Author Topic: Diablo 3 is here and ITS AWESOME!  (Read 119330 times)

Offline PyroMenace

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Diablo 3 is here and ITS AWESOME!
« on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:22:22 AM »
« Last Edit: Monday, May 21, 2012, 11:04:12 PM by PyroMenace »

Offline idolminds

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #1 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:24:23 AM »
I am so happy and tired right now.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #2 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:01:44 AM »
FINALLY!
Thank you, Blizzard and Gamespot!

EDIT:
This is from Diablo III's Official FAQs on the new official D3 site.

Quote
GENERAL

    "
    What is Diablo III?

                

    We’re developing Diablo III to be the definitive action role-playing game, and a true continuation of the Diablo series. Players will create a hero from one of five distinct classes, such as barbarian or witch doctor, each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. As these heroes adventure through rich and varied settings, unraveling an epic storyline and engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, they’ll grow in experience and ability and acquire items of incredible power.

                

    The game takes place on Sanctuary, a world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants, Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those warriors who directly faced the armies of the Burning Hells -- and were fortunate enough to survive -- went mad from their experiences. And most of the others have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their thoughts. In Diablo III, players will return to Sanctuary to confront evil in its many forms once again.

                

    Diablo III will be a fitting sequel to Diablo II, with the easy interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. It will also include many new features that will take the Diablo action-RPG experience to the next level. We look forward to going into much more detail on our plans for Diablo III as development on the game progresses.

             
    top
    ""
    What’s new about Diablo III compared to the previous Diablo games?

                

    Exciting new classes like the witch doctor bring new gameplay options to the table. Returning classes, like the barbarian, have been completely redone with new skills to give them a feel unique to Diablo III. New customization options will provide for an even greater level of character specialization than the previous Diablo games, allowing the player to create unique characters brimming with power.

                

    Diablo III is powered by a new graphics engine that can display characters and hordes of monsters in lush, fully 3D environments. Powerful special-effects systems and Havok-powered physics allow the player to lay waste to the Hells' minions in spectacular ways.

                

    Also, Diablo III builds on the random environments of the previous Diablo games by introducing a host of new ways to create random scripted events throughout the game. This creates a dense and exciting world alive with quests, NPCs, dynamic encounters, and viciously challenging new monsters and bosses. Diablo III's environments add a great deal of interactivity to the game, including destructible elements and environmental obstacles that can be turned against your enemies.

                

    In addition, Diablo III will benefit from Battle.net upgrades that will provide some exciting new features for players. Cooperative online play remains a primary focus, with multiple enhancements being planned to make connecting with your friends easier and cooperative gameplay even more fun. We'll have more details on all these aspects as well as other exciting new features at a later date.

             
    top
    ""
    Can you give an overview of Diablo III's storyline?

                

    It has been twenty years since the events of Diablo II. Of those who faced the Lords of Hatred, Terror, and Destruction in the battle over the fate of Sanctuary, there are few still living who can bear to remember the horrors that the Prime Evils wrought upon the world. And of those who did not witness the terrible events firsthand, most believe the stories to be little more than myth. But something evil is stirring once again in Tristram, and it may already have claimed its first victim: Deckard Cain.

             
    top
    ""
    Will there be any other familiar faces in Diablo III (other than Deckard Cain)?

                

    Yes. Players will encounter several new characters as well as a number of characters from the previous games.

             
    top
    ""
    Will players be visiting any familiar locations in Diablo III, such as Tristram?

                

    Yes, definitely. Players will return to Tristram and certain other locations from the previous games, and they'll be exploring new areas of Sanctuary as well.

             
    top
    ""
    How many character classes are included in Diablo III? What are they?

                

    Five character classes will be included in the game, two of which, the barbarian and witch doctor, were revealed when the game was announced at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational. The other classes will be announced at a later date.

             
    top
    ""
    Will players be able to choose the gender of their character, regardless of class?

                

    Yes. Players will be able to create male and female characters for all five classes.

             
    top
    ""
    Will Diablo III be playable over Battle.net? What new features can we expect?

                

    Yes, Diablo III will be playable over Battle.net, and Battle.net will offer some exciting new features to enhance players' Diablo III experience. We'll announce specifics and go into much more detail at a later date.

             
    top
    ""
    Will there be a single-player component in addition to multiplayer?

