Diablo III Hands On

[SL33TBL1ND]

Just gonna put this out there, but pretty much everyone who wants D3 should be getting Torchlight 2 instead. LAN play, crazy high co-op numbers, no stupid DRM. It will basically be more Diablo than Diablo.

 

[seditary]

Personally, as a WOW player, I kinda wish Blizzard had started to sell gold themselves a long time ago, as I'm sick of the badly spelled scam whispers, emails, websites and spammy messages in the cities of the game.

However, I can foresee one big problem.

Anyone who's played WOW or even more so, diablo 2, knows there's a fairly sizable proportion of the player base who's more than happy to screw over an entire group after a few hours play just to steal an item they don't really need.

How much worse is this going to be if it's worth $10 or more? how often are you going to see an epic drop, know it's worth about $150 at the Auction House and see the whole group going 'no, no, you take it, I don't need it, it doesn't suit my class or playstyle'.

I just foresee it getting a lot harder to be the nice guy, hen it's costing you real money each time.

You only see the loot you can take. As in its yours, noone else can see or take the loot you see drop.

 

[Keava]

Ah yes, the perfect cash printing machine - Diablo 3. Real cash fee for putting an item on Auction House, real cash transaction fee for selling the item and real cash fee for cashing out once you gather a nice sum. Hurray.

The advertised PvP aspect of the game? Well, it just went to hell and snug itself between devils buttcheeks. You can't have competitive PvP if You "buy power" through RMT. Diablo is not and never was a game of skill, it's game of gear. Want to win in PvP - shell out few hundreds bucks. Hurray.

Playing for enjoyment? Sucks to be You. Because everyone and their stuffed hamster will be just playing for items they hope to sell. Voluntary slave labour to make Blizzard more money, plus a big "welcome" sign for all the Asian gold-farming companies. After all the AH even allows for selling/buying in game gold. Hurray.

Then again, the dream of many rabid fanbois will come true, after all they will all be "working' for Blizzard, grinding their butts of trying to get a sweet epix for sale. Win-win isn't it?

 

[The Human Torch]

Every time Snu Snu leveled up she gained access to skills like "Cleave" and "Ground Stomp." Soon I had four or five different abilities, but only three slots to equip them in.

Oh god. Oh god. I think I'm going to be sick.

Clarify please. For the love of all that is holy, please tell me that you don't just automatically acquire all the skills and spells for your class as you level up. And if so, please tell me that you at least gain ranks in each of these skills/spells to grow them in power the more you use them (ala Morrowind).

And please, please don't tell me that this isn't the case, and that all of the characters of the same class will end up exactly the same at end-game save for some simple rune choices. I might just burn down an orphanage.

Yep, classes just gain skills on level up, no powerups or anything besides the "rune" system. The skill tree wasn't complicated, it wasn't hard to understand, Blizzard is just serving the lowest denominator of IQ.
Which is why they removed the ability for Witch Doctors to interact with their summonable minions with spells, because the people who wouldn't give a rats arse about it and wouldn't use it anyways, wouldn't immediately catch onto it. Never mind the fact that they could of put that functionality into the skill description, hell that's what they are doing in WoW now. Because clearly "Heal" needs to be clarified as a spell you use to heal people.

Christ sake. Hold on a second while I go get a barf bucket.

Okay, back. Well, guess it's time to pre-order Torchlight 2 then. I can't believe I had any faith left in Blizzard after they were acquired by Activision. All of my favorite developers are fast circling the drain thanks to these mega-publishers. The soul of the gaming industry is being mercilessly ripped out.

"Sucked in" my ass. Diablo 2 sucked me in because there was some depth there, along with all the stuff that supposedly makes Diablo 3 great.

Blizzard functions separately from Activision. Any and all decisions relating to the game's design is solely on Blizzard's part.

 

[wulfy42]

The change to character customization blows, big time. The difference in skill effects based on runes (as seen in the rune video) is not large enough to re-roll a character (heck you can switch runes at will anyway) and it takes away a HUGE part of the game for those of us who liked playing through it as different characters and builds.

There were not just a few viable builds in D2....there were a ton!! I personally came up with a few unique (when I came up with them) builds like the hybrid trap/kicker assassin etc, and the number of fun builds that could make it through the game was quite large. I played for thousands of hours building different characters and rarely if ever bothered with PvP.

