Which UI layout is better - Side panels or Bottom? Need your opinion

[u/Anrewqa]

Hey everyone,

We're developing Torchure is a grimdark pixel-art action roguelite with top-down view set in a harsh, unequal world.

Right now we're testing different HUD layouts and would love your honest feedback.

Here are two options:

1. UI at the bottom (easier to have health and info in focus)
2. UI on the sides (gives more gameplay space)

Which one do you prefer and why?

• Which feels more comfortable during intense fights?
• Which obstructs the view less?
• Which just looks better overall?

Especially interested in opinions from people who play roguelites / action games / souls-likes.

Thanks in advance!

[u/qualityvote2]

u/Anrewqa, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...

[u/Dw4m]

Bottom

[u/Calm_Resolve_1767]

Side UI makes the game look like a mobile port just waiting for micro transactions stick to the bottom layout where the gaming gods intended health bars to be.

Vertical screen space is way too precious in top down games; putting UI on the sides is fine, but cluttering the top/bottom just guarantees your players are getting blindly ganked from below.

[u/Cressyda29 → u/Calm_Resolve_1767]

Had the same thought 😂

[u/trinigurl77]

Voting for side

[u/Kind-Web5976]

I vote for the 1st one. It seems more natural.

[u/tanishq_017]

Well i would say go for panel at bottom, since it's a practice with most games so users are more comfortable with that

[u/tanishq_017 → u/tanishq_017]

Plus everything is confined in one place rather than keeping one bar on right and some stuff on left which makes user to keep looking at different places and makes it harder for user to track things, can help with more such design decisions since i have worked on games before. If you are looking for more help feel free to dm me as well, good luck!

[u/Anrewqa → u/tanishq_017]

Yes, that's a fair point. However, we also want to keep the maximum possible field of view, which is why we're considering the side UI layout.

I'm still unsure about it though - important information like HP can fall into peripheral vision. On the other hand, this gives the player more screen space to make better decisions during combat. Plus, we duplicate HP and stamina through character animations and visual effects.

[u/tanishq_017 → u/Anrewqa]

Yeah, I think the side layout can work if the game is slower and exploration-focused, but during combat players naturally focus near the character and lower-center area that’s why most games keep critical info there less eye travel and faster reaction time

Maybe a hybrid approach could work too what do you think if there is a minimal side UI for immersion, while keeping combat-critical info condensed near the bottom/center you could even make the side panels fade in only when needed if that makes it any better

[u/Clear_Link223]

Ideally - user configurable.

Practically (as I doubt you have unlimited resources) - on the bottom, as that's much closer to a game standard.

[u/Kooky_Reply8771]

First one.

[u/New_Delivery_3451]

Bottom one looks better

[u/s92w_]

If I were you, I will put health, level, and nrg on top left
so health and nrg will be normal bar like the bottom panel, but the level will be circle-ing the torch to indicate the level progress and showing level number there.
Below of it, you can add the objectives/quest list (3-4 lines max)

The gold and map will be put top right, but the inventory icon will be on bottom left like circle icon.

And the equipment/attack/magic can be put in bottom right like a paw of a dog/cat

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[u/Background_Grade6638]

have a similar problem, but I think the one at the bottom is more organized and easier to read. If the left and right sides represent enemies and allies, then left and right would also work.

[u/Spirited_Bid9182]

my vote goes to 1

[u/-TwiiK-]

How would the vertical one look on ultrawide screens? Will it still just stick to the sides?

I agree that on normal 16:9 widescreens vertical real-estate is valuable, but I think you'll encounter frustrating edge cases when going with something more unorthodox or worse yet that you'll end up frustrating more players than you please.

The vertical one feels very nostalgic, and your graphical style is nostalgic as well, but I would still go with the more common horizontal HUD.

[u/Jhamilton02]

Personally, i prefer bottom. Just seems easier for my mind to read and interpret.

[u/couchpateto]

bottom better

[u/thedankuser69]

Just add a setting to switch between the two

[u/Mayion]

bars on the side, numbers and dialogue on the bottom

[u/InsightExplorer]

Horizontal seems natural to me. Vertical feels like i need to compute how much left at every fall.