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Tool tips, also known as "hover text" are the pop up boxes of text that display when you hold the cursor over an item, skill icon, interfact interact element, or anything else in a video game. These tool tips display additional information about the object you are pointing at, usually explaining the function or adding color or detail.
While many games have very poorly-written tool tips that were clearly thrown together at the last minute, the Diablo III developers (in typical Blizzard well-polished style) have put a lot of time and effort into the text boxes. The aim is to describe and inform, with as few clearly-purposed words as possible.
Not until they were preparing for the beta test and many of the game features were semi-finalized did the developers put in some serious effort to improve the tool tips. From the lack of complaints about them during the early portions of the beta test, it seemed that most fans were okay with how the hover text was presented. As the beta progressed though, code diggers and stat geek type fans started to notice some problems.
For instance, [[damage over time]] was calculated differently for characters who were dual wielding, and the tool tip was misleading in that instance. A forum thread devoted to the issue] <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=815482 forum thread devoted to the issueConfusing Tooltips] - Diablo: IncGamers 14/11/11</ref> sprung up, and earned a December 3, 2011 reply from Bashiok in which he explained the game feature, and gave some insight into the [[D3 Team]]'s thought process regarding tool tips.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blue-on-skill-dot-and-tool-tip-simplificationsSimplifying Tooltips]- Blizzard 3/12/11</ref>
<blue>We’ve been thinking of changing the tooltips and going with “ continuously does X% weapon damage”. The reservations we currently have are:
==Tool Tips Simplified===
In mid-December 2011, during the [[Diablo 3 beta]] test, Blizzard announced a global initiative to simplify and streamline the tooltips in Diablo III. As no one playing the Diablo 3 Beta seemed to think the tool tips were unduly long or detailed, this announcement was something of a surprise to most players.<ref>[http://diabloblues.incgamers.com/blogPosts/comments10/1/40/819/137856/dont-freak-out-simplified-diablo-3skill-tooltipsSimplified Skill Tooltips] -on-the-way] Blizzard, 8/12/11</ref>
<blue>We need to make sure that the game at its most basic level is easy to understand, quick to pick up and play, and has a strong immediate focus on the gameplay, and not mathy number-crunching and novella-sized skill descriptions. These are the pillars that we believe a game like Diablo firmly rests for the vast majority of players. It is first and foremost an Action RPG, and we put a lot of weight into the first word. For you, the people here every day or week picking apart skill math and statistics, we realize you crave something deeper, and we’re absolutely intent on providing you all of the information you’d ever need.
In closing we wanted to give everyone a heads up because we know there are going to be some conclusions about our intents, and we wanted to share some ideas of having something similar to what Diablo II players could find on the Arreat Summit back in the day.</blue>
After much fan feedback and complaints, and even some parody posts <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/datamined-new-basic-tooltips some parody postsTooltip Parady]- Azzure, 12/12/11</ref>, Bashiok returned five days later and posted the following explanation / rebuttal, on December 13, 2011:<ref>[http://diabloblues.incgamers.com/blogPosts/10/1/40/819/comments137856/blue-defends-the-simplified-toolskill-tipstooltips In Defence of Simplified Tooltips]- Blizzard, 13/12/11</ref>.
<blue>Simple tooltips benefit almost everyone. Just because they may not benefit you, they’ll indirectly benefit you by helping non-gamers get into the game. Right now most of us are only thinking about when we play the game, but when the game is released, or quite possibly years down the road, you may want to be able to teach your dad, your daughter, your significant other to play. Simplified tooltips will certainly help when you walk away and they’re trying to learn to play for themselves. And we can always hope they put stuff up on the auction house for way less than its worth! Mwahahahaa.
Aside from "[[accessibility]]" jokes about how Blizzard had even "nerfed tool tips," most fans were supportive of this change, or at least not especially opposed to it. Hardcore players were all planning to read wikis and other guides for the full detailed info, including stats and charts that would never have been included in Diablo III itself, so the in-game info wasn't a real concern to them.
The finalized, "simplified" tool tips have not yet been revealed, so no before vs. after comparisons can be madewere unveiled in [[Beta Patch 10]] released on 23 January 2012.
==More Tool Tips Added==
During the beta test, players noted numerous added tool tips, for some of the most simple and basic features in the game. Messages now worn warn new players of the most basic game actions, such as damage taken, life healed, item picked up, stash accessed, new skill earned, etc.
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/upon-closer-inspection-8-beta-patch-change-screenshots November 5, 2011: Upon Closer Inspection #8]: Numerous tool tips added.
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