Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
you can see the relationship between the feedback levels of the HUD (left side) and the game support levels
of the HUD (right side) and how that can increase the overall Flow experience when the appropriate Flow
conditions (as deined by Schaffer; top left box) are met.
These are a couple of tough design questions perhaps, but not unapproachable. Players can and will adjust
to just about any interface if they are determined to play the game or enter the world. Some virtual worlds
have a notoriously steep learning curve for irst-time visitors, and yet many people who have not been trained
in 3D computer graphics skills do succeed and make their way in the world. Your job as the HUD designer
is (1) to enhance the desire to take on that challenge by providing HUDs that are beautiful and simple to use,
(2) create a HUD that can be customized to “it” the players' needs (including the capacity to turn it off or
severely minimize it), and (3) visually and functionally integrate the HUD into the visual environment so it
does not interfere with the players' sensation of immersion.
15.4
SOME HUD DESIGN IDEAS AND HOW THEY HAVE AN IMPACT ON IMMERSION
15.4.1 u
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The
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oCKpiT
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There are legions of virtual pilots in Second Life, and as OpenSim-based worlds develop and enhance their
physics engines, they will also increase their vehicle content. In fact, the need for HUDs in all vehicles is
always growing. As you design them, you will ind several interesting design challenges inherent in vehicle
HUDs. For example, before you spend months making the most beautifully detailed private jet complete
with digital readouts on the cockpit dashboard, think about what happens when the avatar/player actually
lies the plane. If the focus cannot be switched back and forth from your controls to the view out the wind-
shield or if the HUD lags the vehicle so badly it does not perform well, you have missed the mark. There are
several levels of HUD interactivity to be considered with a vehicle. First, is it easy to ly, and do you actually
need a HUD to do that? Can you use the keyboard and mouse to move and accelerate/decelerate the vehicle?
What other kinds of other functions for this vehicle would use a HUD? Things such as selection of color and
details, driver position, attachable parts, and so on are probably best left to a HUD that the user/owner of
the content can attach temporarily for the process of customization and then detach for the actual use of the
vehicle. Things like altimeters, air speed indicators, and compass headings are useful for a pilot and should
be designed as minimally as possible (in form and in scripting) to keep the lag factor down. Often, the pilot
is lying in the “mouse-look” mode and cannot click on a speciic HUD button without leaving mouse-look;
this creates a serious hazard when engaged in an aerial dogight with the Red Baron. Figure 15.7 is an
example of a vehicle HUD shown in place as the avatar actually sits in the cockpit. This elegantly simple
display helps the avatar ly a virtual version of the Boeing/Vertol CH-47 Chinook twin engine, heavy-lift
helicopter with ease.
15.4.2 u
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amera
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onTrol
Typically, the avatars' camera takes a position above and behind them and looks forward with a fairly wide
angle as they walk or ly along in the virtual world. This is great when you are just out for a stroll, but what
happens when you change into a tiny butterly avatar and the camera needs to be much lower, or you decide
to engage in virtual combat and the camera needs to be right beside your head? If you are an avatar designer
or weapons specialist, undoubtedly you have included the camera adjustment with your content. Again, the
same rules apply: keep it simple, keep it as low lag as possible.
