Xenon HUD

From Elite Wiki
XenonHUD Sample.png

Overview

Xenon Industries is proud to announce the release of their new product: The Xenon HUD. This HUD aims to simplify the layout and maximise the amount of screen available for viewing the action. It does this in the following ways:

  • Grouping all important gauges around the HUD.
  • Removing unnecessary labels.
  • Reducing the alpha level of the HUD elements, and giving them a uniform colour (except in alert conditions), to enhance visibility of space objects.
  • Moving other HUD elements (missile loadout, space compass) to the edges of the display.
  • Keeping MFDs to the top half of the display and keeping their size down as much as possible.
  • Improved polymer overlays provide a permanent 40% glare reduction on all views. (Note: Compatible with Glare Clarifier OXP and Glare Filter OXP - see below).
  • Automatically hides the HUD when an external view is selected, then unhides it again when a standard view is selected.
  • Corrects the issue with the witchspace destination component on the HUD. This now shows the next witchspace destination, not the final destination.
  • Compatible with HUDSelector.
  • Compatible with 16:10 and 16:9 format displays.
  • Compatible with 4:3 format displays automatically (MFD slot 7 is dropped in this configuration).
  • Primable equipment allows HUD to be switched to "hi-contrast" mode, which is useful when sun-skimming (see below).
  • Incoming missile warning indicator.
  • Fuel leak indicator.
  • Mass-lock indicator.
  • Cloak indicator.
  • Amber color option.

This OXP requires Oolite version 1.82.

HUD Elements

In the following graphic, each component of the HUD has been highlighted. Labelling of the components around the crosshairs was deemed to be unnecessary as it only added distractions in a part of the screen the pilot needs clarity in.

XenonHUD Layout.png

It's worth pointing out that all energy-related gauges are grouped on the right side of the HUD, while speed, fuel, altitude and temp gauges are on the left. Also, the forward shields reduce downwards toward the centre line, while the aft shields reduce upwards toward the centre line.

Red Alert Condition

During red alert conditions, the crosshair surround will go red, and the energy, forward and aft shields, and laser temp gauges alpha level will increase slightly to give them prominence.

Docked and Inflight Variations

When docked, the HUD is minimised to only show fuel, missile status, witchspace destination and the clock:

XenonHUD Docked.png

During flight, when a GUI screen is selected, the HUD will reconfigure itself to put all gauges in the bottom left half of the screen:

XenonHUD InflightGUI.png

Docking Mode

When docking clearance has been requested of a station, the HUD will switch into "docking" mode. In this mode most of the HUD elements are hidden, leaving only the speed bar in the bottom left corner, a simplified crosshair image, plus some guidelines to aid with docking alignment.

XenonHUD docking.png

Docking mode will be automatically disengaged if the player comes under attack while docking, or if the docking clearance expires or is cancelled.

Hi-Contrast Mode

The Xenon HUD comes with two operation modes: normal and hi-contrast. The hi-contrast mode can be useful when sun-skimming, when glare from the sun can otherwise obscure instrumentation. To switch between the modes, first prime the "Xenon HUD Mode Selector" by pressing "Shift-N" until it appears as the primed equipment. Then, press the "N" key to activate first the hi-contrast mode, then again to revert back to normal mode.

XenonHUD NormalMode v2.png


XenonHUD HiContrastMode v2.png

Hi-contrast mode will automatically be turned off when you dock.

Note: Hi-Contrast mode can now be made automatic, turning on and off when the glare from the sun reaches a certain level. Use Library Config to enable this option. When enabled, the primable equipment will be removed.

Amber Color

It is possible to switch between the default blue color style, and an amber color style, using Library Config.

XenonHUD Amber Sample.png

Crosshair Modes

The crosshairs can also be configured to operate in different conditions. With the "Xenon HUD Mode Selector" primed, press the "B" key to cycle through these options:

  • "Crosshairs on in all conditions" (this is the default mode)
  • "Crosshairs on in condition red only"
  • "Crosshairs on in condition yellow and red only"

When the crosshairs are off, all gauges around the crosshairs will also be turned off, giving the pilot an completely unobstructed view of space.

