Risen 3: Titan Lords

[Slanderous]

I think the best solution for all the HUD immersion breaking problems is adding a hot key that turns on/off the HUD visibility, there's a mod for Skyrim that does that and works like a baws. Allthough the thing you did with Risen HUD doesn't look too bad imho.

[Kreekakon]

I think the best solution for all the HUD immersion breaking problems is adding a hot key that turns on/off the HUD visibility, there's a mod for Skyrim that does that and works like a baws. Allthough the thing you did with Risen HUD doesn't look too bad imho.

Or you could do it like Dishonored did for example. That game had a setting which allowed to HUD to disappear when it was not "being used" and only re-pop up when it was relevant.

[Googolplex]

Or you could do it like Dishonored did for example. That game had a setting which allowed to HUD to disappear when it was not "being used" and only re-pop up when it was relevant.

Hmm, no. I hate EVERY kind of HUD. This always looks like a "videogame" and not like something substantial or earnestly. For me it always destroys the image impact. If I would design a game I would completely avoid HUD. Maybe an option to enable a slim health bar. Or if it would be a racing game, some speed/time info. But I always would try to keep it as minimal as possible. HUD is a no-go for me. It's ugly and kills the immersion.

[Mudbill]

If excluding the HUD handicaps the player and makes the gameplay poor, is it really worth it? I don't think it's a big immersion killer to most people, unless it's of course way overdone.

[Googolplex]

If excluding the HUD handicaps the player and makes the gameplay poor, is it really worth it? I don't think it's a big immersion killer to most people, unless it's of course way overdone.

A game should be designed that it doesn't need HUD. When games like Skyrim for example require compass and quest markers, then it's bad designed. Without these things it's almost unplayable. But when the quest system would be incorporated with the world, then you could avoid such immersion-breaking comfort functions. In Risen the HUD is just pointless. For what should the compass be? The quick bar helps to access important items faster, but people never missed that in Gothic. This game shows that it also works without all these things by adding very nice quest descriptions in the protagonist's diary.

And when HUD is required, it's important to keep it as minimal as possible. For me, It's generally a no-go. Frictional Games always does it right and I think they know why. Imagine Amnesia with a health bar, that just would look like a "fun-game".

[i3670]

But Amnesia has a heath indicator besides the one in the iventory. When you're badly hurt the screen will turn red and then there are the slash marks from when the grunt/brute hits you. The sanity meter is also an example of this.

[Romulator]

A game should be designed that it doesn't need HUD. When games like Skyrim for example require compass and quest markers, then it's bad designed.

As a guy with like, 10 hours of Skyrim experience, I did not really mind the HUD. I was still immersed by the environment. The compass is there so I know where to go. I mean, the only other way to tell me how to get from a Castle to a town is via a road and streetsigns. What if I cannot read? What if I am deaf and unable to process sounds to text?

If a HUD is there, it has a reason to be.

Imagine, if you will, that you invested in a pair of Google Glass(es). You put them on. Say "Okay Google", then WHAM! HEADS UP DISPLAY APPEARED! Now, if it didn't appear, how do you know it is functioning? How do you know what your options are? It's not a bad design appeal. It may be distracting but yeah.

Furthermore, not to hate, but I'm pretty sure you have expressed your rage in the past about HUDs. Your arguments are valid, but keep in mind not everyone shares your opinion about it. I mean, the only thing I'd like to remove from my Amnesia is the crosshair, and well, all I need to do there is press the X key.

[Googolplex]

@Romulator
When you like a quest-design where you have to follow arrows and markers... I hate it.

[i3670]

A game should be designed that it doesn't need HUD. When games like Skyrim for example require compass and quest markers, then it's bad designed.

Skyrim doesn't require either of those, but it helps. Because you can play through Skyrim without use of the in-game map or the compass, it's just a matter of time.

[Googolplex]

Skyrim doesn't require either of those, but it helps. Because you can play through Skyrim without use of the in-game map or the compass, it's just a matter of time.

When you play 2.000 hours maybe. There is no kind of journal or diary, where you can read quest descriptions. Skyrim is made to select one quest to activate the marker that shows you the goal on the map. Without this helps it's almost impossible to solve all quests, because you absolutely have no information where to go. So you'll need all these helpers. But that's not what I would call professional design. This is one of the reasons I dislike in most RPGs. This simply doesn't feel organic.