On July 21 2011 09:10 ForceSC2 wrote: Hey Diablo 3 Fans!
Force here, I do lots of SC2 commentary and Strategy focused videos, but am also heavily involved in the Diablo 3 community.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be headed to Blizzard HQ to get a world first look at the Diablo 3 Beta during the D3 Press Event. We'll be getting a few hours of D3 Beta playtime, as well as having some Production presentations and interviews.
If any of you have questions that you would like the D3 Production team to answer, let me know! I'll be pulling the best questions to use for the interview.
Cheers, Force
hey force i always follow you, good job, keep it up
Force here, I do lots of SC2 commentary and Strategy focused videos, but am also heavily involved in the Diablo 3 community.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be headed to Blizzard HQ to get a world first look at the Diablo 3 Beta during the D3 Press Event. We'll be getting a few hours of D3 Beta playtime, as well as having some Production presentations and interviews.
If any of you have questions that you would like the D3 Production team to answer, let me know! I'll be pulling the best questions to use for the interview.
One of the goals as I understand with Diablo 3 is to make it where friends can quickly join up and do battle with hell's denizens.
That being said, looking back to Diablo 2, one of the hindrances I faced numerous times was when one party member was either ahead or behind others in the group's quest line and therefore couldn't access certain quests or areas because of this, making for wacky Town Portal jumping or simply not being able to help the group altogether.
How does Blizzard plan to resolve, or address this issue so that party members or friends can play together even if they are at different points in the game?
Sidenote: I'm not so much referring to trying to play with a friend that is say, 3 acts and 2 difficulties ahead of you, but more along the lines of keeping with others in the same "Act" or "Zone" as you.
Pertaining to the 4 max players, I hope that one of the following will be in effect:
A. We get a command similar to /set players X (to crank up the difficulty)
B. The game is hard.
The one thing I didn't like with Diablo 2, at least in normal, is that you were rarely in danger of dying until you met up with a specific monster that can 1-shot you.
I.E, you mop the floor with half the monsters in the level, barely use potions and then meet up with a lightning enchanted asshole who burns you up in an instant.
I'd like something more progressive, like in Diablo 1. Every monster could put up some sort of a fight and being careless could get you killed. And when you DID meet up with a special (That's how I always called unique random monsters since I was 12), then it's a mini-boss fight and you have to come up with a better strategy than shove your hammer down it's throat. Not that I don't like doing that but the ONE thing I didn't like about Diablo 2, is that it didnt feel as scary and dangerous as Diablo 1.
Blizzard has stated they don't want the "1-shot-kill" some monsters had in D2 in D3. Hopefully the beta will start soon so we can find out for ourselves. :D
Admittedly, in spite of being a MAJOR Diablo fan, I haven't been able to follow much of the game's development process, but there is one significant issue that's been annoying me for a while now that I want to address.
A friend of mine tried to get me into MMOs and introduced me to WoW, Aion, and Rift. MMOs aren't my thing, so I dropped them quickly, but one thing that seriously grated on my nerves was the inventory system. I was frustrated looking for the one particular square box that I needed. It's really annoying trying to tell one apart from the other (especially when you have some 30 odd squares to sift through).
In D2, upon first reaching Act 2, I actually yelled "WOOOOW!!" when I saw metallic armor for the first time. But in D3, that excitement appears to be taken away.
People insist that this is a good thing because the "tetris" system is gone (even though it wasn't anything like tetris, since 1) you couldn't rotate your items, 2) you would only really bother to pick up certain set, uniques, or white items of a specific type, and the rest would only occasionally be picked up to sell.
TL;DR: Gods damn is the old inventory system a lot easier, simpler and more awesome than the new "square" inventory system.
EDIT: Woooow.... hold the phone... wow, do I feel stupid and invalid. This is why I should do research before spewing nonsense. I see that the inventory system isn't entirely square-based (though the items could probably be a bit larger). ^^;
Sorry about the rant... ^^;;; Will place it in spoiler tags. ^^;;;;;;;
On July 22 2011 01:38 nam nam wrote: Blizzard has stated they don't want the "1-shot-kill" some monsters had in D2 in D3. Hopefully the beta will start soon so we can find out for ourselves. :D
What? But when monsters 1-shot killed you, thats when you knew you had to go level up a ton in the lower areas, and get some items with resists.
