New Game Menu Options

Auto Respawn When Killed
When enabled, the player will automatically respawn into the game as soon as the spawn timer has elapsed. When disabled, the player will have to press the "Primary Fire" button to respawn. Respawning is not possible before the spawn timer has counted down to zero. This option is disabled by default.

Reload Empty Clip on Fire
When enabled, this toggle will allow the player to reload his or her weapon without pressing the "Reload" key. Should the current powerpack be drained and a new powerpack be available, pressing the "Primary Fire" button on the drained powerpack will cause the weapon to reload automatically. This function is enabled by default.

Use Clientside Optimization
When enabled, projectile movement in netgames is optimized through clientside prediction. Disabling clientside optimization may result in projectiles popping up in front of the player after a short period of lag instead of out of the weapon's muzzle. Enabling clientside optimization remedies this problem, however some projectiles may appear to hit without actually doing so. This function is enabled by default. It is recommended that this function not be disabled.

Use Dynamic Crosshair
When enabled, this toggle sets the in-game reticule to sway back and forth with the movement of the blaster barrel. When disabled, the dynamic reticule is replaced by a stationary one that varies in scale with movement, giving an approximation of Cone of Fire (COF) variance. This function is enabled by default.

Time Bodies Stay Slider
This slider gives the player the option of configuring how long dead bodies persist in-game. Any value from zero seconds (bodies disappear as soon as they come to rest after dying) to thirty seconds (bodies stay prone for thirty full seconds after coming to rest before disappearing) is a possibility. This function is set to five seconds by default.

New HUD Menu Options

Chat Scrolling Drop-Down Menu
The player has the option of selecting the placement position of new messages and the direction that older messages move as they age with this selector menu. "Bottom-to-Top" scrolling causes the newest chat messages to appear at the bottom of the chat window and move upwards as they become defunct, while "Top-to-Bottom" scrolling is just the opposite. This function is set to "Bottom-to-Top" scrolling by default.

Typing Line Position Drop-Down Menu
When the chat key is pressed, the cursor appears in the chat window at a pre-designated position, either at the top of the window or the bottom. With this drop-down menu, the player has the option of selecting whether messages being inputted appear above or below other messages. This function is set to "Top" by default.

Comms Messages Stay
Enabling this toggle switch prevents all messages in the comms window from fading over time. When enabled, messages will only disappear if newer messages supersede them. This function is enabled by default.

Use Target Identification
This toggle switch enables and disables the functionality of the HUD computer to bracket targets. Enabling target identification allows the HUD computer to draw brackets around all teammates and all visible enemies (see the section on Target Identification on The HUD page for more information). Disabling this function removes all target brackets from gameplay. This function is enabled by default.

Use Objective Identification
This toggle switch enables and disables the functionality of the HUD computer to show data on objectives. Enabling objective identification allows the HUD computer to help the player distinguish between objectives held and objectives to attack (see the section on Objective Identification on The HUD page for more information). Disabling this function removes all objective data from gameplay. This function is enabled by default.

Show Location in Team Say
When enabled, this selection places a location identifier to the right of a player’s name but before his message when he is talking to his team. For instance, when disabled, a message spoken only to the team would look like this:

TroopersFan: Cover me!

However, when enabled, the message might appear like so:

TroopersFan (Aurek Objective): Cover me!

This function is enabled by default.

Show All Messages in Chat
Enabling this toggle switch sets game messages, including kill notifications and objective status messages, to display in the comms window instead of in the upper- or lower-center of the HUD. Enabling the feature prevents game messages from intersecting with awkwardly-moved HUD elements. This function is enabled by default.

Keep Empty Typing Line
By default, pressing the chat key will clear a space for the message input line next to the rest of the chat messages, by either replacing a line (if the Typing Line Position is opposite that of the New Message position, i.e. a "Top" position with "Bottom-to-Top" scrolling), or by shifting the last line back (if the Typing Line Position is the same as the position at which new messages are displayed, i.e. a "Bottom" position with "Bottom-to-Top" scrolling). With this function enabled, a special line at either the bottom or top of the chat window (determined by the Typing Line Position setting) is always kept clear of general messages, decreasing the number of viewable lines in the chat window, but preventing line shifts. This function is disabled by default.

Draw Enemy Name
When enabled, this toggle will allow the player's helmet computer to draw the names of targeted enemies on the HUD. Disabling this function provides for a less-cluttered HUD and a more "gritty" atmosphere, but at the obvious cost of being unable to see target names. This function is enabled by default.

Chat Font Size Slider
The Chat Font Size slider allows the player to alter the size of the font in the chat window. Larger sizes are more visible, but take up more space and detract from the number of lines viewable in the chat window at once. Smaller sizes can be harder to read depending upon the player's resolution settings, but allow for a greater number lines. This function is set to size three by default.

HUD Configuration


CLICK ON A NUMBERED ITEM TO SKIP TO ITS DESCRIPTION

The Troopers-specific “HUD Layout” menu allows the player to completely customize the presence, position, and dimension of all HUD objects via an easy-to-use interface, and includes pre-made presets for the easy utilization of various HUD styles. Individual descriptions of the various items of the HUD Layout menu are listed below.

  1. Preview Pane
    The preview pane gives the user real-time feedback on how the current HUD selections will look in-game. Elements move and scale dynamically with alterations to the element options pane (see item 4). As the look of the elements in the preview pane reflect the look of the HUD elements in-game, the preview pane may be used to get an idea of precisely how a specified configuration will look during play.
  2. HUD Preset Buttons
    The four buttons directly below the preview pane (see item 1) may be used to instantly revert the various element options to one of four different hard-coded presets. The placement of the miniature elements on each of the buttons reflects the placement of elements in the preview pane and, consequently, in the game itself, should the buttons be clicked. The HUD preset buttons are useful and act as easy defaults, should the user modify the HUD too severely and be unable to revert it to a more aesthetically pleasing look and feel.
  3. Element Selection Dropbox
    The element selection dropbox is used to select which element the user wishes to modify in the element options pane (see item 4). All HUD elements are listed in the dropbox for easy selection.
  4. Element Options Pane
    The core of the HUD layout menu, the element options pane is used to modify the specific attributes of a selected HUD element (see item 3). These options, from top to bottom, are:

    Alignment – Select one of nine general alignment options, including Upper left, Upper middle, Upper Right; Middle Left, Middle middle, Middle right; and Lower left, Lower middle, Lower right.

    Horizontal Spacing – Increasing the horizontal spacing of an element increases its distance from the left or right sides of the screen. This option only operates when elements are on the edges of the screen and not in the center (Middle middle), and only works in conjunction with Vertical Spacing when elements are at one of the screen’s four corners.

    Vertical Spacing – Increasing the vertical spacing of an element increases its distance from the top or bottom of the screen. This option only operates when elements are on the edges of the screen and not in the center (Middle middle), and only works in conjunction with Horizontal Spacing when elements are at one of the screen’s four corners.

    X-Scale – Increases or decreases the width of a HUD element as the slider is raised above or lowered below zero, respectively.

    Y-Scale – Increases or decreases the height of a HUD element as the slider is raised above or lowered below zero, respectively.

    Translucency – The greater the selected strength of this option, the more transparent and less visible the selected HUD element becomes. At full, this completely removes an element from the preview pane and in-game HUD.

    Disable This Element – Used as a shortcut to easily turn on and off a HUD element. When enabled, a HUD element is removed from the screen completely, regardless of transparency level.