[scoffield77@gmail.com 192]

Not bad, through I think using the restroom will be a turn off for some people, Over all it's a good idea.

[Denny (DayZ) 0]

I actually think the opposite will be true in this case. From a purely viral marketing perspective, I think an operational digestive system (and the consequences of having to take a virtual dump) will draw additional players to the game.

And really, the hardcore Arma realists can't really discount how real this would make things :)

[Horror 0]

Body Outline: The body outline changes opacity to show your visibility. It could also be creatively repurposed to show temperature (color shift) or even general well being.

Interesting.

You could really make all those icons and the outline smaller and tighter, since most the time, they aren't telling you much.

Like it.

No real opinion on the Mr. Hanky factor, other than to say it doesn't really carry much value as a game mechanic.

[Guest]

lol that thing looks nice, ingame it would be very nice to have that, but it should be a bit smaller.

and i like the ideas

[shouting 0]

I'm not a fan of the body outline theme, the GUI needs to be even more discreet than it is now, to be honest. It's not super immersive with those indicators along the side and the debug menu, though they are necessary. Having a big silhouette like that is pretty intrusive and not quickly or easily read.

The shitting this is an excellent idea though, I was thinking of something similar recently for all the reasons you already outlined. Hearing a swarm of flies and realising it was an unburied turd instead of a corpse, and such. Interesting new meta-game dynamic, shitting in a building and leaving it to attract players.

And not regulating it so that you ended up curling out a link into your boxers, making you more noticeable to zombies, or even had the cloud of flies sound following you around so you couldn't hide from other players - great incentive to prepare before making a trip into a town. Having to carefuly consider where and when you are when you crimp off a length, since you'd be vulnerable whilst squatting in the woods with your y-fronts around your ankles. Seems like a lot of potential, if people got over the "ugh VULGAR UNNECESSARY" reaction.