Evolution, not revolution
Hey everyone, In this second HUD blog, we go deeper into some areas of improvement we have identified with the current HUD, how we want to tackle them, and introduce some of the new functionality we want to add. One of our main goals is to make the HUD easier to read and interact
Hey everyone,
In this second HUD blog, we go deeper into some areas of improvement we have identified with the current HUD, how we want to tackle them, and introduce some of the new functionality we want to add.
One of our main goals is to make the HUD easier to read and interact with while making sure that the changes also allow us to add new capabilities that are welcome for players who have spent the time to build muscle memory around the current HUD but would want more capabilities. We are not in a rush to a full release; we will start with an opt-in phase, take time to gather your feedback, and iterate in the opt-in phase before moving to an opt-out phase, and eventually fully transition to the new HUD.
We take any change to this established core interface seriously and have done extensive research sessions with both new players and veterans. We brought in a group of new players to monitor how they interact with the game and identify their pain points. It’s always eye-opening to watch a newer player interact with our game, since we often forget the struggles they experience because we are so used to the UI as it is. We also spoke with veterans to understand their needs and had great sessions with the CSM to get their perspective. Then at Fanfest we ran a workshop session with players in addition to getting feedback at our UI booth.
After watching how players interact with the HUD, what they understood, where they struggled, and where they could benefit from added capabilities. A few common themes started to emerge. We would like to review these themes and discuss how we want to improve them.
Internally, we often talk about cognitive coins. We want our players to spend their cognitive coins on meaningful gameplay, not on fighting usability quirks in our user interface. Every coin players spend navigating these quirks adds up and, in the end, makes the main user interface harder to learn than it needs to be.
Grouping of elements
One quirk of the current HUD is that we group elements that have very different functions. In some cases, we also give those elements similar shapes and visual treatment.
This relates to the Gestalt principles of proximity and similarity: when things are placed close together or look similar, we tend to read them as being related.
The medallion is a good example. It contains four distinct concepts within a single circular element: ship health, speed, capacitor, and rack heat.
The utility buttons have a similar problem. They look and feel like one group, but they do very different things. One activates autopilot, another opens a submenu, while others provide access to different tools. Our goal is to make these relationships clearer, so we are making the following changes.
Speed
It was really telling watching players try to set the speed for their ship, many didn’t understand that you can set an exact speed and confused the full speed button with incremental speed increase.
We plan to move the speed controls out of the medallion and make them their own part of the HUD.
Moving this out of the medallion circle makes speed controls easier to understand for new players while also providing greater fidelity for veteran players to execute complex maneuvers that require manual speed control, such as kiting. Setting the speed for your ship should feel like a cool thing to do, and tie into the fantasy of playing a science fiction game.
Health
Shield, armor, and hull will remain together around the capacitor.
We want to improve how this information is displayed and make it easier to understand the proportions of your ship’s defenses at a glance. We are also exploring options to show more detailed values and adding ticks to make the circular display easier to read.
If you've ever been in a situation where your Drake Navy Issue’s shields are getting low, and you start aligning out only to watch in dismay as your armor and hull evaporate in a few seconds. It's probably because you forgot just how much of your precious HP was in those shields compared to the other two defense layers. With this change, you will now have a clearer picture of how much HP you have left, and maybe you'll align sooner and warp out in time!
Capacitor
In EVE Online cap is life, so it’s essential to be able to evaluate the state of your capacitor at a glance, especially during combat.
With the new design, we'll add a gauge that shows how quickly you are gaining or losing energy. Currently, you don’t see how fast you are regenerating energy based on your consumption, so this will give you clearer feedback on your cap status.
Since the capacitor design feels like an iconic piece of EVE’s identity, we wanted to keep its circular shape intact.
Rack heat
We noticed that players had a really hard time understanding the relationship between the different overload components because they are spread across three different places of the HUD.
We are moving the rack heat indicators to the side of the medallion and making their purpose clearer with improved iconography.
Because heat is directly tied to modules and racks, we want these elements to feel more closely connected. The rack heat indicators will also be oriented toward the rack they belong to, making that relationship easier to read. By doing this we group all the overload interaction and information in one place. We’ll go into the overload interaction in more detail below.
Utility buttons
We want to group utility buttons with the parts of the HUD they relate to instead of keeping them all in one place. We're turning the cargo button into a nested button similar to other utility buttons. Soon you'll be able to access your cargo, drone bay or mining hold from the same button.
We are also moving the scanner controls so they can live alongside the minimap, where the connection between those features is clearer.
Security status
Security status will stay in roughly the same place.
What we want to improve is the interaction itself. During our research, new players often did not realize that this element was a button or that they could use it to change their safety setting.
We want to make both of those things clearer. And now hopefully that one guy in your fleet who always has their safety green when you try to filament will finally give you a break.
