- Recently Equipped Weapon: When the player changes his currently equipped
primary or thrown weapon, a large view of the object will show up on the screen for
three seconds after the weapon switch, along with the name of that weapon. This
will help make clear to the player what their new weapon selection is. - Recently Picked Up Items: When the player picks up an object, a view of that item
will be displayed on the screen along with the item’s name. This will help
communicate to the player what item they just obtained.
Combat HUD
When the player enters Aimed Weapon Mode, a number of components of the combat
HUD will be brought onto the screen. Since the player will always be able to enter
Aimed Weapon Mode without penalty, this information will be available to the player
whenever he wants it.
- Health: The player’s health will be displayed graphically as part of a bar that will
disappear as the player loses health, leaving an empty bar behind it. In addition to
being on the screen in Aimed Weapon Mode, this bar will be brought onto the
screen whenever the player is actively losing health, and will stay on the screen for
five seconds thereafter. When the player loses or gains health, this bar will flash,
and will slowly slide to indicate the decrease in health. - Insanity Meter: The Insanity Meter will communicate how many Insanity Points
the player has at any one time, communicating how many more the player will need
to go into Insanity Mode. As the player gains Insanity Points, the meter will flash
and will slowly fill up. As the player remains in Insanity Mode, the meter will
lightly pulse as the points in it decrease. - Current Weapon Ammo: The ammunition for the current weapon is displayed
graphically by bullets for projectile weapons or a gasoline bar for the flamethrower.
The quantity that the player has of the current thrown weapon is also displayed.
When the player is on a mounted weapon, the ammunition for that weapon is
displayed in a similar fashion. - Reticle: When in Examine Mode or when on a mounted weapon, a reticle will show
up in the middle of the screen, indicating where the player will shoot when he
presses the Attack button.
Inventory HUD
When the player presses and holds the Inventory button, the player’s current weapons
will be displayed on the screen, sorted by type. The player is then able to navigate
through these weapons, which will scroll around the screen. The functionality of this is
described in the Inventory section of this document.
Map HUD
The player will find maps for various areas in the game, which can be pulled up and
examined at any time. An arrow will be drawn on the map indicating the player’s loca-
tion and current facing. Also in the map view HUD, the player will see the current quest
items that he is carrying, lined up along the bottom of the screen. For more information
on the functionality of the map, consult the Maps section of this document.
590 Appendix B: Sample Design Document:The Suffering