                

    Yes. In addition to battling the hordes of the Burning Hells cooperatively with friends over Battle.net, players will be able to adventure through the world of Diablo III solo. More details on both the single-player and multiplayer experience will be revealed at a later date.

             
    top
    ""
    What will questing be like in Diablo III? Will it be similar to Diablo II?

                

    Our plans for the story and quest mechanics are still under wraps. We'll go into detail on those elements of the game at a later date. We can say, however, that we expect to have class-based quests in addition to the main story-line quests.

             
    top
    "

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

    "
    What engine is Diablo III running on? What graphical enhancements are included?

                

    Diablo III runs on a custom 3D game engine for rendering full-3D characters and environments. The 3D game engine not only simulates advanced animation sequences and sound effects, but also uses a custom physics engine that allows for realistic object dynamics and cloth simulation.

             
    top
    ""
    What are the system requirements for Diablo III?

                

    We'll announce specific system requirements at a later date.

             
    top
    "

RELEASE PLANS

    "
    When will Diablo III be released?

                

    It's too early to estimate Diablo III's release date. As with all Blizzard Entertainment games, our goal is to create a game that is as fun, balanced, and polished as possible. We intend to take as much time developing Diablo III as is necessary to ensure the game meets our own high expectations and those of our players.

             
    top
    ""
    Will the game be released in multiple countries? Will the release be simultaneous? Which countries and what languages will Diablo III be localized in?

                

    As with all of our games, our goal with Diablo III is to release the game simultaneously in as many regions as possible, and to localize the game in several languages. We'll have more details to share about countries, languages, and specific dates as we get closer to release.

             
    top
    ""
    Will Diablo III be available on Windows and Mac simultaneously?

                

    Yes. As with all of Blizzard Entertainment's recent releases, Diablo III will ship for both Windows and Mac simultaneously.

             
    top
    ""
    How much will Diablo III cost? Where can I buy this game?

                

    Pricing and availability for Diablo III will be determined and announced closer to the release of the game.
    "
« Last Edit: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:26:59 AM by MysterD »

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #3 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 09:56:02 AM »


Looks sexy.  They did a great job in the switch to 3D, it seems, though it looks a bit more cartoony than the past games.  Like the player characters look slightly mow WoW-ish.  Still, the whole thing looks slick, I'm not complaining in the least.





I am so looking forward to this.  Who's gonna' skip the SP entirely and play through multiplayer with me?

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #4 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 10:51:12 AM »
If the SP and MP are the same exact campaign, I'll probably just do the MP so I can play with others.
that's basically what I did w/ Hellgate.


 

Offline Cobra951

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #5 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 12:56:42 PM »
I foresee not being able to run this.  It looks . . . monstrous?  Is the release ballpark this year, 2010, or what?  They're mum about that.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #6 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 01:35:12 PM »
No release date announced.
Hell, no rumors yet, either.

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #7 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:00:41 PM »
I never played the older ones but I'll probably play this.  I'm probably alone on this, but I kind of wish Blizzard had more than one fall back art style.  I get that the whole cartoony thing is kind of their look, but for this type of game I certainly appreciate a more realistic graphical style.

Offline sirean_syan

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #8 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:25:28 PM »
It didn't use to be their only look. Look at some of the old art or screenshots from original Diablos. There is no way I would have placed that in with the cartoony crowd. This look only became their standard since Warcraft took off like a bandit.

Offline JacksRag(e)

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #9 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:35:09 PM »
So, it looks like I'm gonna be playing this with you guys come 2011.
Makes me want to bust out Titan Quest though..anyone game?

Offline sirean_syan

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #10 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:41:35 PM »
Screw Titan Quest. Just reinstall Diablo II.

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #11 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 03:46:29 PM »
I never did play Titan Quest.  I'm all about the Guild Wars for my fantasy needs these days anyway, maybe even more so now that I know D3 is going to look more cartoony and less dark.  That doesn't mean I won't look forward to it, but I definitely wish that they'd continued along the gritty path of D2 and taken that to the next level instead of taking a step back like this.  I don't mind a colorful palette, nor do I mind the move to 3D, and while ultimately I don't suspect this will have much bearing on my enjoyment of the game, it's quite disappointing at this initial stage.