Module feedback
Module buttons have a difficult job. They need to communicate a lot of information in a very small space. One of the biggest issues we identified was feedback. Modules have several states and interactions specific to EVE, so new players cannot always rely on what they have learned from other games.
The current overload control is one example. The small green indicator above a module acts as both an overload control and an indicator. During testing, some players assumed the green light meant the module was ready or available.
Module activation can also be difficult to read. Players sometimes struggled to tell whether a module was active and how its cycle was progressing.
We want to make those states clearer.
Overload moves into its own interaction instead of sharing space with the normal module controls.
Active and inactive states will be easier to distinguish, and a moving indicator gives clearer feedback on module cycles.
Module shortcuts will be easier to discover as hovering will clearly show its shortcut.
The goal is to reduce the amount of information each module button must communicate at once, without removing the information experienced players need.
Overload
Overloading modules is an important part of EVE combat, but it is not particularly easy to discover or learn. We want to make it easier to understand without slowing down players who already know how to use it. We plan to bring the different overload interactions together in one place. There will be an overload control next to the module racks, with rack heat indicators pointing toward the racks they belong to.
Activating the overload control puts the module area in an overload state. From there, you can choose to overload an individual module or an entire rack.
We also want to preserve the existing Shift-click interaction. Holding Shift will take you directly into the overload state, allowing experienced players to continue Shift-clicking modules to overload them.
When hovering over a rack control, the HUD will also show which modules belong to that rack. This is useful when you have rearranged the modules on your module bar, since their visual position does not necessarily match their rack position.
Situational awareness
Another thing we saw during our research was difficulty understanding where things are located in space.
The Overview does a great job of telling you what is around you, but it is harder to use it to understand spatial relationships. An object might be close by, but from the Overview alone it is not always obvious whether it is above you, behind you, or on the other side of the grid.
A minimap is a common way to convey this kind of information, so we are exploring how one could enhance situational awareness in EVE. Our current direction has three different minimap states.
On-grid
The on-grid view is a visual representation of the entities around you. It allows you to quickly understand where ships and other objects are positioned on the grid. You will also be able to interact with the map and apply filters to control what is shown. This view is mainly intended to help with spatial awareness and get an overview of a fight.
Metro map
The metro map gives you a simplified view of nearby systems and the stargates connecting them. The goal is to make it easier to quickly understand the systems around you and decide where you want to go next without opening a larger map. This view is mainly intended for navigation while moving through space and should be especially helpful when roaming in hostile space to not get caught in dead-end systems. In this view, just like others, the filters from your star map are applied, so the color indicates what you have selected in the main star map, such as pilots in space, active cynos or Triglavian minor victory systems.
System view
The system view shows the current solar system and the major locations within it. This is mainly intended to give you better context for where you are within a system and to help with activities such as mission running. This could also be useful for quickly finding a celestial to warp to when making an escape, or something to bounce off and approach a stargate from unusual angle to avoid drag bubbles. The idea is that you can right click entities in space and warp to them. And in the future to show you the d-scan range and angle. These views are still being developed, and we expect them to change as we continue testing.
Boosters
Boosters are an important element of PvP and especially critical for small-gang and solo combat where booster selection and timing can have a significant impact on the fight. Right now, to have quick access to boosters players need to keep a cargo window open on their screen, taking up valuable screen space. We are exploring a dedicated part of the HUD where players can place consumables and activate them directly with shortcuts.
The idea is that you could prepare your booster setup in advance and place the consumables you need in these slots, making them easier to use when you need them. Over time, we could also explore supporting other useful consumables through the same system.
Customization
We know how important UI customization is in EVE. The current HUD is relatively fixed. You can move the whole HUD between the bottom and top of the screen, and modules can be rearranged, but the individual parts of the HUD cannot be positioned independently.
We want to move toward treating the HUD as a set of components. That could mean moving modules into a vertical layout next to your Overview, using a smaller version of the medallion, or hiding parts of the HUD you do not need. Don't want the minimap? Hide it. Want a more compact HUD? That should be possible too.
However, this level of customization will not be part of the first iteration. We are still gathering ideas and looking at which parts of the HUD should be customizable, so this is an area where your feedback will be especially useful.
Screen real estate
We are being careful about how much screen space the new HUD uses. The goal is not to make everything larger or add more UI for the sake of it. We want each part of the HUD to use as little space as it reasonably can while still being readable and useful.
Some new elements, such as the minimap and booster controls, do take up additional space. That is one of the reasons customization and the ability to hide parts of the HUD are important.
You should be able to decide what information you need to pilot your ship in New Eden.
