The Witcher 3 HUD and UI

[Pedrolago]

The Witcher 3 HUD and UI

Hey everyone.
So today I came across some supposedly leaked gameplay footage of TW3 that I'm sure most of you have already seen, and even though I know its a very early version, the thing that caught my eye the most was the HUD, it looked a lot like TW2 HUD(probably because Its a recycled version of it used in the early build for place holding), nonetheless it got me wondering where do the Forum Members stand on this matter, what do you think the HUD should look like?
Ps: At this stage in development I think they have plenty of time to put our thoughts into consideration.

My opinion:To me the least stuff on the screen the better, the one I saw in the video was a little too flashy for my taste, there was the medallion on the top left corner with the health bar(which was orange) to the right (like in TW2) and it had the quest objectives on the middle right side of the screen(like in TW2 as well).
I particularly would vote for having the medallion on the top left corner and having the health bar and other useful info like buffs and debuffs be displayed as a circle around the medallion(kinda like gta does with the map) and for the health bar to be dark red with the blood effect, just like the 3 in the tittle logo, and everything around the medallion (except the medallion itself) could disappear until we took damage like in skyrim, so when we were exploring we would have just the medallion on the screen.
I'd also lik the option to turn off the quest objective text (cant remember if they already have that in TW2) and I wouldn't mind the minimap to have the remove option as well.
thanks for reading, cheers to all :cheers:

 

[BER7ERK]

Imo the TW2 mini Map looked really good. The problem was, that it was a irritating cause it had that medival art-style.


Also it was broken. The destination icons for missions were wrong often. They were placed on wrong locations.

 

[sidspyker]

Well one thing you should keep in mind is, the HUD in the demo and the final don't necessarily have to be the same, often times devs use big obnoxious HUDs for presentation purpose.

As a joke I edited out parts of the HUD and put them on this screenshot if someone wants to know what the HUD looks like(and no, this is not from the leaked demo, mods, it's from another screenshot)

 

[daddy300]

I still think hub should disappear when you are not in combat, friendly towns etc.

No need for mini map just some sort of "horizontal compass line" in the corner of the screen just like in Skyrim...

Just the middle part?

maybe NO map on the hub at all?

Ground Zeroes has good system, Geralt could pull out quickly small map and sneak peak on local already discovered environment?

 

[Mohasz]

I wish they'd go for a more artistic HUD this time (I know they probably won't). Maybe not to an extent like it was in TW1, but something that blends well with the game's atmosphere.

 

[Garrison72]

I'm fine with a minimalist HUD like TW2. Just make the text scale better.

 

[B_l_a_d_y]

In Gothic you can purchase map of some area, This is the best solution not some stupid compass.

 

[WithoutAnyBelief]

Can anyone post the original picture with the HUD?
Can't find it anywhere...

Concerning the Compass....NO, don't like that idea at all and imo it wouldn't fit to the WitcherGames.

purchasing the Map would be a good idea

 

[Nucta.397]

My opinion:To me the least stuff on the screen the better

Wise words, my friend. It's not a popular opinion but I like Skyrim HUD for its minimalism.

Well one thing you should keep in mind is, the HUD in the demo and the final don't necessarily have to be the same, often times devs use big obnoxious HUDs for presentation purpose.

Well, it means that we basically didn't see actual gameplay and alpha-stage HUD. (Again the same thing: "show us something, CDPR, pretty please!")

Personally I llike W1 HUD better than W2.
Some thoughts:

1) There is no need to show the bars when they are full. Let them fade away (like in Skyrim, yes)

2) Wolf medallion must stay where it's always been. Let's return to W1 when it shakes in alarm. Health- and other bars must remain in their places near the medallion.

3) I need a clock (on-screen) with the time SHOWN IN NUMBERS (sorry, it's personal), or a old-fashioned looking clock with hands. Anyway, I want to know what time is it without searching for it through different menus.

4) I need clear and understandable markers for used potions and visited Places of Force with its duration, but not in the upper center of the screen.

5) All ill-effects: poisoning from monsters, bleeding, incinerating, freezing and maybe something new; Geralt-is-low-on-health-ness; drunkedness and (hopefully) fisshtech effect must be shown as visual effects on screen like in W1.

6) W3, being an open-world game, needs compass system. I hope with all my heart that CDPR won't make the same mistake as Bethesda putting places of interest on compass. Compass must remain compass, i.e., showing 4 cardinal directions.

 

[darcler]

In my case immersion is not related to HUD. I prefer utilitarian interfaces rather than "immersive" ones, however one would define such. I do want to monitor my in-game avatar at all times, and I do expect to have all the vital information displayed to me at hand, without the need to dig in menus and submenus. Skyrim was too streamlined in that regard IMO. Hell, I couldn't even tell if I had any kind of debilitation effect on me without digging to the Magic menu.

Having said that, I'm also a fan of customizable HUDs. Having the option of turning the compass or health bars on or off would be relatively easy thing to do, and it would no doubt appeal to many users. If someone's bothered with a compass, he could always turn it off.

 

[Mataresa]

I am definitely pro having a map, that is visually taken out and held in Geralst hands. (Also a book with the monsters, where Geralt can go through the pages.)
Clock: I prefer to just have the height of the sun visible, like the meditation clock for TW1. I don't want exact numbers. I think in an medieval like environment, you would orientate yourself more at the time of day and sun position, rather than exact time (who had clocks?).
Being able to take out a compass would be neat.
A regional map should be drawn as it is discovered like in Minecraft for example, unless Geralt has been there before. But also the option of buying addiional maps to fill it in quicker would be neat. This would also add to the preparation for trips.
I must say, I liked it in TW1, that you had 2 quickslots for potions.
Yes, medallion must vibrate in danger.
Art style: No Skyrim, it was way too modern looking (besides being consolish), it didn't fit with the setting and will be even less with TW. It should be practical, but medieval looking. Make menus more like real objects, like acutal maps held in hands, actual books for bestiaries and compendiums, quest book like a diary. Orientate yourself on TW1, but update it to fit TW3.

 

[Mataresa]

Having said that, I'm also a fan of customizable HUDs. Having the option of turning the compass or health bars on or off would be relatively easy thing to do, and it would no doubt appeal to many users. If someone's bothered with a compass, he could always turn it off.

Yes, customization is good. Choosing, if I want to have the minimap, or the clock, or the compass would be really nice. Also being able to configure HUD positions and scale. This is common for MMOs, but in other genre, it would be really neat too. Definitely a plus.

 

[randyrhoads]

That picture is really small...

Geralt's waist is even tighter than in TW2, didn't think it was possible.

 

[Shelledfade]

anyone got a link to this leaked gameplay video ?

Also, damn. His waist seems a little too skinny lol. It looks.... wrong.

 

[ReptilePZ]

anyone got a link to this leaked gameplay video ?

Also, damn. His waist seems a little too skinny lol. It looks.... wrong.

Oh, and a reminder - posting the ACTUAL leaked gameplay footage is forbidden here on the forum.

:sofa:

 

[Shelledfade]

Its okay, I found it... but the actual video was deleted it seems. I did find a bunch of gifs though.

 

[BER7ERK]

That picture is really small...

When was this released?

 

[sidspyker]

When was this released?

This is from a very old build.

 

[LukaMrk]

This is from a very old build.

Are you certain that it isn't photoshoped? There are some things that are out of place. It looks like shadows aren't cast on Geralt at all.

 

[dragonbird]

anyone got a link to this leaked gameplay video ?

Its okay, I found it... but the actual video was deleted it seems. I did find a bunch of gifs though.

Quick reminder - we don't permit links to that video in this forum.