I finally got to try the beta via free 2hour trial from SwagVault
It's odd, because I didn't expect that they would actually follow through on the promise - especially after using a dummy email/name/phone number to protect myself. But sure enough, they did.
So what did I think?
... I .. Don't know. I ended up choosing a Demon Hunter after playing with the Wizard for about 5 minutes. As quickly as I could, I stormed through the quests. I wanted to kill the skeleton king before my time with the demo ended, and see all that I could.
The result was an experience that left me.. well, undecided. The gameplay was what I expected it to be (even if the "Rapid Fire" ability seemed far less awesome than I had hoped), and yet I wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought I'd be. I understand it's only a beta. Having done several WoW xpac betas, the SC2 beta, and countless others - I know not to judge a game based on such a limited viewing.
The problem wasn't what I saw, but what I didn't see. The death animations for various random mobs was interesting, and I got a kick out of so many destructible elements. I was also entertained by all the voice work and the trek through Old Tristam again.
So what is bothering me? It's tough to put my finger on. It clearly has the polish and charm I'd expect from a blizzard title, and it just drips with that "Diablo" flavor and atmosphere. Maybe my expectations are too high? Perhaps simply knowing what to expect prevents it from having that same "shock and awe" that my early moments with D1 and D2 had.
Anyone else have a similar feeling? I'm not trolling, nor am I complaining. I love the franchise and still eagerly await the release.
I just worry that it won't give me the same feeling that D2 did so often. After checking this site/forums for news and stories daily, I suddenly have this sinking feeling that I'm longing for an experience that D3 isn't offering.
i 100% agree. i had hyped this game so effing high in my mind that no matter how good it turned out i was for sure going to be dissapointed in some way. dont get me wrong i loved the beta and i know the game is going to be epic on release i just wasnt shocked or awed when i played, it was basically what i expected it to be from watching beta playthroughs and nothing more.
game still pwns though
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"once the pretty hardcore gamers we had testing inferno found it fairly difficult, we then we doubled it" -trolololol jay wilson
I kinda felt the same way when I played the game in 09, but I had more specific opinions on that particular demo because that was almost 3 years ago. My first or second post on these forums were about my playthrough.
I think the main problem with guys like you and me is because we've started playing the series and enjoyed it a long time ago, so you want to see something new or something that's going to drive the genre forward. Combine that with how Blizzard is absolutely not sharing anything beyond a fraction of Act 1, and you've got yourself some dissapointment...
I wish we could petition for some non-spiiler footage of characters killing things in act 2 or act 3. I feel like they were showing more of this game 2-3 years ago than they do now. Remember the monk trailer? Oh cool, we got to see a city that's probably in act 2. Why can't we have more of that?
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Some people tell me I'm going to hell. I just let them know that I've already packed my bags!
I wish we could petition for some non-spiiler footage of characters killing things in act 2 or act 3. I feel like they were showing more of this game 2-3 years ago than they do now. Remember the monk trailer? Oh cool, we got to see a city that's probably in act 2. Why can't we have more of that?
i kind of agree but at the same time they are hiding 80% of the game for a reason. and because itll be THAT much better playing it on release when nearly every area you visit and every mob you see is unknown to you.
one of the reasons the beta was bleh to me when i finally got to play was because i saw so many beta playthroughs that ive seen all the areas and mobs in the beta 100x before i played it, so nothing was surprising or new or fresh
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"once the pretty hardcore gamers we had testing inferno found it fairly difficult, we then we doubled it" -trolololol jay wilson
Personal advice from someone who has killed Skeleton King at least 400 times, Don't treat this as a beta, treat it as a puzzle game, Look for errors if you want, but I suggest doing that first, and then start pimping out your character the best you can try to find all the easter eggs Blizzard put in there for you.
I was a little disappointed my first time, simply because I had built the hype up to ridiculous levels. The more I played the more I enjoyed it, and I can see myself getting totally lost in the game when it's my retail character.