D3 seems to be taking almost any reason to replay a character class over again out of the game. Basically get a character to max level and you'll have the skills but will just have to choose which ones you have active, and what runes you'll use....all of which can be changed at will in game. No reason to ever make two different witch doctors for instance. 1 character of each class is all you'll ever need which DRASTICALLY reduces the longevity of the game. Even pvp involved trying different builds and setups in D2. Perhaps equipment might give some incentive to keep playing but it shifts the focus from building characters and trying new combo's to just looking for loot.

I LOVED the character customization in d2. Heck almost every skill could be used as a primary means of killing, or at least used through normal and nightmare difficulty. I finished Nightmare with ravens as my main method of killing for instance, with inferno etc etc. That was a large part of the fun in d2 for me, getting each of the skills to be as effective as possible and attempting to go as far as possible using it as a primary method of killing.

I really, really hope they don't ruin d3 by taking out all the customization. It's not WoW....a game that to me is pointless because your just following the exact same path as thousands of others before you. I enjoyed finding my own path in D2, creating my own set of powers and augmenting them with equipment etc. Don't take away my choices or I'll feel like I'm just walking through a game and will have almost no reason to replay it (just once as each character type basically). You'll make the game go from entertaining me for thousands of hours to probably less then 100....and I will be very very sad.

 

[bakan]

Did I just read a commercial - normally I change the channel when commercials come up in the TV...

 

[LostNumber]

I have a very simple rule when it comes to buying games that have controversial features: does it effect my enjoyment of the game? My computer is always connected to the internet, the auction house is completely optional and i've never liked D2's PvP (Diablo has always been a co-op multiplayer game to me) so other players purchasing items for real money doesn't effect me at all. So far, there is nothing negative that will stop me from enjoying the game just as much as if they weren't there. (not that i'm saying PvP players and people without access to the internet at all times shouldn't be upset)

After reading this, i'm more excited to play this then ever. Please, Blizzard, just hurry up and release it! (although not too close to Skyrim, or I think my friends and family might miss me after I don't leave the house for a few months.)

 

[Azure Sky]

Every time Snu Snu leveled up she gained access to skills like "Cleave" and "Ground Stomp." Soon I had four or five different abilities, but only three slots to equip them in.

Oh god. Oh god. I think I'm going to be sick.

Clarify please. For the love of all that is holy, please tell me that you don't just automatically acquire all the skills and spells for your class as you level up. And if so, please tell me that you at least gain ranks in each of these skills/spells to grow them in power the more you use them (ala Morrowind).

And please, please don't tell me that this isn't the case, and that all of the characters of the same class will end up exactly the same at end-game save for some simple rune choices. I might just burn down an orphanage.

Yep, classes just gain skills on level up, no powerups or anything besides the "rune" system. The skill tree wasn't complicated, it wasn't hard to understand, Blizzard is just serving the lowest denominator of IQ.
Which is why they removed the ability for Witch Doctors to interact with their summonable minions with spells, because the people who wouldn't give a rats arse about it and wouldn't use it anyways, wouldn't immediately catch onto it. Never mind the fact that they could of put that functionality into the skill description, hell that's what they are doing in WoW now. Because clearly "Heal" needs to be clarified as a spell you use to heal people.

Christ sake. Hold on a second while I go get a barf bucket.

Okay, back. Well, guess it's time to pre-order Torchlight 2 then. I can't believe I had any faith left in Blizzard after they were acquired by Activision. All of my favorite developers are fast circling the drain thanks to these mega-publishers. The soul of the gaming industry is being mercilessly ripped out.

"Sucked in" my ass. Diablo 2 sucked me in because there was some depth there, along with all the stuff that supposedly makes Diablo 3 great.

Sigh... Did ANY of you read/listen to any of the reasons why they did it?

 

[dillinger88]

They started 'functioning' this way suspiciously soon after the Acti/Blizz merger, so something likely went wrong there. And in any case, this changes the actions not one single bit. In fact, it reflects on Blizzard even worse.

Correlation does not equal causation.

Also, Blizzard were nickel and diming way before the merger. Paid character transfer and name changers at RIDICULOUS prices, vanity pets etc.

Everyone likes hating on Activision, understandably so because they are a pretty awful company. I do too. But using them as a scapegoat for Blizzard's stupid decisions is a bit silly and somewhat fanboyish.

This "dumbing down" doesn't seem like a problem to me as RPGs are about immersion not filing paper work. If something can be done intuitively rather than picking where to put arbitrary numbers, then I'm all for it. Anyone who insults my intelligence for this opinion is actually the dumb one and can fuck off.

