Do you display stats while playing new levels?

[Mitchfork]

Been thinking about how people approach new levels - do you display the map statistics (monsters, items, secrets) while playing?

 

In the original Doom, there were no spoilers - you had to finish the level to find out if you got everything.  In most source ports now, there's some option to display map statistics as you're playing (whether on the automap or always visible).

 

I always feel like there's some deflation in tension from having the monster count viewable specifically.  If you stroll into an exit room with 20 enemies remaining, well... you kinda know what's going to happen there - whereas without the stats visible, every room is a surprise.  On the other hand, map length can vary wildly and it can be nice to know whether you're in for a quick techbase romp or a multi-stage slaughterfest - and knowing the monster count helps quite a bit.  I sometimes wish there were an option in source ports just to display the totals at the start of a map, since it seems like it would split the difference pretty well.

 

For completionists who want to see everything in one go, it's also useful to have the secret counter - but I find that for my non-completionist self, it doesn't really affect me either way except to signal when to stop mashing walls.

 

Personally I find having the stat counter always visible above the HUD to be pretty distracting, but I do enable it when I have the automap up. What about y'all?

[Insaneprophet]

I voted. Only on the auto map. I admit that one of the first things I do is check the map to see how many enemies and how many secrets but I then pretty much forget about it and just play the level. I use the auto map all the time while playing but I dont really look at the stats outside of an initial check to see what Im getting into. 

Edit- I also look at it just before exiting to gauge wether i want to look for more secrets or kills... depending on the map results may vary.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Insaneprophet

[Andromeda]

Always on, it's one of the few source port features I can't live without.

[Rymante]

I used to have the stats up all the time, nowadays I only have them on the automap so that's what I voted.  However, I may yet consider turning them off completely since you only get to play a map for the first time once, turning them off completely would give the map much more of a chance to surprise me, having the stats up can ruin that somewhat, at least that's how I feel about it now.

 

Replaying a map is another matter entirely though of course.

[dististik]

Only on the auto-map for me. I honestly find if kind of distracting to have the extended HUD always visible and if I'm checking the auto-map I'm explicitly looking for more info than is immediately available to me anyways so I think it's a really good place to put them.

[Bauul]

I voted "no, never" but with the caveat that I always ask for (or look up) a rough length to the level before playing. I don't want to know my exact progress but I also want to know if I'm setting out on a 2 hour epic mission.

 

That would be a call-out for map authors: please state the general length of your levels when you make your OP!

[Wyrmwood]

I voted "Yes, on automap only" but I actually have the monster count disabled. It spoils surprise false endings (love those) and I found sometimes high monster counts would scare me off. Its better not to know sometimes. 

[jmac]

I almost always have the stats visible on screen. I've seen some good arguments that this spoils the map in some ways. I do agree with this, and have tried playing with the stats hidden once and a while, but it's just too satisfying to watch the kill count climb as I go through the map.

[Andrea Rovenski]

always turned off for a casual playthrough because its distracting and ruins surprises, but sometimes I peruse random 90s wads and just leave it on because whatever :P

[Powerlord]

Decino's video on the matter turned me to not having them on at all and for me personally it's made me enjoy the game a lot more. Knowing even a rough approximation of the level ahead of you ruins a lot of it for me, and can set expectations for the level it should have no reason to adhere to. Playing without stats also avoids spending an extra half hour humping walls and cursing the map designer because you couldn't find one or two secrets and/or monsters. Secrets should be just that, secrets, at least your first time playing through. If you don't find them all, or hell even any of them, then so be it, nothing stopping you from playing the mapset again sometime right? Turning map stats off helps me enjoy maps for what they are and I don't think I'll ever play with them again (when playing new material at least).

[DNSKILL5]

I don’t, mainly because I just don’t care if I get 100% everything. While I try to look for secrets in areas I feel they could be, I don’t find it fun to hump walls for a long duration of time just to find a well hidden secret. I do kill any enemies I come across, but I don’t give a damn about the items percentage whatsoever. I also rarely if ever use the automap, but I suppose having them appear on there wouldn’t be too big of a deal. 

[ReaperAA]

I voted "Yes, always on" because that's how I currently play the maps. But ever since that thread by Stewboy and then the video by Decino, I have been thinking about having them turned off for a blind run (only enable them once I manage to get the first exit).

Though for replaying a map that I already played before, I will continue to keep the stats on.

[MFG38]

In most of the source ports that I use, I only have the stats on the automap - the only exception is dsda-doom where I have the extended HUD enabled. Very often, though, I'll check at least the enemy count at the start of a map anyway, mostly as a way of gauging how long the map is likely to be.

 

8 hours ago, Bauul said:

That would be a call-out for map authors: please state the general length of your levels when you make your OP!

 

I already do.

Edited May 20, 2023 by MFG38

[Human Being]

I always have them on (Specifically referring to extended HUD) for casual play. Because, well, who cares? It's casual play.. Unless I specifically want something to be surprising, but even then, it's rare I turn it off. I'm used to having those stats and if I'm immersed into the map, gameplay, visuals, I'm not really paying attention to stats anyway.

 

Then I also have 'command display' and 'coordinate display' on as well when I'm reviewing maps for runs/demos - or even just if I'm curious about things in a map. Sometimes it helpful, other times not at all, and sometimes it's even necessary [ IMO ] if you're lining up glides or other tricks. 

 

It's worth noting I don't get bent out of shape if there's 5 secrets and I only found 2 and I'm at the exit. Maybe I'll look for them, maybe not. BUT, it also depends on the wad. If it's a wad focused on combat, then I probably don't care about the secrets during casual play. If it's more of a puzzle map or platforming, and secrets are in the spirit of the map, then yes I'll look for them. If it's a meme/shitpost, then all bets are off.

 

Most people don't take being a completionist as far as decino; most people also don't have 180k subscribers on YT either - So, there's that.

 

tl;dr always on

[BGreener]

For blind firstplays I stopped having them there awhile ago, at least a few years now. Even if I don’t know how they’re spent in the level, simply knowing and being aware of the monster count spoils the map for me. I wish I had an easy fix for this with the Quake games.

 

I’m not sure it influenced my gameplay all that much. The times there were a couple monsters or secrets left, I would only spend a minute or two searching around for them. Any time after that results in me getting bored and proceeding to end the level.

 

I went back to put at the start “blind firstplays”. When it comes to a map I want to 100% it’s likely on a replay, and I‘ll not only have the stats open but a video and Doomwiki page of the map as well - I ain’t missin’ nothin’!

 

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by BGreener
clarification, also “hiya” to the few who read these!

[rita remton]

my [hud] in [gzdoom]. i like the minimalist display with all relevant stats always on.