When I first got Skyrim I had to play without any HUD. Couldn't see compass, the bars, tell how much gold I had, or my encumberence, or read any books. That's because Skyrim is so obviously made for an HDTV it isn't even funny. Thankfully, my rich uncle won an HDTV from some sweepstakes thing. I was the last on his list. Still, I ain't complaining. 32 inch 1080i. Really awesome. Especially since I'm poor and used to crap graphics.

I didn't know you could completly turn off the HUD, I'll be doing this for sure

Yeah, well I am not that good at melee combat. I can avoid being hit pretty well for my archer and mage characters but not my nightblade or Nord warrior. I also get annoyed when I die because I have to wait for the reload and I am always nervous that the re-load will introduce some sort of glitch into my savefile.

Me, although my playstyle is a lot more fat free than just no HUD. Check my sig actually, I just started the channel on friday so not much there but will continue adding whenever I get time to play.

It is in the display menu. You can adjust the transparancy of the HUD, making it dim or even invisible.

I only play with the GPS off

And how do you know to stop drinking potions / channeling Heal? "About to die" and "no clue" are not a valid continuum of data.


IMHO, of course.


edit: but if I get down to it, I'll never come around to the mode of thinking given here. Partially, because my background/personality considers information to be important. And partially because I just don't believe in this mythical "immersion" thing. Certainly not enough to harm the playing experience by blindfolding and hobbling yourself. Ah, well. I'll refrain from responding further.

Well, if you don't "get" immersion, it may be hard to explain, but in my experience, immersion is assisted when the player has the same information that the character would have and having too much or too little information can interfere with immersion.

So having health/magica/stamina bars, especially ones that remain invisible until needed, should assist immersion.

Whereas, any type of crosshair would be counter to immersion (unless you were playing a game where you were using a scoped gun with a crosshair).

A compass that only had icons for places you had already visited could support immersion, but a compass that shows you what is over the next hill interferes with immersion because now you know what is over the hill before you climbed the hill to look down.

turija-

i think that's an excellent way to explain what part of 'immersion' is: too much/little information.

and, as i was about to answer kiralyn i just realized that i don't even care anymore if i waste some potions (i've got too many, as is) or magicka. it's tougher, for sure, but, adds an element to the gameplay that is just too greatto pass up vs. having the information. same as DID.

I have downloaded a mod that has let me just get rid of the compass. I much prefer to play without it (I can see more of the beautiful scenery)

If I need to see where I am going then I just bring up the map.

Can you turn off the compass and leave your health, stamina, and magic bars alone, I am on the 360 version.

-osheao

I may make another run at turning off the HUD. In an ideal world I would like to have the health/magicka/stamina bars and nothing else, but I am on the PS3, so that's not possible. I agree that when I turned off the HUD it was amazing. The only reason I turned it back on was it got annoying not knowing what my health was, but I have a good supply of potions now. I will have to try it again.

Playing a certain way doesn't necessarily make you more or less "hardcoe". I know that some people seem to get offended or something when someone makes a post about playing with "Perma-death" or "hardcoe playstyle" ala Minecraft's "hardcoe Mode" but really to each his/her own. You shouldn't worry about how other people play if it's just not for you. Don't let it bother you.

I really don't care if someone makes a mod to make the game more peaceful and turns all the dragons into Moogles and Unicorns. If they enjoy the game like that then that's great. TES games are sandbox style games that are more about playing them however you want to.

I find the game's Immersive UI clues of bloodspatters on the screen/blurring and heartbeat are clue enough for me that I'm hurt/about to die. It works for me because I'm playing a warrior - no need to worry about Magicka, since I don't use it. My goal is to avoid being hit/limit damage by blocking arrows and power attacks and otherwise take as few hits as possible while taking out the enemy quickly before I or any NPCs that might be on my side are killed, so regardless of the information, my strategy is pretty much the same. I rarely use food or potions during combat unless I have a short break between opponents or I can strategically back into a safe corner and drink a couple healing potions, etc.

