Difference between revisions of "Interface"

Latest revision as of 15:45, 2 December 2012

The User Interface, often abbreviated to UI, term for the game controls, buttons, icons, window layout, input types and everything else that players manipulate to control their character or view to see the relevant stats of characters, items, monsters and everything else in the game.

Diablo III Interface elements:

Diablo III Interface[edit | edit source]

The "belt" interface in Diablo III is an evolutionary improvement on the versions seen in Diablo I and Diablo II. The form and function will be familiar to players experienced in the other games, but there are a few major changes in Diablo III that make the controls easier to use, but also guide players to operate the game as the D3 Team intends.

It's no longer actually the "belt," since belts in Diablo III are just another piece of armor; they do not have any special role as potion-holding devices.

See the Interface Category for articles on the game controls, menus, inventory, and more.

The most recent interface overhaul: added TP button, dedicated potion button, removed Character window. Beta patch 10, January 2012.

Function[edit | edit source]

A Wizard's Interface, October 2010.

The way the controls work has been modified somewhat in Diablo 3.

The usual control method is to put active skills, ones your character will be using constantly, on the mouse buttons.

The left mouse button (LMB) skill remains there all the time, unless/until you drag another skill down to replace it.
The right mouse button (RMB) has two skills; you switch between them by clicking the Tab button, or by rolling the mouse wheel. These are usually the secondary skills, but ones you wish to use almost constantly.
- The visual aspect of the Tab skill was removed in mid-2011[1] though the function was preserved at that point.
The 1234 buttons cast whichever skills are mapped to those buttons, targeting the spell for where the cursor is pointing, just like a mouse click. These are generally summoning or buff skills, but can also be direct attack skills.
- You may also map potions, elixirs, or scrolls to the 1234 buttons.
The 5 slot holds healing potions. If you use up all of one quality level, any other healing pots in your inventory will automatically fill the 5-slot.

Casting a spell or skill from the 1234 buttons works just like casting it from the mouse button. You could, in theory, play entirely with the 1234 keys, only using the mouse to target. Generally, players put support skills on the 1234 buttons. Summoning spells, buffs, debuffs, and so forth. Direct attack skills can be mapped there as well; it just takes some practice to get used to casting these with keyboard buttons, instead of (in addition to) the mouse buttons.

Above the skill bar:

Buff icons appear on the left
Debuff icons appear on the right.

"Always Move" Button[edit | edit source]

A fan suggested an "always move" button via the European B.net forums, and the idea was good enough that the developers decided to implement it[2] into the game. It will not be in the initial launch, but will be added in a patch afterwards.

We just wanted to let you all know that this feedback that you have given on a dedicated click to move button is excellent, and we may implement this, the option for this would be unbound by default. Sadly, this option would not be ready for when the game is shipped. While it would not be ready for ship if we do end up implementing it, I hope that you are all glad to hear this news ^^

The way this control will work is that the player can depress some key (much as the Shift key is used to repeatedly swing/attack without moving) and while holding that down, they will always move when they left click, even if they have a target highlighted.

The reason such a button is useful is for characters who map a ranged attack to their left click. (Especially for Wizards in Diablo III who have a Wand equipped, as the Throw Wand skill is then the default left click.) This is a problem if the player needs to run in a direction, since with a ranged skill on the left click, if anything is targeted the character will stop running and stand there, firing the spell. This can be very bad if a player is trying to escape monsters on a crowded screen.

Controlling the Skills[edit | edit source]

Character and Inventory windows, Blizzcon 2010.

Mapping skills to the controls is very easy in Diablo 3. You just open the skill tree and drag skills down to the buttons you wish them assigned to. To change around skills, you drag a new one to an occupied slot (RMB, LMB, Tab, or 1234) and drop it. This puts the previous skill on your cursor, where you can drag it to a new spot or drop it anywhere else to discard it.

In late 2009 Blizzard revealed that the entire skill tree design had been redesigned and that skill trees were now basically a thing of the past. The skills and traits are now presented in long lists, rather than any kind of branching, prerequisite "tree" design.

See the skill tree page for more details on this evolving element of the game interface.

Active Skills Window[edit | edit source]

In addition to the skill tree, there's an icon that opens the "active skills window." This is a small pop up window that appears just above the belt interface, which displays the icons for the active skills your character can use. Only the active skills; no passives, no skills without points in them yet, etc. This makes it very easy to see which skills can be assigned to the 7 skill places on the belt.

