With the addition of the utility list on the right-hand side of the screen, things were starting to get a little hairy. For one, the framerate was going down the tube, and all of that text was starting to make the whole playing area feel really cluttered.

Here's a shot of the new HUD so far, which will likely see more changes in the near future. (Like a real artist to draw those boxes :P)


(Feels cleaner, don't it?)

Eventually the weapon-slot box at the top-left will have more information in it as I add more weapon data.

The main issue right now is that players won't know which guns are which, aside from guessing based on the weapon genre icon displayed. Anyone have any ideas on this? I want to avoid cluttering with text, so I'm thinking of having a unique icon for every item. Would this get unwieldy, or is it reasonable?

I also implemented score updates via the server. Now every 10 seconds or so (or when a client first joins) the servers sends out the kill/death/etc data on every player, to ensure that everyone has the proper score information displayed. Previously I'd get stuck in arguments with my testers (one in particular :P) about who was actually winning a battle. No more of that now. ;)

Another new quirk is that firing weapons now not only applies a recoil value to your crosshair/aim, but also pushes your player back via their velocity depending on the weapon's recoil. This idea was mainly spawned from the fact that some of my testers were able to win battles quite easily by simply facing the enemy and then charging at them with their weapon firing. By doing this, their charging speed will reduce greatly, and thus so will their maneuverability. Thus giving the stationary fellow an easier time in dispatching them. Thus creating a bit more strategy in the gameplay. :)

Next up on the Roadmap: Machineguns, Dual SMGs/Pistols, and Sniper Rifles!