I find playing like this "more immersive" but it doesn't mean you will. I'd rather not think about the stats in Skyrim, but I come from a pen and paper RPG background so I think I understand where you are coming from. "wait - how many hit points do I have left? Do I need to heal myself before going after the next enemy?"

To each his or her own; just enjoy the game and don't worry about anyone else's playstyle if it bugs you.

i offer and look for suggestions to improve my gameplay.

personally, other than an actual "hardcoe mode" the label hardcoe is a futile argument and i find the term thrown about very loosely and with incorrect application, imo.

some methods i like, others i don't.

Do you kn ow of anyway to leave the health, stamina, and magic bars on and turn off the compass? On 360 by the way. Have not thought about turning it off I might try it.

I actually just started a character without hud and yes the brain bending was painful but it is a lot of fun. I'm always afraid of dying accidentaly lol

nope.

i now either play with the hud off, very low or full on, depending.

i'm on the 360, so with the hud off i just kept practicing until my timing was right with the blood/haziness of the screen. hit favorites and gulp potions.

i didn't like it at first, but, now it's starting to grow on me quickly.

things still get the jump on me, but, i'm getting better by the hour.

Its good that things can get the jump on you. Being a psychic gets lame after a while.

Did not think so I might try it out just for fun.

Its better always when things ambush you in games.

I love games that keep you on the edge like this. Skeletons used to scare the bejeezus out of me in some games like Daggerfall and Morrowind when they are completely silent and then you just get hit or turn and see something coming right at you! Although, I think in DF, skeletons made an eerie screech sound which told you they were close but made it even creepier. I think that's still better than a dot on the radar/compass that tells you exactly where they are/what direction they are in.

Heck, even Minecraft was great at this when you hear the slightest noise behind you and turn and *whack* there is a Skeleton or *BOOM* a Creeper screws up your entire day!

I think having those little red dots on the Compass severely hurts that element of danger for me. I hate having that psychic radar in an RPG game. I mean this isn't Halo online where "winning is all that matters" and you want to have every advantage over your human opponents. An RPG game like this is better if it poses some challenges because then it makes you feel like you actually accomplished something at the end of a battle/dungeon/quest and for me the danger element adds to the overall fun.

I do not think this is possible. I am really annoyed that Bethesda did not give us this option. I am on PS3. If you learn of a trick to do this, please post, but I have been through the options menu backwards and forwards and have not been able to do more than shut off the crosshair or shut off the entire HUD.

If there was a way to turn off sneak crosshair and compass without loosing the magicka/stamina/health bars, I would jump at it. I don't know why they went to all the trouble to make those bars invisible when not in use but then not let us turn off all the other crap on the screen without completely loosing the "invisible" bars.

Turn all the HUD off, it takes a few hours to get used to, but I literally don't ever need to see the bars again while playing myself any more, it's well worth giving it a try.

^ This.

Almost all complaints people have about immersion can be remedied by turning the HUD completely off.

I turned off the HUD 11/11/11 and havent looked back.

To those saying 'but I get lost'. Well to me thats the point, I once got lost in the mountains of winterhold for 3 hours looking for the college, heavy blizzard, dragon overhead, low supplies. That to me as a totally awesome feeling.

I wish we coulld just turn off the ever hand holding compass. I am going to check it out and see if I can find anything and if I can I will post something about it.

I wish they gave a feature where you could turn off any part of the HUD you wished, I hate being lead around by the tip end of my nose its irritating. Like you said wer can make everything invisable, but we cannot take just one thing out of the HUD, really?
I am really thinking about it the compass drives me nuts.

I do it.

Its just fun not knowing when an enemies nearby and you randomly get attacked and it scares the [censored] out of you when its a Falmer and they go "WAHHHHGGARRRRRR"

And it also makes the spell "Clairvoyance" actually useful.

And no its not to feel "hardcoe" thats just a stupid word,it actually makes the game more fun,for me atleast.