Character Action Bar

Desperados 3

Status: Released
Year: 2020
Genre: Strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

1. Summary

Bottom-center HUD strip that exposes the selected character's available actions, items, and hotkeys during tactical gameplay. The bar pairs framed ability icons with keyboard labels and counters so the player can choose or queue character-specific actions without leaving the playfield.

Overview

The Character Action Bar is the compact bottom-center HUD strip used to select the current character’s tactical actions. In live gameplay it sits just above the lower decorative frame, visually grouped with the selected portrait on the left and the minimap on the right, while keeping the main playfield unobstructed.

Full gameplay HUD with the Character Action Bar highlighted at the bottom center

The bar is built from framed ability/item slots. Each slot shows an icon, a keyboard binding label below the icon, and optional counters for limited-use actions. In the McCoy gameplay capture, the visible labels include CTRL, SPACE, A, S, D, and G, with one ability showing a 3/5 counter above the slot.

Tight crop of McCoy's action bar showing ability icons, hotkeys, and a resource counter

Because it is character-driven, the bar should be read together with the selected portrait/roster state: changing characters changes the available actions, while Showdown Mode uses the same slots as the player’s entry point for queuing planned actions.

Job Story

When I am controlling a character in a tactical encounter, I want their available actions and hotkeys visible at the bottom of the screen, so that I can quickly select, target, or queue the right ability without losing sight of enemy positions.

Classification

diegesis: Non-diegetic
functional_type: HUD
component_type: List/grid

Wireframe

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         Playfield                           │
│                                                             │
│ [Roster]                                      [Alerts]      │
│                                                             │
│ [Selected Portrait]   [CTRL][SPACE][ A ][ S ][ D ][ G ] [Map]│
│                       Character Action Bar                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Components

Ability/item slots: framed square icons representing character-specific actions.
Keyboard labels: small bottom tabs showing the bound key for each slot.
Resource counters: compact numeric overlays for limited-use abilities or item charges.
Selection/highlight treatment: visual emphasis for the active slot during targeting or queued planning.
HUD frame: decorative bottom-frame container that aligns the strip with the portrait and minimap HUD elements.

Parameters & Audio

Parameter	Value	Type	Notes
Visual feedback should include clear hover/selection highlighting, a disabled treatment for unusable actions, and counter changes when charges are spent. Ability selection and invalid-use attempts should have short, distinct UI sounds; Showdown queued actions should provide confirmatory feedback without obscuring the playfield. No haptic-specific behavior is evidenced for this PC HUD capture.	Visual feedback should include clear hover/selection highlighting, a disabled treatment for unusable actions, and counter changes when charges are spent. Ability selection and invalid-use attempts should have short, distinct UI sounds; Showdown queued actions should provide confirmatory feedback without obscuring the playfield. No haptic-specific behavior is evidenced for this PC HUD capture.	Text	—

Navigation

The action bar is reached during live gameplay after a character is selected from the roster or directly in the world. The player can activate slots by clicking icons or pressing their displayed hotkeys, then navigates into world targeting, placement, or Showdown queueing depending on the ability. Switching characters via the roster changes the bar contents; opening menus or full-screen tutorial overlays can temporarily reduce its priority but it returns as part of the persistent gameplay HUD.

Dependencies & Logic

Selected character determines which slots, icons, labels, and counters are shown.
Ability availability depends on game state: character status, cooldowns, remaining charges/ammo, target validity, and whether Showdown Mode is active.
Hotkey labels depend on the current controls configuration.
The bar coordinates with targeting overlays, enemy perception cones, and queued Showdown actions so that selecting an ability produces the correct spatial affordance in the playfield.