EDIT - And less disappointing after watching most of the 19-minute gameplay trailer.  Shit, if you don't think that looks super-awesome, something is wrong with you.  I still wish it looked slightly more dark and real as opposed to cartoony, but all in all, I think it's more a side effect of Blizzard going 3D with this.  I don't think they really know how to do anything but cartoony in that realm, or at least that's the impression I get.  Anyway, the rest of it all looked so fucking good that everything else seems irrelevant.  It's a good sign that my initial annoyances were totally outweighed within 3 minutes of watching gameplay.
« Last Edit: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 04:17:57 PM by Quemaqua »

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #12 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 05:16:04 PM »
I never did play Titan Quest.  I'm all about the Guild Wars for my fantasy needs these days anyway, maybe even more so now that I know D3 is going to look more cartoony and less dark.  That doesn't mean I won't look forward to it, but I definitely wish that they'd continued along the gritty path of D2 and taken that to the next level instead of taking a step back like this.  I don't mind a colorful palette, nor do I mind the move to 3D, and while ultimately I don't suspect this will have much bearing on my enjoyment of the game, it's quite disappointing at this initial stage.
I do get what you mean about it missing the dark and gritty look D2 had, as the D3 game looks quite shiny and cartoony.
The game's story still looks like will still have that a dark tone.

Quote
EDIT - And less disappointing after watching most of the 19-minute gameplay trailer.  Shit, if you don't think that looks super-awesome, something is wrong with you.  I still wish it looked slightly more dark and real as opposed to cartoony, but all in all, I think it's more a side effect of Blizzard going 3D with this.  I don't think they really know how to do anything but cartoony in that realm, or at least that's the impression I get.  Anyway, the rest of it all looked so fucking good that everything else seems irrelevant.  It's a good sign that my initial annoyances were totally outweighed within 3 minutes of watching gameplay.
God, the action looks incredible in this game.
Especially w/ the Barbarian going nuts and slamming everything.

Oh, the destructible environments looks awesome.
As violent as Diablo is, this fits right in.

The armor looks freakin' sweet.

....

Watching Witchdoc' in action.
Conjuring up a Wall of Zombies = TOO AWESOME.

....

OMG at that boss battle they show at the end. Awesome.

Goddamn, this can't be open soon enough...

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #13 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:13:30 PM »
Idol found this image and it's exactly right.  Diablo just needs to look more gritty, less clean.  That image demonstrates perfectly where the misstep lies.  That's some brilliant use of post-processing and highlights changes in color and lighting that suit the game much, much better and make it feel much closer to its predecessors.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #14 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:28:28 PM »
Idol found this image and it's exactly right.  Diablo just needs to look more gritty, less clean.  That image demonstrates perfectly where the misstep lies.  That's some brilliant use of post-processing and highlights changes in color and lighting that suit the game much, much better and make it feel much closer to its predecessors.

The new clean-extremely shiny D3 look does look like something you'd expect out of a game that more suits that look like say...oh, Titan Quest.

Regardless, D3 still looks awesome.

BTW, that gritty-enhanced pic -- that gritty-look looks awesome; and indeed, more true to Diablo series. Maybe a D3 Expansion will go for a grittier darker-look?

Regardless, I want D3 like...NOW.

Maybe I'll go play some D2 now...

Offline JacksRag(e)

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #15 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:33:27 PM »
I can't find my D2 cds....might have to buy it again.  But yea, maybe they'll have like a gritty setting in the game, just for kicks.  I find it to be amusing.
And I was just thinking what if someone made a hack and slash dungeon game with zombies..I've been reading Monster Island and it just seems like tons of fun. Different zombie classes, modern weapons lying around and dungeons could be tunnels underground that lead topside and buildings where you need to collect medicine and supplies for your ill.  I think it'd be fun...in my head...and stuff.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #16 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:47:47 PM »
I can't find my D2 cds....might have to buy it again.  But yea, maybe they'll have like a gritty setting in the game, just for kicks.  I find it to be amusing.
$10 off the reg. price Diablo Battle Chest at GameStop, currently.
It's $30 -- from June 27th - July 3, 2008.

Make sure you install the newest D2 Patch and follow the directions so you don't have to deal w/ the discs anymore, since it removes the CD Check.

