Diablo 3 content on Noxxic is currently unavailable. The previous guides had not been updated since patch 2.1.1. If you are interested in getting involved in the new Diablo efforts at Noxxic as of 2020, please use the contact link below to get in touch! Diablo III User Interface, previously not available on Steam Workshop. Bundled in some other Diablo-esque UI overhauls but not by itself. This is not my work I am merely making it available to the masses. Enjoy, it is very well made. Popular Discussions View All (1) 2 Feb 21, 2017 @ 5:31pm.
Notice: This page is out dated (written in 2008) and was created when Diablo 3 was first announced. We apologize for the inconvenience.Welcome to the Diablo 3 User Interface information page. Here you will find all the latest information about the Diablo 3 UI, and many little details that we now know. This FAQ will be updated over time, so your feedback is much appreciated.
Table of Contents:
Mana Bar
Let's start with the mana and frenzy bars. In Diablo 3, instead of everyone having a mana bar, the fighter classes, or at least the barbarian will use a different bar than the mage classes. As you can see here, the mage classes, such as the Witch Doctor, use this mana bar.
Frenzy Bar
On the other hand, melee classes, will use this new bar, called a Frenzy Bar. I imagine that the Frenzy Bar probably regenerates faster than the Mana bar, and has much different mechanics. Such as the energy bars and mana bars in World of Warcraft.
Diablo 3 User Interface Manual
Buffs Buffs in Diablo 3 will appear on the bottom left side of the screen as you can see in this image (Barbarian's Battle Cry Buff Can Be Seen):Monster Targeting and Mini Combat Log
In Diablo 3, when you attack an enemy, the damage you do will appear above the enemies head. This is a great change from the past, where you could not see the damage you were doing to an enemy during the fight (only if you checked your character page. which was of course distracting while in a fight), or any other important information that helps you during a fight. Here are some examples:
Equipment Comparing
In Diablo 3, when selecting a weapon, to make it easier to choose a new weapon for yourself, you will be able to see the weapon you currently have equipped, next to the weapon you are looking at. Whether this is the same with all equipment, it is not confirmed, but I am sure that this is the logical case.
On Weapon Speed: In D3, weapon speed will be shown as 'Attack per Second'. Also there will be a calculated result for 'Damage per Second' based on the damage and speed. With lightning damage having it's damage points ranging from 1 - x.
The Inventory
In the gameplay videos, and the inventory pictures, we can see room for 30 items. The new inventory system will be a bit similar to World of Warcraft where you will be able to carry variable sizes of bags. (There will be 4 grayed out slots for bags.)
Items will take one inventory slot regardless of their size, and some of the items will be stackable. This will allow you to carry a lot more of the same item. Adding bags also allows you to carry many more items than ever before.
(Note: Some gear icons do not look like they would on the actual player character.)
Gear Slots:
- Head
- Shoulders
- Neck
- Hands
- Chest
- Leggings
- Waist
- Feet
- Finger R
- Finger L
- Weapon 1
- Weapon 2
Item Drops
- Runes will be included, but will have a different system than Diablo 2.
- Gems, and Scrolls of Identify are back.
- The item rarity system of Diablo 2 is making a comeback as well.
- Throwing knives are back.
- Elixrs are also in the game.
- Bags are included. Allowing you to store more items in each one, and carry up to 4 bags.
- Orbs that drop after enemies are defeated than replenish your health will be acompanied by potions.
- Gold will now be picked up automatically.
Mini-Map
The mini-map will be on the top right side of the screen, along with the name of the area that you are currently in right above it.
Legend:
Yellow Dot - Hero
Purple Dot - Heros Mercenary, pet, and allies.
Orange Dot - NPCs (Like Deckard Cain, etc.)
NPC Portraits located top left of the UI:
What Is Game UI?
User interface. Where does one even begin when discussing the user interface? Perhaps we should start with what it is?
It’s basically the parts of your game the user interacts with in order to play your game. It’s everything about the controls and the screens that the player interacts with in order to play the game.
Game UI vs Game UX
UX stands for user experience, and it’s inseparable from UI. Game UX is an integral part of the development process. One without the other is a half-finished product.
These definitions barely do the terms justice, but you’re here for inspiration! Not for lesson learning! So, without further ado, we bring you ten cool examples of game design, from which you should pull some inspiration!
One quick further ado that we said we wouldn’t do… the user interface is an almost comically contentious subject matter. We recognize that different people are going to enjoy certain things, while others are going to hate them.
You can’t please all the people all the time–it’s a good lesson to remember! Don’t be afraid to stick to your guns, even if you get some negative feedback mixed in with the positive.
Ok, no more ado’s. Here we go for real:
1. Skyrim/Fallout
This is one of those point-of-contention examples of UI.
