DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

[jenova_9]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

Oh mew this is great news for PS3 and PS4 fans. 10 minutes indepth gameplay interview

Oh ya, they really are redeeming the franchise with this, mew. It won't have RMAH so people play fair instead of pay to win. It has offline play for solo players and 4 players local co-op (and most likely PSN online play). Reworked UI, reworked enemies and bosses, reworked loot, reworked controls, reworked camera. It's almost like a new game, mew. Plus it includes the classic features like Hardcore mode, as well as the new PC additions like PVP.

[Malacite]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

Well, that killed any interest I had in the console version.

[jenova_9]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

It's obvious the console version is for an entirely different market, mew. This will keep the console version untainted and start fresh and fair for everyone instead of duping and teaming up with PC high levels getting out of control at launch. Crossplatform online play would make no sense for this, mew. It isn't an mmorpg and the loot are the candy in the pinata (and the loot is finite compared to mmorpg loot). It would be anticlimactic to spill it prematurely on the console masses without gradually earning it themselves. Crossplatform would also make things too easy since a PC player would "carry" console players to the finish with their high level gear character, which would weaken first impressions and reduces challenge.

[Icemage]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

This may in fact be the first time in history that a late PC-to-console port is actually the superior version. Not that I'm tempted to give Activision money for it anyhow, since D3's problems are still legion even without online DRM and RMAH, but it's a step in the right direction.


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

They've actually taken quite a few steps to improve the game since launch, and are FINALLY getting around to addressing some of the major grievances. Itemization is scheduled for either 1.08 (longshot) or more likely 1.09 - the ideas they've been throwing out are quite good too. For example, they're thinking of cutting the drop rate on rares to 1/4 what they are now, but in return the stats are going to roll much higher averages and properly reflect the base stats they ought to have relative to the level of the monster that dropped it. The upcoming changes to legendaries will be sweet too.

See, it's not that Blizzard is inherently stupid, just slow on the uptake >< (See: HotS Beta...)

[Icemage]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

Blizzard had 13* patches to fix Diablo 2's balance and never managed to get it right after they almost had things working in 1.06 and broke everything with the Lord of Destruction expansion. 1.09 even basically reworked the entire skill tree for every class and it still didn't fix the fundamental problems.

* I say 13 but that's only major revisions. Several of the patches, including 1.13, actually have multiple sub-patches (1.13a, 1.13b, 1.13c, 1.13d, for instance).

I've zero expectation of them being able to balance their way out of the problems Diablo 3 has. Every time they try to fix something, they can't resist adding something else to screw things up even more.


Icemage

[Taskmage]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

I care less about class balance and more about the game being rewarding at higher levels. I picked it up again for a few hours a couple months ago and felt like I had achieved absolutely nothing in that time. May even have made negative progress due to dying a few times to a stubborn elite. In D2 I could make some directed effort and walk away with something at least usable if not uber. In D3 you basically wander around killing whatever elites you find and often don't find a single thing that any class would consider using.

[Malacite]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

They're addressing that last point as I said by lowering drop rates but increasing the quality of rares & legendaries. They're also going to make it so class-specific items don't roll with off-class affixes (i.e. STR on a Wizard hat) and you will be more likely to find something your class can actually use.

[jenova_9]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

Here is more news mew. Rumor of Guest support online. Diablo3.com/console Console - Diablo III And a longer console trailer.

[Malacite]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

As nice as the console version is looking (and in some ways it does come off better than the PC) I still can't help but think "time and money that would be better used towards an expansion and fixing the real problems of the game."

[jenova_9]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

The fixed version will be the console version, mew. the PC version is doomed to drag along the RMAH and DRM where ever it goes. And what they learn from the console version, could serve to improve the PC version and expansion changes too. So ya mew, even the console sales can help fund the expansion and overall updates more. And it seems the PC community in general kind of "gave up" on it, so it's better to fix and introduce this to the PS3 community which tend to be less fussy about things, and console enviornment is more consumer friendly than PC, and encourages more optimization and polish, whereas PC games just rush things out and patch them later. Why do you think so many PC pioneers have developed for consoles. The console market is massive, mew. So massive that it would be counter productive for developers to ignore it, especially with the massive install base PS3 has and better security (PC hackers only get banned, PS3 hackers get their system bricked. )

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

I will only buy this for PS3 if the following words appear on the box:

Diablo III: We Were Wrong About That Online-only DRM/AH Thing Edition

Or just "We were wrong" somewhere on the back of the box, preferably in big letters.

I also look forward to the SimCity We Were Wrong Edition.

[DakAttack]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

Add "We lied" to Blizzard's box and I'll buy it. I don't even own a PS3.

[jenova_9]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

Um, the console version being the superior and ideal version of Diablo III, and Jay Wilson stepping down from the franchise, is like an apology and admitting they made mistakes at the sametime, mew. People knew before PC launch what they were getting into. The internet knew it was DRM/online only, the internet knew it would have RMAH at launch. Blizzard is at least correcting many mistakes through the PC patches and the pure and dignified PS3 version. Plus with PS3 version, people don't need to upgrade hardware, it's already optimized for it and has features people want, and more friendly loot drop rates and stuff. A verbal/text apology/confession really fixes nothing mew. The actions being taken for the PC patches and the Console versions is really many steps in the right direction.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: DIABLO III - J9's thread of infernal enthusiasm!

When you know its a problem...
When your customers know its a problem...

AND THEN you go on to make it online-only anyway...
And your customers go on to buy it anyway...

Then both parties are what's wrong with the industry - not the people that refused to support it on principle. Diablo III for PS3 and PS4 is nothing more than an admission of the failure to listen and someone stepping down from their position is hardly a reassurance that the business itself hasn't learned its lession. They stepping down is mostly just symbolic. When the founders of Bioware left Bioware, that was to avoid losing face for EA's decisions. Now Riccitiello is stepping down from EA as CEO, but is that really an assurance they've learned anything? in the last two years?