Diablo IV discusses UI Design, Co-op, Controller Support, and Cannibals in first Quarterly Update

Following its official announcement last November, Activision Blizzard has posted the first in a series of quarterly updates offering progress updates for Diablo IV.

The blog post is separated into three components: Introduction to Quarterly UpdatesUI Design, Controller Support, and Co-Op, and Monster Family & Design Highlight: Cannibal Tribes, and offers candid development discussion and the team's responses to feedback based on Diablo III and the showing at Blizzcon 2019.

Check out the links above for the full rundown, or some highlights below. Diablo IV is set to release for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Diablo-IV_Feb2020-UI.jpg

UI Design, Controller Support, and Co-Op

  • Tweaking the inventory color scheme, balancing ease of use and the game's gritty art style.
  • Ability to rebinding primary Skill away from left click, so players and move and act independently.
  • Consideration of the positioning of the in-action game UI to accommodation PC/Console players and the isometric camera.
  • Supporting controllers on PC natively as console versions are developed simultaneously.
  • Simultaneous couch co-op UI for two players so each player can open a menu without affecting the other.

Monster Family & Design Highlight: Cannibal Tribes

  • Description of monster families - Each family has a different combat style and feel. 
  • Introduction to the cannibal tribes
    • Weaponry used by a family.
    • Archetypes - For example, the Drowned family has five members in various archetypes: bruiser, ranged combat, melee combat, swarmer, and dungeon boss.