Tooltip Redesign Concept

So the absolute chaos that is the Starry Muse ability for Pictomancer inspired me to redesign the tooltips in a way that I feel better communicates the functionality of the abilities, spells, and effects. I made some extras to see other use cases and also the other UI color palettes. I hope you enjoy what it could be! Maybe the developers will take notice... Yes, they're a bit longer/taller than the originals, but I think that's okay if they're more clear and easier to understand.

Anyway, see you all in Tural!

>Check it out here on Imgur<

Please apply this.. very readable

I second this, it is very readable and makes things alot easier to understand, a wall of text tends to glaze my eyes over

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Originally Posted by SayHeyFray

So the absolute chaos that is the Starry Muse ability for Pictomancer inspired me to redesign the tooltips in a way that I feel better communicates the functionality of the abilities, spells, and effects. I made some extras to see other use cases and also the other UI color palettes. I hope you enjoy what it could be! Maybe the developers will take notice... Yes, they're a bit longer/taller than the originals, but I think that's okay if they're more clear and easier to understand.

Anyway, see you all in Tural!

>Check it out here on Imgur<

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The problem is quite literately, it's text. Having the description is nice, when it's in the "skill window" but you don't have time to read the tool tip when you're actually using it. What you basically need is iconography that matches what the game uses and an icon for "COMBO WITH"(green circle icon in corner) and "OVERWRITES" (eg a red Octogon on the skill icon it can't be used with).

Heck an argument can be made that the tool tips during combat are absolutely useless because when they pop up, they cover everything near it, so knowing if that skill can be combo'd with when you can't see it, isn't helpful either.

Readable, logical and well designed? Please, we need this.

This looks very good, OP!

Personally I prefer the original font as that's more in tune with the aesthetic of FFXIV but the chunked up boxes showing the flow of information is absolutely an improvement over the current tooltips. The best example you have there, in my opinion, is the expansion on the player being granted "Subtractive Spectrum". It's unclear what it does in the first tooltip but gives me some information to work with in the 2nd.
The fact that you've provided the buff icons in the tooltip is a clear visual connection between the tooltip and what is enacted in-game.

That being said, these do take up significantly more space than the original, and in FFXIV's other languages, may become even longer.

I don't agree with the ordering of your mocked up Acceleration's tooltip. The most important use of the skill would be to render Verthunder III, Veraero III or Impact an instant cast, so should come first. Putting the +50 potency to Impact at the top gives it too much importance.
"Max Charges" may also be superfluous as players will always be able to see their max charges in their hotbar as it just won't load up any new charges, but it's a nice idea and a nice icon.

If you wanted to save some space you might be able to find a way to combine the level the skill is acquired and affinity into a single line.

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Originally Posted by KisaiTenshi

Heck an argument can be made that the tool tips during combat are absolutely useless because when they pop up, they cover everything near it, so knowing if that skill can be combo'd with when you can't see it, isn't helpful either.

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This is a non-issue. The Action Help can be set to Fixed Position and placed to the side where it won't ever cover any hotbars.



Also, OP, this discussion is better had on the UI forum where you already posted it. It may get more attention here for the two days that the servers are down but as soon as EA starts it will get buried.

I very rarely upvote stuff like this, but you got mine. This redesign is a much-needed change within the game.

Although I don't think the current tooltips we have are perfect, the redesigned ones look very lengthy in comparison and definitely not clicker friendly that like third of your screen is covered whenever you mouse over an action.

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Originally Posted by Chajii

Although I don't think the current tooltips we have are perfect, the redesigned ones look very lengthy in comparison and definitely not clicker friendly that like third of your screen is covered whenever you mouse over an action.

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The length issue can be mitigated by only popping these better tooltips when you're in the actions and traits menu.