BlizzCon 2010: The Art and Design of Diablo III

[essexfuzz]

I wish my brains werked better at remembering stuff, but I somewhat recall an interview that was done by Game Informer magazine (I think) with a designer who used to work for the now non-existant Blizzard North. He talked about how the two different Blizzard groups had completely different art design concepts.
Blizzard North was the production house for Diablo 1 & 2, whereas just regular 'ol Blizzard made Warcraft, Starcraft, The Lost Vikings, etc.
He mentioned how when he saw the initial release footage (video and screen shots) he could tell that it fell exactly in line with how the base Blizzard studio did things. He never thought of it as Blizzard trying to make Diablo look like WoW, he said it just followed in that studio's general art direction.
Diablo 1 & 2 look so different from every other Blizzard game because as far as I can recall, they were the only ones made by Blizzard North.

Feel free to correct any false information in this post as it is all based on memory and I didn't bother to research any of it.

 

[Cmichaels]

Rainbow talk.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Shjade]

Rainbow talk.

Thank you kindly.

...but...when you put it that way...it sounds like I'm talking about something completely different. >.>;;

On topic: the first video, the bright and colorful one with all the mayhem going on than upset so many people?

I freaking loved that video.

Finally, I thought, Diablo and his minions are taking their corruption to places that aren't already torn up and dulled with evil. Finally we're fighting in a world that still has something to lose! I can actually feel invested in the story of a Diablo game for the first time ever! Whee!

So while they might have toned it down a little, I'd be supremely disappointed if it turned out the whole thing went back to earth tones and muted puke greens. Not that EVERY area needs to be Technicolor Slaughterhouse, but one or two areas that visibly have life in them would be a welcome break from a long chain of dour dungeons and fallen cities and so forth.

Just one person's opinion.

Regarding classes: assuming I get D3 (still undecided - I'm sorta meh about grid mashy RPG lootfest games these days, even if Diablo is the best of them), female monk's the top of my list. She just looks a lot like an RP character of mine, so it seems the natural pick.

Sidenote, anyone else find it interesting that Demon Hunter is the ONLY class that's gender-restricted? The other four can be male or female, but Demon Hunter is only female, unless they just haven't released male art/models for it yet. Seems odd.

 

[bismarck55]

Rainbow talk.

Thank you kindly.

...but...when you put it that way...it sounds like I'm talking about something completely different. >.>;;

On topic: the first video, the bright and colorful one with all the mayhem going on than upset so many people?

I freaking loved that video.

Finally, I thought, Diablo and his minions are taking their corruption to places that aren't already torn up and dulled with evil. Finally we're fighting in a world that still has something to lose! I can actually feel invested in the story of a Diablo game for the first time ever! Whee!

So while they might have toned it down a little, I'd be supremely disappointed if it turned out the whole thing went back to earth tones and muted puke greens. Not that EVERY area needs to be Technicolor Slaughterhouse, but one or two areas that visibly have life in them would be a welcome break from a long chain of dour dungeons and fallen cities and so forth.

Just one person's opinion.

Regarding classes: assuming I get D3 (still undecided - I'm sorta meh about grid mashy RPG lootfest games these days, even if Diablo is the best of them), female monk's the top of my list. She just looks a lot like an RP character of mine, so it seems the natural pick.

Sidenote, anyone else find it interesting that Demon Hunter is the ONLY class that's gender-restricted? The other four can be male or female, but Demon Hunter is only female, unless they just haven't released male art/models for it yet. Seems odd.

I'm pretty sure they just haven't finalized the male model yet. if I remember correctly, we didn't see the male wizard until some time after the wizard class (shown only as a female) was revealed.

 

[ImprovizoR]

Let me tell you what's taking them so long. They're trying to decide what to cut from the game and sell it as DLC later.

 

[John Funk]

Rainbow talk.

Thank you kindly.

...but...when you put it that way...it sounds like I'm talking about something completely different. >.>;;

On topic: the first video, the bright and colorful one with all the mayhem going on than upset so many people?

I freaking loved that video.

Finally, I thought, Diablo and his minions are taking their corruption to places that aren't already torn up and dulled with evil. Finally we're fighting in a world that still has something to lose! I can actually feel invested in the story of a Diablo game for the first time ever! Whee!

So while they might have toned it down a little, I'd be supremely disappointed if it turned out the whole thing went back to earth tones and muted puke greens. Not that EVERY area needs to be Technicolor Slaughterhouse, but one or two areas that visibly have life in them would be a welcome break from a long chain of dour dungeons and fallen cities and so forth.

Just one person's opinion.

Regarding classes: assuming I get D3 (still undecided - I'm sorta meh about grid mashy RPG lootfest games these days, even if Diablo is the best of them), female monk's the top of my list. She just looks a lot like an RP character of mine, so it seems the natural pick.

Sidenote, anyone else find it interesting that Demon Hunter is the ONLY class that's gender-restricted? The other four can be male or female, but Demon Hunter is only female, unless they just haven't released male art/models for it yet. Seems odd.

There will be a male Demon Hunter. They mentioned it in one of the Q&A panels, saying that hopefully the ladies would find it as sexy as guys found the female one.

 

[bismarck55]

Let me tell you what's taking them so long. They're trying to decide what to cut from the game and sell it as DLC later.

Feeling cynical are we? : P

Isn't that Bioware's shtick?

 

[Shjade]

I was looking forward to this game with gleaming delight... and then I saw in-game art.

I'll pass.

The drawings are excellent.

The game itself looks tired and uninviting.

Sadly always true for these kinds of games. Starcraft is the same way: awesome concept art book! Shiny-but-basic in-game units. Of course, it doesn't help that I have to run it at minimum settings, but even looking at video of SC2 played at the top end doesn't make the units look suddenly wowzers.