The mode selected for the crosshairs will be stored and will remain in place after docking and launching, and will be saved in mission variables.

A special mode exists for when the player has requested docking clearance at a station. All gauges will be turned off, leaving only a simple crosshair image and the speed gauge to provide a clear view and aid in the docking process.

MFD Layout

There are nine MFD's available in this HUD by default, in the following configuration:

XenonHUD MFDs v2.png

Two of the MFD's have been given a slightly larger size, with the idea being that the two most important MFD's would be set there, with the less important ones fitting into other slots.

Compatibility with other OXP's

Glare Filter Compatibility

If the Glare Filter OXP is installed it will be set to it's maximum setting ("High") whenever it is turned on. Attempting to set a low or medium level will be overridden, as both of these levels are at or below the default filter level provided by this OXP.

Glare Clarifier Compatibility

This OXP will detect when the Glare Glarifier OXP is installed, and will allow it to do it's work of providing 100% glare filtering.

3rd Party Laser Crosshairs

Other laser OXP's can configure the Xenon HUD to use a particular image file for their crossairs. The image file can be one of the ones supplied with the Xenon HUD, or included in their own OXP. To configure a crosshair image file for a particular laser you will need to do the following: 

 var xh = worldScripts.XenonHUD;
 xh.$customCrosshairs({laser:"EQ_WEAPON_MYLASER", filename:"crosshairs.png"});

Example: You have the Laser Cannons.oxz installed, and you want to use the military laser crosshairs for the "Lance & Ferman Military Cannon". You would need to do this: 

 var xh = worldScripts.XenonHUD;
 xh.$customCrosshairs({laser:"EQ_WEAPON_CANNON_4", filename:"xenon_crosshairs_military.png"});

The crosshairs for the built-in lasers are set up using this same mechanism, so you can also override the crosshair file for those lasers by doing the following: 

 var xh = worldScripts.XenonHUD;
 xh.$customCrosshairs({laser:"EQ_WEAPON_BEAM_LASER", filename:"xenon_crosshairs_alt3.png"});

The crosshair PNG files included in the OXP are:

  • xenon_crosshairs_none.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_pulse.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_beam.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_mining.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_military.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_other.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_alt1.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_alt2.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_alt3.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_alt4.png
  • xenon_crosshairs_alt5.png

See the graphic below for examples of each crosshair type. The alternate crosshairs (those with "alt" in the filename) are provided purely for 3rd party OXP developers to make use of, if they feel that image suits the type of weapon they are creating.

You don't have to use the supplied images. If the laser OXP has its own crosshair PNG file, it can use that instead. Note that the image will be scaled to fit into a 50x50 window - smaller images will be scaled up (potentially making them look pixelated), and larger images will be scaled down (potentially losing fine detail).

Crosshairs

There are different crosshairs for each of the different weapon types. The following image lists each crosshair type, the weapon it is associated with, and the filename of the image.

XenonHUD Crosshairs.png


The alternate crosshairs can be used by other OXP's to give their laser a particular look.

Installation

Place the 'XenonHUD.oxz' into your 'AddOns' folder and when you start the game, hold down 'Shift' until you see the spinning Cobra.
Alternatively, you can download the expansion using the expansion pack manager in the game itself.

Download

Download XenonHUD.oxz v3.8.8 (downloaded 3880 times).

License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Crosshair image files based on work by Kay Pisarowitz. Released under GNU General Public License, version 2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html).

Big thanks to Astrobe for suggesting and helping to implement the mass-lock indicator, and for tidying up my code.

Version History

3.8.8

  • Protection for invalid sun references in frame callback.

3.8.7

  • Removed joystick sensitivity indicator.
  • Improved calculations to determine when to auto-switch to Hi-Contrast mode.