Quote
And I was just thinking what if someone made a hack and slash dungeon game with zombies..I've been reading Monster Island and it just seems like tons of fun. Different zombie classes, modern weapons lying around and dungeons could be tunnels underground that lead topside and buildings where you need to collect medicine and supplies for your ill.  I think it'd be fun...in my head...and stuff.
That would be a fun game action-RPG game, in the style of say Diablo and TQ.

On a zombie-killing note, there will be a game called Dead Island for PC and X360 by Techland (the dudes who made the underrated Call of Juarez).
Dead Island will be an open-world style first-person survival horror game.
See my thread on it for more info.

 

Offline idolminds

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #17 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 06:53:53 PM »
If you happen to have your D2 cd keys, you can add them to your account on the Blizzard store and then download the games (I believe Diablo is now available).

Offline JacksRag(e)

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #18 on: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 09:18:05 PM »
Found the discs.  So, if anyone has time in the upcoming weekend or sometime later, let's do this!

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #19 on: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 01:46:04 PM »
Would anyone be down for playing Titan Quest?  I'm tempted to buy the Gold edition, but don't know how much I'd play it just for single player.

Offline idolminds

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #20 on: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 02:23:33 PM »
Ive reinstalled TQ (And D2..heh). Never played it online, though.

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #21 on: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 03:10:36 PM »
Awesome.  I guess I'll go pick up Titan Quest Gold if I can find it at a store.  I don't really feel like buying it through STEAM and downloading 6 GB.

Offline JacksRag(e)

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #22 on: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 05:13:05 PM »
I'd be down if we can work out a good time to play.

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #23 on: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 05:44:41 PM »
I found Titan Quest Gold for $19.99 at a store and UT3 for $9.99 as well.  Awesome

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #24 on: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 07:33:36 PM »
I found Titan Quest Gold for $19.99 at a store and UT3 for $9.99 as well.  Awesome

Ooooh, I got both of those -- both still installed, too. :)

UT3 is definitely worth $9.99, easily.
Even more so of a steal, if that was the Collector's Ed.

EDIT:
I still have D2: LOD installed, as well. I have an Account, but never did anything on BNet with it. I usually play SP with that game.

But, yeah -- I'd be down to play D2: LOD on B-Net sometime soon.

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #25 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 02:19:08 AM »
Oh god, Titan Quest is like crack.  UTIII not so much, but that might just be because I seem to be about 5% of the online population of that game.

Offline scottws

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #26 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 06:20:26 AM »
I must be the only person who simply doesn't give a rat's ass.  Diablo 2 was a nice looking game and otherwise excellent from a technical perspective, but the gameplay was pretty lame.

Offline Xessive

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #27 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 06:56:23 AM »
I must be the only person who simply doesn't give a rat's ass.  Diablo 2 was a nice looking game and otherwise excellent from a technical perspective, but the gameplay was pretty lame.
I was never a big fan of the gameplay either. Diablo (1 & 2), Titan Quest, and Dungeon Siege are games I generally put up with the tedious tasks just to progress the plot and build my characters. I've never enjoyed hordes of monsters barraging at me but in co-op it's definitely more fun!

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #28 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 12:04:03 PM »
I've never been a huge fan of these types of games either.  It's not that I don't like them, more that I just never really got into them.  I played a fair amount of Dungeon Siege when it first came out, but that's pretty much it (DS II had my attention for a couple of days before I got bored). 

I find Titan Quest pretty awesome right now, but I can definitely see myself getting bored with it pretty quickly.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #29 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 01:48:02 PM »
Audience Q&A from Paris on D3

Quote
Audience Q&A

Q: Do you plan to keep the 4/5 man typical group size or will you design for much larger groups?
A: Group size isn't a technical restriction, but a gameplay one. Smaller groups are better due to the camera restriction. We haven't really decided but we'll focus on whatever gives the best experience, that'll be 4 or maybe 5 person parties.
Okie dokie.

Quote
Q: Will you increase inventory size?
A: We haven't decided. We're improving the inventory system and it'll be easier to trade items between your characters or other players. We'll pick a size appropriate to gameplay.
In my opinion, I think it would be best to split them up into categories like other games do like say Silverfall: EA, Gothic, and Oblivion do --  one inventory tab for Weapons, one tab for Armor, one for Quest Items, etc etc.