Regarding demon hunter gender: I sorta figured that'd be the case, but wasn't sure. The way the lore page for it was written up it seemed like female-only might have been a possibility, sort of a hunter code or something, but better to have the options available and avoid possible outcry. ;p

@ImprovizoR - Nah. Knowing Blizzard if they were going to do a DLC thing (which isn't so much their M.O.; they're more for lots of balancing patches followed by an expansion of some sort) they wouldn't cut material to do it. They'd just set aside the things they usually patch/add in post-release and batch that into a DLC bundle of some sort. There's usually enough post-release updates and additions that they wouldn't need to deliberately withhold material just to build a DLC pack out of it. They can just pick up the scraps they already have to do that.

 

[Vortigar]

That image on page three looks like Warhammer Beastmen art. I really can't shake the feeling I've seen that exact image in a White Dwarf somewhere.

Finally, I thought, Diablo and his minions are taking their corruption to places that aren't already torn up and dulled with evil. Finally we're fighting in a world that still has something to lose! I can actually feel invested in the story of a Diablo game for the first time ever! Whee!

I feel almost exactly the opposite way. Diablo always drew me in much more than most other games exactly because of all the darkness. That even in that bleak world people would not give up and fight for the little things they still had left. To me that creates a far more powerful pull to the heartstrings/soul.

The little lighthearted moments of Diablo 1 were all the more potent because they were so incredibly rare.


PS a major pet peeve of mine popped up again:
Mr. Funk, You're not going to roll anything unless there's dice involved. Heck, almost all rpg characters in pen and paper systems are created through point buys these days, so even they're not being rolled. You play a class or create a character.

Though I agree, Monk is going to be my first pick as well.

 

[H0ncho]

Ah, so these people are to blame?

Ever since WoW the focus for blizzard has been 1. to rip of as many hollywood clichees in their trailers as possible and 2. focus on making things as overdone as possible, in true japanese style, and with no regard for versimillitude.
An example of 1. would be the deamon hunter trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WByqPqwBrzs], which is, frankly, patently retarded. A woman comes out of nowhere, starts saying "there's always a choice" completely unprovoked, and then proceeds to shoot the enemy with her machine guns. Of course, after countless hours of Hollywood we are conditioned to think that "there's always a choice" has something to do with a deeper meaning, but in this movie its just derp.

The picture on page 2 would be an example of my second point. I mean, what happens when that woman raises her left arm? Think about it.

These trailers also manages to completely take any feeling of danger out of the setting - I mean, we see demons being killed left and right as just so much cannon fodder, it's hard to feel that there is any sort of danger to them.

 

[Angerwing]

i want this out NOW >.<
common people finish it faster.

I read that as "Common (like not noble) people finish it faster"
Rather than "Come on people, finish it faster!"

I thought it was one of those weird sayings like: "Blondes have more fun"
"Queenslanders love it in the sand"
"Baketballers get it done up top"

Sort of like a jingle or catch phrase for commoners.

Anyway, I thought you were implying that Blizzard'd dev. team are a higher being than mere mortal humans, who take their time to make it perfect.
Which is why SC2 took so long and D3 is taking so long.

You made my day. That was hilarious.

Anyway, Blizzard always takes ages to release games. I much rather wait for a finished game than get a buggy game now.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

While this is very interesting, I do have to point out the ridiculous implementation of someone using light crossbows who fires them like pistols. The demon hunter turns me right off. An over-sexualised female gunslinger without pistols, yet acting like she does have pistols.

Could have gone crossbow and bayonet, and focus on ranged and close skills, but no, got to spam the ranged and make something that makes no sense. Bolts cannot be loaded like rounds in spring loaded clips. Tsk tsk tsk.

The monk, the witch doctor, all very cool. This is bollocks.

I certainly agree with Honcho. Not deep, just crap.

 

[Eric_Autopsy]

Stop smearing your "oh hey look at your money, this is now our money"-sign in our faces, Blizzard. I mean, "Demon Hunter", really?
You mean THIS Demon Hunter? http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/demonhunter.shtml

Oh and Diablo 3's Demon Hunter uses "Fan of Knives". You mean the Warcraft 3 Warden's Fan of Knives? http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/warden.shtml
I mean seriously Blizzard.

EDIT: Double-post as mentioned below.

 

[Eric_Autopsy]

*Wink*
http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/demonhunter.shtml
*Winkwink*
http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/warden.shtml

*Winkwinkwink*
The D3 Demon Hunter uses Fan of Knives, """borrowed""" (yes the quotation marks are quoted) from the Warden from WC3:TFT and accidentally shares the same name the "Demon Hunter" with a class from the same game. [WC3]

Stop rubbing your "hey look, this is your money and now it is ours"-signs in our faces Blizzard. I know you are going to sell ridiculous amounts of this game, but seriously now.


EDIT: Double-post because of slow refreshing time on the forums.

 

[Ferisar]

*Wink*
http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/demonhunter.shtml
*Winkwink*
http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/warden.shtml

*Winkwinkwink*
The D3 Demon Hunter uses Fan of Knives, """borrowed""" (yes the quotation marks are quoted) from the Warden from WC3:TFT and accidentally shares the same name the "Demon Hunter" with a class from the same game. [WC3]

Stop rubbing your "hey look, this is your money and now it is ours"-signs in our faces Blizzard. I know you are going to sell ridiculous amounts of this game, but seriously now.


EDIT: Double-post because of slow refreshing time on the forums.

You're looking really punchable right about now.

Hey, did you know Halo has guns, and Call of Duty has guns?

Them damn opportunistic bastards.