What if We Could Remove the Entirety of the HUD?

[Ventus]

Like, get everything offscreen including ammo counts, health, text boxes and even reticules/target arrows. What do you think?

I think it'd make for a much more engrossing experience for those who don't like all the clutter onscreen. I mean, personally speaking, without all that clutter and stuff (including target arrows, the Navi or whatever helper text, etc) the game would seem more movie like. And it'd also help for those people who like to do machinima.

For example, take a look here:
Sacred Grove Hidden Music FOUND!! - YouTube

See? Nothing on the HUD (because action replay codes) aside from the irremovable reticules.

 

[TCoZ]

I'm not convinced. The HUD is very useful for easily seeing important information without interrupting playing. FSA has the heart meter on the GBA screen and I've always found it annoying to have to look down at the GBA so I can see it, rather than it just being on the TV.

Dead Space does the no-HUD thing well, as it shows you your health and various meters on your back, but I don't see how Zelda games could incorporate that.

 

[Heroine of Time]

I'm not convinced. The HUD is very useful for easily seeing important information without interrupting playing. FSA has the heart meter on the GBA screen and I've always found it annoying to have to look down at the GBA so I can see it, rather than it just being on the TV.

Dead Space does the no-HUD thing well, as it shows you your health and various meters on your back, but I don't see how Zelda games could incorporate that.

Maybe I'm wrong, I was under the impression that Ventus meant something more optional, kind of like in SS. I would love the option to be able to remove everything – I agree that it would be more immersive. But I don't think that should be how the game is actually made. I mean, what would happen to the heart meter?

I suppose in Zelda Wii U, they could do something like this. All of that information could be on the second screen. (As an option! ...Like you said, it could get annoying having to look down all the time...)

 

[Ventus]

Maybe I'm wrong, I was under the impression that Ventus meant something more optional,

Nah, you're right. I meant this as an optional thing; SS took it to a degree with the Pro HUD option, but I want to see EVERYTHING go, kinda like a "movie mode" option. In a movie, you don't see ammo counts and peoples' health meters, do you (well, in most cases you don't). You don't see minimaps, target arrows, chat bubbles or even text boxes (with the exception of subtitles)! And all this stuff makes for a decent groundwork for a movie.

Now I know you're saying in your mind "well this is a game", but think about it! There are people out there who do machinima, that is, use clips from the game with a few edits here and there, and the usual way is to use a gameshark code. BUt with the option of just removing all objects from the HUD, this would become so much easier! :yes:

 

[TCoZ]

Oh, okay. If it was optional, I'd be all for it.

 

[Dragoncat]

The HUD doesnt bother me, but I liked being able to choose how much of it there is in SS. They shouldnt remove it completely. I'd constantly forget how much health or whatever I had and it would be annoying to have to pause all the time.

Spyro is the game of my childhood, and in the ps1 Spyro trilogy, Sparx the dragonfly was a different color each time you got hit. Picture something like that in say, OoT. You would have the heart meter, and Navi would change color depending on how much health you had. And you could keep the heart meter on the screen if you wanted, but if you decided not to, you could look at Navi to get a rough idea of how close you were to dying.

 

[Johnny Sooshi]

There are games with a non HUD option (SS had a choice to minimize the clutter).

Personally, I don't mind it. It helps remind players of item layout and stuff. I don't need it but It doesn't bother me. But I can see why you would want it off.

It also depends on the game. I know we're talking Zelda here, but in games like Metroid Prime the HUD keeps the games fairly realistic because it shows it from Samus' POV in the helmet.

 

[Ronin]

We could take this a step further and get rid of the HUD, but have the ability to pick up enemy items or other equipment and utilize them. During a stealth run Link would have to scavenge weapons by ripping them from a guard's hands and using it to fight his way through to escape. He could also storm armories and have several tools to pick through, perhaps even have a limit to how many he could carry, like in Skyrim. The idea is very versatile and could end up with great results. As far as it being fitting with the series, I think that is in the eye of the beholder. But personally I'd like to see how Nintendo could integrate it; namely with the aspects I brought up above, and even some others that were mentioned before me.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

Ooh cool idea Thareous, that beefed-up stealth mode sounds awesome.

But yeah, if they give the option to completely remove all the HUD that would be awesome. I'd like it if there was an option with that to where, if you needed to find out how much health or money you had, you can push a button and it'll come up again for a few seconds then fade back away. The HUD in most games, while admittedly are there entirely for gameplay reasons and are needed, do in fact take some of that immersion away. (Except in the Prime games, which I would argue actually enhance immersion because you see everything Samus would see in her helmet.)

 

[willsfairysword]

that would be cool if there were HUD options

 

[HyruleHistory10]

I'm not convinced. The HUD is very useful for easily seeing important information without interrupting playing. FSA has the heart meter on the GBA screen and I've always found it annoying to have to look down at the GBA so I can see it, rather than it just being on the TV.

i agree with this because when i was playing OOT 3D i was actually forgetting about my health because i am so used to seeing it that i have taking more damage than i should have. i agree with the option to do so.

 

[Ventus]

i agree with this because when i was playing OOT 3D i was actually forgetting about my health because i am so used to seeing it that i have taking more damage than i should have. i agree with the option to do so.

Funnily enough, playing OoT3D currently, I myself take more damage than usual. Slightly due to the better frame rate, slightly due to enemies actually being quicker, and slightly due to my ignoring my health. I actually got killed a couple times in the Forest Temple, lol.
Well, even OoT3D has the "no HUD" option to an extent; the game really feels like a movie (to me) and this boosts my enjoyment of the game if it being OoT wasn't enough already. I still stand that I want entire HUD removal options.

 

[PokaLink]

I usualy like to see my arrow count, but if its an optional removial i'd be for it, kinda like in some games you can remove the map, just to make gameplay more dramatic i guess.