Health bars

[GuardianHadriel]

Health bars

This subject is so obvious that it must have been brought up on an earlier thread, if that is the case, i´m sorry:thumbup:

I prefer the way healthbars appeared in D2. There was a health bar on the top-center of the screen and iside the bar The monsters name stood. The problem with this type of health bar is that it´s more difficult to see exactly what monster you are hitting, but then again the monsters are slightly highlighted and who needs to know more than the monsters name.
The type of healt bar now is almost exactly like in wc3 where there is a line above the monsters head that grows smaller for each hit. It can be confusing too see these health bars moving around the screen and even though it is better than the old type in this matter it´s hard to see which monsters you´re targeting.

Here are a couple of pictures to show you the differences:

D3 Health bar
http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1717&size=big&cat=599

D2 Health bar
http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=175&cat=502&size=big

My point is that it´s not that much better and the old one is better looking. If you can come up with anything that´s better with the old one, please type it belowunk:

 

[Brandonn]

Re: Health bars

I just rewatched the gameplay vid and I think it looks fine. It didn't move around, it just seemed to follow the mouse, and the bar does decrease, but it still has an outline do you can see the amount of live left.

 

[Fox VII]

Re: Health bars

I prefer them to be out of the way on the top of the screen; however, many might like them how they are, so IMO the game should allow you to choose where the health bar is displayed in the UI settings.

Also you should be able to hide them completely.

 

[GuardianHadriel]

Re: Health bars

so IMO the game should allow you to choose where the health bar is displayed in the UI settings.

So we´ve found a solution:thumbup:

 

[Jedouard]

Re: Health bars

It would be best if there are several options for players: no bars, one bar at the top of the screen, one bar above the head of the moused-over monster, bars above the heads of all of the monsters, and, either in place of bars or within the bar itself, the option for the number and/or percentage of health left. In this way, you can satisfy everyone from pure atmospheric players to the penny-pinchers (referring to saving mana, fury and what not). Ideally there would be some way to give all of this information for each monster without having it encroach on the feeling of the game or the visual playability, but I am at a loss for it, and I imagine Blizzard is too. The best I can come up with is having the monsters show their damage with their appearance and behaviour/movement, but this would be a large drag on system performance.

 

[Starving_Poet]

Re: Health bars

I'd like to just get rid of this antiquated health bar idea and make monsters that are near death be lacking limbs, stumbling, just oozing pus, blood, gooey stuff, and.. you know.. look like they're getting the snot beat out of them.

 

[Kiroptus]

Re: Health bars

I think both could be implemented as an option, we can have the best of both worlds.

 

[TheWhiz]

Re: Health bars

The idea behind the new health bar concept is that you aren't fully watching the action around your character. In the case of D2, you are forced to glance up at the top of the screen to see how much health an enemy has left, whereas in D3's health system your cursor, which you are watching anyways, is able to show how much health a monster has left. Although is does it only for a split second, it still removes you from the action.

I think the D3 health bar system does work better but we've become so accustomed to the D2 system (after many of us have been playing for 7+ years) that we don't recognize the nuisance. A counter argument could be that the health bars somewhat cover the action, but they are relatively small and at least you aren't drawn away from what's happening around your character.

Once we start playing D3, there will be many tweaks where we'll think "why did they change that?" but in the end it will have enhanced the overall gameplay. But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

[Firvagor]

Re: Health bars

I'll deal with it either way, but I think with the "new" system you'd also run into the same issue of not knowing who's being targeted, especially in tighter groups. The fact that you don't have to look away from the combat zone seems appealing, and I could certainly get used to that.
Plus, at least for me, I sometimes find the health bar at the top of the screen hard to read because there's more glare than the center.

EDIT: Another thought: A problem with this system could be monsters that are partially off-screen. For example, if something is near the top of the screen, the health bar wouldn't be visible, partially visible for something on the side. That is, unless the bar is bound to the cursor and changes where it pops up based on monster location.

 

[Fox VII]

Re: Health bars

Why should they force UI interface right in the exact spot I'm looking? Sure it's the most convient place to see, but when you've put that much work into making good looking game, a few glances to the top of the screen to rid the game of the little floating bars over the enemies heads seems well worth it to me.

