Use mouse-wheel for skill selection

[andreyy]

Using mouse-scroll wheel to zoom the camera is a waste.

Assign the scroll wheel to switching (or rather scrolling) between spells assigned to the right mouse button.

I don't know about you, but that's a lot more convenient than hotkeys - which I'd still use, but for point blank (aka no target) spells - summons, AoE spells with no target (roars, taunts, novas), activable auras and temporary buffs.

What you think?

[ExNomenDei]

Perhaps a modifier in combination with the scroll wheel (eg alt+scroll starts zooming) would indeed be a better idea. That way you free up for that kind of on-the-fly switching and if you can make your switch-lists yourself (and thus choose only out of three of your favorite spam-spells, per example) you can make the game a lot easier to control.

so, I vote yes.

[Malpheas]

That would mean things like changing the UI to make it have more than one spell per RMB or whatever you set the mousewheel to change.

I think it's a grand idea.

While the camera was not necessarily a waste, it wasn't as effective as having multiple RMB numbered slots.

[Shinrou]

Totally agree on this point. I think I tried once or even twice to zoom in and out, out of curiosity and that's about it.

Use the alt/ctrl/shift -modifier or something for skill switch instead. And you could always include the option to invert the process from Options-menu so that you need the modifier to zoom.

[myrmidon]

i love zooming in i hate using middle mouse button for a shortcut

[andreyy]

Nobody said anything about middle mouse button. It's usually used for changing the camera angles and it would stay as that.

[ASYLUM101]

Use the alt/ctrl/shift -modifier or something for skill switch instead. And you could always include the option to invert the process from Options-menu so that you need the modifier to zoom.

This is a great idea. I like using the mouse for zooming, but sometimes it can be better used for other applications.(remembering using scroll as an alternate method of melee in tabula rasa.... made melee really OP with unlimited pistol whip speed. :D)

Modifiers are great, if i wanna switch weapons, hold shift+mouse scroll, switch spells, ctrl+mouse scroll, zoom is just mouse wheel.

[jameswhite1979]

I to agree with the main point of the games I have ever played with this option I use it once and never again, not something I am interested in personally.

[jiaco]

Maybe the OP could change the name of this thread? I passed over it a couple times assuming it was about camera mod stuff.

In fact the content of this thread is super important for GD/Crate to listen and implement.

The problem in TQ was so many skills on number buttons that then require targeting with LMB. What would be best is if you could truly configure up your Left/Middle/Right mouse buttons in a list (say of ten configurations) and then use the wheel (and maybe a secondary keyboard shortcuts like up/down arrows) to move through those configurations so that when the skills you just used are recharging, you get the next set in place and they are ready to go. That way all your great targeted skills can be on RMB/MMB and you can spam spells easier. In TQ I always mapped #3 to MiddleMouseButton and that was a start, but never really played mages that much as the number keys were just not a comfortable playstyle for me.

The other ideas (shift/alt/cntrl) are also acceptable, as three configurations are better than 1.

[medierra]

Can't tell you how often I try to scroll to change my skills in TQ...

That obviously wasn't my decision and I'd like to change it at some point when we can. I never used zoom in TQ but I do find it much more useful in GD. I think using alt / shift / cntr or something to that effect to modify the input of the mouse scroll could work well.

[Roros]

I rarely use prev/next stuff for skills and weapons in games, and am much more comfortable with hotlinking every skill to a key or mouse button (even if that means dozens of keys). As long as I can edit this stuff and set it up myself, I think everyone will be happy.

[Phuncz]

This is a cool idea and a way to implement it properly would that if you start scrolling, a vertical bar of icons appear on the screen to the right (for RMB ofcourse) with the upper and lower icons gradually becoming less opaque and a highlight for the selected icon. I'll photoshop something in a moment to express what I mean.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/8497/diablo2gd.jpg (http://img519.imageshack.us/i/diablo2gd.jpg/)

Credits due: Kalle "Gale" Olli for the icons, Blizzard for Diablo II

Lastly, I would make this bar invisible until you use it, or at least let that be an option.
Yes, it should disappear like half a second after you stop scrolling.

[ExNomenDei]

This is a cool idea and a way to implement it properly would that if you start scrolling, a vertical bar of icons appear on the screen to the right (for RMB ofcourse) with the upper and lower icons gradually becoming less opaque and a highlight for the selected icon. I'll photoshop something in a moment to express what I mean.

That's an excellent idea! I would also vouch for allowing this bar be customized just like the bottom bar of TQ. Lastly, I would make this bar invisible until you use it, or at least let that be an option. I think we're on to something here.

Also, glad that the basic idea is liked by our resident medierra, that makes the odds of it getting in there swing in our favor ;).

[Iceciro]

Honestly, I would say have mousewheel change skills, and shift-mousewheel do the zoom. I can see myself needing the ability to change skills on the fly much more often than change my zoom level.

[Darktruth77]

Good Idea. I hope it gets implemented some how.