BDD Scenarios

Scenario: Select an available action

Given: McCoy is the selected character during gameplay
When: the player presses the hotkey shown under an available ability slot
Then: that ability becomes the active action for targeting or execution
And: the character action bar is visible at the bottom center of the HUD

Scenario: Switch selected character

Given: multiple characters are available in the roster
When: the player selects a different character
Then: the action bar updates to show that character's ability slots, hotkeys, and resource counters

Scenario: Queue an action in Showdown Mode

Given: Showdown Mode is active
When: the player selects an ability and assigns a valid target
Then: the planned action is queued for later synchronized execution
And: the selected character has an available ability in the action bar

Scenario: Use a limited-resource ability

Given: an ability slot displays a remaining-use counter
When: the player successfully uses that ability
Then: the counter decreases to reflect the spent charge
And: the slot becomes unavailable if no charges remain

Edge Cases

A character has fewer abilities than the slot layout can support: unused slots should remain empty or hidden without shifting core hotkeys unexpectedly.
A target is invalid or out of range: the selected slot should remain readable while the targeting affordance communicates the invalid state.
A limited-use item reaches zero charges: the slot should visibly disable and preserve the spent counter state.
Control bindings are changed: the label under each slot must update to the current key binding.
Showdown Mode is entered or exited while an ability is selected: queued/active state must clear or persist according to the planning rules without leaving a stale highlight.

QA Notes

Verify the bar stays bottom-centered and does not overlap the selected portrait, roster, right-side alert buttons, or minimap at supported aspect ratios.
Verify hotkey labels match the current key binding configuration for each selected character.
Verify counters update immediately after using limited-resource abilities.
Verify selection highlights, disabled states, and Showdown queued states are distinguishable against bright and dark mission environments.
Verify character switching refreshes icons and counters without carrying over the previous character's active-slot highlight.

Mechanic Links

Tactical Stealth Mission Loop - The character action bar exposes the selected character’s abilities, resources, and hotkeys used to execute mission plans.
Disguise and Social Infiltration - The character action bar exposes the disguise toggle icon, Distract ability, Lure ability, perfume vial, and mind control as hotkeyed actions for the selected character, showing cooldown states and availability.
Showdown Synchronized Planning - The Character Action Bar provides the selected character's abilities, hotkeys, counters, and action selection entry point for queuing Showdown commands.
Squad Character Ability System - The character action bar is the primary HUD surface for this mechanic, showing selected-character abilities, hotkeys, counters, and availability states.
Environmental Interaction and Accident Kills - The character action bar exposes the selected character actions and hotkeys used to target, queue, or trigger interactions that set up environmental kills.
Takedown and Body Control - The character action bar exposes takedown, tie, carry, and character-specific body-control actions as selectable hotkeyed abilities.
Lethal and Non-Lethal Combat Resource Limits - The Character Action Bar displays selected-character combat actions, hotkeys, limited-use counters, cooldown/unavailable states, and resource consumption feedback.
Distraction and Noise Manipulation - The character action bar exposes distraction abilities, hotkeys, limited-use counters, and targeting entry points for the selected character.
Movement, Terrain, and Cover Navigation - The Character Action Bar exposes movement-adjacent commands, posture toggles, terrain interactions, and character-specific ability availability during traversal.
Cooper's Gunslinger Kit - The Character Action Bar exposes this kit's coin, melee/knockout, throwing knife, and two revolver actions, including hotkeys, counters, cooldown, ammo, and disabled states.
Doc McCoy's Apothecary Sniper Kit - The Character Action Bar displays the kit's selectable abilities, hotkeys, limited-use counters, cooldown/disabled states, and targeting entry points.
Hector's Brute Trapper Kit - The character action bar exposes the kit's abilities, hotkeys, ammo counts, cooldown readiness, and tooltips such as melee range, noise radius, and duration.
Kate's Femme Fatale Kit - The Character Action Bar displays Kate's ability icons, hotkeys, cooldowns, limited ammunition, and disabled states for tools such as Perfume Vial, Derringer, Distract, Lure, and Kick.
Isabelle's Voodoo Witch Kit - Action bar exposes Isabelle's ability icons, hotkeys, charges, cooldown/unavailable states, and targeting entry points.

References

1.
Desperados 3 Let's Play Gameplay Walkthrough Pt 1 Prologue & Byers Pass [1440p w/ Commentary] (26:40-26:45)
2.
Desperados III (L208-212 of 283)
3.
Desperados III (L260-282 of 283)