I feel pretty strongly about this so I'm going to go down the list and talk about every possible choice on this poll:
It should be completely removed from the code. It represents bad game design.
I think that "it's bad game design" is a bit harsh, but I do agree that it should be removed from the code entirely. I don't think we need HP bars at all for zombies and I do share many of the concerns of people who are against HP bars but also some other concerns which I will touch on by responding to the other poll options.
It should stay and be hard coded in. It represents superior game design.
If it's going to stay, I think being hard-coded is your best bet, at least until you get enough backlash to take it back out, anyway.
It should be commented out but remain in code so those who want it can try it.
If by this you mean that it becomes a mod to have HP bars, then I think this is a good option. That way people can play vanilla servers if they don't want HP bars, or they can pick a server with HP bars on. My only concern about this option is if it implies that anyone who follows a little modding tutorial can enable HP bars on any server they play on, which IMO would feel more like an exploit than an option.
It should stay but be able to be toggled in the options menu.
I think if it were an "option" - it should be a server option not a client option. If a client can choose whether or not to enable HP bars, then everyone is going to feel pressured to turn them on in a competitive or even cooperative environment. As a PvP player it would behoove me to use as many tools to my advantage as possible, including UI advantages. In other words, I would feel pigeon-holed into enabling HP bars. I could see the same holding true for cooperative play. Take for instance two friends fighting a boss, one with HP bars and one without. The one who sees the HP bars is making informed tactical decisions, and may perceive his teammate as making sub-par tactical decisions and call him out for it, pressuring him into also enabling HP bars. Alternatively, one person may want to pressure his or her peers into all playing without HP bars when some of the others may want to use them. I would strongly prefer an "always on" or "always off" situation on any given server.
It should stay but take a different form
If it does stay it should definitely take a different form for many reasons. I think this poll response leads into the next few, so I'll talk about my reasons there:
It should stay but only appear after an enemy is damaged
I generally agree, though this solution is not without its own problems. Is it ANY zombie that takes damage? How far away can you see the HP bars? Can you see them through walls? Through windows? What if someone else is fighting a zombie in a building, do I just get a free beeline to their relative location? During horde night, does every zombie that steps on my field of spikes automatically go into HP-bar mode? What would it look like having 30 HP bars all stacked up under me? Could I still successfully shoot at the zombies through the mess of UI elements? Or should you only activate the HP bar if you yourself actually hit the zombie with a direct attack? How long do the HP bars stay activated after you disengage a zombie? Forever? By the way, the dismemberment and knocking down of zombies as well as the sounds of critical hits (eg. sledgehammer to the head) are already good damage indicators, we don't need HP bars.
It should be removed for all but bosses and regens
I don't think any of the bosses you have now are significant enough to warrant having HP bars while the regular zombies do not. Cops, spiders, wights, and screamers are barely above average and having HP bars for them would feel like overkill. Besides, you already put so much effort in making these "special" zombies so visually distinct that we already know they are a bigger threat than normal. It's fine the way it is (in A16). Maybe if you put behemoths in then we could talk HP bars. I'm thinking about the tank in L4D (though the survivors in L4D didn't get HP bars even for the tanks). As for the regenerating zombies, we can see the glowing green field so it should be obvious to the player when it's taking 5x as long to kill them that they aren't outpacing the regen. Let the unperceptive players learn the hard way, that's what makes it a good survival game. The mystery of it. Getting screwed and learning some difficult lessons.
It should stay AND the game should become turn-based. Go action points!
Fallout: 7DTD. © Bethesda 2019
It and everything else should go. Invisible HUD FTW
I'm not totally against an invisible HUD but honestly I really like having numerical values for my HP. It gives you a certain precision in health management gameplay that invisible HUD games are incapable of. I don't think making the HUD invisible will result in better gameplay.
It should stay but only show if you buy it as a perk.
I actually like this more than some of the alternatives. Having an in-character buff to allow you to better perceive your enemies is so much better than the social / competitive pressure to enable or disable HP bars if it was just an option in the menu. People who want them have to invest in their character, and I like that idea a lot.
Conclusion: Keep the HP bars out of the game, but if you do put them in then hopefully take some of my concerns into consideration. Thank you!
