[Suggestion] Quick Cast and Active Skill Bindings Bar

General Discussion
1

Disclaimer

  • I know nothing about software programming.
  • I know nothing about game development.
  • I know nothing about consoles or console controllers.

Terminology

In this thread, I use the term “containers” to refer to areas where Skills are bound. For example:

  1. Left Skills Container refers to keys that can be bound to the left mouse button and the associated Skill Tree that pops up when you manually assign the keys.

  1. Right Skills Container refers to keys that can be bound to the right mouse button and the associated Skill Tree that pops up when you manually assign the keys.

  1. Quick Cast Container refers to keys that can be bound to the Active Skill Bindings Bar.

Before Version 1.1.67358

Before the latest Patch we had Skills that could be bound to the Left Mouse Button or the Right Mouse Button:


Version 1.1.67358

We now have a Quick Cast feature and its associated Active Skill Bindings Bar. Unfortunately, Quick Cast is linked with the Right Mouse Skills.


Current Behavior

Since Quick Cast is linked with the Right Skills Container, pressing a Quick Cast key temporarily replaces the Right Mouse Skill, disrupting that Skill.

This behavior can be devastating for some Classes. For example: The Paladin. If a Paladin has an Aura bound to the Right Mouse Button and Quick Casts an attack Skill, the Aura is disrupted until the Quick Cast key is released.

Edit:

Quick Cast Skills are also linked to the Left Mouse Container. The behavior is the same. If you have a Skill that is bound to the Left Mouse Button and Quick Cast another Skill that can only be bound to the Left Mouse Button, the Skill currently on the Left Mouse Button will be temporarily replaced by the Quick Cast Skill.

This just reinforces why I think Quick Cast and the Active Skill Bindings Bar should be given its own “Container”. (Thank you, @TheTias)

Suggestion

  • Put Quick Cast Skills in its own, separate Container.
  • Skills that are bound to the Left Mouse Container can only be enabled by those keys.
  • Skills that are bound to the Right Mouse Container can only be enabled by those keys.
  • And Skills that are bound to the Quick Cast Container can only be cast by those keys.

Of course, there would have to be some restrictions:

  • An Amazon Archer (Bowazon) can put Magic Arrow on the Left and Right Mouse Buttons. Pressing either button will allow them to cast Magic Arrow. It should also be allowed on the Active Skill Bindings Bar. This would allow the Amazon to Quick Cast Magic Arrow as well.

  • However, some Skills are not allowed on the Left Mouse Button. For example, with the Paladin, Auras would only be allowed to be bound to the Right Mouse Button. This way Paladins could change Auras on the fly without disrupting other Skills. Aura Skills would not be allowed to be bound to the Left Mouse Button or Quick Cast (Active Skill Bindings Bar).

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. And I’m sure I haven’t thought of everything. I’m only brain-storming at the moment.

Everyone is welcome to offer tips, suggestions and additional information to help improve the Quick Cast feature that has been implemented. (There’s so many players, so many Classes, so many builds, and so many play-styles).

In the meantime: Good luck and good hunting!

2 Likes
2

Edit: Upon rereding, I think I get what OP is saying. I summerise in my next post (see my below post)

3

Auras are a whole separate issue in my opinion. They need to rework all passive abilities, but auras are problematic in the sense that they can be changed on the fly.

Some skills were restricted to the right-hand mouse button because of the original design intent of only having two buttons. Now that has been changed, so the mechanics have to adapt.

4

But paladin do not have any attack skill that cannot be bind to LMB or quickcast (LMB side) so your arua will always be on.

Other classes if have aura (from gears) are all granted automatically without needing to activate.

If people want left & right buton to be bound to any skills (or allow RMB to a attack skill without remove Aura) like on controller. There not need to over complicated in description.

A) Have active aura always shown (like on controller)
B) RMB can be bind without remove Aura (like controller)

it will be nice to have, & playing paladin will not be force to have a “dead” RMB (that cannot be used) just for reserving Aura.

I can certainly support.

5

Quick Cast is actually linked with any bound key, not just the right container. You can quick cast a left container bound keybind as well. I tested this with Holy Bolt both as a standalone skill without a keybind associated with either “container” and with HB with an associated keybind on the left container flyout.

The way players were expecting it to work was just like Diablo 3 and the controller UI here: as fully separate keybinds. One can achieve this, albeit in the most clunky and restrictive way possible - by not binding those skills to a flyout container at all and only to the keybind listed in the Controls preference pane. Unfortunately, doing it this way eliminates being able to also use the scroll wheel to cycle through your binds because the scroll wheel system uses the right hand flyout container’s associated keybinds to function.

6

This is one of those things I hadn’t thought of and additional information I welcome.

Thanks, TheTias!

It’s also another reason to have Quick Cast with its own, separate Skills Container, disassociated with the Left or Right Mouse Buttons.