Clarity and Consistency in Tooltips [Mock-Ups]
Hey, Riot Bros.
There was a popular thread on Reddit yesterday about the various inconsistencies between abilities than enhance auto-attacks.
That discussion got me thinking about the various problems with the current tooltip system. I think there's a very simple way to include a lot more important information about each specific spell, without taking up too much room and making the tooltip a big, ugly mess.
In my opinion, it would be very helpful for players new to the game or new to a champion, if each tooltip had a short list of attributes that define the ability.
This list would include things like:
- Skillshot / Targeted
- Single-Target / AoE
- DoT / Trap
- Steroid / Debuff / Aura / Heal / Grevious Wounds
- Dash / Blink / Stealth
- Stun / Root / Blind / Displacement / Silence / Slow
- Attack-Modifier / Attack Reset / Channel
The purpose of this list is to grant the player an immediate understanding of the spell, even if they've never seen it in action.
**Skillshot. Single-Target. Slow. **
When you read that, you instantly know what Mundo's cleaver does. Everything else in the tooltip supports that main idea. After you read that, you go back to read the full description, and the "Dr. Mundo throws his cleaver, dealing X damage to a guy and it also slows him, but it depends on how far the thing went and if you hit a thing, the thing refunds some of the health cost" stuff will make more sense.
I've made some mock-ups. I tried to incorporate a wide variety of abilities. I also messed with the format of the tooltip a little. Instead of showing how many points have been put into a spell with a "(1)" after the name, I've used a series of lights, like the ones on the HUD.
In addition to some basic tooltip changes, I also believe that a full write-up of a champion's kit should be available both in the client and in the game. Players shouldn't have to to look at the LoL Wiki to see what the AD/AP ratios are, or what spells apply certain item effects, or what spells do/don't work on structures.
I'd love to hear what you guys think about this subject. Overall, it's a pretty minor complaint. Just something that sparked my interest, after reading that Reddit post and watching videos of the panels at PAX where you guys talk along about clarity. Thanks for all of the work and dedication you all put into the game.
