HUD

Definitions

Characters

Characters is a collective term that includes both mercs and Enemies. All Characters can move, see and hear things, attack, use Talents, and take other actions.

Turns

Activity on a mission is broken into Turns. Every Character gets a chance to take actions within a Turn. A Character's opportunity to take actions is sometimes called their turn. Each Character has a randomly generated Initiative; certain Traits and Talents can modify the initiative roll. The order in which characters take their turn (the Initiative Order) is displayed in the Turn Timeline. Some Talents and actions can change the order on the Turn Timeline in the middle of the Turn.

Action Points

Many actions require the expenditure of Action Points. Each Character is allotted a certain number of Action Points at the beginning of a Turn. The default number of Action Points allotted is 6, but some may get more or less due to Character Traits. Some Talents can add Action Points to one or more Characters. Action Points can be added in increments of 0.1, but fractional Action Points are unusable until they add up to an integer. At the end of the Turn, unused Action Points are lost, and the Character is allotted a new set of Action Points.

Move Speed

A Character's rate of Movement per expended Action Point is called their Move Speed. The default Move Speed is about 4m per Action Point in sprinting mode. This may be modified by Character Traits or by Talents. For reference, the floor tiles visible on many surfaces are 2m square.

Movement Points

Movement Points are a specialized type of Action Point which can only be used for movement. A character may gain Movement Points from Character Traits or Talents. Movement Points can be added in increments of 0.1, but fractional Movement Points are unusable until they add up to an integer. When moving, any available Movement Points are used before Action Points.

Action Points Bar

The Action Points available to a character are often portrayed on the HUD as an action points bar. An action points bar is also used to illustrate how many Action Points would be expended if the action being prepared is confirmed. Gray rectangles represent default Action Points which have been used. Yellow rectangles represent Action Points available. Action Points which would be used by confirming the prepared action are portrayed in flashing yellow. If any Movement Points are available, they are portrayed in cyan. The action points bar does not display fractional Action Points or Movement Points.

HUD

While on a Mission, the screen displays a wealth of information about the Map, available actions, and current situation. This display is called the HUD, or Heads-Up Display. It includes a great deal of operational awareness available to the mission team generated by intelligence-gathering units in the team's gear and the computers in the Safehouse.

Common Controls

Hovering the mouse over most of the important objects in the HUD and on the Map will open a tooltip with information. The HUD camera view can be panned around the Map with the ASWD keys, rotated with Q and E, and zoomed with the mouse-wheel. The H key will toggle a highlight mode, outlining key features on the Map such as teammates, Enemies, Lockboxes, and Security Devices, and other Devices. Arrow keys, TAB and L-SHIFT will cycle through choices, such as a selection list or potential targets. ESC will cancel any prepared action; if there is no prepared action, ESC will open a menu to Save or Load a save of the current game, Change Difficulty, open Options, or Exit to Menu.

Overlay

The HUD overlays situational information over the map, mostly at the corners. The major components of the overlay are:

• Turn Timeline in the upper left corner
• Extra Actions, a series of buttons under the Turn Timeline
• Objectives for the Mission, below the Extra Actions
• Security Level in the upper right corner
• Mission Log, under the Security Level
• Weapons, in the lower left corner
• Action Buttons, along the bottom of the HUD

At the end of each Turn, the left side of the HUD displays intercepted communications about actions the Security AI is taking.

Map Display

The HUD tags characters with a small display over their heads. For members of the heist team, this includes the character name, a health bar, number of Action Points available, and their Detected Status. For Enemies, this includes the character name, a health bar, and their Alert Status. Hovering over a character opens a tooltip with more detailed information.

The detection zones of active Security Devices are displayed in red. Hovering over the device opens a tooltip with more detailed information. The detection zones of inactive Security Devices are not normally displayed except for pressure plates, which display in grey. Inactive detection zones can be made visible with the Highlight function. Security Devices can be avoided, disabled, or permitted to send a security report when triggered.

Mission Objectives which are physical locations are marked on the HUD by flashing squares in cyan or yellow, or devices highlighted in cyan. These Objectives are locations that must be reached to meet the Primary or Secondary Objectives of the Mission. Clicking on an Objective will move the camera to the Character or location which is a target of that Objective.

Some other points of interest will appear on most Maps. This includes lootable Lockboxes, doors between areas on the map, Matrix Hosts, inactive Security Devices, and other Devices which can be interacted with but are not mission Objectives (or not objectives at this time). These points of interest can be found by moving the cursor over them to open a tooltip, or by toggling the Highlight function to mark characters and points of interest.