My biggest problem with the game is the real currency auction house pretty much legitimising slave-trade farming in China. Seriously. The fact that they charge you to list and item, take a cut of the winning bid and charge you to withdraw your money will literally will print money for them and I'm worried that they won't feel obliged to expand on the game because its not worth it financially.

And the removal of mod support

 

[Jake Martinez]

excuse me? are they destroying the thing that made diablo II my favorite game of all time? they have chopped down the talents tree??!?!?! whhhhhhhyyyyyy!!!! diablo II was a great game because of that. there was not ONE good build, there were serveral. each character had like 25 abilities, but you only focused on 2 or 3. there was huge customasation in gameplay and they took it away? please don't let it be. i'm already waiting for a diablo III for years, but now they are raping it.

I agree. I've made so many Diablo characters BECAUSE I wanted to try out all of the talent tree builds.

Limitations in this area are probably going to severely limit replayability for Diablo. Hell, it's one of the reasons why Dialbo II is still very populated years after it's initial release.

I'm going down on record as not being a fan of the over-simplification of video games that we are experiencing. I blame consoles, I really do - they've shown developers that a sure way to a bucketload of cash is to cater to the lowest common denominator, and let's be honest, the big developers only really care about making cash. Hand over fist if possible.

 

[BlackSaint09]

DEATH BY SNU SNU.

I haven't been very interested in Diablo 3 ever since I learned it was online only. Guess I'll just wait and see how the reviews turn out.

This is blizzard and Activision were talking about... Are you sure that youre going to find a single review thats unbiased?

 

[Simeon Ivanov]

I just want this game to be awesome ... but hey, it´s Blizzard, they have yet to release a bad game.

 

[The Human Torch]

Blizzard functions separately from Activision. Any and all decisions relating to the game's design is solely on Blizzard's part.

They started 'functioning' this way suspiciously soon after the Acti/Blizz merger, so something likely went wrong there. And in any case, this changes the actions not one single bit. In fact, it reflects on Blizzard even worse.

Blizzard made dubious decisions even before the merger ($25 server transfers in WoW?). They are a company out to make money, just because everybody seems to purview them as a charity, doesn't mean that they are. Has Blizzard taken a few money making advises from Activision? Sure, but it's BLIZZARD that has the final say on what they implement in a game. It's all them.

 

[The Human Torch]

Blizzard functions separately from Activision. Any and all decisions relating to the game's design is solely on Blizzard's part.

Lol I'm surprised that anyone still buys that shit. They're owned by Activision. They answer to Activision's shareholders. So of course Activision is going to have a voice in what they do. Anyone telling you otherwise, Blizzard included, is pure PR speak.

Activision owns Vivendi Universal, which in turn owns Blizzard. Every company always answers to their shareholders, but the final say is always with Blizzard. Does this mean that they don't get some advice from Activision's financial department? Of course not, but Blizzard has the final say.

All that I am saying that Blizzard is not the holy angel who's getting his wings smeared over with black, corrupt oil by Activision. They have made plenty of dubious decisions even before Activision came into the picture.

 

[LorienvArden]

Ok, I was on the verge of ripping Blizzard a proverbial new one once I read about the in game auction house.
Pay to win ? REALLY ??

I didn't like it one little bit, but I think the model could be altered in some ways to give people EXACTLY what they want.

-Have a Singleplayer mode. Constant authentification should be necessary for Public games and anything that involves the auction system yes, but if somebody can't have a permanent internet connection, they should be allowed to play a private game at home.
-I understand that they don't WANT to provide a lan mode because of potential piracy issues, but the system should be designed that people at a lan party can play the game without immense lag.
-Enable Mods for private sessions.
The clear destinction between public and private games beeing that private characters wouldn't be able to play in public sessions and couldn't use certain features like auction houses etc.

In essence: just recreate the same system of Diablo2.
I know that enabling modding is a big investment, but It would be hugely benefitial to the lifetime of the game. The majority of the modders would propably be willing to wait for the implementation of such a feature after release.

Also, I figured that for the majority of my Diablo 2 experience - I haven't given a damn about random players online. I play it with my friends at home or over the internet, so unless I could actually make money from it by dropping some items in it from time to time, I wouldn't have any reasons to be bothered by them.

I'll still wait for the initial oppinions before I buy the game though. Ususally, I'ld have no hesitations about shelling out 50-60? for a Blizzard title, as I always felt I got a really good game for my money. This time, I'ld rather see and wait.

