[Lynx]

IMO the is quite cluttered, so how about an MFD(multifunctional disply) like system where you specify in HUD table or wherever how long a gauge stays in view.

Let's say you just adjusted your energy settings, and after 5 seconds or so, if you don't do anything with it, it disappears from screen until you use it again. With that system you could place multiple gauges at the same place on the screen, and only that one that you currently use would show up. You'd set shild settings, then switch to the comm menue and then set your enery settings etc, andeach time a new gauge would replace the old one at the same spot. I thing tat would be very useful if we finally get 3d cockpits(which seems to be worked on), since you would't have dozens of gauges floating in midair, you could put some of them in front of a 3d computer screen part of the cockpit model and have only the really necessary items like crosshair etc. floating in air.

What do you guys think?

[kasperl]

The way of placing systems is already there, the drop off thingy isn't. As for the hud TBL and the new features like new gauges, do a search, WMCoolmon did it. As for dropping the gauges after so many seconds, I have no idea how complicated it would be.

[Lynx]

Yeah I know that most of that is already implemented, I only wanted to show some ways of using it.

As far as I rememberm the dropping thing is the only, but most important for that not implemented. You can overlay HUD gauges over each other already, but that would look kind of wierd.

[terren]

try the AUTO option in the hud configuration menu, it's just about exactly what your looking for, when you use something it shows up when you've not used it for a few seconds it goes away.  

The only thing that's missing is that all the gauges are in the same place, and I cand find anyway to force a gauge to showup.  
Some times a guy likes to check out his kills you know?

[Mongoose]

My one question is, why fix what isn't broken?  The HUD worked great in both FS1 and 2, and in my opinion it presents a great deal of info without appearing cluttered or mashed in.  You may think otherwise, but I'd rather keep the current HUD than make any fundamental changes to it.

[Lynx]

Hey, as I said, it's because it seems that we finally get 3d cockpits done. IF it works out it will look wierd having so much gauges floating in midair.

I'm thinkin more of the mods here like TBP or WCS. Imagine a Starfury cockpit with the gauges floating everywehre in the air.

Look at this(This is an old cockpit model from me which I'm now continuing to work on in anticipation of the implementation of 3d cockpits):


Now overlay the standard FS HUD over it...it'd look awful. While some stuff can be justified floating in the air like reticle, speed guges etc.(which could be explaind that it's being projected at the glass of the canopy like in modern fighter planes), other stuff would look wierd hovering unaligned around.

With HUD alterations(already possible) and the MFD switching thing you could overlay,  for example own shield counter and comm menue on the left screen and the comm window and the enemy shield icon over the right screen, radar would be obviously in the middle. Even if we had a cockpit that'd move around a bit when you fly, it'd still look better if you wouldn't have twenty different gauges at various places. Understand?

Now if a different HUD layout for each ship would be possible it would be even better.

As for the kill counter I think it's useless, you can check your kills in the debriefing or pilot menue, it just takes away space, unless you have arcadish objectives like "kill 20 enemys to proceed to nxt mission" but if any mission would have a goal like that I wouldn't touch it anyway.

[Galemp]

Sorry, I can't imagine a single thing I would change about the HUD. It's the best designed in-flight interface for any game I've ever seen.

[kasperl]

You can already change the HUD on a per ship basis, thanks to WMC.

[Lynx]

Wow cool. Almosz evrything I wanted works. I just didn't knew it. Praise the SCP.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Galemp
Sorry, I can't imagine a single thing I would change about the HUD. It's the best designed in-flight interface for any game I've ever seen.

I've got to agree with you there galemp. I can see the need for new guages and stuff for TC's admittedly but I personally won't be changing much of the HUD around because it's pretty good as is.

[BlackDove]

Originally posted by Galemp
Sorry, I can't imagine a single thing I would change about the HUD. It's the best designed in-flight interface for any game I've ever seen.

Seconded.

[WMCoolmon]

The problem is that right now, doing that would require code modifications to make the HUD display on 3D instead of 2D textures. I have no clue how one would go about doing this, you'd need someone like Bobboau to get it working.

hud_gauges.tbl only supports X/Y coordinates, although you could add 3D support pretty easily.

If you were really clever you could do it all by displaying a full-color picture, such as for the 'lock' gauge in your example.


For more info on the state of the hud, do a search for "hud_gauges". There's 3 threads in the Recent SCP Builds forum that have the meat of discussion about it. I also recall writing up a guide to adding support for more gauges (Currently only about 12 are supported) in the priv forum somewhere. Adding more should require only basic C/++ support, so it'd be an ideal task for someone with minimal coding knowledge but wants to learn.

[Cabbie]

Originally posted by BD


Seconded.

Aye

[Fury]

I really fail to see how HUD could be improved. Its extremely well designed compared to many others. Also I don't understand why anyone would want to use 3D cockpit model since your own FOW becomes much smaller. FS2's HUD is excellent and provides the information you need without blocking your view. Anything else is just "cool to have but without any practical use". Is a feature worth implementing for just 30 mins of coolness, when its abandoned after that?

Of course I understand that some wants different HUD's for different ships but true 3D cockpits? I'd think twice if the feature would be really used in the long run.

[NGTM-1R]

The HUD is one of things I love about Freespace games. It's useful and it doesn't get in your way, and there's no cockpit stuff to block your field of view.

[Flaser]

Fury the 3D cockpit would grant a quite usefull feature - padlock view.

Furthermore some people will want to  fly veritechs, gunships and patrol class ships.
These  all have gimbauled mounts as default, so developing a method for looking in the other direction than shooting - ergo aiming a gun while flying the ship - is a must have for these plans.

I think using the HUD ani-s as textures on cockpit is the easiest solution.
Hard-coding to keep the reference to hud.tbl is the mumbo-jumbo bobbau class objective for a deep diving coder.

I also think a helmet HUD would be a good mid level solution - try to make a HUD projected onto a helmet visor with motion effects that show the inertia of the ship and pilot tossed when changing direction. (Some glare effects could simulate the whole visor nice.)

The other benefit of the 3D cockpit is that you can put up a lot of secondary readings that are useless for prime fighter flying, but mods that try to implement a more thorough engineering or a trading system would greatly benefit from it.

[magatsu1]

Originally posted by Mr. Fury
I really fail to see how HUD could be improved. Its extremely well designed compared to many others. Also I don't understand why anyone would want to use 3D cockpit model since your own FOW becomes much smaller. FS2's HUD is excellent and provides the information you need without blocking your view. Anything else is just "cool to have but without any practical use". Is a feature worth implementing for just 30 mins of coolness, when its abandoned after that?

Of course I understand that some wants different HUD's for different ships but true 3D cockpits? I'd think twice if the feature would be really used in the long run.

 I agree with all of that. This ain't mechwarrior.

[Omniscaper]

Its bad enough we have only a less than 50 degree viewing angle. I don't understand why ppl would want to decrease vision even more.

For the sake of ship specific distinction, why not just customize the placement/size/font of the existing HUD.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Omniscaper
Its bad enough we have only a less than 50 degree viewing angle. I don't understand why ppl would want to decrease vision even more.

For the sake of ship specific distinction, why not just customize the placement/size/font of the existing HUD.

simple - atmosphere & immersion.  No longer are you a disembodied eye floating in space, but stuck in a 20m long spacraft with only a few inches of hull and photons of shield between you and death.