UI: Icons instead loot names in combat

[Devouder]

TLDR:
Replace text labels for loot with icons.
Icons are transparent and unclickable - they just inform player that something of specific type is here.
Icons impact situational awareness lot lesser then textwall.
Specific items class display can be toggled on and off.
Specific items class can be set to be auto-grabbed into inventory.
When “Alt” is pressed - text labels are dislpayed as usual.

Reasons:
Little to no battlefield obstruction by loot-text-wall.
Clear indication of “need stuff” on the ground.

Loot icons and loot selector:

Columns in item selector menu:
Item group - item group icon - will icon be displayed at all - will character grab item from this group into inventory - order of icons, from top to bottom.

Screen with loot textwall:

Same screen with icons (some additional icons added):

Disclaimer:
This is a proof-of-concept. Just because right now I may not choose the best way to implement this system, let alone create a mod for Grim-Dawn. (Well, I can go nuts and waste a month into modding with unpredictable result, right now I’m too sober.)
Also icon shape and size (and colour, and icons instead of 3-d models) are not set in stone.

Usually loot amount in game is acceptable. Usually. When common and magic disabled for example.
But sometimes loot hits the fan, or even lootsplosion happens.
Outcome of this is all screen in text, and somewhere beneath thick layer of labels something keeps hitting you.

Logical flowchart looks like:

1. Kill’em all.
2. Collect loot.
3. Find someone else to kill.
4. Repeat.

It’s not that comfortable to turn off loot display completely - to get rid of consumables for example - and to press Alt after each kill - feels like monk from Diablo:Hellfire - “The Monk has inherent access to the Search skill”.

In the killing phase I want as little distractions as possible, I want clear movement with no missclicks.
To achieve this, icons must be “immaterial” - unclickable, uninteractable by any means except loot auto-grab.
Their point is solely to indicate the there is something player need - nothing gets lost.
Loot can be collected when area is secured - and will be, safely and responsibly.

Sample icons color and shape are not random.
Colors are same as items descriptions ones.
As for shape - item icons are designed to prevent complete overlapping.
That’s why we need order of icons - to never miss most important thing for player.

[Devouder]

Reply to be able to post image #1

[Devouder]

Reply to be able to post image #2

[eLPuSHeR]

This could be a great QOL improvement but I think it ain’t gonna happen.

[January1975]

I would love to get those icon options and get rid of the loot-text-flood cluttering the screen in combat.
So, I second almost everything the original post suggests.

Regards.

[tsuelue]

Wouldn´t it be easier to hide the item-text while the character was considered “in combat”? If the games makes that distinction. Just a thought.

[Devouder]

Wouldn´t it be easier to hide the item-text while the character was considered “in combat”? If the games makes that distinction.

At the very least player needs an indication that something interesting dropped.
Othervise, imagine kiting scenario - something dropped two screens ago, and was unnoticed. Sad story.

[krell_154]

While these icons are pretty neat, I think I’d be the first person to miss some items when they drop. Maybe they should be super bright or something, because they’re not as noticeable as text versions.

[medea_fleecestealer]

Not seeing the loot during battles is very easily done ingame. On the lefthand side of the UI there’s a small triangle which allows you to filter the loot you see, including switching off seeing it entirely.

Once the battle is over either switch it back on again or use the “Alt” key to see it.

[RxJunkie]

Personally, I wouldn’t mind a mini-map icon to appear on item qualities that I wish to see. There is enough sparkle with the items and you see the names themselves already, so I think more colors and icons on the screen might be too much. Having them appear on the mini-map with something similar like the purple asterisk or green star would be helpful like in D3. I don’t enjoy much from D3, but this one thing I could see as being helpful for when a nice item drops off-screen and you miss seeing it.

This quote below is from an older thread, but shows what D3 does in-game (I’m not advocating for loot light beams!):

I’ve found the way Diablo 3 highlights legendary drops particularly intriguing for a loot-based game. While it seems to be minor aesthetics, it does make such drops feel differently (in a good way).

A beam of light (colored the same as the quality type) marks the drop on the floor and indicates something a player should want to notice. In addition, there’s a distinct sound effect when legendaries drop and they are marked on the minimap so that it is difficult for the player to miss it amidst all the action. I thought Crate could consider bringing such additions into the game (if they aren’t difficult to accomplish). I’m thinking that the rarer items like Legendaries and Epics could have this effect.

This is what I meant:

Just a thought.