Appearance[edit | edit source]

There are 5 hotkey slots, into which skill icons or potions can be dragged. Hitting that button will immediately activate that skill or drink that potion. By default, the skill slots on the Belt Interface are mapped to the number keys 1-4 and "Q" is used for potions. Any skill placed in one of those slots will be cast the moment you press the corresponding key.

The left click and right click slots are marked by an appropriate little mouse icon. The "Tab" key (and the mouse wheel) switches between two active skills on the right click. Skills are added to these controls by dragging them to the belt interface from the skill list. Newly-added skills are automatically added to the hotkey list, once you've put the first point into them.

Control Icons[edit | edit source]

April 2009.

Here are the equivalent icons from Diablo 3's belt interface, enlarged and brightened for easier comparison. After some speculation, the following descriptions were confirmed by Bashiok a few days after the image was released. [3]

Character window
Skilltree menu
Inventory window
Quest menu
Social menu (it's grayed out in the image because it is not implemented yet)
Options

The Skilltree Menu icon can be seen atop the skill tree in various screenshots). The Quest icon is a chalice, presumably meant to represent the perpetually quested after mythical Holy Grail. It's not entirely clear what the party menu does, since there is no friendly/neutral/hostile setting in Diablo III, with the removal of non-consensual PvP. Perhaps it exists to show where other players are, or to allow whispering or squelching.