Objectives

Primary and Secondary Objectives are listed below the extra action buttons on the left side of the HUD. Primary Objectives must be achieved in order to gain Mission Victory. Secondary Objectives will grant items for use or sale after the mission, bonuses from the client, new routes through the Map, or new alternative Objectives to current Primary Objectives.

Objectives which are locked because preconditions have not been met are marked with a lock icon. Objectives which can no longer be achieved are crossed out.

Mission Log

The Log below the Security Level display records most actions other than Movement. This includes Attacks, damage, use of Talents, and Security Escalations, as well as warnings about pending body timers, events raising the Alert Status of an Enemy, and other events that add pending Security Tally. The Mission Log is not visible until the first entry is made.

Turn Timeline

HUD Turn Timeline

The Turn Timeline displays the current turn order. The order is determined by Initiative, which is randomly rolled for each character. As each character finishes their turn, a new Initiative is randomly generated and the character is placed in the Turn Timeline for the next Turn. The Turn Timeline will display both the remaining characters in the current turn and the developing turn order for the next Turn.

The Turn Timeline includes both player characters and known Enemies. Unknown Enemies which have not yet been detected by the heist team are not included in the timeline and cannot take any actions. The Security AI can also summon new Enemy reinforcements. As Enemies are detected by the team, they are added to the timeline. Each character is portrayed in the Turn Timeline with a picture and their name. The Initiative of the character is displayed in the lower left corner of the picture. To the left of the character name is an icon denoting the Character Class of the character. A health bar is displayed below the name, along with their Action Points and Movement Points.

Clicking on a character in the Turn Timeline will shift the HUD camera view to focus on that character. The camera view can be returned to the currently active character with the V key. Clicking on a character on the Map will highlight that character on the Turn Timeline.

The turn order can be changed by character Talents which buff or debuff Initiative. Some powerful Talents can affect an entire team. Talents that affect Initiative will not change which Turn the character is currently assigned to; Talents cannot allow a character whose current turn is over to act in the current turn. Buffing a character to a higher Initiative than the currently active character will not force the buffed character to become the currently active character. The currently active character will not lose their top position in the timeline unless they deliberately give up their place. This could be done with the extra action buttons below the Turn Timeline.

Extra Actions

The buttons under the Turn Timeline provide some additional action options.

Leverage

The Leverage button opens a list of options to buff the team or debuff the level defenses. Leverage must be prepared in advance during Mission Planning using favors or bribes with Contacts, sometimes requiring Legwork. Only Leverage which has already been bought will be listed, and each can be used only once. Use arrow buttons or TAB and L-SHIFT to cycle through options and SPACE to activate, or use left click to select and activate. Leverage is specific to each mission, using Contacts with influence at the mission site. Leverage which is not used during the mission is not available or relevant to any other mission.

Extract Character

The Extract Character button will character to exit the Map. This button is active only when the character is in the exit zone; if they are not in the exit zone, the button is grayed out. Extract Character can be used to remove individual mercs after the enter the exit zone. This can be useful, for instance, when the Turn Timeline would allow an Enemy to act against the merc before the rest of the team arrives at the exit, or if the team wants to extract through multiple exits.

Yield Action

The Yield button will allow the next teammate in the Turn Timeline to take their turn. This can only be used if the succeeding teammate is next in the Turn Timeline. The yielding merc will move after the merc yielded to. The Initiative of the yielding character is reduced to move after the succeeding character.

Delay Action

The Delay Action Button allows the current character to use their remaining Action Points later in the Turn Timeline, usually near the end of the Initiative order. Delay Action reduces their current Initiative by 10 and reshuffles them into the Turn Timeline. If the current character has 10 or fewer Initiative or has no remaining Action Points, Delay Action will end their turn; it acts like the End Action for Turn button.

End Action for Turn

This button does just what it says--it ends action for the current character until the next turn. The character rolls a new Initiative and is added to the Turn Timeline in the developing turn order for the next Turn. Ending a Turn with remaining Action Points will automatically trigger a Take Cover action, giving the character a buff to defense. Any further remaining Action Points for the current Turn are lost.

Security Level

HUD Security Level display

In the upper right corner of the HUD is a graphic display of the Security Level. This measures the growing concern of the Security AI about potential or identified intruders. Security Level generally starts at 0 at the beginning of the mission. Security Level is subdivided by a Security Tally, measuring individual detections and suspicious activity. When the tally reaches a certain number, the Security Level is escalated and the excess tally is added to the new level. Escalation occurs at the end of the Turn and is usually accompanied by elevated security protocols by the Security AI.