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The question isn't why do I kill. The question is, why I don't kill everybody.
The beta will grow on you. As annoying as it is being done in 1 hour, you find yourself coming back to it more and more.
For me, games like Half-Life 2 or Rareware games back on the N64 hook you right away (and you spend 3-4 days just non-stop playing), whereas Diablo 3 kind of starts slow but for the next X months/years of your life you find yourself constantly drawn to it.
The beta takes longer than 2 hours to complete on first run due to starting with no gear. It goes faster in subsequent play throughs. The beta also gets better as you gain access to additional skills. If you want to get the complete experience go watch the opening trailer and black soulstone in HD. A large part of the wonderful experience of Diablo II was the beautiful cut scenes and compelling storyline. I can't wait to play the full verson with all my friends. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/media/videos/?keywords=&view#/black-soulstone
I think if you had the Beta longer, didn't feel rushed to finish, and got to try all the classes, you would have enjoyed it a lot more.
That wouldn't have improved it. It's still a boring game.
if its a boring game why do you have nearly 15 thousand posts on a diablo fan website? you should stop coming here then. whats the point? spreading more hate for the game on a fan site? lawl
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"once the pretty hardcore gamers we had testing inferno found it fairly difficult, we then we doubled it" -trolololol jay wilson
if its a boring game why do you have nearly 15 thousand posts on a diablo fan website? you should stop coming here then. whats the point? spreading more hate for the game on a fan site? lawl
Ggggg lawl lawlzorz!!
Well you know what? I'm totally not gonna answer your question. I'm gonna let you sit there and wonder why I have nearly 15 thousand posts on a diablo fan website. But wouldn't it really be more accurate to call it a webzone? Where are you getting this phrase website? That doesn't make sense. It's a webzone. LOL You've got mail!
And I'm not spreading hate for this game. I'm merely being honest. I'm just saying that so far I've found it to be mostly boring. Is my mind ultimately decided on it? Of course not. But what I've seen and what I've played of it so far has merely been underwhelming. Is that okay with you? Can I express such feelings without being labelled a hater? Is that possible as far as you're concerned? I promise you don't have to answer any of these questions.
Working on maxing out my last two characters (Monk/Demon Hunter). I'm not sure which class I like the most yet but time will tell.
I am already liking everything I'm seeing. It feels so familiar yet so much more refined than D2 in terms of character control. I can definitely tell that the harder difficulties are going to require some really intense coordination. I can't wait!!
I'm glad to see this didn't turn into a flame war.
It's also interesting that a lot of people feel as I do.
As far as not being able to finish the beta the first go in 2 hours, I can promise that you can. My Demon hunter took me about an hour and a half, because I decided to stay a while and listen! whenever Cain spoke. Finished the SKing about lvl 9 or so.
I do agree that if I had more time, I probably would've liked it more. I do tend to stop and smell the flowers, soak in the lore and take my time.. All of which were out the window in my rush to complete as much as I could.
But yeah, at the end of the day I think it's just being jaded as a long time fan that may hold back my enjoyment. We shall see, when I've finally got the CE running on my computer and I'm blasting through the rest of the game.
I think the main problem with guys like you and me is because we've started playing the series and enjoyed it a long time ago, so you want to see something new or something that's going to drive the genre forward.
Very well-put. This is kind of what I'm mostly concerned about in terms of the game's release. I remember being pretty excited about the SC2 announcement, and when I got the chance to play the beta, it just felt like the original game but with better graphics.
D1 was great, and D2 built on that and set the bar even higher. The fact that D3 is re-using so many of the items from D2 (D2 did this a little with D1, but it seemed more of nod to the game and not a complete recycling of all the items), the skeleton king is back again (?) - maybe minor things, but it starts to make me think that the game will not be very creative other than enhanced graphics.
My hope is that things like crafting, the rune system, the new skills, and PvP will keep the game interesting, fun, and different enough from its predecessor.
