FaeSaga: HUD test 1

This test demonstrates the use of multiple bars in the HUD's hit point system. Various designs were taken into consideration on how to effectively portray larger amounts of hit points while still being easy to read at all HP levels. A larger, different-colored bar was chosen to represent 100 HP increments on the same bar, to preserve both vertical and horizontal screen real estate.

The text string usually is supposed to display the player's name, but for debug purposes, is showing the current number of hit points as a reference.

Please check out the FaeSaga blog: http://faesaga.blogspot.com
Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FaeSaga
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FaeSaga

Music: Casiopealand by Coda (VST edit)
Heart and Leaf icons by Yusuke Kamiyamane. (Used under license)

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• faesaga
• hud
• subsoap
• rpg
• hit_points

[Xkeeper0]

@nobuyukinyuu Thexder for the PS3 and such had a neat take, where the health bar steadily increased in size as it went up. So at 200 it was about twice as long as 100, which was fairly short-ish (about 100px). If it ended up reaching the entire screen, you could get away with multiple bars or "bar compression" (increasing the HP per pixel ratio), too.

Ys and other old games usually used a bar in that style because of hardware restrictions, especially on the NES.

[nobuyukinyuu]

(cont..) the max level relative to the bar's width. This is not unique to these types of games, but it should also be noted that unlike in zelda style games, enemies take a much larger range of damage based on your level / equip modifiers. In my blog article I believe I mentioned having a second, audible music-drop + slow heartbeat for near-death status, which I think suffices for having a clear low-health indicator. Finally, current HP/Max HP can be examined more closely in the status screen.

[nobuyukinyuu]

@Xkeeper0 I upvoted your comment because I appreciate the thoughtful response. I'd like to point out though that screen real estate is somewhat expensive to me, and that the size of the bar needs to be compared to it's would-be contemporaries, where the indication of max health is not much better. In Ys-style games, for example, health is typically displayed by a long bar spanning the entire length of the screen.  Only at max level does the position on the bar accurately represent (cont..)

[TrueSoreThumb]

Really cool demo. Seems like the space could get crowded.. I hope not? D:

[Xkeeper0]

@Xkeeper0 (continued...) By the same token, a relatively short bar could be full health (800 HP), wihle a full bar (99) could be nearly dead. It means that in order to know your health, you have to do two three checks; length of red, length of white, and comparison of both of those to your full health; it's why such a bar rarely shows up. (Metroid is an exception; the "red" boxes are always there, just not filled in, providing a much more granular display.)

[Xkeeper0]

The biggest problem with this system is that there's no way to convey maximum hitpoints v. how many you actually have; not to mention that after 400 or so, the bar will begin to go off the edge of the screen (since total length is 99 + floor(h / 100) * 2) ... It's also fairly inept at conveying at-a-glance how much health you have left. It's easier to see "Oh, the bar's half-full" than to consider both the number of red boxes and the length of the white area.

[TheRoyalFirebird]

@pkeod darn. I hope not.

[pkeod]

@TheRoyalFirebird The effects are HWA only afaik.

[TheRoyalFirebird]

any chance you'll release an mfa of those sweet water effects in this? Been looking for something like that that is non-hwa for a while.

[CounterNerd]

Great job !