In Fallout, some people didn’t like the time it took for the character to bring his Pip-Boy up into view. But a lot of other people liked it. When you have this kind of diegetic UI immersion, some people really appreciate it.
Similar contention surrounds Skyrim. The skill trees are designed to look like constellations, which is both beautiful and neat–most people like that. But to get to potions or pick spells, you’re forced to pause the game and spend a significant amount of time on the screen picking these things out.
You can “favorite” them, but that list quickly grows unwieldy the more spells you learn and weapons you acquire.
The important takeaway is that “users are more tolerant of minor usability issues when they find an interface visually appealing”– it’s a quote from this study, feel free to read more about it.
You want to keep it simple, and make it visually appealing… is there any way to turn one of your menus in a simplified Pip-Boy or constellations?
2. Firewatch
This beautiful game has a super minimalist design. It doesn’t give you, the player, any more than you need in order to interact with the world. It effortlessly teaches you the pattern of what objects you can interact with since it follows closely with how the player interacts with objects in the real world.
Is there a way for you to cut back on the HUD? Is there a way to strip down how apparent your UI is in the game?
3. Hearthstone
We wanted to include this because, first of all, it’s a fun UI. The tavern feel is great, the idea that you have this “box of cards” is really neat, and they manage to explain a very complex game in a very simple way.
It took Blizzard a long time and a lot of bad ideas to get Hearthstone to the version we now know. Check out this YouTube video for the scoop on that journey.
4. WoW
Some people hate it without mods. Other people say it’s not bad, it’s just dated. And still, others praise the WoW UI for it’s customizability.
We have friends who’ve spent more than a single hour organizing their windows in a very specific way. Is there a way to be more flexible in your UI? To give some customization options to the players?
5. Overwatch
Did you smell a third Blizzard game? Did you know it was coming?
Overwatch is neat because the game does such a good job of teaching characters without actually teaching them. Really, the only help you get for playing characters is what to do to avoid dying from the characters you’re facing.
“Avoid getting too close to McCree when his flashbang is available,” or “Finish off roadhog quickly when he’s at low health before he has a chance to restore health with ‘Take a Breather’.”
Those aren’t direct quotes, but dialogue boxes pop up containing those tips anytime you die, and they usually tell you how to avoid dying by whatever character killed you. Each character has very distinct moves, and the icons for those moves are very clear.
If you ever forget, you can hit a button and a screen will pop up describing your character’s moves and button mapping. The game reminds you of that with a “Tap this button for player details” notice, but never in a way that’s distracting. It’s only there when you need it–that’s a mark of good UI design.
Plus, the opening screens are always fun. A random character pops up on a random level and entertains you while you scroll the menu and decide what to do.
This video that we just linked to shows just about everything we’re talking about if you want to see it for yourself!
6. Cogmind
This is a really interesting game, where the art style permeates every aspect of the game. It’s a good example of how your UI can excellently embody and even expand the aesthetic themes of your game.
Diablo 3 User Interface Manual
That’s all we need to say about it! Watch this video to see what we’re talking about.
7. Deadspace
Anytime you ask a group of people about solid UI, Dead Space is going to come up. It’s the game when it comes to integrated UI. And the praise isn’t undeserved. Raylectron sketchup.
It is super immersive. When you open a menu, it doesn’t pause the game. You project a hologram into the world that has the information you’re looking for.
The fiction is that it’s built into your suit. It pretty much works… meanwhile, you’re still vulnerable to attack. That keeps you immersed in the game. You can’t pause for a breather with the pause button.
Your character’s health/status is shown via a neon apparatus on the back of your suit. You’re not looking at a 2D HUD health bar, you’re just looking at the back of your character, and his back happens to show you his health.
8. Destiny
Destiny is another game where the UI is love/hate. There’s a lot of information that the player needs to see, but as a developer, you also want the game to feel accessible to new players.
They ended up with a very pleasant-looking product. And even if it can get a little cumbersome, or everything isn’t fully explained, for the most part, the UI does its job well.
If you want to hear about the design decisions Bungie went through to arrive at their final UI, here’s a nice long vid for you.
9. Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is another good example of a UI staying quiet until you need it. And when it does pop up, it doesn’t distract you.
As you watch this video, notice how the action is taking place with little to no 2D HUD text appearing on the screen. And when the player is prompted to hit a button, the way the game displays that information is very inoffensive. Could any of your on-screen prompts be toned down? Is there a way to preserve immersion?
10. Persona 4
Persona isn’t a series that really gained in popularity until its third installment. That’s also when the UI and the rest of the game got a makeover with the same aesthetic. Every part of this game reinforces the same thematic undertones, UI included.
Even if you’ve never played it, it’s easy to get stuck watching it. Here’s a video to show you what we’re talking about.