A certain amount of Security Tally is automatically added at the beginning of each Turn, in addition to the tally created by suspicious activity. The amount of tally necessary to escalate the Security Level and the amount of tally automatically generated will vary from Mission to Mission, and can also be modified by the Difficulty chosen for the game. New tally generated during a Turn is considered pending; pending Security Tally may be removed by the heist team in several ways. At the end of each turn, any pending Security Tally is changed to permanent Security Tally.

The current Security Tally is displayed in the HUD as a sequence of rectangular bars. Pending Security Tally is yellow, permanent Security Tally is cyan. The current Security Level is shown to the left of the Security Tally.

The current Security Tally (counting both pending and permanent) is numerically labeled above the graphical display, along with the number of tally necessary to escalate the Security Level. The display also indicates how much Security Tally is automatically added every turn.

Weapons

HUD weapons display

In the lower left corner of the HUD are the Weapons carried by the current Character. The currently selected Weapon is highlighted in yellow. The active Weapon can be switched by clicking on the Weapon.

Bars under each Weapon indicate how much ammunition the Weapon currently has. Normal ammunition can be reloaded with the Reload Action Button. Note that melee Weapons can use "ammunition". This represents an Ion Battery used to produce a Charged Attack. Normal melee attacks do not use the Ion Batt ammunition. Cyberswords can produce additional effects with the Ion Battery in their melee weapon using Talents. Certain other powerful weapons also use an Ion Battery rather than normal ammunition.

To the left of each Weapon are two numbers. The upper number indicates the number of Enemies the character could target from this location with that Weapon, accounting for lines-of-sight and weapon range. The lower number indicates the number of known Enemies who would hear the Weapon from this location. If a movement is being prepared, the numbers change to indicate the values from the planned endpoint of the movement. This allows the player to plan Movement and Combat based on expected targets and apply Stealth tactics if desired. Note that very loud Weapons may be heard by Enemies that have not yet been detected.

Action Buttons

HUD Action Buttons

Along the bottom of the HUD is a set of Action Buttons. At the bottom of an Action Button, there may be one or more dots indicating how many charges the action has. Used charges are empty dots. Each use of the action will use one charge.

The first Action Button is an Attack action with the currently selected weapon. This will prepare a Combat attack on a target. An octagonal Targeting Reticule will highlight the nearest enemy that can be targeted with that weapon. The reticule contains important information for Combat.

The second Action Button is a Reload action, or a Charged Attack if the weapon is a melee weapon. Normal ammunition for firearms is assumed to be carried in unlimited quantities--there is no need to manage normal ammunition supplies. Melee weapons and some other powerful weapons can use an Ion Battery. During a mission, Ion Batteries can only be recharged from an Ion-Charger carried in character loadout. All Weapons are automatically reloaded when the team gets back to the Safehouse, including Ion Batteries.

The third Action Button is a Take Cover action which causes the character to tuck tightly into Cover, gaining a buff to defense. The remaining buttons are Talents or Items carried. Carried items are marked in orange. They can be activated like talents. If any charges of a carried Item are used, the Item is marked consumed and will disappear from character inventory at the end of the mission even if it still has charges.

HUD Action Button tooltip

Hovering over an Action Button will add a red or cyan circle to the HUD depicting the maximum range of that action. If a prepared Movement is displayed on the HUD, the range circle will be centered on the endpoint of the prepared movement, otherwise it is centered on the character's current location. This is useful for planning a Movement followed by a ranged attack or talent. Hovering over an Action Button also opens a tooltip with a description of the action.

The tooltip includes the name and description of the action. The upper right corner of the tooltip shows what resources would be used by this action. The most common resource used is Action Points. For some talents, Cyberswords may need to use an IO Battery charge from their melee weapon. The lower right corner of the tooltip shows how many turns it will take to regain one action charge.

Clicking on an Action Button will prepare the action; the action does not happen until it is confirmed. A tooltip opens displaying graphically how many Action Points will be used by the action. If the action has an Area of Effect, that area will be marked in the HUD. If the action requires a target, the nearest available target is automatically selected and marked with cyan corners or red Combat reticule in the HUD. The TAB and L-SHIFT keys will cycle through available targets. Available targets will be limited by range and sometimes by line-of-sight requirements. For some actions, the current character may be a valid target. The SPACE button confirms and activates the action; ESC cancels the action.

Preparing to use Jamkit

Characters

Characters are marked on the HUD with augmented data above their heads. For mercs, this includes the name, health bar, and action points of the character. For enemies, it includes the name, health bar, and Alert Status. The currently active character is marked by a cyan octagon around their feet.

