General information seems to show notifications for a number of events, like ice cracking under you, badges, bonus conditions etc. Movement has a number of icons to indicate running/stamina, crouching, standing on an incline, weight status, weapon status and others. Affliction zone displays messages for the many afflictions you can aquire or get cured from. Inventory zone displays messages related to changes in inventory, like harvested materials or items expiring. If you stand in a wind protected area or you start to attract predators an icon will appear to indicate that. Wind zone shows you indicators for wind changes. Location zone briefly displays names of regions and places you have entered and indicates when you discover a new location. The UI can be split in to 7 screen zones: location, wind, inventory, affliction, movement, general information and health. Many Heads-Up Display elements are contextual and some can even be set to fade out over time. After 4 years, it’s firmly in the minimalism camp, with icons and presentation only hinting at chalkboard drawings visual style. Visual presentation started in the “simulating physical objects” camp, with books and backpack images for inventory screens. The game UX and UI went through several iterations before release and are still being tweaked. It stands out from the sea of survival games thanks to its unique painted visual style, slow meditative atmosphere and great level of polish. It aims to simulate real world survival conditions and captures the feeling of desperation, exploration and solitude. The Long Dark is a “first-person post-disaster survival experience set in the Northern wilderness” by Hinterland Studio. Let’s see if we can solve that challenge, learn from and improve The Long Dark. Do all of that without making the player feel like they’re walking around with a plane dashboard strapped to their head. Strike a balance between player control and suspense, between clear communication and immersion. Here’s an interesting challenge for you - convey to the player over 10 different game states without breaking immersion.

The long dark mods hud