The only functional change from Diablo II appears to be the removal of an icon for the message log in Diablo III. Also note the earlier version of these icons in Diablo III: they were in color and above the belt interface (same location as they had in Diablo II) as of June 2008. (Screenshot below.)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The belt interface in Diablo III is an evolutionary improvement on the versions seen in Diablo I and Diablo II. The form and function will be familiar to players experienced in the other games, but there are a few major changes in Diablo III that make the controls easier to use, but also guide players to operate the game as the [[D3 Team]] intends.
+{{BC}}
+The '''User Interface''', often abbreviated to '''UI''', term for the game controls, buttons, icons, window layout, input types and everything else that players manipulate to control their [[character]] or view to see the relevant [[Statistic|stats]] of characters, [[item]]s, [[monster]]s and everything else in the game.
-* See the [[:Category:Interface|Interface Category]] for articles on the game controls, menus, inventory, and more.
-==Function==
-[[Image:Belt-interface2.jpg|thumb|400px|Belt Interface, April 2009.]]
+'''Diablo III Interface elements:'''
-The way the controls work has been modified somewhat in Diablo 3.  As of August 2009, the belt shows 4 skill icons, a potion slot, the left and right mouse buttons, and the Tab key.
+* [[Interface|The Belt Interface]].
+* [[Inventory]]
+* [[Skills and traits window]]
+** [[Skill tree]].
+* [[Artisans|The Artisans window]].
+* [[Quests window]]
+** [[Lore window]]
-The usual control method is to put active skills, ones your character will be using constantly, on the mouse buttons.
-* The '''left mouse button''' (LMB) skill remains there all the time, unless/until you drag another skill down to replace it.
-* The '''right mouse button''' (RMB) has two skills; you switch between them by clicking the '''Tab '''button, or by rolling the mouse wheel. These are usually the secondary skills, but ones you wish to use almost constantly.
-* The '''1234''' buttons cast whichever skills are mapped to those buttons. These are generally
-** You may also map potions, elixirs, or scrolls to the 1234 buttons.
-* The '''5''' button is reserved for a potion; healing by default. If you use up all of whatever type of healing potion is mapped to the 5 button, another quality of healing potion will be automatically mapped to 5, for your convenience.
-Casting a spell or skill from the 1234 buttons works just like casting it from the mouse button. You could, in theory, play entirely with the 1234 keys, only using the mouse to target. Generally, players put support skills on the 1234 buttons. Summoning spells, buffs, debuffs, and so forth. Direct attack skills can be mapped there as well; it just takes some practice to get used to casting these with keyboard buttons, instead of (in addition to) the mouse buttons.
-There are no skills in D3 (yet revealed) that work simply by being active on the RMB, as the {{iw|Paladin Paladin}}'s Auras did in Diablo 2. It would seem that such skills won't be supported in Diablo 3, since with just 2 skills to cycle through on the RMB, the whole control system conspires against that game mechanic. (True, many Paladins in D2 keep the same aura active all the time, but with the effort the D3 team is putting into adding variety and strategy to gameplay, it seems unlikely that they would repeat that control system when only two auras could be conveniently cycled between.)
+==Diablo III Interface==
+The "belt" interface in ''[[Diablo III]]'' is an evolutionary improvement on the versions seen in ''[[Diablo I]]'' and ''[[Diablo II]]''. The form and function will be familiar to players experienced in the [[:Category:Games|other games]], but there are a few major changes in ''Diablo III'' that make the controls easier to use, but also guide players to operate the game as the [[D3 Team]] intends.
-===Controlling the Skills===
+It's no longer actually the "belt," since [[belts]] in Diablo III are just another piece of armor; they do not have any special role as potion-holding devices.
-Mapping skills to the controls is very easy in Diablo 3. You just open the [[skill tree]] and drag skills down to the buttons you wish them assigned to. To change around skills, you drag a new one to an occupied slot (RMB, LMB, Tab, or 1234) and drop it. This puts the previous skill on your cursor, where you can drag it to a new spot or drop it anywhere else to discard it.
+* See the [[:Category:Interface|Interface Category]] for articles on the game controls, menus, inventory, and more.
-====Active Skills Window====
+[[File:Belt-interface-jan2012a.jpg|center|frame|The most recent interface overhaul: added [[TP]] button, dedicated potion button, removed Character window. Beta patch 10, January 2012.]]
-In addition to the skill tree, there's an icon that opens the "active skills window." This is a small pop up window that appears just above the belt interface, which displays the icons for the active skills your character can use. Only the active skills; no passives, no skills without points in them yet, etc. This makes it very easy to see which skills can be assigned to the 7 skill places on the belt.
+==Function==
+[[File:Interface-wizard-arena2.jpg|thumb|500px|A Wizard's Interface, October 2010.]]
+The way the controls work has been modified somewhat in ''[[Diablo 3]]''.
-===Skill Hotkey Theory===
+The usual control method is to put active skills, ones your character will be using constantly, on the mouse buttons.
+* The '''left mouse button''' (LMB) skill remains there all the time, unless/until you drag another skill down to replace it.
+* The '''right mouse button''' (RMB) has two skills; you switch between them by clicking the '''Tab '''button, or by rolling the mouse wheel. These are usually the secondary skills, but ones you wish to use almost constantly.
+** The visual aspect of the Tab skill was removed in mid-2011[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blue-offers-diablo-iii-interface-explanations] though the function was preserved at that point.
