Ok, so yesterday after work I stopped by Barnes and Noble and went to the magazine section, I saw CoD 5 on the cover of PC gamer magazine, and what do you know there is a special feature about Diablo 3 in it. So I read it and to those that already know this sorry for the old news but I read that D3 is only about 15 percent complete if that, and it is in the "pre pre pre alpha stages" the magazine said. So I just thought this was something interesting to post.
only 15%? damn :/...they have a long way to go still, I don't think we'll see diablo 3 until at least the beginning of 2010...demo maybe in the middle of 2009
That actually means nothing. They're just generating content at this point. So that percentage could fly up between Announcement and Blizzcon.
I mean there is a high possability that a playable demo will be featured there.
15% could just mean that they've got the havok, and other engines up and running and now they're creating the acts and items. That won't take too long, the long part is going to be debugging.
Yup. In order for them to show a live demo, the game has to already be working. And it is. So it's just content now, like Ranim said. Content is the easiest step since it's really just reskinning everything you've already done with some timers and stats adjusted.
I mean there is a high possability that a playable demo will be featured there.
there is a very small possibility that there's a playable demo there. I wouldnt hope too much for it. Especially since they just finished working with the game engines. Content according to the devs is the most fun part, but theres still much work to do and there shouldnt be any pressure to release it too soon (i'd rather have it delayed for 6 months than have it full of bugs like Gothic 3 - that would have made a great game if not for the bugs).
there is a very small possibility that there's a playable demo there. I wouldnt hope too much for it. Especially since they just finished working with the game engines. Content according to the devs is the most fun part, but theres still much work to do and there shouldnt be any pressure to release it too soon (i'd rather have it delayed for 6 months than have it full of bugs like Gothic 3 - that would have made a great game if not for the bugs).
A demo is the best of both situations because it gives you an early game fix, but it is not full of bugs because it is only a small part of the game, so it can be refined.
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Looks like our well meaning heros have woken up something nasttyy
As others have mentioned the 15% done is probably the most integral parts, the engine for example. Thus being only done 15% of the game is a little misleading, as the other 85% is more just relatively tedious but faster moving work like balancing skills, and doing acts. Which isn't to say that these parts take a short time, but a shorter time than the aforementioned things on the agenda. If every part took the same amount of time, effort and resources it would be only 15% done, but more realistically I'd say it's done about 35-40%.
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A demo is the best of both situations because it gives you an early game fix, but it is not full of bugs because it is only a small part of the game, so it can be refined.
still, so early in development without any skills or monster difficulty being balanced yet its pretty hard to have a demo that does exactly what its supposed to: demonstrate the game to the audience.
a public demo (not just for the conference i mean) is much less likely before release, Blizzard never did it so far.
A while back they said they had made all the characters (just not told us what the other 3 were) and had act 1 finished.
D3 is about the same length as D2. D2 (minus the expansion) had 4 acts. If there are four acts in d3 as well, and act 1 is finished that is 25% done at least. 5 acts would be 20% and that is not even counting what little of the other acts they have done but not finished yet. You would need 6 acts to get 16.66% of the game finished.
They said they have pretty much everything down pat now, and are working on content, items, monsters, NPCs, towns, quests. While that is still lot, I doubt it is 85%. Not with an entire act finished already.
15% is clearly a numerical error, or someone is being a complete and utter jackass and didn't fact check before sending in the final copy to be printed.
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im sure they dont sit down and calculate everything exactly. 15% is most likely just an estimation.
That's true, but considering it was so far off means they didn't even take the time to look up how much of the game was really completed. I doubt anyone in the thread sat down and calculated the precise percentage of the game finished either (how could one, if we can only approximate and speculate as to the length and can't take into account all the unmentioned features as of yet?). Regardless, i think the general consensus is that it is further along that 15%.
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Engine itself is completely worked out and creative direction has been set so what remains is addition of content. Last I heard, they have four out of five classes finished to one degree or the other, Witch Doctor and one of the unannounced classes being the two most complete ones (they rushed the Barbarian just to display him in the trailer). As for the Acts, latest information is that all art and assets for A1 are done, and the art team has moved on to developing A2 already, while programmers are still working on A1 mechanics, balance and quests probably. That sounds like much more than 15%.
Engine itself is completely worked out and creative direction has been set so what remains is addition of content. Last I heard, they have four out of five classes finished to one degree or the other, Witch Doctor and one of the unannounced classes being the two most complete ones (they rushed the Barbarian just to display him in the trailer). As for the Acts, latest information is that all art and assets for A1 are done, and the art team has moved on to developing A2 already, while programmers are still working on A1 mechanics, balance and quests probably. That sounds like much more than 15%.
If what you say is true:
If 3 years = 20% then the rest should take around 7 months. Which means Diablo 3 should be in final beta by January 2009.
only 15%? damn :/...they have a long way to go still, I don't think we'll see diablo 3 until at least the beginning of 2010...demo maybe in the middle of 2009
Yeah, because playable demos are always released a year before the game.
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It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
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THIS IS MY BOOMSTICK!
I mean there is a high possability that a playable demo will be featured there.
15% could just mean that they've got the havok, and other engines up and running and now they're creating the acts and items. That won't take too long, the long part is going to be debugging.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
there is a very small possibility that there's a playable demo there. I wouldnt hope too much for it. Especially since they just finished working with the game engines. Content according to the devs is the most fun part, but theres still much work to do and there shouldnt be any pressure to release it too soon (i'd rather have it delayed for 6 months than have it full of bugs like Gothic 3 - that would have made a great game if not for the bugs).
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
still, so early in development without any skills or monster difficulty being balanced yet its pretty hard to have a demo that does exactly what its supposed to: demonstrate the game to the audience.
a public demo (not just for the conference i mean) is much less likely before release, Blizzard never did it so far.
D3 is about the same length as D2. D2 (minus the expansion) had 4 acts. If there are four acts in d3 as well, and act 1 is finished that is 25% done at least. 5 acts would be 20% and that is not even counting what little of the other acts they have done but not finished yet. You would need 6 acts to get 16.66% of the game finished.
They said they have pretty much everything down pat now, and are working on content, items, monsters, NPCs, towns, quests. While that is still lot, I doubt it is 85%. Not with an entire act finished already.
15% is clearly a numerical error, or someone is being a complete and utter jackass and didn't fact check before sending in the final copy to be printed.
That's true, but considering it was so far off means they didn't even take the time to look up how much of the game was really completed. I doubt anyone in the thread sat down and calculated the precise percentage of the game finished either (how could one, if we can only approximate and speculate as to the length and can't take into account all the unmentioned features as of yet?). Regardless, i think the general consensus is that it is further along that 15%.
If 3 years = 20% then the rest should take around 7 months. Which means Diablo 3 should be in final beta by January 2009.
Fuck you, I'm a dragon.
Yeah, because playable demos are always released a year before the game.
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.