HUD (video Gaming) - How The HUD Is Displayed

How The HUD Is Displayed

Typically this information is represented numerically, with the health level being a number from 0–100 (percent): 100 representing full health and 0 representing no health or death. However, many other methods of visual representation can be used. For instance, certain games employ a "health bar" which empties as the player becomes hurt.

Armour levels are also commonly monitored, either through a separate readout, or as part of the health system. For example, Halo series uses one recharging shield bar, acting as the health level. When this is depleted the player can only take a few more hits before death. The same goes in Destroy All Humans!, but in the form of Crypto's shields. Traditionally, games used lives to represent health. Every time the main character was injured he would lose one of his limited lives. Another way to display the life in the HUD is demonstrated in Gears of War, where the characters life is displayed only when he is taking damage, in which case a red cog known as the Crimson Omen appears in the center of the screen. The more visible the Crimson Omen is, the more damage the player has sustained and the closer he is to death. This health system is known as the 'Red Ring' system.

There is also a lot of variance with regards to the display of other information. Some games permanently display all the weapons a character is currently carrying, others rely on a pull up weapon selector. Inventory or storage space may also be permanently overlaid over the screen, or accessed via a menu. Alternatively, only a limited number of items stored in the inventory might be displayed at once, with the rest being rotated into view using the keys.

In order to maintain the suspension of disbelief, some games make the HUD look like a real HUD within the context of the game's world. Many first-person vehicle simulation games use this technique, showing instruments and displays that the driver of the vehicle would be expected to see. The displays in the helmet in the first-person adventure game Metroid Prime or Star Wars: Republic Commando also mimic the player's point of view. A similar method is used in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Crysis. In some of these circumstances where the player and character within the game are meant to see the same 'HUD' information, Halo for example, the term HMD (Helmet Mounted Display) would technically be more accurate. This is not to be confused with Head-Up Display.

Some games provide the player with an option to hide part or all of the HUD. This is usually used to create cleaner looking screenshots and videos, which can be essential to producing machinima. Certain games like Pac-Man World and Super Mario Galaxy even keep the HUD elements off-screen without any option. When this method is used, they will only appear when affected. In some games, they can temporarily be displayed all at once with the press of a button. In games where that method is not used, the only way to display them at once is by pausing the game.

In the MechWarrior series of games, the HUD display is slightly different. (image needed) The armor display is in the lower right corner, with the option of displaying as bars or as a wire-frame diagram of the player's mech. The enemy display is located in the lower-right corner, and is much like the armor display. The radar display was located in the upper-left corner in Mechwarrior 2 and 3, and in the lower center of the screen in Mechwarrior 4. An additional interface, either in the upper-right corner of the screen or slaved to a pop-up menu, allow for control of the player's lancemates or starmates (conceptually similar to wingmen). (More information needed)

In the Mario Kart franchise published by Nintendo, the HUD changes from game to game. The HUD in Super Mario Kart includes the total number of coins, number of karts remaining, the total time that the player has taken during the race, and the player's current position which is located on the bottom-right corner. For Mario Kart 64, the HUD adds some new changes including the map of the track, the top four karts and the number of laps needed to finish the race. This stays the same until Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, where the position is now located on the top-left corner and the lap counter on the bottom-left. Also in that game, the speedometer shows how fast the karts go and is located on the bottom-right corner of the screen. For the handheld installments Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7, the bottom screen shows the position table while the top screen shows the actual race itself. The position color changes during the races in all of the installments. Since Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the HUD also adds a countdown which is located in the center of the screen. The countdown starts when the first red light on the traffic light goes off. When all of the lights turn green and when the starting message appears, the race begins.

A few games give players extensive control over their HUD, such as customizing position, size, color, and opacity. World of Warcraft is notable for allowing players to significantly modify and enhance the user interface through Lua scripting.

Despite the modern dominance of 3D graphics in games, HUDs are frequently rendered with a 2D look, often using sprites.