+* The '''1234''' buttons cast whichever skills are mapped to those buttons, targeting the spell for where the cursor is pointing, just like a mouse click. These are generally summoning or buff skills, but can also be direct attack skills.
+** You may also map potions, elixirs, or scrolls to the 1234 buttons.
+* The '''5''' slot holds healing potions. If you use up all of one quality level, any other healing pots in your inventory will automatically fill the 5-slot.
-The appearance and function of the belt interface are two sides of the same coin. The appearance serves the function, and both mesh with the various skill and play style changes made in Diablo III. The [[D3 Team]] is designing Diablo III to be played with 5-7 active skills per character. There are many more [[skills]] than that, but specializing in a half dozen or so active skills is the intended route to success. Therefore, rather than throwing in 16 hotkeys, as in D2, there are only half that many in D3, with the design theory being that characters will have maxed out their points in a handful of skills which they will use constantly. (And respecing will allow changes, if necessary.)
+[[Cast]]ing a [[spell]] or [[skill]] from the 1234 buttons works just like casting it from the mouse button. You could, in theory, play entirely with the 1234 keys, only using the mouse to target. Generally, players put support skills on the 1234 buttons. [[Summon]]ing spells, [[buff]]s, [[debuff]]s, and so forth. Direct attack skills can be mapped there as well; it just takes some practice to get used to casting these with keyboard buttons, instead of (in addition to) the mouse buttons.
-They want the controls to support the half dozen skills characters use a lot, rather than allowing the unbalanced one-skill wonders we see in D2, or requiring D3 players to juggle a dozen or more skills for some builds, as is the case in D2.
+Above the skill bar:
+* [[Buff]] icons appear on the left
+* [[Debuff]] icons appear on the right.
-The other main goal of the Diablo III interface is to be easier to use and more visual. Hotkeys were easy to use in Diablo II once a player knew how, but to a new user their technique was not immediately evident. There was no way to see which custom keys were set as hotkeys without opening a different interface, and only the active skills could be seen on the left and right mouse button icons, which forced players to memorize their skill setup.  The D3 Team wants the skill menu to be much more visual and visible during play.
-There's some debate about this approach amongst experienced Diablo II players. Some fans are skeptical, wondering if the D3 Team is going too far to make it easy for beginners, and watering down the controls and over-simplifying things in the process. Early play testing at BlizzCon and other gaming shows has yielded positive feedback, and the guys on the D3 team play the game every day and they like the new design. It won't be until the beta test that gamers get a chance to spend enough time at the controls to form an educated opinion.
+==="Always Move" Button===
-==Appearance==
+A fan suggested an "always move" button via the European B.net forums, and the idea was good enough that the developers decided to implement it[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/an-always-move-button-suggestion-approved] into the game. It will not be in the initial launch, but will be added in a patch afterwards.
-The look of the belt interface is similar to what we saw in Diablo II, with a few changes. Realize that this form is subject to further change during the ongoing development process.
+<blue>We just wanted to let you all know that this feedback that you have given on a dedicated click to move button is excellent, and we may implement this, the option for this would be unbound by default.
-The most recent version of the belt interface was revealed in April 2009.
+Sadly, this option would not be ready for when the game is shipped. While it would not be ready for ship if we do end up implementing it, I hope that you are all glad to hear this news ^^ </blue>
-[[Image:Belt-interface2.jpg|center|frame|Belt Interface, April 2009.]]
+The way this control will work is that the player can depress some key (much as the Shift key is used to repeatedly swing/attack without moving) and while holding that down, they will always move when they left click, even if they have a target highlighted.
-This screenshot, of a Barbarian's belt interface, shows the key features.
+The reason such a button is useful is for characters who map a ranged attack to their left click. (Especially for Wizards in Diablo III who have a Wand equipped, as the [[Throw Wand]] skill is then the default left click.)  This is a problem if the player needs to run in a direction, since with a ranged skill on the left click, if anything is targeted the character will stop running and stand there, firing the spell. This can be very bad if a player is trying to escape monsters on a crowded screen.
-There are 5 hotkey slots, into which skill icons or potions can be dragged. Hitting that button will immediately activate that skill or drink that potion. This is something of a change from Diablo II, where skills were always mapped to the mouse buttons, and could only be activated by clicking the hot key to move them to the mouse click. The 1-5 hotkeys in Diablo III work like the belt slots in Diablo II; for example Identify or Town Portal scrolls could be placed there and cast by clicking the number.
+===Controlling the Skills===
+[[File:Char-inv-blizzcon10a.jpg|thumb|400px|Character and Inventory windows, Blizzcon 2010.]]
+Mapping skills to the controls is very easy in ''[[Diablo 3]]''. You just open the [[skill tree]] and drag skills down to the buttons you wish them assigned to. To change around skills, you drag a new one to an occupied slot (RMB, LMB, Tab, or 1234) and drop it. This puts the previous skill on your cursor, where you can drag it to a new spot or drop it anywhere else to discard it.
