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==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.
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 [[:Category:Interface|Interface Category]] for articles on the game controls, menus, inventory, and more.
==Function==
[[File:BeltInterface-wizard-interface2arena2.jpg|thumb|400px500px|Belt A Wizard's Interface, April 2009October 2010.]]
The way the controls work has been modified somewhat in ''[[Diablo 3]]''. As of August 2009 ([[BlizzCon 2009]]), the belt shows 4 skill icons, a potion slot, the left and right mouse buttons, and the Tab key.
===Auras?===
[[File:Belt-interface2.jpg|thumb|400px|Belt Interface, April 2009.]]
It was long assumed that there would be no [[Aura]]s in ''[[Diablo 3]]'', and as a side point, it wasn't clear how they would be controlled. Auras in ''[[Diablo 2]]'' came from {{iw|Paladin Paladin}} skills (and were also granted by some items) and worked as buffs that were active as long as the Aura was active on the RMB skill option. Players could cycle between multiple Auras; there were 20 in two skill trees; but could only have one active at a time, and Auras weren't "cast," they were simply active as long as they were on the RMB.
===Weapon Switch Hotkey===
There are no current (October, 2009) plans to include a weapon switch hotkey in ''[[Diablo 3]]''. The [[D3 Team]] feels that feature was primarily used for exploitative tricks in ''[[Diablo 2]]''. This is a highly-controversial, rant-creating topic. * Check the [[weapon switch hotkey]] page for more details and pro/con arguments.
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.
===Skill Hotkey Theory===
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-no more than 7 active skills per character. There are many more [[skill]]s 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 ''[[Diablo II]]'', there are only half that many in D3, with and the design theory being that characters will have maxed out their points game prevents players from investing in a handful of more than 7 skills which they will use constantly. (And [[respec]]ing will allow changes, if necessaryat one time.)
Therefore, rather than throwing in 16 hotkeys, as in ''[[Diablo II]]'', there are fewer than 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 [[respec]]ing will allow changes, if necessary.)
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.
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. The functionality is closer to that of [[World of WarCraft]] than ''[[Diablo II]]''
The most recent version of the belt interface was revealed in October 2010, and it's seen near the top of this page. The function hasn't changed since 2008, with only the location of the icons being modified. This belt, from April 2009, shows everything that's in the game even a year and a half later.
[[File:Belt-interface2.jpg|center|frame|Belt Interface, April 2009.]]
This screenshot, of a [[Barbarian]]'s belt interface, shows the key features.
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. 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 can only be used with skills; any skill placed in ''Diablo III'' work like the belt one of those slots in ''Diablo II''; for example [[Identify]] or [[Town Portal]] [[scroll]]s could will be placed there and cast by clicking the numbermoment 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 clicking dragging them in to the belt interface from the skill treelist. Newly-added skills are automatically added to the hotkey list, and they can then be cast immediately with a left or right clickonce you've put the first point into them.
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.
[[File:Belt-interface.jpg|center|thumb|700px|Belt Interface, August 2009..]]
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.
