Character Roster And Selected Portrait

1. Summary

Left-side gameplay HUD that combines a vertical party roster with a larger bottom-left portrait for the currently selected character. It lets the player confirm who is controllable, who is selected, and where that character's action bar context begins.

Overview

The Character Roster And Selected Portrait HUD is the left-side character identity cluster used during missions. It shows the available squad members as small numbered portraits, then repeats the currently selected character as a larger named portrait in the bottom-left corner. In the inspected gameplay frame, McCoy is selected, while Cooper, McCoy, and Kate are visible in the roster.

The component is a persistent, non-diegetic gameplay HUD element. Its visual job is to keep party composition, current selection, and character identity visible while the player evaluates the tactical scene and uses the adjacent action controls.

Job Story

When I am controlling a multi-character stealth mission, I want the HUD to show the full controllable roster and the currently selected character, so that I can switch tactics quickly and avoid issuing actions to the wrong squad member.

Classification

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

Wireframe

[Left screen edge]
+----+
| 1  | Cooper small portrait
+----+
| 2  | McCoy small portrait
+----+
|    |
+----+
| 4  | Kate small portrait
+----+

+----------------+
| Selected face  |
|     McCoy      |  [time controls] [action bar begins]
+----------------+

Components

• Vertical roster rail attached to the left HUD frame.
• Small character portrait tiles with numeric slot labels.
• Empty/unused slot spacing where a party member slot is not currently occupied.
• Large selected-character portrait panel.
• Character name label below the large portrait.
• Adjacent timing/playback controls and action bar handoff area.

Parameters & Audio

Navigation

• Reached during live gameplay missions whenever multiple controllable characters are present. The player can switch focus via portrait selection or character hotkeys; the selected portrait then hands off to the character action bar. It coexists with the top quick menu, right-side alert/hint controls, and the bottom-right minimap without opening a separate screen.

Dependencies & Logic

• Depends on the current mission party composition, each character's alive/available state, current selection, and the ability system that populates the adjacent action bar. It also depends on input bindings for direct character selection and any Showdown/planning mode state that must preserve selected-character context.

BDD Scenarios

Edge Cases

• If only one character is available, the roster should avoid implying hidden selectable party members while still showing the selected portrait.
• If a character is downed, captured, absent, or temporarily unusable, the portrait state must communicate that status without reordering other slots unexpectedly.
• Empty roster slots should not be mistaken for disabled characters; spacing or framing must clarify whether the slot is unused.
• If the selected character becomes unavailable, focus should move to a valid character and the large portrait should update immediately.
• During cinematic overlays, menus, or pause/map screens, this HUD may be hidden or superseded by the current interface layer.

QA Notes

Mechanic Links

• Tactical Stealth Mission Loop - The character roster and selected portrait show which squad member is controlled, allowing the player to switch tactical capabilities during the loop.
• Squad Character Ability System - The character roster and selected portrait expose which squad members are available and which character currently drives the active ability loadout.
• Lethal and Non-Lethal Combat Resource Limits - The character roster and selected portrait communicate which squad member's health, weapons, and combat resources are currently active.
• Cooper's Gunslinger Kit - The Character Roster And Selected Portrait UI identifies when the kit owner is selected, which drives the visible action bar contents and ability context.
• Doc McCoy's Apothecary Sniper Kit - The Character Roster And Selected Portrait identifies when McCoy is selected and drives the action bar context for this kit.
• Hector's Brute Trapper Kit - The roster and selected portrait identify the active character, health state, and whether the brute-trapper kit is currently selected for orders.
• Kate's Femme Fatale Kit - The Character Roster and Selected Portrait UI communicates that Kate is the selected character and determines when her Femme Fatale action bar is active.
• Isabelle's Voodoo Witch Kit - Roster and selected portrait identify Isabelle as active and switch the action bar to her voodoo kit.

References

1. 1.

   Desperados 3 Let's Play Gameplay Walkthrough Pt 5 Bridge At Eagle Falls [1440p w/ Commentary] (6:50-6:53) Live gameplay frame used for the bounding box, tight crop, and annotated context image of the left-side character roster and selected McCoy portrait HUD.

2. 2.

   Desperados III (L272-282 of 283) Game UI Database HUD screenshots describe gameplay screens with character portraits, action bar, and minimap.Screenshot 43: All Gameplay & HUD Screens Tags: All Gameplay & HUD Screens Section: HUD and Overlays Screenshot 44: All Gameplay & HUD Screens Tags: All Gameplay & HUD Screens