-The left click and right click slots are marked by an appropriate little mouse icon. The "Tab" key (and the mouse wheel) switches between two active skills on the right click. Skills are added to these controls by clicking them in the skill tree, and they can then be cast immediately with a left or right click.
+In late 2009 Blizzard revealed that the entire skill tree design had been redesigned and that skill trees were now basically a thing of the past. The [[skills]] and [[traits]] are now presented in long lists, rather than any kind of branching, prerequisite "tree" design.
+* See the [[skill tree]] page for more details on this evolving element of the game interface.
-There were slight changes made by August 2009, when this photo was taken of the screen at the Gamescon event. This is the same demo build that was shown at BlizzCon 2009 and the PAX 2009 show as well.
+====Active Skills Window====
+In addition to the skill tree, there's an icon that opens the "active skills window." This is a small pop up window that appears just above the belt interface, which displays the icons for the active skills your character can use. Only the active skills; no passives, no skills without points in them yet, etc. This makes it very easy to see which skills can be assigned to the 7 skill places on the belt.
-[[Image:Belt-interface.jpg|center|thumb|700px|Belt Interface, August 2009..]]
+==Appearance==
+There are 5 hotkey slots, into which [[skill]] icons or [[potion]]s can be dragged. Hitting that button will immediately activate that skill or drink that potion. By default, the skill slots on the Belt Interface are mapped to the number keys 1-4 and "Q" is used for potions.  Any skill placed in one of those slots will be cast the moment you press the corresponding key.
-The ! over the belt means that the players has accomplished some portion of a quest, and if the quest window is opened updated information will be displayed. The only other change is the addition of two icons to the quick controls on the far right. If anyone investigated these buttons and reported on it from BlizzCon, that information has not gone public.
+The left click and right click slots are marked by an appropriate little mouse icon. The "Tab" key (and the mouse wheel) switches between two active skills on the right click. Skills are added to these controls by dragging them to the belt interface from the skill list. Newly-added skills are automatically added to the hotkey list, once you've put the first point into them.
 ===Control Icons===
+[[File:Belt-interface3.jpg|frame|April 2009.]]
-The six icons seen to the far right are various game controls, though it's not yet known exactly what function each provides. Comparing them to the mini-panel icons from Diablo II is illustrative.
+Here are the equivalent icons from ''[[Diablo 3]]'s'' belt interface, enlarged and brightened for easier comparison. After some speculation, the following descriptions were confirmed by [[Bashiok]] a few days after the image was released. [http://www.blizzblues.com/us/blizzcast-8-screenshot-inconsistencies-16102340203.html]
-[[Image:Mini-panel-d2.jpg|frame|D2 Mini-Panel.]]
-In order, from left to right:
-* Character window
-* Inventory
-* Skill Tree
-* Party Menu
-* Message Log
-* Quest Log
-* Game Menu
-[[Image:Belt-interface3.jpg|frame]]
-Here are the equivalent icons from Diablo III, enlarged and brightened for easier comparison. These interpretations were confirmed by [[Bashiok]] a few days after the original imgaes went online. [http://www.blizzblues.com/us/blizzcast-8-screenshot-inconsistencies-16102340203.html]
 * Character window
 * Skilltree menu
@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 * Options
-The Skilltree Menu icon can be seen atop the skill tree in [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2649 various screenshots]).  The Quest icon is a chalice, presumably meant to represent the perpetually quested after mythical Holy Grail. It's not entirely clear what the party menu does, since there is no friendly/neutral/hostile setting in Diablo III, with the removal of non-consensual PvP. Perhaps it exists to show where other players are, or to allow whispering or squelching.
+The Skilltree Menu icon can be seen atop the skill tree in [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2649 various screenshots]).  The [[Quest]] icon is a chalice, presumably meant to represent the perpetually quested after mythical Holy Grail. It's not entirely clear what the party menu does, since there is no friendly/neutral/hostile setting in ''[[Diablo III]]'', with the removal of non-consensual [[PvP]]. Perhaps it exists to show where other players are, or to allow whispering or squelching.
-The only functional change from Diablo II appears to be the removal of an icon for the message log in Diablo III. Also note the earlier version of these icons in Diablo III: they were in color and above the belt interface (same location as they had in Diablo II) as of June 2008. (Screenshot below.)
-==WWI Interface==
-The belt interface was first seen in the WWI gameplay movie, released with the game's announcement in June 2008. It can be seen below.
-Changes from this one to the most recent version aren't major, but they are visible. There were initially 1-6 hotkeys, but 5 and 6 could only be used for potions or scrolls. The RMB, LMB, and Tab worked the same, but were not yet labeled on the interface. The game option controls for trading, multiplayer options, and more were previously on top, as they were in Diablo II. In more recent versions they've been moved to a small rectangle on the far right.
-[[Image:Belt-interface-wwi1.jpg|frame|center]]
+The only functional change from ''[[Diablo II]]'' appears to be the removal of an icon for the message log in ''Diablo III''. Also note the earlier version of these icons in ''Diablo III'': they were in color and above the belt interface (same location as they had in Diablo II) as of June 2008. (Screenshot below.)
 [[category:interface]]
+[[category:basics]]
+[[Category:Glossary]]