Force here, I do lots of SC2 commentary and Strategy focused videos, but am also heavily involved in the Diablo 3 community.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be headed to Blizzard HQ to get a world first look at the Diablo 3 Beta during the D3 Press Event. We'll be getting a few hours of D3 Beta playtime, as well as having some Production presentations and interviews.
If any of you have questions that you would like the D3 Production team to answer, let me know! I'll be pulling the best questions to use for the interview.
One of the goals as I understand with Diablo 3 is to make it where friends can quickly join up and do battle with hell's denizens.
That being said, looking back to Diablo 2, one of the hindrances I faced numerous times was when one party member was either ahead or behind others in the group's quest line and therefore couldn't access certain quests or areas because of this, making for wacky Town Portal jumping or simply not being able to help the group altogether.
How does Blizzard plan to resolve, or address this issue so that party members or friends can play together even if they are at different points in the game?
Sidenote: I'm not so much referring to trying to play with a friend that is say, 3 acts and 2 difficulties ahead of you, but more along the lines of keeping with others in the same "Act" or "Zone" as you.
thats not a feature of the game, but rather blizzard's incompetent patching. you are able to use any tps to same act in older patches
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
On July 22 2011 01:38 nam nam wrote: Blizzard has stated they don't want the "1-shot-kill" some monsters had in D2 in D3. Hopefully the beta will start soon so we can find out for ourselves. :D
What? But when monsters 1-shot killed you, thats when you knew you had to go level up a ton in the lower areas, and get some items with resists.
It was exciting and made it dangerous!
Yeah, I'm kinda sad too. There were some sort of challenge in playing d2 hardcore because of those mobs. Now i cannot possibly see how i can die, if i always have the time to alt f4 the game during dangerous fights... Well, i'm projecting too much, futur will tell....
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
Very well said... at this point I literally can't imagine D3 being anything more then a disappointment a month or so after release. There will definitely be initial hype but I doubt anything can keep us interested, besides just making 5 different characters. The pvp arena will keep a group of people interested but it won't be tightly balanced (they've already said its not e-sports worthy). Pretty much I've given up real hopes on this being a long term game at all. It will be fun to go wild and crack out on for a month... but that will get old very quickly.
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
I agree with inability to respec, but I think there should be a super rare drop/trade-able quest reward that allows you to spec once per char. So only the hardcore PvP'ers or super rich use it and that can become a trade item/bragging rights thing.
Difficulty to reach max level YES. It was amazing to see level 99's when most people will only reach 85-90. Adds so much value to anni and ondals and the like, bragging rights, and special strategies for end game power leveling that has to be differrent form normal leveling.
I think there should be both bosses and areas that drop top level but different items. I wanted more areas to farm with teamwork in D2 instead of just boss running one target by yourself. And that can create trading between the people who farm areas and people who farm bosses.
Anyway, I just hope Blizzard really keeps these things. Somehow I feel like they go the way of WoW which will be so bad for both them and us.
On July 22 2011 05:05 Pufftrees wrote: Very well said... at this point I literally can't imagine D3 being anything more then a disappointment a month or so after release. There will definitely be initial hype but I doubt anything can keep us interested, besides just making 5 different characters. The pvp arena will keep a group of people interested but it won't be tightly balanced (they've already said its not e-sports worthy). Pretty much I've given up real hopes on this being a long term game at all. It will be fun to go wild and crack out on for a month... but that will get old very quickly.
I know exactly what you mean. I feel like Blizzard almost screwed up SC2 and now they really WILL screw up D3.
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
I completely disagree with all three of your points.
The ability to respec is more important now than ever due to the much greater combination of viable abilities and therefore (theoretically) builds.
The level system is arbitrary and very few players played with the goal of reaching level 99. Even fewer actually made it that far. What people played for is the item grind, which is obviously still in full effect.
Farming bosses is just one possible way to gain items. If there were a more efficient way people would have done it differently. Per the developers, they are aiming for something else to be the "best" way to get new items.
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
I wouldn't say so, the current D2 patch has respec option and it's stlll being played. (My me and my buddies at least).