[Confuted]

I can see the mouse wheel as a skill selection option but I would also like it to be capable of being used for skill use.

In TQ, I used the down-wheel for any instant, untargetable, aoe affect that required the character to stop moving (ex: dream's distort reality).

Additionally, I would appreciate the ability to use the additional buttons on my mouse. I have right/left click, mouse wheel + middle mouse button, along with 2 buttons on the thumb side of the mouse.

I can't say that adding those mouse buttons would help much but I could use the extra 2 buttons to command any pets more quickly.

Furthermore adding additional buttons won't help me too much because any skill that required me to click a location of where to cast, I put it as one of the keys around the default for fps games [wasd]. For example, (E) was health and (R) was mana, (F) was cast heal, (A) was cast fire orb, (W) switch weapon, (spacebar) cast lightning, ect. [completely removing the reaching for buttons by keeping the left hand on the standard wasd formation]

Of course I couldn't specifically tell the key-bindings that a specific button meant a specific skill; basically the key-binding for skill #8 was designated as (A) instead as the default (8)

[Phuncz]

That's just key binding that is in almost EVERY game, it's not really of use to this topic that you say what specific system you use. If this skill scrolling thing gets implemented (why not?) this should be switchable with other functions too ofcourse.

[k4llu5]

In TQIT the first thing that I did was edit the mouse wheel buttons to switch skills. I never used the zoom either, but I set them to the arrow keys anyway just in case. For me this is major, as using the num keys to select skills is brutal and too involved (always having to look at the keys to make sure you are selecting the right one). At least if we have key mapping this won't be a problem, provided we are able to edit the mouse wheel.

[Darktruth77]

Additionally, I would appreciate the ability to use the additional buttons on my mouse.


I also would like this.

[andreyy]

I made 2 (shitty) drawings of how it could be implemented in the UI.

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/3883/skillwheel2.png

They'd roll around with the cog or just move horizontally. The first option would be quite steampunk (heard some people here opting for it), the other could be either (if you had some chain moving this shit). Aside from the 3 or 5 skill icons, which would be fully visible (and the active one distinguished in some way), the rest would be 'hidden' or seen through some dim glass (especially on the second option).

P.S. Phunch - that solution of yours is interesting, but personally, I wouldn't like to have that on the whole screen height.

[gdansk]

I like the cog wheel design, thoroughly Victorian in nature. However, I hope you can add a shortcut key (like > and <) to move through the menu. I don't want to buy a new mouse -- mine has no scroll wheel!

[Phuncz]

I don't want to buy a new mouse -- mine has no scroll wheel!
W...what ?! Every 3$ mouse available in a random store has a scroll wheel.

Andreyy: I like your second idea the most, as the first will probably require too much screen real estate. The most logical though, would be placing in to the right because it's probably going to be a right click action. Just a suggestion of course, but I like your idea of the icons being behind glass. But I guess it all depends on what the UI will look like. My suggestion stems from the idea that it's usable in every type of UI configuration.

[Merzeal]

I like the idea, just gotta make sure it doesn't boot you if you scroll too fast. I'm pretty sure I recall that happening to me in D2.

[cel]

The casting mechanic of TQ was something that I really hated more than anything: Any other skill than the ones bound on LMB/RMB or the ones that couldn't be targeted required 2 clicks to cast; first the key bound to the skill slot, then a mouseclick for the target.

Why couldn't it just cast the skill immediately when the slot key was pressed, aquiring target immediately as if the mouse was clicked at the same time? (for those who didn't like that, you could simply put a toggle for it in options)

This would remove the need for some arbitary mechanic for changing the skills bound on mousebuttons. It would also make it possible to let people bind any button they want to any key they want; if they had a mouse with 5 buttons, they could bind a different skill slot to each if they wanted to.

I always saw the requirement for an extra click as an artificial way of making the game harder through making controlling the character the way you want harder instead of making the situations require higher tactical skill.

The amount of skill slots on the skill bar should also be bigger, I saw the way TQ dealed with this as nothing more than yet another way of ticking those players off who played with a class that had a large number of skills to cast (sure, you could use the alternate skill bar, but that was yet another way of making controlling the character harder instead of making the situation itself harder).

Other than that, I would like to see the skills "force" themselves to be cast when the skills are clicked; in TQ, if you held mouse button down for say, Onslaught, you wouldn't cast anything unless you stopped using the spammable skill first when it should've just casted whatever I told it to cast right after current cast was finished and then continue using onslaught after the cast finished.

In short:
-Eliminate the need for 2 clicks per skill by making every skill work like RMB/LMB skills in TQ (toggle in options for people who liked the old way)
-Let people bind any button to any skill slot
-More skill slots
-Make skills "force" themselves to be cast if a spammable skill was being used while the player tried to use the skill.

[eisprinzessin]

Totally agree with you - depending on how much active skills you have, you might also want to remove some slots from the bar.