Hovering over a character opens a tooltip with more information. Mercs and Enemies have slightly different tooltips. In the tooltip for one of the mercs, health is indicated by both a numerical value and a health bar. Another graphical display lies below that showing their Action Points. At the bottom of the tooltip are three more values. First is the range to the currently active merc (grayed out if this is the active merc). Next is the armor soak (the percentage of damage that Armor will absorb) and number of Armor Protection Points. Last is the character's Recoil value, an attack debuff which rises with Movement and attacking multiple times. To the left of all of this a stack of three indicator dots marking the Detected Status of the merc. This denotes the degree to which the character has been detected. An exclamation point is marked to the left if the character is actively engaged in Combat.

The tooltip on Enemies has a health bar but no Action Point bar. At the bottom, the leftmost indicator is the percent chance for the currently active merc to hit that Enemy with the current Weapon. If the Enemy cannot be targed by the currently active Weapon, this indicator is grayed out. In the middle is the range to the currently active merc. On the right is the Armor soak. Left of these displays is the enemy's Alert Status. Similar to the Detected Status, it indicates the level of awareness that there are intruders. To the far left, an exclamation point is marked if the Enemy is actively engaged in Combat.

If a character has a buff or debuff, it is marked with an icon on the far upper right of the tooltip, with a number for the number of Turns it will remain active. Buffs are marked in green, debuffs in red.

Movement

Movement is prepared by clicking on the map and setting a movement endpoint; holding the left mouse button and dragging allows the endpoint to be adjusted as much as desired. A cyan line indicates the movement path to the endpoint. A solid line denotes sprinting; a dotted line indicates sneaking. The C button toggles between Standing/Sprinting and Crouching/Sneaking. The Shift button toggles whether the endpoint will Snap to nearby Cover or allow better fine-grain control of the endpoint near Cover.

The large dots along the projected movement path indicate how far the character can move with each Action Point. An HUD display next to the endpoint indicates how many Action Points would be used by this movement. Above the action points are Sprinting and Sneaking icons. The active movement mode will be yellow, the other will be cyan. Below the Action Points is the amount of Recoil that the character would have after the movement, including the current Recoil. The SPACE button will confirm and activate the movement.

While a movement is prepared and marked on the HUD, lines will project from the endpoint to every Enemy in line-of-sight. The line will be cyan if the Character can shoot at the Enemy with the current Weapon from the endpoint. The line will be red if the Enemy will can attack the character at that endpoint; it does not indicate whether the merc can attack the Enemy. The line will be gray if the character can see the Enemy but not shoot them and the Enemy cannot attack them at that endpoint. Whether the character can shoot the Enemy is dependent on whether the Enemy is in range of the current Weapon as well as line-of-sight.

Characters can shoot around corners. This allows them to shoot at exposed opposing characters while the opposition cannot fire at them. When a movement endpoint would allow the character to shoot around a corner, the line to the enemy is offset from the character, passing to the side of the corner that would protect them. When an attack is prepared from around a corner, the character shifts out to get line-of-sight on their target, then shifts back if the attack is confirmed or cancelled. The opposition will not be able to attack back unless they move. Be aware that Enemies can hide behind and shoot around corners as easily as mercenaries.

Icons will warn if the prepared actions will be detected. If a prepared movement will enter the Move Detection Radius of an enemy, an icon will mark the path along with a flag warning, 'You will be heard!' Sprinting can be heard at twice the range of Sneaking. Similarly, if the movement would take a merc within the sensor range of a Security Device, an icon will mark the point at the device would detect them. If the movement would expose the character to an Enemy Overwatch, an icon will mark the point at which 'You will be shot!'. In addition to the icon indicating the merc would be detected, icons will mark which enemies would hear gunfire, explosions, or certain noisy Talents. Various Stealth techniques are useful for avoiding detection.

If a movement is prepared and marked on the HUD and the cursor hovers over an Action Button that has a range, a red circle denoting the range is displayed centered on the movement endpoint. In addition, the indicators next to the Weapons at the lower left of the HUD will reflect the number of potential targets and number of known potential audio detections based on the movement endpoint rather than the current location of the character. The icons over Enemies indicating they would hear are also changed to reflect the movement endpoint. These features assist planning movement followed by the use of a Talent or combat.

Combat

Combat can be prepared by clicking the Attack button or the Charged Attack button at the bottom of the HUD, or by left-clicking the enemy. The target will be marked with a red Targeting Reticule with information on the chance of hitting, the number of Action Points the attack would take, and the average damage the target would receive. The SPACE button activates the attack; TAB and L-Shift change the target of the attack; ESC cancels the action.