Cadet I/HUD
Images required This article is in need of more, better images. If you can, please take the appropriate screenshot and then contact an Allegwiki moderator for them to upload. As an ad interim measure, you can use [img] tags.
See the list of pictures which need to be retaken for more images that need help.
Wikify This article needs formatting This article is using features provided by Mediawiki poorly, if at all. For example, it may contain sections without
section formatting, lists without list formatting, links without link formatting, hardlinks to images, or similar issues.You can read the crashcourse and help by improving this article!
| ← Abbreviations | Basic flying → |
Quick, reliable info
Your Heads-Up Display tells you everything you need to know at all times. Being aware of all information quickly is crucial and made possible by the HUD display. Part of the display is the minimap (F7) which is just as crucial, and every pilot must have it ready.
Info about your ship
The HUD allows you to view your shield and hull strength, your thrust power and amount of fuel left in the booster, your levels of ammo and energy, your speed and signature, whether you have been detected or not, whether your cloak, autopilot or course lock are engaged. Your minimap indicates the sector you're in. Icons all around indicate ships, stations, asteroids, alephs, items, etc. that are around you in space. You can toggle the amount of information by pressing "i". In an orange circle, a black number indicates your kill bonus, the percentage of extra damage you inflict as a reward for killing other ships. The more kills, the higher the kill bonus. However, dying (when your eject pod explodes) restarts your kill bonus to 0. This will be covered in detail later.
In the center of your screen, brackets ( ) indicate the actual direction of your ship. In space, you can't change direction on a dime, so even though you turn 90 degrees, you still have some momentum from your previous direction. This is why avoiding collisions a little tricky, and why newbies have been known to crash into asteroids a tad more often than trained pilots. HUD cloak HUD lock eye
Sounds
A tremendous amount of sounds allow you to gain information without having to look for it. Combining both visual and audio information allows you to maximize your knowledge of what's happening near you. Here are important sounds that may go unnoticed, but which are important for you to catch. Click on the left description in the box to hear the sound.
Information about enemy ships
The targeting system allows you to know the type of ship you targeted, its hull and shield strengths, its speed and distance from you, and the pilot's kill bonus as well as his name. You can only target an object if the object has been detected by your or your teammates' sensors. Any object can be targeted. Learning how to use this system will be covered a little later.
target display
The software HUD
The software HUD, accessible in your options by changing the Graphics Options > Style from the value "Normal" to the value "Software" (Esc-O-H), will change your HUD from the one displayed above to the one displayed below. The information is conveyed very differently on the two HUDs.
The software HUD leaves a lot more space in the middle of your image, but removes the important information from your near-peripheral vision to your far-peripheral vision. It also keeps all the information in a very tight arrangement, and so it is a good idea to know where each ship detail is rather than having to read the sign next to every energy bar, much like in the normal HUD. Another difference is that your kill bonus now also indicates the color of your team.
HUD cloak hud lock
As for the information about enemy ships, it is just as complete, and also indicates the caller of the team to which your target belongs behind the kill bonus indicator. However, again, the information is much more compressed.
target friendly target enemy
As such, it can be observed that the software HUD saves visual space on your screen by compressing information, but does not include any other tactical advantage. As such, it can more easily be used when piloting ships that don't require fast reaction times, such as capital ships.
Weapon tools in the HUD
Your HUD tells you if your target is in weapons' range, if you're aiming correctly, and if you have a missile lock. Note that all this information is relative to your target. The missile lock can only be established on your target, the reticule will say whether you're aiming right or not on your target, regardless of other ships. Note that even if the targeting reticule is green, it does not necessarily guarantee your projectiles will hit. Zoom in to verify that they are.
First, weapons range. A round reticule will appear in the center of your HUD when your target is in range. It will be red as long as you're not aiming properly, and will turn green when your computer calculates that the position of your ship will allow your bullets to hit. If the target is not in range, or if you have no weapons mounted, no reticule appears.
Second, lead indicators. Some ships have onboard lead indicators, which indicate where you must aim your weapon in order to fire your weapon. The lead indicator is red when you are not in range, and green when you are in range. Note that zooming in will increase the accuracy that you have at firing on the lead indicator.
Third, missile locks. When you get in missile range of your target, yellow brackets will appear around the target, slowly locking in on it. It is recommended, in most (not all) situations, to only fire when you have a full missile lock, which is when your lock produces a little beep.
reticule red reticule green lead indicator red lead indicator green missile not locked missile locked
Information about your surroundings
The HUD displays icons next to every object in space. You can press "i" to adjust the level of detail you wish to obtain, from no icons at all to an icon on every object, its distance from you and its shied/hull status when applicable. The default level of detail is not set to maximum, so changing it is not a bad idea. Most veteran pilots always change the amount of detail to maximum right as they begin playing. It can however be overwhelming information during certain situations, and actually make your fps (Frames per Second) drop and reduce your visibility to a point where you can barely make out ships. In these cases, reducing the amount of detail is recommended.
TIP: By toggling the "i" key you have four settings; none, enemy ships only, default and all.
Objects get an icon by their actual position. If they go off-screen, the icon remains visible on the side of your screen, indicating in which direction to turn if you wish to view it on your screen. It is thus essential to situational awareness.
| ← Abbreviations | Basic flying → |
