Why m0rehud is (still) the best HUD out there

edit: Actually, nowadays the best hud is of course community hud with my font fix ;) Also, there’s broeselhud, which is a continuation project to m0rehud with fixes and updates.

I recently changed from m0rehud to the communitytf2hud. The reason was that m0rehud isn’t updated anymore, and its age is showing already. For example, it doesn’t have the new feature of having the ammo count turn red when you’re low on ammo.

But now I’m switching back again, because I think m0rehud is still the best custom HUD out there. Why? The only reason besides being used to it, is that I like the typeface that m0rehud uses.

Now, I can hear you asking: “But it doesn’t matter which font you use as long as you can read it, right? I have no trouble reading the default TF2 fonts!” Wrong! Fonts actually matter quite a bit. Have you ever wondered why books are nearly always written with the same typeface? Wouldn’t it be fun to use a typeface that matches the style of the book, something that reflects the book’s content a bit more?

The reason why the fonts are always similar in books is that there is a tradeoff in choosing a “fun” or expressive font. It has to do with a thing called readability. Take a look at what’s below:

Above is an example of the font called “TF2 Build” used in TF2 for showing the amount of ammo left in the clip. Below is Surface Medium, the font used in the same place in m0rehud. Which numbers do you think are more suited for the job?

That’s right, Surface Medium wins hands down. This is simply due to the fact how the brain distiguishes numbers from each other. Can you see in Surface Medium how 7 descends down to distiguish itself from 2? Or how 8 pops out to make sure it’s not mixed with 0? On the other hand, in TF2 Build, can you see how the upper parts of 2, 3, 8, 9 and 0 are nearly identical? And how each number is in line with the same height? Not only the size of the font is important, but also the shapes. If the shapes are too similar to each other, the brain has to do more work to distiguish them from each other, making the numbers slower to read. In some cases, you might even read the numbers wrong.

This fact is evident when you have to read figures during a split-second decision in a battle, choosing whether to attack or retreat. Reading your clip size correctly is essential. Besides being slower to read, the TF2 font has very similar shapes in the numbers, making incorrect readings more common. Surface Medium works better, because the shapes are distinguished. You don’t have to focus your eyes on the numbers to distiguish them, using peripheral vision is enough.

Even though most of the custom HUD users are competitive players, nearly none of the other HUDs use a custom font. It makes me quite sad… ;_; Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the custom fonts have to be installed separately, but still, it’s a small thing to do and it helps you in the tightest of situations in battle.

So HUD makers, please consider using better fonts in your HUDs. Thank you!