Quote
Q: There are a lot of WoW players and Diablo II players, which audience are you aiming at?
A: We haven't a particular aim. We're making the game for people who love Diablo, and there's plenty of room for both WoW and Diablo, we've no intention to play one game against the other.

Q: Will the seven classes from Diablo II be kept as well as the new classes you're introducing?
A: We have no plans to carry classes over. It's a fresh start, we haven't finalized the final classes or how many there will be. We're not trying to bring back Diablo II classes.
Yet, the Barbarian's back...

Quote
Q: Will there be different systems like mana, energy and rage for each class?
A: We're exploring these systems, we have no specific plans.

Q: Will there be hardcore mode in Diablo III?
A: I don't see why we wouldn't. That decision is made towards the end of development, we might not, but we probably will.
How vague...

Quote
Q: With the loot system in Diablo II, the player with the fastest connection often got the loot. Will this change?

A: We're changing the drop system. Monsters will drop multiple items, each player will see loot generated for them.
Cool.

Quote
Q: Will you be able to respec your player's skills?
A: We're not talking about it but I think it's a bad idea not to. I can't give you any specifics.
Okay.

Quote
Q: Is the witch doctor a spiritual successor to the necromancer?
A: It's not really a replacement. It's a really cool class that we liked the sound of. The witch doctor doesn't prohibit us deciding to put a necromancer class in too.
I wonder if the Necromancer will be back...

Quote
Q: How does the gear system differ from Diablo II?
A: There are new features for items planned. The core system isn't drastically changed. The loot structure is already good, we've maintained and improved on that.
Okay. If it ain't broke, don't fix it too much, I guess.

Quote
Q: Will there still be the ability to cheat over Battle.net?
A: I can't give you specifics, there's a new version of Battle.net with a huge focus on cheats and anti-hack. We really want to make sure it works as cheating hurts the community.
Good.

Quote
Q: Will there be secret areas and hidden levels?
A: That's a secret.
Makes sense. :P

Quote
Q: Will single-player and co-operative play be balanced? Do you have to group to get the best items?
A: The game experience is different in co-op but items will be available in both modes, there won't be anything available in co-op you can't get in single player.
Makes sense.

Quote
Q: You announced LoD in 2001, why is the sequel so late?
A: It's a development issue. We wanted to make a game worthy of being a Blizzard game, so it took this long to make it that good.
Makes sense.

Quote
Q: Will male and female characters have different attributes?
A: There will be no differences beyond physical appearance. We don't want to get into that area.
Okay.

Quote
Q: Will system requirements be high or will a WoW-capable PC run it? Will you need DirectX 10?
A: It's not settled but Blizzard's goal is to support a broad set of systems. We'll have as low system requirements as we can. We don't plan to use DirectX 10 at the moment.
It doesn't seem like many games seem to be adopting a DX10-Only approach. Most are supporting both DX9 (Windows XP) AND DX10 (Win Vista).

Quote
Q: Will there be a map editor?
A: We haven't nailed specifics but the Diablo series isn't very friendly to mods, mostly due to the random nature of the game. It's not a big focus of ours. But we haven't decided.
That'd be awesome if there is a level editor for the SP portion of the game.

Quote
Q: In Diablo II there was a rune system, will you keep that?
A: No comment at this time.

Want to know what else went down at this year's Worldwide Invitational? Check out WoW Insider's coverage of the event!
Okay.

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #30 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 04:03:52 PM »
Aaaaand, I think I'm already bored with Titan Quest.  These games kind of just aren't for me I guess.  I mainly play them to see new enviroments, but find the overall gameplay not very exciting (yet not entirely boring).  Without something extra to keep me coming back, chances are I'll get sick of them extrememly fast.  A great and immersive story line could keep me interested (although I've yet to come across a game like this with one) or high quality large production value set pieces and scripted events (ala CoD4 or God of War), but the general hack and slash just to get slightly different gear doesn't really appeal to me.

Co-op could still be fun though.