I'd say the ability to make a character that just feels "broken" in terms of how good it is compared to the monsters it slaughters is what adds A TONNE of replayability to D2
I would really like to see them focus on balance for 4 players (difficulty and good fight mechanics) but allow 8 players per game (perhaps for players who have already completed the game) I feel that diablo requires more than 4 players and it really flourished with 8 in diablo 2. So far I have only really seen more linear dungeons/areas in Daiblo 3, perhaps this is the way the zones were designed and with the size would not make sense with 8 players but I still will have 7 other IRL friends on release all wanting to play the game together and we are going to have to split up arbitrarily (and i'll probably be the fat kid). 4 Players is great, sure balance the game for that. But dont downsize the game on the PC platform, sure worked for games like Bad company (oh herp derp BF3 everything they removed is returning). I really feel allowing players who have completed the game (perhaps all 3 difficulties) should be given the option to play with more, seems like a good compromise to me. Alot of the time I was in friends games doing my own thing, farming my own stuff, and chatting. Bnet 2.0 is terrible for chatting, and limiting the game to 4 players completely annihilates the social aspect of the game. 3v3 arenas = 6 players, it's possible. Please blizzard let players choose.
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
I completely disagree with all three of your points.
The ability to respec is more important now than ever due to the much greater combination of viable abilities and therefore (theoretically) builds.
The level system is arbitrary and very few players played with the goal of reaching level 99. Even fewer actually made it that far. What people played for is the item grind, which is obviously still in full effect.
Farming bosses is just one possible way to gain items. If there were a more efficient way people would have done it differently. Per the developers, they are aiming for something else to be the "best" way to get new items.
Your 3 reasons just show your a lazy(undedicated) player.
Making it super hard to reach the very highest levels is a good thing, And detracts nothing from your item farming that you think was all important.
Ability to respec, means the puzzle of what is the best pvp, and pve builds. Will be solved dramatically faster. Remember this, It's not just you solving the puzzles, It's the whole dam Diablo 3 population. News spreads fast on the internet. Thus, do not allow respec(thou a special 1 time respec item drop would be fair).
People want a difficult game, After their bitching and moaning, after they throw their temper tantrums. They will come back to the game. Why? Because it's not a one trick pony. It's complicated, It's a challenge.
Having bosses, that are near impossible to take down alone ARE a good thing. It adds a dimension to the game that says " Hey You!, You need help!, Learn Teamwork or die! ^_^ "
I hope the workers at Blizz north really push for the long term future of the game. A game that could be loved in 5-10 more years time. Just like how playing Diablo 1 can bring some fun after all these years.
Just like how playing Diablo 1 can bring some fun after all these years.
Like how Chain Lightning and Resurrection were NECESSITIES for a game with friends? Man I miss those days. Spam CL EVERYWHERE and kill your party (or get killed by a friend doing the same) along with the horde of monsters, then Rez everyone. Continue, rinse, repeat, kill Diablo with Holy Bolt.
The best part? If you didn't have something...friends would give it to you for free. The dupe glitch was so boss.
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
I know more people that stopped playing Diablo because they couldn't respec than I do who decided to go through the hassle of re-rolling and starting over.
I think D3 should absolutely have the ability to respec. I would wager that the vast majority of players would be more inclined to keep playing the game if they could respec their character. For many, the idea of grinding out a game you've already completed is boring as hell. It may satisfy the hardcore players; but I suspect they're few and far between when compared to the number of casual players who might wanna try out D3 just to see how it's changed over the years.
I hate the idea of respecs too, makes the game far less interesting for me. Characters are just their gear then, not something you carefully built out of decisions and risks. Might as well just let people start at whatever level they choose.
Maybe they could just take the respecs out of hardcore mode. There is still going to be a hardcore, right?
On July 22 2011 04:55 shizna wrote: what gave diablo 2 such replay value?
a) inability to respec, meaning you'd have to reroll character if you wanted to experiment, make farming char, gimmick build etc etc. once familiar with the power levelling process, it became an artform and was very enjoyable. you would also see much of the game over and over again, rather than world of chorecraft where you whiz to top level and then see the same areas week in week out until the next expansion.
b) incredible difficulty to reach maximum level, especially using pvp characters with poorly optimized pve spells.
c) farming bosses, both to equip your smurf chars and also find rare and potentially valuable booty for trading.
if they introduce the ability to respec or prevent boss/item/exp farming/powerlevelling, then it will be just a good game for 1-2 playthroughs and then disappointment because it sucked compared to diablo 2.
Some of us don't have the time to replay the game over and over and over again, just to figure out what works and what doesn't. What you call "fun" i call a waste of valuable time.
EPT
