UI customizability

[Yggdljdr]

I was reading IGN's summary of the gameplay demo and being the purist or rather minimalist that I am I was wondering how much of the UI will be customizable and scalable to one's preferences?

Are we looking at Witcher 3-level of customizability again?

In particular the following I would definitely appreciate to be able to get rid of:

• ...enemies have names, health bars, and what appear to be levels.
• Some enemies have question marks instead of levels, possibly meaning they're much higher level than you.
• Damage numbers pop up during combat.

As well as

• While driving in first-person, the U.I. appears diegetically on the windshield.
• ...a light compass and a small quest log.

Thanks in advance, also for considering in case you haven't thought about UI customisation yet.

-Ygg

 

[CavusRex]

They are using the same engine so you can quite likely expect to see the same settings in game. This includes UI customization.

 

[ZenzouTarven]

Apparently you can customize your HUD/UI through the various Upgrades and Implants. It would be really awesome if you can, or choose not to, equip a scanner type of thing which shows information about your surroundings automatically. The scaling of your UI could also be done through the implant system, but that is just a speculation on my part.

 

[Stiler]

I hope we can have a clean/minimal UI.

God of War did it brilliantly, you could easily toggle things off/on and make things contextual or only appear when you held a button.

One of my favorite things was that you could make the compass go away and only show up when you held the touchpad and then it'd disappear again. It was super easy to use and let you keep the screen clean and only bring it up when you wanted to quickly see the direction and then get rid of it again.

 

[ZenzouTarven]

That sounds like a reasonable thing to do. Since your UI is determined through your Implants, it really opens up a lot of space for design and customization. Let's hope they go mental with it and give us all the freedom we need.

 

[Yggdljdr]

I rather have just the options available to me from the get go like in Witcher 3 but if it's actually part of or directly connected to the implant system - why not, could be quite a novel and unusual approach to UI or HUD customisation.

So that if you're like me and prefer your screen as UI- and clutter-free as possible you just would need to avoid the 'tactical optics' (for displaying the names, health bars, levels, questions marks, and damage numbers) and/or the 'navigational optics' (showing the compass, quest log or directions to the current objective).
Sounds good to me.

 

[lv-426]

Missed opportunity right there if they wouldn't let the installed implants or prostethics determine what HUD elements are visible on the screen as well. Game's FPP-only 90% of the time anyway so to not take advantage of and implement UI customisation with that in mind would be foolish. Even more so if you have the chance to do something truly unconventional and different and not take it.

Options to hide each and every individual element should still be available all the same though.

 

[ZenzouTarven]

It is already confirmed, that your choice of augments effects your HUD. You can read the impressions of the shown gameplay on several gaming news sites. There was a scene where the player character gets a new eye-implant and it ads new elements and functionalities to your HUD.

 

[lv-426]

Considering that things like
- the objective compass on the top center of the screen
- the quest progression info to the top right
- the health bar + effects timer to the top left
- the (combat) log in the lower left corner
- as well as the objective markers including distance meters
- and the ever so dreadful floating damage numbers and status info on enemies
don't seem to be visible due to some sort of implant but are always on display by default(?) instead I sure hope there are still the appropriate UI/HUD options to turn them off individually if one so desires.

Basically to the exact same, very generous and flexible extent as it was possible in Wild Hunt.

 

[Xbirq]

What they should avoid at all costs or at least as much as possible is to have the player rely on objective markers exclusively when it comes to getting from point A to point B.

Dialogue or (transmitted) intel on objectives and their location should always contain specific directions ("2 kilometers north-east from [location X]/your current position"), combined with hints to prominent landmarks/company signs ("at the All Food factory") so that the player has the chance to rely on their own faculties and intuition to get there rather than just to follow markers on the HUD.

 

[lv-426]

TBug, the netrunner who's assisting V and Jackie in the beginning of the gameplay demo explicitly mentions
"(Room) 1237 - on your right. Girl's inside."

One can only hope that's indication of how it's handled in general and with all the other dialogue as well.

 

[marc_dwonn]

I can't imagine the GUI not being customizable. Just hope that the damage numbers can be disabled as well - it's quite immersion breaking and reminds me of Borderlands or Bulletstorm (which i can't stand).

Post automatically merged: Aug 28, 2018

What they should avoid at all costs or at least as much as possible is to have the player rely on objective markers exclusively when it comes to getting from point A to point B.

Dialogue or (transmitted) intel on objectives and their location should always contain specific directions ("2 kilometers north-east from [location X]/your current position"), combined with hints to prominent landmarks/company signs ("at the All Food factory") so that the player has the chance to rely on their own faculties and intuition to get there rather than just to follow markers on the HUD.

Oh yeah, full ack. I hate those handholding markers. Currently watching Horizon ZD on YT (because Sony refuses to release it on the biggest platform, the PC) and it's ridiculous how you always get led by the nose with those markers, the whole time. The game could be played by a 4 year old. It's so boring and immersion breaking...

 

[Swedrami]

Considering that things like
- the objective compass on the top center of the screen
- the quest progression info to the top right
- the health bar + effects timer to the top left
- the (combat) log in the lower left corner
- as well as the objective markers including distance meters
- and the ever so dreadful floating damage numbers and status info on enemies
don't seem to be visible due to some sort of implant but are always on display by default(?) instead I sure hope there are still the appropriate UI/HUD options to turn them off individually if one so desires.

Basically to the exact same, very generous and flexible extent as it was possible in Wild Hunt.

Amen.

For instance, I'd love to see how far you could go roleplaying as a technophobe or someone who's hopelessly stuck in the old ways and being able to turn off as much HUD elements as possible would obviously be integral to the immersive aspect of roleplaying that particular fantasy.