Offline Cobra951

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #31 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 05:15:45 PM »
All this Diablo awareness sucked me in too.  I ended up playing D2: LoD a few hours with a couple of different advanced characters I had.  So you're bored from hordes of monsters attacking you?  Attack them them back with your own horde.  My favorite character is a necromancer who can summon 66 beasts.  The breakdown is 23 skeletons, 23 skeletal mages, 19 revived enemy corpses and one golem.  Things slow down to a crawl sometimes, but shit is flying all over the screen.  My main job is summoning new critters from corpses as the old ones time out or get killed.  I defeated Diablo himself on nightmare difficulty with Boney last night, and moved on to the expansion.

Offline gpw11

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #32 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 05:46:51 PM »
Maybe that's the issue - I'm going about this the wrong way.  The character I started to develop seemed like he would be fun to play (warfare + dream), but I have a problem getting through the grinding in order to develop the skills that would make it fun. 

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #33 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 06:51:13 PM »
Yeah, I don't see how you can possibly find slaughtering endless hordes of monsters boring.  Also, don't ever fucking lump Diablo 2 in with the shit pile that is Dungeon Siege.  Those games are nothing alike on any but the most basic levels.

But yeah, the Diablo experience isn't necessarily readily apparent.  You can't play it for a few hours and expect to understand why it has the longevity that it does, and why it's so much fun.  You have to give it a good shot, and once you beat it and begin another game with the same character, you start to understand the cyclical, escalating nature of it, and why the challenges are so much fun to try and overcome.  From what I've read, Titan Quest is kind of fun, but it's still a Diablo knock-off that doesn't really hold the same appeal, much less for the length of time Diablo can keep you enthralled.

I'd say that coop in these games does increase the fun factor, though.  The original Diablo probably more so than Diablo 2 just because the first game wasn't as much fun in single player.  A little too primitive and limited.

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Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #34 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 09:00:03 PM »
Yeah, I don't see how you can possibly find slaughtering endless hordes of monsters boring.
Diablo series and TQ just wouldn't be so much fun, if there wasn't tons of skills to learn/master and tons of loot to get. That's a major part of its appeal, I think.

About story-depth, I don't think we expect a Diablo or TQ to be on the level of say a Planescape, BG2, or The Witcher. Then again, what games really are?

If I was to suggest some action-RPG games w/ a better story, cool atmosphere, and has the crazy non-stop action and insane unique-loot dropping of say a Diablo; but also has some decisions to make when doing quests -- here's my own suggestion. I'd say to look at Silverfall (Original) + Silverfall: Earth Awakening. I suggest you should only play these two w/ having both installed together. There's just too many technical issues by owning ONLY Silverfall: Original alone -- since the original edition is just not getting patched anymore; Silverfall: EA does fix a lot of issues with the original game (technical performance and a much much much better interface). Really, the USA needs to release that expansion pack and/or release a pack w/ both Silverfall plus SF: EA together.

Also, Divine Divinity (if you can find it these days) is another pretty good for an action-heavy RPG like Diablo, too. The story is actually pretty good and the setting itself is pretty good. And yes, the questing has more depth to it than say Diablo's. One thing -- make sure you got the patch patch, b/c the game had a ton of bugs upon release; the game's in great condition now, w/ numerous bugs all cleared up. Another thing -- the voice-acting is all over the place. Some of it is bad, some of it is okay, some of it is good. With the game patched-up and all, the voice-acting is really the only weakness in the actual game itself now.

I've yet to finish Beyond Divinity (which is also a hard find these days), but it is another pretty good action-RPG. Story's much darker and so is the atmosphere, when compared to Divine. Definitely action-packed, in the gameworld. The gameworld in Beyond is not as open-world style as Divine is, but it still gives you options and stuff when questing -- often, good vs. evil stuff. Plus, you control two characters here -- a character you create and an (Evil) Dark Knight forced upon you. Again, the same ordeal as Divine -- get the newest patch (this time, b/c it removes the StarForce CD check completely). And yes, unfortunately again, the voice-acting is all over the place.

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Also, don't ever fucking lump Diablo 2 in with the shit pile that is Dungeon Siege.  Those games are nothing alike on any but the most basic levels.
DS: Original + DS: LOA took what was great about Diablo -- ridiculous amounts of loot to get. It also took the Morrowind thing -- whatever skills you use, will improve. It also took what was great about Baldur's Gate series and Icewind Dale series -- full-party control, for big strategic battles.

It got all the basics right, gameplay-wise -- though unfortunately, DS never really had the atmosphere, character, style, plot, nor the presentation to catch up with Diablo series.