Also, this cynical person here should be heard on the matter:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalHalibut#p/c/2272A4EE84269E1F/3/GBrESZJlNvQ

 

[Rawne1980]

I can't believe I had any faith left in Blizzard after they were acquired by Activision.

Just feel the burning need to clarify this as it seems to be a common mistake by some people.

Activision didn't "aquire" or "buy" or "take over" Blizzard in any way shape or form.

Activision was merged with Vivendi (of which Blizzard is a part of) and thus Activision-Blizzard was formed.

It is still majority owned by Vivendi.

So for the record it was a merger with Blizzards parent company that led to Activision joining the scene NOT Activision buying Blizzard which some people seem to think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activision_Blizzard

On topic.

I'm sure Diablo III will bring in a lot of money for Blizzard. Won't be a game i'll be playing myself but i'm sure others will love it.

With Zombie Island, Deus Ex and Skyrim coming up to keep me warm at night I just don't have room for it.

 

[ShadowyMOON]

So they removed the talent tree where you only focused on 3-4 skills and only used where the others were for synergies? You really want that back instead of having everything and six skills you can swap out on the fly?

I have no words to describe the amount of rose tinted glasses nostalgia BS and lack of common sense this thread has.

Have any of you played D2 recently? The rune system has tons more build variety than the old D2 skilltree, at least if you wanted to get past normal mode.

No mods - that sucks, agreed.

No offline - Hello there. In case you were living under a rock, there's this shiny game with a Blizzard stamp called SC 2. Guess what? It works pretty much THE SAME WAY. You really expected otherwise? Really?

Auction House - It was always there before, it's just legal now. I'm curious how it turns out.
Also, if you want to gather items on your own, don't use it. If you whine about PvP balance, you're one of the few crazy people that play Diablo for PvP. Sorry but that's a total minority right there, no one cares.
If people want to "Pay to win and own Baal in 2 seconds" it's their choice. No one forces you to use the system, no one forces you to play with them either. Get off your high horse.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Oh it is 'Cool' to hate on things Popular. Blizzard is Very Popular. So is Activision. Therefore, popular is bad and any game that must come from either developer will be bad. All because it is the popular thing to do.

Here we have someone who is woefully unfamiliar with the trajectory of corporate America. It's all about the sales. Depth is the enemy of mass appeal. If something appears obtuse or confusing, even temporarily, the never-ending quest for profit demands it be "fixed".

As an experienced gamer for going on 15 years, I don't need to have my shit dumbed down. I'm not a fucking soccer mom. I'm not the elderly. I'm not 8. When companies start catering to those other groups and stop giving two cents about me, I stop supporting them. I also rip them, because I'm free to do so. Then I take my dollars elsewhere (Torchlight 2).

As far as I can tell they are just a bunch of fuckin' morons. However that is just me, they have yet to play it and are just bitching just to *****. A normal mind would say 'Wait until the game has been released before using any Judgement or hatred upon the game' however that is called the brain. Most don't seem to have them nowadays.

This point is very fair. We shouldn't pass firm judgment on a game before we play it. I think it's sensible to voice concerns about certain aspects of its direction in a reasonable manner, though. I also think the inclusions of "always online" and "microtransactions" are sufficiently incendiary as to warrant outright disdain.

Anyways, I'll say what I said in all of the DA2 hate threads whenever someone decided to paint us as a bunch of, well, haters: monolithic publishers are consistently pushing games to be more accessible, more casual, more simplistic because that is how they maximize profits. This approach doesn't necessarily create better games. Just more profitable ones. If there's no "push back" from experienced gamers demanding more depth and complexity, there's no reason for these publishers to cater to any other demographic. That's a bad thing.

In the case of DA2, the hate clearly impacted sales very negatively. Figures show that it barely sold 2 million copies, 1.5 million fewer than the original. That's what happens when a) you cut a bunch of corners, and (crucially) b) the players call you out on it in a very public manner. We all know Diablo 3 will sell just fine and make a ton of money for Blizzard and Activision, but I'm betting some of their decisions will also positively impact Torchlight 2 sales.

 

[Project_Xii]

I hope all rage and "preorder" cancelling keeps going until release. By then, the player base will be refined down to a nice, pleasent bunch of people who don't give a crap about all the meaningless things everyone else is getting their knickers in a twist over, and will just want to have fun playing the game solo or with other people. The less whiners the better.

Like Torchlight 2 is going to be amazing in any way. Lol.

 

[Project_Xii]

Bah. Stupid double post.