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BotW is the only game I can no-HUD for a better experience

O

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
I found Dark Souls' auto-HUD (or was it Bloodborne? or both?) decent, that hid the HUD when you weren't in combat, but I always found myself turning it back on for a more consistent experience. Not sure I can explain it better than that.

BotW's "pro HUD" mode, on the other hand, just gets rid of the extra trash like radar and noise meter and digital clock while retaining the health bar and food buffs at all times.

PchYbDl.jpg


This feels like a "less is more" situation because I haven't yet found any of that information useful, or certainly not useful enough that it's on screen at all times.

I've toyed around with no-HUD modes in other games and generally find them to hurt the experience somehow, but in BotW I'm absolutely enjoying the game more without the HUD. Give it a try if you haven't yet.
 
I want to switch to the pro hud eventually but I still rely on the minimap to know where I'm going - otherwise I'd have to be in the menu looking at the map even more than I already am (sorting out food and equipping/dropping things).

Would have been sweet for the gamepad to be a second screen for that, but I understand it's a demanding game for the wiiu.

Will be nice after maybe 20 more hours or so to turn off, looking forward to it to be honest. Tried to straight away but decided against it.

The less HUD that I can get away with, the better - for any game really.
 
Seems great. Didn't get my Switch yet, but I imagine this being the way I'd play, given how people are praising its exploration/discovery factor.
 
Skyzard said:
I want to switch to the pro hud eventually but I still rely on the minimap to know where I'm going - otherwise I'd have to be in the menu looking at the map even more than I already am (sorting out food and equipping/dropping things).

Would have been sweet for the gamepad to be a second screen for that, but I understand it's a demanding game for the wiiu.

Will be nice after maybe 20 more hours or so to turn off, looking forward to it to be honest. Tried to straight away but decided against it.

The less HUD that I can get away with, the better - for any game really.
Click to expand...
I don't find myself checking the map too often. I'll point myself in the direction I want to go, then make sure I'm on track after a good long stretch.
 
oneida said:
I don't find myself checking the map too often. I'll point myself in the direction I want to go, then make sure I'm on track after a good long stretch.
Click to expand...

After a fight and then picking up stuff like in an area with trees or steep hills, I'll easily get turned around and forget which way was which... plus it's nice knowing where my horse is. I know you can whistle, but I feel bad making him run if it's a short distance :P
 
Horizon also has a very good "dynamic" HUD that displays info only when you need it, otherwise the only overlay is a directional bar on top.
 
Man I've been hearing so many people say that the Pro HUD is great that I think I'll play the game with it all the way. I'm usually like you OP, I don't like to change stuff like that too much, but it seems really great on this title
 
I actually like the minimap for not telling that much, but yeah, agreed OP.

The world is so well designed, and the writing so good, that you can actually go for this experience without any issues.
It's really fantastic.
 
Horizon offers a ton of options for what displays on screen. I wouldn't go with no HUD for that game, but the options were nice to have.
 
Using pro mode too. You shouldnt play this game with the mini map. But with your eyes and the view when you reach the highest height possible.
 
Yup it's great. Switched my configuration as soon as the game started and haven't looked back since. Just like in Assassin's Creed and other open world games I find traversal so much better when I'm not looking at some tiny map 50% of the time.
 
I wish there was a middle ground. I want the hearts and the radar. The other stuff is useless.
 
oneida said:
I found Dark Souls' auto-HUD (or was it Bloodborne? or both?) decent, that hid the HUD when you weren't in combat
Click to expand...

Neither, it was DS2. And it was pointless anyways because the HUD would reappear as soon as you sprinted, in combat or not.
 
Nev said:
Neither, it was DS2. And it was pointless anyways because the HUD would reappear as soon as you sprinted, in combat or not.
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definitely not DS2 because I didn't play that one. DS3 maybe? I beat 1,3 and BB.
 
I sort of wish there was a quicker way to toggle Pro on and off, as I find that I've been switching to the Pro HUD quite often for screenshots (and could easily get by with visual cues in place of the temperature or stealth indicators), but mapping out the world and setting my own waypoints has been a central pleasure of the experience to me, to the point that I use the minimap quite a bit (at the very least as a compass).

But it tells you how great the design of the world is that I rarely ever feel the need to pull up the full map when I'm out exploring or getting from one place to another, unlike other games where I'm popping the map screen open all the time (which is why the dual-screen maps of the Wii U and 3DS were wonderful for me and will be sorely missed). The landmarks on the horizon do a ton of work to orient you in the world and lead you down natural pathways that are distinct enough to be memorable and individually identifiable, and take you where you want to go.
 
SoulsBorne games are very enjoyable with HUD disabled. It really makes you rely on your game sense and knowledge. Along with providing the wonderful feeling of getting GUD in order to sl1 or bl4 ng+7 without the HUD.
 
