Level Up.pdf

276 LEVEL 10 The Elements of Combat
There are many ways losing that health can be represented to the player.
Numbers are simple and transparent but boring. They stand out against
cluttered HUDs like those found in MMOs and RPGs. Just keep the font
legible.
A health bar doesn ’ t take much space running
along the top or side of the screen. They can be
framed with themed artwork to make them look
more interesting and part of the HUD. However, it
can be difficult to tell when small amounts of
damage have been taken. A health bar can be
segmented for readability.
If you are feeling artistic, icons can represent the
player ’ s health with simple visuals: human outlines
that go from green to red (WWE Smackdown),
crystal globes of blood (Diablo) or hearts (Legend
of Zelda).
Some platform games use a companion
character as the player ’ s health meter. For
example, Crash Bandicoot is followed by a tiki
head that loses feathers with each hit the player
takes. The problem with this system is that it
cannot support a large amount of health.
Things are more direct with character- based
health systems. Ghosts ‘ N Goblins represents
health with armor that pops off the player. Dead
Space and Ghostbusters have status meters as
part of the character ’ s armor or equipment. The
characters of Resident Evil clutch their
midsections and limp when they ’ ve taken
damage. Many car combat and driving games show visible damage to the
vehicle. You know your car is close to death in Grand Theft Auto when you
are dragging a bumper and your engine is smoking! Whatever method you
use, you need to have some sort of feedback: the player can ’ t always keep
their eye on the health bar, so these character- based feedback mechanisms
make it possible for the player to gauge how close to death or restart they
are. They can then adjust their strategy (retreat, heal themselves, etc.)
based on this knowledge. Just make sure these systems don ’ t interfere with
the player ’ s movement or attacks.
Many modern games have moved towards a HUD- less health system. As
the player takes damage, the screen becomes splattered with blood which
gets thicker as more damage is taken. More dramatic effects, like turning