First impressions matter
One piece of feedback that came up consistently in our new player interviews was that the HUD felt dated compared with the rest of EVE’s UI. First impressions matter, and an interface that felt modern ten years ago can naturally start to feel out of place over time. As part of this work, we want to bring the HUD closer to the visual quality of the rest of EVE, with more modern interactions, animation that brings the interface to life, and a visual style that feels distinctly EVE.
Feedback we are hearing from you already
Screen real estate & Customization We are aware that these topics are important for players and are actively taking those into consideration like mentioned above.
Saving HUD layouts We hear you, and this is something we want to explore in the future, in what capacity or when is uncertain at the moment. We would like to hear more about what you need here.
Opting out Similar to when the Photon UI was being developed, you’ll be able to opt out while the HUD is in development. We expect the opt-out phase to be quite long. Once a high adoption rate is achieved, we will move into the final release phase. At that stage, we hope that we’ve built something together that we all agree works better.
Future capabilities We see ideas around future capabilities and are monitoring that. For example, one request is to integrate the drone UI more deliberately into the HUD, we agree and that’s something we’d like to do later.
Join the conversation
We want to be clear that this project is still in its early stages. Production has started, and we are currently aiming to have the first version ready around the next expansion. This is going to be a long project; we will release in multiple stages, test, listen, and react.
This will all be done through feature preview, so you can opt in and out at your will, during the development of the new HUD. For the first iteration, we are focusing on getting the foundation right, so we will be tackling the medallion, overload, and modules first. In the following releases, we’ll focus on the mini map, then the boosters, and then on customizability.
We are showing you the designs early so we can have the conversation with you as soon as possible. That way, we can get your thoughts and ideas as we develop the feature and can iterate based on your feedback. Some of what you have seen above will change as we continue to build and test it with you.
For the third and final blog in this series on the HUD, we will look further ahead. Exploring what comes after the feature work covered here, this includes ideas on improving immersion with better space interactions and even more ways to customize you experience.
We are opening a Discord thread and a forum thread specifically for the HUD, so please join us there and let us know what you think. We are especially interested in what information you rely on today, what interactions you do not want to lose, and what parts of the HUD you would like more control over.
Thanks for reading.
Objectives will be released gradually, so it’s never too late to jump in and there’s always something new to take on. Personal contribution limits ensure the responsibility for bringing glory to your faction is shared among many capsuleers. In the Upcoming tab, you can get a preview of what’s on the horizon, and when scheduled objectives will become available.
The Simurgh is a mobile command center which strengthens shields, enhances fleet awareness and disrupts enemy systems through electronic warfare. It brings order and control to even the most chaotic battlefields.
The Gaia brings precision and pressure into the fight. Enhancing mobility and coordination while locking enemies in place and forcing engagements on your terms, it is built for commanders who dictate the flow of the fight.
The Ymir is built around speed, adaptability, and survival. It boosts fleet resilience and maneuverability while slowing enemies and creating openings in the chaos with their Stasis Web fighters. Designed for fleets that fight fast… and fight together!
These are capital-scale command platforms, built to become the core around which major fleets operate. Command destroyers serve small engagements. Command ships anchor mid-sized fleets. Command carriers are the next step: flagships designed to project powerful fleet support into some of the most consequential fights in EVE Online.
The Corax Navy Issue builds on the strengths of the Corax with rockets, light missiles, and five mid-slots, giving Caldari pilots strong fitting flexibility and battlefield control.
The Algos Navy Issue draws inspiration from the Myrmidon Navy Issue, leaning into drone strength, hybrid turrets, stasis webifier drones, and an additional low slot.
The Talwar Fleet Issue brings a Matari twist to the navy destroyer line, combining elements of the Talwar and the Breacher with shield booster bonuses, missiles, a utility high slot, and an additional mid slot over the base Talwar.
These ships are quick to train into and accessible early, making them strong options for new capsuleers while adding more variety to one of the most popular ship classes in Factional Warfare.
The seasonal reward track for Capsuleer Day XXIII: Warpath has been extended, so you can keep going with more Skill Points, Warpath Operational Intel, a SKINR component, and Warpath Command Intel which you can trade for a brand-new navy destroyer BPC!
This means that during the event, you can get your hands on these powerful new hulls, well in advance of the Cradle of War expansion, coming on 9 June, when they will be introduced to New Eden at large.
After Capsuleer Day XXIII wraps up on 2 June, there will be no way to get these hulls until Cradle of War launches, so this is your chance!
The distribution of challenge sites is about to be expanded as well. The Warpath: Capital Mayday titan support site, which was previously only available in lowsec, is now appearing in highsec as well. It is a rare opportunity for capsuleers to witness a titan firing its doomsday weapon in highsec! The same goes for Warpath: War Grid combat sites for Tech II battleships and below, as well as the Warpath: Strategic Infiltration exploration sites, which have spread from lowsec to highsec.