I switched to Pro HUD immediately and it's been great so far. Everything feels just right. I just got an ability that
tracks nearby shrines with a *beep*. Turned that off right quick as well.
 
The problem with "pro-mode" or disabling markers in open world is that the world itself doesn't give signposts to help me go to a specific place. In this game for example, if you disable every quest marker, which granted is already less intrusive than other open world games, you can actually find the place, because you can ask npcs for directions.

it's incredible
 
My only small gripe with the Pro HUD is that there's no way to see the weather forecast. I'd like to know if I should just wait rain/thunder out or set up camp without having to switch to regular mode.
 
Horizon Zero Dawn has a really good dynamic HUD that only comes up when you need it. I can't seem to get rid of the objective marker on the screen though
 
Pretty much the only mandatory information you need in the game is the life bar and timers. Everything else isn't really needed because Link's animations will change accordingly and the environment is generally pretty easy to read as to what causes what. Not only that, because you actually get some actual directions in this game pretty consistently (just chat up the NPCs) unlike 95% of modern open world games, the minimap isn't needed either, if you wanted to check a marker you placed you could just pull out the scope which is a more organic feature.

Pro mode is absolutely optimal and immersive and turns an excellent game into one of the most fascinating experiences I've ever had.
 
cuU3RFB.jpg


IMO Horizon Zero Dawn has the best hud for a current console game. I haven't played Zelda (yet, but plan to in the future) but in Horizon you can pretty much make it however you like, turn on/off anything and best of all , make things dynamic so they only appear when needed.

Like in your Zelda, the hearts, if the UI element was dynamic thiey'd only appear when engaged in combat or such instead of staying on screen even when you are exploring and don't need to see them.

I wish more games made use of these kind of full optoins for huds and "dynamic" toggles so they only pop up when you need them.
 
I didn't know this was an option at first but have absolutely fallen in love with it since having it pointed out to me. I can figure out myself whether it is day or night, or whether Link is too cold. The info given can be easily figured out using basic logic, and having it off adds to the immersion.
 
I like what Horizon does, where you can turn the HUD off and only the parts that are important at the time show up and then fade away after a while.
 
Stiler said:
Like in your Zelda, the hearts, if the UI element was dynamic thiey'd only appear when engaged in combat or such instead of staying on screen even when you are exploring and don't need to see them.
Click to expand...
I personally find this approach terrible. HUD appearing and disappearing is distracting.
 
I turned the HUD off to take some screenshots and forgot to renable it afterwards. Hours later I was in the menus and only then did I realise the UI was missing. I kept it off and I now realise that may in part be why I'm enjoying just exploring so much - my eyes aren't glued to the minimap. I think I'd have been far more inclined to beeline my main objectives with the yellow marker constantly reminding I'm going off track.

This is probably the one game I've enjoyed with minimal UI too OP. I don't even care if I get a bit lost because I end up stumbling across other cool stuff on the way. For whatever reason, I've never cared in other games but there's just something about BOTW that makes me want to explore.

Maybe it's because a lot of other games are all or nothing. I too feel like the relevant information is kept with pro mode, and the stuff that isn't there - time, temperature - you can still figure out by looking at the environment or at Links reactions. You really don't lose anything.
 
bigjig said:
Horizon Zero Dawn has a really good dynamic HUD that only comes up when you need it. I can't seem to get rid of the objective marker on the screen though
Click to expand...
If you don't have an active quest you can have no HUD at all in Horizon.

Lifeline said:
I like what Horizon does, where you can turn the HUD off and only the parts that are important at the time show up and then fade away after a while.
Click to expand...
And the neat thing is, if you want to check something quickly you just touch the touchpad and it will show the HUD elements and then fade out again after a moment.

oneida said:
I personally find this approach terrible. HUD appearing and disappearing is distracting.
Click to expand...
For others that don't mind that, it would still be nice if it worked the way it does in Horizon where you can select whatever combination of dynamic, always off, always on you wanted.

But in general this HUD modding is more the domain of PC games with mods.
 
Skyzard said:
After a fight and then picking up stuff like in an area with trees or steep hills, I'll easily get turned around and forget which way was which... plus it's nice knowing where my horse is. I know you can whistle, but I feel bad making him run if it's a short distance :P
Click to expand...

You can see where the horse is on the map?
 
I've been playing pro HUD from the first moment I saw it. The game feels so much better and the screen captures look better for it.
 
Zareka said:
I turned the HUD off to take some screenshots and forgot to renable it afterwards. Hours later I was in the menus and only then did I realise the UI was missing. I kept it off and I now realise that may in part be why I'm enjoying just exploring so much - my eyes aren't glued to the minimap. I think I'd have been far more inclined to beeline my main objectives with the yellow marker constantly reminding I'm going off track.
Click to expand...
This x100
 
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