A display element showing the current disposition of the player. Invented in its most recognizable form by Infocom's Interactive Fiction.
Typically, this trope displays whichever are relevant of the player's score, state of health, ammunition, location, orientation and time remaining to complete the current task.
The display is almost always above (or at the top of) the main window (though early FPSes are an exception). Sometimes it appears at the bottom of the main window. Some games even have it to side.note . Many games even have two status lines, usually at the top and bottom, or at both sides. The status line(s) may even be part of the main window itself.
"The Status Line" was also the name of Infocom's newsletter, after a certain publication took issue with its original name, "The New Zork Times".
Examples:
- ANNO: Mutationem: When in combat, the display fully depicts the Life Meter, main weapons that are equipped, the items being held in the shortcut menu, and the current amount of ammo for sub-weapons.
- Dragon Rage: The game's Instruction Manual refers to the status line as the Dragon Status Gem
◊ by t. The number is the Life Meter. The particles swirling around the gem are the Mana Meter. The gem's color shows what element you are using. The cut of the gem shows what level your element is.
- Mini Mix Mayhem: The status line displays the lives of the player and the time they have survived for.
- Discworld MUD: The status line can by seen by typing “"score brief," or by using a client that has that option.
- Lost Souls (MUD)'s status line is "Show vitals", also known as "hp", plus an entire customizable status bar faculty.
- Kirby's Adventure's status line takes up a large section of the screen and includes an image of the weapon he's wielding.
- Illusions (1984): Taking place on the other side of a mirror, the cube levels have status lines with mirrored text.
- Crystal Quest's status line runs across the top of the screen. Like the game, it takes full advantage of the color graphics available to it. Each part of the status uses a different color.
- Empire III adds a status line showing your location, heading, bearing, damage, and energy.
- OIDS: The status line shows your score, fuel remaining, shield status, number of ships remaining, number of OIDS on board, and number of nova bombs remaining.
- Lunar Lander: Potentially the Ur-Example, as status lines were added beginning with the 1973 edition.
- Code Name: S.T.E.A.M: A status line is visible for all S.T.E.A.M. members and all aliens on all modes except when replaying missions in Blind Eye mode.