I had the same feeling at first when you get to lvl 12 and you have more skill to use it get better imo .
Also Diablo is a loot pinata game , its all about finding loot , trading and getting better .
Right now its pretty useless to try and get geared because the beta is easy mode .
I had the same feeling at first when you get to lvl 12 and you have more skill to use it get better imo .
Also Diablo is a loot pinata game , its all about finding loot , trading and getting better .
Right now its pretty useless to try and get geared because the beta is easy mode .
My 2 cent
This is true. One of my most memorable moments in D2 was finding the first WindForce on USEast.
If not -the- first, then easily one of the first. No one knew what the damn thing was when I started trying to trade/sell it.
The odd part about it was that I wasn't even doing an MF run at the time. I was actually killing hell pindleskin just to finish the quest on my new necro and BAM - there it was.
I felt pretty similarly to you after my first two hours of gameplay. I even did the same thing by starting with the witch doctor (which I've wanted to play since the announcement of the game) and switching after ten minutes.
But then on my third playthrough with the barbarian, (who I never really liked in Diablo II) the game felt really well put together. I think that at first, I was so excited to finally play the game that I just rushed through everything to get to the end because I just wanted to absorb as much gameplay as possible, when I really should have played at a normal pace and enjoyed myself.
So my advice would be to try to play it more and to play it with each character. I've since gone back to the Witch Doctor and he is actually my favorite to play as.
The longer Blizzard creates hype for the game the higher the expectations.
I would say two things though:
-Your experience may be better with another class and more time.
-Beta as 0 customization, it will get more interesting later on.
But in the en, even if I'mstill excited, the delay is making my expectations higher and higher while I must admit the game won't ever reach them now. I will always have this "Hmmm it's great but doesn't deserve such a long development" feeling.
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I finally got to try the beta via free 2hour trial from SwagVault
It's odd, because I didn't expect that they would actually follow through on the promise - especially after using a dummy email/name/phone number to protect myself. But sure enough, they did.
So what did I think?
... I .. Don't know. I ended up choosing a Demon Hunter after playing with the Wizard for about 5 minutes. As quickly as I could, I stormed through the quests. I wanted to kill the skeleton king before my time with the demo ended, and see all that I could.
The result was an experience that left me.. well, undecided. The gameplay was what I expected it to be (even if the "Rapid Fire" ability seemed far less awesome than I had hoped), and yet I wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought I'd be. I understand it's only a beta. Having done several WoW xpac betas, the SC2 beta, and countless others - I know not to judge a game based on such a limited viewing.
The problem wasn't what I saw, but what I didn't see. The death animations for various random mobs was interesting, and I got a kick out of so many destructible elements. I was also entertained by all the voice work and the trek through Old Tristam again.
So what is bothering me? It's tough to put my finger on. It clearly has the polish and charm I'd expect from a blizzard title, and it just drips with that "Diablo" flavor and atmosphere. Maybe my expectations are too high? Perhaps simply knowing what to expect prevents it from having that same "shock and awe" that my early moments with D1 and D2 had.
Anyone else have a similar feeling? I'm not trolling, nor am I complaining. I love the franchise and still eagerly await the release.
I just worry that it won't give me the same feeling that D2 did so often. After checking this site/forums for news and stories daily, I suddenly have this sinking feeling that I'm longing for an experience that D3 isn't offering.
game still pwns though
I think the main problem with guys like you and me is because we've started playing the series and enjoyed it a long time ago, so you want to see something new or something that's going to drive the genre forward. Combine that with how Blizzard is absolutely not sharing anything beyond a fraction of Act 1, and you've got yourself some dissapointment...