Also, how often do you fight an enemy long enough to really be concerned about it's remaining health? Unless you bump into a rare spawned enemy or boss the average heath bar is not even worth watching. I really don't want something blocking the action when it's only worth looking at less than 20% of the time.

What if a health bar indicator was built into the mouse pointer !? :smug: That would be less intrusive than either of the normal setups, since that space is already being used for the most necessary UI component in the game. The mouse pointer could have either a short health bar cutting though it or it could fade into different colors based on the remaining heath of whatever your pointing at?

 

[Drakk]

Re: Health bars

What if a health bar indicator was built into the mouse pointer !? :smug:

Wicked idea. While reading through the thread I was trying to think of a better way to do the health bar. You hit the nail on the head. I can't remember what game I've seen this in, but it works well. I think it would suit D3 very well, catering to each complaint against the previous and new health bars.

 

[konnu]

Re: Health bars

I'd like to just get rid of this antiquated health bar idea and make monsters that are near death be lacking limbs, stumbling, just oozing pus, blood, gooey stuff, and.. you know.. look like they're getting the snot beat out of them.

Winner here. Although it wouldn't give you accurate indicator of monster health but would it be a bad thing? Do you need hp bards for the mobs that just live to die in various cool ways?

Maybe a % indicator next to the larger monster name. But i kinda hate the healthbar clutter many games have... like in warcraft 3 your army is just a bunch of walking healthbars.

 

[Starving_Poet]

Re: Health bars

Winner here. Although it wouldn't give you accurate indicator of monster health but would it be a bad thing? Do you need hp bards for the mobs that just live to die in various cool ways?

Maybe a % indicator next to the larger monster name. But i kinda hate the healthbar clutter many games have... like in warcraft 3 your army is just a bunch of walking healthbars.

I really don't think removal of an exact indicator is a bad thing - It's one of those things in these games that really breaks the immersion for me.

 

[Risingred]

Re: Health bars

If they give me the option to turn off health bars, I'll take it.
In the previous two diablo games, I'd just watch the monster's outline as it changes from green to orange to red. That was enough of an indication to me.

 

[SlobbyRobbie]

Re: Health bars

I prefer them to be out of the way on the top of the screen; however, many might like them how they are, so IMO the game should allow you to choose where the health bar is displayed in the UI settings.

Also you should be able to hide them completely.

I think that this is by far the best option. Wouldn't be too hard for the team to implement either.

 

[Firvagor]

Re: Health bars

In the previous two diablo games, I'd just watch the monster's outline as it changes from green to orange to red. That was enough of an indication to me.

I actually never really noticed that (at least in D2), and unless I'm in the vast minority, I don't think that would be very effective unless it was a highlight when hovering the cursor over something, or if it was a more noticeable highlight/outline color distinction.

 

[paperkut]

Re: Health bars

But i kinda hate the healthbar clutter many games have... like in warcraft 3 your army is just a bunch of walking healthbars.

Ya, the last thing i want to see in d3 is an army of health bars.

Knight VII, i really like the concept of the mouse pointer as a health bar of some sort. For most baddies it really doesn't matter if you know their health or not. For the few that it actually does I don't think sliding your cursor over to check would be an inconvenience. Best of all it'd keep health bar armies out of the picture.

 

[SlechtWeerBeer]

Re: Health bars

I actually never really noticed that (at least in D2), and unless I'm in the vast minority, I don't think that would be very effective unless it was a highlight when hovering the cursor over something, or if it was a more noticeable highlight/outline color distinction.

That indicator only occured when the monster took damage, iirc, and wasn't really reliable (I've seen green outlines on near-dead bosses on a few occasions).

 

[Firvagor]

Re: Health bars

That indicator only occured when the monster took damage, iirc...

Yeah, what I meant to say was the "new" outline would appear as long as the cursor is hovering over something, so it would be a little easier to make distinctions between monsters via highlighting without being too intrusive (not sure if you thought I was referring to the D2 outlines). Of course, then there's the issue of tight mobs again where some might be hidden enough to not be targetable.

 

[PahaLukki]

Re: Health bars

I kinda liked how it was in D1, you got this target screen for your mouse, so there would read if your cursor was on a ring, or on a monster, which would then display hp and special information regarding the monster..... The actual game environment was relatively free of texts or bars or other indicators...