DS2 took a few steps forward (adding skills trees like Diablo II, adding somewhat of a plot, and somewhat better characters over the original), but also many steps back (the removal of the formation system, game does go on way too long, and an ending that leaves the player majorly hanging after 40 hours of playing).

Not really until DS2: Broken World did finally DS Series get things finally right, if you ask me (putting the party formation styles back in, a much more interesting plot, much more interesting atmosphere, more interesting NPC's, better banter, better presentation, some side quests give the player choices in how to finish a quest, and the game doesn't overstay its welcome). I'm sure many gamers felt it was TOO late to get it right w/ Broken World, but whatever -- it took Broken World expansion to finally get DS right.

And that's what gets me about DS3, w/ Taylor talking about removing the party entirely. I mean, Space Siege is a side-game in the Siege series that is in a sci-fi setting -- so, it's okay to toss the party out there; it's its own thing. Do they really need to obliterate the party for DS3? I mean, it'll probably basically become another Diablo game even more so, by tossing the party out. We don't need another Diablo -- that's what the hell Diablo is for. I always though DS was always about having a big band of adventurers to strategically slay stuff.

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But yeah, the Diablo experience isn't necessarily readily apparent.  You can't play it for a few hours and expect to understand why it has the longevity that it does, and why it's so much fun.  You have to give it a good shot, and once you beat it and begin another game with the same character, you start to understand the cyclical, escalating nature of it, and why the challenges are so much fun to try and overcome.  From what I've read, Titan Quest is kind of fun, but it's still a Diablo knock-off that doesn't really hold the same appeal, much less for the length of time Diablo can keep you enthralled.
I think TQ probably lacks the support of the MP-gamers and most importantly lacks Iron Lore supporting the MP with something like a Battle.net -- even more so, with Iron Lore gone now, obviously. I think most people play TQ to play solo, not MP. I never tried TQ's MP, b/c I want to finish SP first -- but I'm sure, I'll eventually try it out; hopefully, someone will be playing it on MP side of things! :P

While I think TQ is a fully 3D graphically prettier-looking Diablo II placed over a Greek Mythology setting, I think TQ has done the Diablo-style clone-thing better than anyone else.
 
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I'd say that coop in these games does increase the fun factor, though.  The original Diablo probably more so than Diablo 2 just because the first game wasn't as much fun in single player.  A little too primitive and limited.
D1's SP was just okay. The MP on Battle.net was where that game really shined, that.

D2's SP is actually good and addictive. I'd expect its MP to be even better, myself -- since the D1 MP was very good.

Offline Ghandi

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #35 on: Monday, June 30, 2008, 09:53:58 PM »
I'd say that coop in these games does increase the fun factor, though.

Absolutely. Anyone who judges Diablo 2 solely based on single player isn't really taking into account the whole game. A large portion of the game is based around the fact that you will be playing with other people.

As fun as Diablo 3 looks, the fact that Blizzard is making it means that it will probably be pretty fucking awesome when it rolls around. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.


Offline Xessive

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #36 on: Tuesday, July 01, 2008, 02:27:46 AM »
I've always loved co-op multiplayer. In any game. Deathmatch and PvP are okaaay but I get bored of them quickly.

MyD:
Isn't that the Necromancer in Que's first screenshot?


Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #37 on: Tuesday, July 01, 2008, 06:39:07 AM »
New character, Witch Doctor.  Seems to be sort of a Necromancer 2.

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Offline Xessive

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #38 on: Tuesday, July 01, 2008, 12:20:27 PM »
New character, Witch Doctor.  Seems to be sort of a Necromancer 2.
I thought the Witchdoctor had like a Haka mask with feathers!

I am really curious about what their final decisions will be.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Diablo 3 is announced
« Reply #39 on: Tuesday, July 01, 2008, 01:37:38 PM »
If you look at my Q&A post in this thread, Xessive -- Blizz has said that just b/c they put in the Witchdoctor for D3 does not mean there will not be a Necromancer class in D3.
(Doesn't mean that there will be a Necromancer class in D3, either.)

So, I'm guessing the Witchdoctor class is still gonna be much different than any version of the Necromancer class quite a bit, at least...

EDIT:
By the wall, Wall of Zombies ability the Witchdoc has is just TOO DAMN cool.