korekwerner wrote: ↑Fri May 08, 2020 9:10 pmNew hud test version, please suggestions for it. Thank you @Blue_Max and @JeremyaFr and everyone who positively influences inspiration for further work.
The new version you've changed seems to be losing some of the information cohesion. Targeting information is now scattered all over the cockpit and it looks a bit untidy, as well as un-grouping a lot of good information.
The speed and throttle readouts are now getting lost by the CMD information. They were much clearer where they were before.
Having the shield charge indicator next to the shield readout was good design. I don't care as much about what it does to the total power - I know what effect the various levels will have on the engine - I care about picking the right charge level based on what my shield status is. I preferred the design you had before too where it wrapped around the shield bubble, but I'm not fussed if you prefer even square bars like in the new one.
I like the idea of putting the Beam readout in the little tube on the top, it's a nice touch. I wouldn't worry too much about accommodating Beam weapons, though. X-Wings aren't supposed to have them, and adding them for Skirmish or a custom mission wouldn't suffer too badly for just using the standard HUD. If you're set on including the beam charge level too, maybe on the right side of the cockpit above the RMD information? There's a series of vertical white LEDs there that could easily be replaced by a small beam meter.
I don't know what to suggest in terms of the Target Component and Cargo readouts, though. It's obvious that since adding the Current Orders readout right above the targeting computer that space for a text readout is hard to come by. But I feel like they need to be closer to the rest of the targeting data. Like I said above, I think the version I quoted had the best layout. If the only thing missing from that is the Current Orders for the target craft, then maybe add that above the 'upper' CMD display (with the craft model), or in the space to the right of it between the astromech dialogue panel and that bank of lights/switches?
The addition of the Craft ID and mission timer is good, and looks like it's in a good place.
I'm going to echo what everyone else said and agree that the radar displays folding up is very weird. Even shrinking like you have in the newer version. I'm just not sure... why? It's cool that you can have elements of the cockpit change with the s-foils, but just because you can I don't think that you should. You would still want to use the radar with s-foils closed.
I was going to suggest if you were going to do it with anything, do it with the laser charge indicators because you can't shoot with s-foils closed anyway. But then I thought there have been times when I'm flying with s-foils closed for 'realism', but still been tweaking power settings. So that's a bad idea too. Ultimately, I don't think there's any reason to ever hide or reduce information for a player. I get that you want to make it feel like you're in 'attack mode', but I think all the standard information should be visible at all times.
Not being sure how you've made that radar shrinking work with the s-foils, this might not be possible, but if you want to make an element of the cockpit change with the s-foils, why not just make that an s-foils indicator? I know the cockpit's pretty crammed with readouts as is, but if you can find a small bit of space is there any way you could include a little front on wireframe of the X-Wing with open s-foils that changes to the same texture with s-foils closed with the s-foils themselves? That would be really cool.
Hope you don't mind all that text. I think what you've done with Spyder's cockpit is seriously cool, and is one of the best blends of movie accuracy with XWA's many, many data readouts I can imagine. I love how you've integrated even the messages, and the working targeting computer is awesome. I'd really like to get my hands on this eventually, and I'm hoping when you're happy to release this that it's the best it can be.