* [[Buff]] icons appear on the left
* [[Debuff]] icons appear on the right.
===Auras?===
[[File:D3 skillbar.jpg|thumb|350px|Belt and available skills display, August 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.
This control mechanism didn't seem suited to function in ''[[Diablo 3]]'', since there were only 2 skills to cycle between on the RMB, and surely any character with auras would have too many of them to be content just using two over the course of the game.
The presumption that there wouldn't be auras was shaken by [[Jay Wilson]] during an October 2009 interview: [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-exclusive-full-transcript/]
::''[[Diii.net]]: We saw 8 [[Monk]] skills at [[BlizzCon|BlizzCon 2009]] (all detailed in Diablo Wiki). All were [[melee]] offensive or defensive. Can you give us some idea of what other skills the Monk will have at his disposal?
::[[Jay Wilson]]: Most of the Monk's skills will focus on combat skills and attacks, along with his various escape skills. And we talked at Blizzcon that we're likely to put some defensive and supportive abilities on him. Possibly Auras. We've not done the next round of skills on him yet so we're not exactly sure.
::''Diii.net: Really? That's handy, since I was also going to ask if he'd have any [[co-op]] or party-boosting skills.
::Jay Wilson: We definitely want to do that with one class. Whether or not it's the Monk hasn't yet been decided. The Monk does seem to be the logical choice. The only reason we might not do with him is that he's too logical.
From this it seems certain that we'll see auras on at least one of the characters in ''Diablo 3''; most likely the [[Monk]]. The question then becomes how will they be controlled, since the D2 method seems incompatible with the limited RMB hotkeys allowed by Diablo 3.
===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.
====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.
===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 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, and the game prevents players from investing in more than 7 skills at 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 developers 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.
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.
==Appearance==
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''By default, where skills were always mapped to the mouse buttons, and could only be activated by clicking skill slots on the hot key to move them Belt Interface are mapped to the mouse click. The number keys 1-5 hotkeys can only be 4 and "Q" is used with skills; any 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.
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.
===Control Icons===
[[File:Mini-panel-d2.jpg|frame|D2 Mini-Panel.]]
Here are the minibar icons in ''[[Diablo 2]]'', for the sake of comparison. In order, from left to right:
* Character window
* Inventory
* Skill Tree
* Party Menu
* Message Log
* Quest Log
* Game Menu
[[File:Belt-interface3.jpg|frame|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. [http://www.blizzblues.com/us/blizzcast-8-screenshot-inconsistencies-16102340203.html]
====Updated Icons: August 2009====
[[File:Belt-blizzcon2009-01.jpg|thumb|August 2009.]]
Here's the updated display as of August, 2009. Unfortunately, Blizzard has not released a full quality view of this, so we must make due with a blurry photo someone took of the game on a monitor. The image you see here has been enlarged and the colour has been slightly corrected.
The same six buttons remain, but two new ones have been added, on the lower left and lower right. It's not known what function they have, and it's hard to see enough in the blurry photo to hazard a guess.
It's possible that one of them opens the [[active skills window]], and the lower left icon is a possible match. The lower right one shows a scroll, but we've already got a quest icon, so perhaps it's the return of the message log? That button existed in ''[[Diablo 2]]'', but was not previously shown in ''[[Diablo 3]]''. This button looks nothing like the D2 version, though.
==Development==
The belt interface was first seen in the [[WWI 2008]] 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 labelled on the interface. The game option controls for [[trade|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.
[[File:Belt-interface-wwi1.jpg|frame|center]]
A new version of the belt interface was seen at seen at the GamesCom 2010 Diablo III [[Artisan]] reveal video, with a few screenshots of the Barbarian showing the new interface, which can be seen below. It features 10 health potions on hotkey 5, three of the [[Barbarian]]'s skills ([[Ground Stomp]], [[Cleave]] and [[Bash]] from left to right, respectively). The 4 buttons on the right hand side are (from left to right): Unknown, Quests, Character Sheet or Skill Trees and Inventory.
[[File:Belt_August2010.jpg|frame|center|100px100px|Belt as of August 2010]]
==Media==
<gallery>
File:Char-inv-blizzcon10a.jpg|Character and Inventory windows, Blizzcon 2010.
File:UI-march-2009.jpg|The full interface in March 2009.
File:Belt-interface2.jpg|Belt in April, 2009.
File:Belt-interface.jpg|Belt in August, 2009.
File:Mini-panel-d2.jpg|''[[Diablo II]]'' mini-panel.
File:Belt-interface3.jpg|April, 2009.
File:Belt-blizzcon2009-01.jpg|August, 2009 ([[BlizzCon 2009]]).
File:Belt-interface-wwi1.jpg|Original belt from [[WWI 2008]].
File:Early_ui.jpg|Pre-2008 UI.
File:Early_ui2.jpg|Pre-2008 UI.
</gallery>
[[category:interface]]
[[category:basics]]
[[Category:Glossary]]