HUD Principles
- Minimal: show only essential info during gameplay
- Position: corners and edges, never center
- Transparency: semi-transparent to not obscure gameplay
- Auto-hide: fade out during calm moments, show during action
Common HUD Elements
| Element | Position | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Health/HP | Top-left | Bar or segmented hearts |
| Resources/Mana | Below health | Bar or numeric |
| Minimap | Top-right or bottom-right | Circular or square |
| Score/XP | Top-center | Numeric with bar |
| Inventory hotbar | Bottom-center | Horizontal slots |
| Compass/Direction | Top-center | Strip or circular |
Menu Design
- Pause menu: resume, settings, save, quit
- Settings: graphics, audio, controls, accessibility separately
- Inventory: grid with item preview, stats, equip/use actions
- Map: full screen, zoomable, legend, fast travel markers
- Character/Stats: attribute display, equipment slots, skill trees
Progression
- XP bars with level indicator
- Achievement pop-ups (non-blocking, corner placement)
- Unlock notifications
- Stats tracking (playtime, completion percentage)
Accessibility in Games
- Colorblind modes (not just filters, redesign indicators)
- Subtitles with speaker identification and customizable size
- Remappable controls (all of them)
- Difficulty options (no shame)
- One-handed control schemes