3.8.6 (beta)

  • HUD warning elements will now switch off correctly when threat/event is gone.
  • Auto-switch anti-flickering time set to 1 second (down from 2 seconds).
  • Combat MFD speed value no longer visible on docking HUD.
  • Better alignment of space compass elements.
  • Added current status text (GREEN, YELLOW, RED) to HUD.

3.8.5 (beta)

  • Moved script.js to xenonhud.js (to reduce clutter in Config folder).
  • Added code to prevent flickering when in auto-Hi-Contrast mode.
  • Improved calculations to determine when to auto-switch to Hi-Contrast mode.
  • Added some interfaces for Combat MFD values (speed, distance to space compass target).

3.8.4 (beta)

  • Added selected missile name to area under missile display (Oolite 1.89 required).
  • Cleaned up warning/indicators around crosshairs.

3.8.3 (beta)

  • Fixed issue that was stopping the auto-Hi-Contrast mode from engaging correctly.
  • Rearranged the warning indicators around the central HUD, and changed the masslock light into a similar label.
  • Re-worked method for adding warning and indicator texts to the HUD.

3.8.2 (beta)

  • Better alignment of MFD underlays with MFD frames.
  • Further increased the distance at which checking for Hi-Contrast mode begins.
  • Attempt to correct issue where MFD underlay was shown even when no MFD was in the slot.

3.8.1 (beta)

  • Improved visibility of MFD's when in Hi-Contrast mode.
  • Fixed issue with jump fuel required marker disappearing from fuel gauge when in Hi-Contrast mode.
  • Reduced font size in comms log and message GUI panels.
  • Slightly increased the distance at which checking for Hi-Contrast mode begins.

3.8 (beta)

  • Added 2 additional MFD slots, making 9 in total.
  • When prime-able equipment is removed (via Library Config), the Hi-Contrast mode will be automatically engaged when glare increases (Oolite 1.89 required).
  • Changing the setting for removing the prime-able equipment is now being saved correctly.
  • Made Library OXP a requirement for the OXP.

3.7

  • Improved integration with Ship Configuration F3 HUD selection process.

3.6

  • Temperature bar wasn't switching to alert mode correctly in all situations.

3.5

  • Temperature bar vanished when changing mode to "Crosshairs in yellow/red".

3.4

  • Added "Simplified crosshairs" switch (available via Library Config), which turns off the circular brackets around the crosshairs.
  • Mini crosshairs (used when crosshairs are off in red/yellow status) were not reappearing after a witchspace jump.
  • Temperature change from low to medium was showing the temp bar even when crosshairs were off.
  • Incorrect default crosshair image selected for unrecognised lasers when amber mode is on.
  • Switched crosshair list to a dictionary for performance improvements.
  • Scanner ultra zoom and non-linear settings were being overridden by HUD Selector in a new game.

3.3

  • Wrong HUD color used on F3 screen when Ship Configuration in use.

3.2

  • Some elements on the docked HUD were not being switched to amber color correctly.
  • Some elements on the alternate HUD (used when viewing F5-F8 screens) were not being switched to amber color correctly.
  • Target reticle now matches selected color scheme (blue or amber).
  • Switched all white/grey elements to be the appropriate screen color (blue or amber), including scanner and MFD's.
  • Crosshair information was not being correctly transferred to a new ship (standard purchase or via Ship Respray OXP).

3.1

  • Ship Config armour values were not displaying correctly when they reached 0%.
  • Added code to switch color of Manual Witchspace Alignment nav beacon (version 2.0 required).

3.0

  • Added "Amber" color mode, which switches all standard blue-toned HUD elements to an amber color (selectable via Library Config).
  • Added some missing centre points to some crosshair images.
  • Compressed PNG images.
  • Bug fixes.

2.1.1

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Quick Facts

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Minimum Oolite versionCPU usage averageMemory usage lowGPU usage averageisAPIisDocumentedisConfigurable

Config options available through 'Library'
Version Released License Features Category Author(s) Feedback
3.8.8 2021-08-08 CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 HUDs Crosshairs HUDs OXPs phkb Oolite BB

Gameplay and Balance indicator

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