Day 8: Let There Be HUD

Project: Space Game (Untitled)
Code Budget: 120 Hours, 47 Spent
Media Budget: 200 Hours, 7 Spent
Day Breakdown: 7 Hours of Code, 2 Media

Well, working with the 2D Side of XNA isn't so bad and the HUD went together as it should have. Most of the time today was spent coding in the power mechanics of the game and tying up some lose ends. (Keeping Track of Score, Deaths, Invulnerability, and the Like) The HUD now provides a look into the players state and gives feedback via the score. As you'll see from the screen shots there is a lot going on.

The main portion of the HUD is the power and armor/shield displays. The power display in the low level depletes as you fire your weapon or use your speed boost to better maneuver and it replenishes quickly over time. The faint blue bar under the power indicator shows how much power is currently being sent to regenerate the ships shields, this can be anywhere from 10% to 50%, however the more power being diverted to the shields the slower the power bar will replenish itself. The second bar shows the status of your shields and armor, shields are always damaged first and will restrengthen slowly over time, faster if you divert more power to your shields, however your armor can only be repaired via special power ups.

Most of the rest of the HUD is self explanatory, you have the name of the current level, number of lives, number of currency collected (you'll spend currency to upgrade your weapons, engines, shields), and your current score. The format of these is a throwback to old arcade games that always used to display zeros for the entire length of the field. The green targeting cross hairs helps will aiming your weapons down range, though additional steps may be needed once game play testing begins.

Goals for Tomorrow: Particle System Foundation

Note that the Power Going to the Shields is Low

Note that the Power Going to the shields is High