I wish we could petition for some non-spiiler footage of characters killing things in act 2 or act 3. I feel like they were showing more of this game 2-3 years ago than they do now. Remember the monk trailer? Oh cool, we got to see a city that's probably in act 2. Why can't we have more of that?
i kind of agree but at the same time they are hiding 80% of the game for a reason. and because itll be THAT much better playing it on release when nearly every area you visit and every mob you see is unknown to you.
one of the reasons the beta was bleh to me when i finally got to play was because i saw so many beta playthroughs that ive seen all the areas and mobs in the beta 100x before i played it, so nothing was surprising or new or fresh
https://www.deviantart.com/aerisot
For me, games like Half-Life 2 or Rareware games back on the N64 hook you right away (and you spend 3-4 days just non-stop playing), whereas Diablo 3 kind of starts slow but for the next X months/years of your life you find yourself constantly drawn to it.
D3 Channel: OnetwoD3
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/media/videos/?keywords=&view#/black-soulstone
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
if its a boring game why do you have nearly 15 thousand posts on a diablo fan website? you should stop coming here then. whats the point? spreading more hate for the game on a fan site? lawl
Well you know what? I'm totally not gonna answer your question. I'm gonna let you sit there and wonder why I have nearly 15 thousand posts on a diablo fan website. But wouldn't it really be more accurate to call it a webzone? Where are you getting this phrase website? That doesn't make sense. It's a webzone. LOL You've got mail!
And I'm not spreading hate for this game. I'm merely being honest. I'm just saying that so far I've found it to be mostly boring. Is my mind ultimately decided on it? Of course not. But what I've seen and what I've played of it so far has merely been underwhelming. Is that okay with you? Can I express such feelings without being labelled a hater? Is that possible as far as you're concerned? I promise you don't have to answer any of these questions.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
I am already liking everything I'm seeing. It feels so familiar yet so much more refined than D2 in terms of character control. I can definitely tell that the harder difficulties are going to require some really intense coordination. I can't wait!!
It's also interesting that a lot of people feel as I do.
As far as not being able to finish the beta the first go in 2 hours, I can promise that you can. My Demon hunter took me about an hour and a half, because I decided to stay a while and listen! whenever Cain spoke. Finished the SKing about lvl 9 or so.
I do agree that if I had more time, I probably would've liked it more. I do tend to stop and smell the flowers, soak in the lore and take my time.. All of which were out the window in my rush to complete as much as I could.
But yeah, at the end of the day I think it's just being jaded as a long time fan that may hold back my enjoyment. We shall see, when I've finally got the CE running on my computer and I'm blasting through the rest of the game.
D1 was great, and D2 built on that and set the bar even higher. The fact that D3 is re-using so many of the items from D2 (D2 did this a little with D1, but it seemed more of nod to the game and not a complete recycling of all the items), the skeleton king is back again (?) - maybe minor things, but it starts to make me think that the game will not be very creative other than enhanced graphics.
My hope is that things like crafting, the rune system, the new skills, and PvP will keep the game interesting, fun, and different enough from its predecessor.
Also Diablo is a loot pinata game , its all about finding loot , trading and getting better .
Right now its pretty useless to try and get geared because the beta is easy mode .
My 2 cent
This is true. One of my most memorable moments in D2 was finding the first WindForce on USEast.
If not -the- first, then easily one of the first. No one knew what the damn thing was when I started trying to trade/sell it.
The odd part about it was that I wasn't even doing an MF run at the time. I was actually killing hell pindleskin just to finish the quest on my new necro and BAM - there it was.
But then on my third playthrough with the barbarian, (who I never really liked in Diablo II) the game felt really well put together. I think that at first, I was so excited to finally play the game that I just rushed through everything to get to the end because I just wanted to absorb as much gameplay as possible, when I really should have played at a normal pace and enjoyed myself.
So my advice would be to try to play it more and to play it with each character. I've since gone back to the Witch Doctor and he is actually my favorite to play as.
I would say two things though:
-Your experience may be better with another class and more time.
-Beta as 0 customization, it will get more interesting later on.
But in the en, even if I'mstill excited, the delay is making my expectations higher and higher while I must admit the game won't ever reach them now. I will always have this "Hmmm it's great but doesn't deserve such a long development" feeling.