We don't think that adding an option to disable screen shake is necessarily the best answer to this problem, but we do agree that a) it is a problem (even if it's not high priority) and b) we'd like to do something about it.

The primary issue is with the way many of the spells with a "shake" effect were designed. The shake itself isn't so bad if the spell is cast on a target that's farther away from your character, and that's how we imagined those spells would primarily be used when we originally implemented them. For many current builds, though, it's common to repeatedly cast spells with those effects right on top of yourself (see Meteor or Zombie Bears, or in rare situations Dire Bats). The result is that the shake is MUCH more prominent than we intended, and those play styles weren't something we really accounted for when we were designing all the spell FX.

So, it's our bad, and we want to fix it, but we'd prefer to correct the core of the problem (the way the shake effect works) rather than creating another toggle in the Options menu. That's a timely investment, though, and there are other things we'd like to address first, so I don't have a time frame to share for when we'll get to it just yet.

TL; DR: We've heard your feedback (yay!). We agree that the shake can be annoying. We want to correct the issue and improve your gaming experience, but we don't have an ETA on when we'll be able to tackle that fix.

12/10/2012 08:29 PMPosted by DeMasked

Just for fun I'm going to call Lylirra a necro.

Full disclosure: I recently took vacation and was out of the office for some time. There were a few threads I was waiting for information on that I either didn't have time to respond to or didn't hear back on before I left, so I'm following up on them now. Just because the topics are older doesn't meant they're any less valid (imo).

12/10/2012 08:55 PMPosted by Dagamon

This is a little confusing, because Zombie Bears has a horrible, horrible range. It feels like I'm casting spectral blades.

Well, in the case of Zombie Bears, it's probably more how frequently players are casting it rather than pure range. Same issues still applies, though: we didn't account for certain spells with the shake effect to really be used in the ways they are now, so the original FX design isn't as friendly to some of the newer/current builds.

And the option to disable the effect is still something we can consider, but it's not something we favor. In general, for a game like Diablo III, we want to try to avoid adding options for everything as a way to correct an issue and instead see if we can address why you're asking for the option in the first place.

12/10/2012 09:14 PMPosted by Plebeian

This is arrogance, you want to force us to play the game exactly how you designed it?

Just because we disagree with a specific suggestion or solution doesn't mean we're arrogant, or that we even think the suggestion/solution is bad. It just means it doesn't mesh with our design philosophy for the game, and it's okay for players and designers to sometimes have disagreements on that front.

To a point, games are designed to be played a specific way, and that call is really up to the people who designed it. While we do happily listen to player feedback and have made many, many positive changes as a result of your input, there will probably always be some situations where our opinions for how the game should function or look will differ.

12/10/2012 10:06 PMPosted by Linkin

What? To change screen shaking? Really?? BIG INVESTMENT? are you serious? You have monkeys coding the game?

Blargh. That was a horrible typo on my part. Thanks for catching it!

Here's a video I think you might like in return: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Wy7gRGgeA

12/10/2012 09:59 PMPosted by enem

you provide options to disable music. isn;t this request somewhere in the same ballpark?

Didn't say the idea was in the realm of "never," just that we'd rather try to fix the issue at its core rather than simply opting for another menu option over other solutions.

Still, I really respect your post and perspective on the matter (similar for other replies in this thread) and am happy to pass on the feedback.

When you say that "the shake itself isn't so bad if the spell is cast on a target that's farther away" I would have to ask:
Do you have a problem with the screen shakes to begin with in order to know which type of share is more tolerable? Are you talking from experience or you're only guessing?

I personally do not, so if someone who suffers from symptoms as a result of the screen shake effect would be willing to prioritize which spells are the worst offenders (or list them according to severity) and why, I'd be happy to pass that information along.

12/12/2012 08:20 PMPosted by Noxifer

So Diablo3 was designed and it's meant to be played in a manner that causes headaches, is that it? If that is the case -- you have succeeded, and not just because of the screen shakes.

No, not at all. Like I said before, the shake is much more prominent than we intended for certain play styles, and those play styles weren't something we really accounted for when we were designing all the spell FX.