Obivously I had to grab that download before you fixed it - I see now why stopping and starting was the way, and how the Countess affects the bar. You did say she gets more powerful the closer you are, but it's easy to understand when you see the numbers move. But definitely hiding them is not only better aesthetically, but having them there removes a lot of the mystery, so it's better for gameplay (and admiring the visuals/wathcing out of ghostly images, not staring at numbers on a bar).