The other day I asked myself this question, how much do I play Diablo compared to other games? The answer: 99.5 percent Diablo, 0.5 percent other games, roughly.
I’m a busy guy and don’t really focus on games that can take a lot of scheduling with a team of folks or large time blocks to complete something to enjoy. I left WoW years ago because I couldn’t fit in time for dailies, raiding, building faction rep, farming mats, leveling skills, and the trillion other things that dedicated players with more free time could enjoy. It became a job to remain a “good player” and I already had one of those, so I quit the game and switched to D3. There, I could leave half-way through a rift when the kid started crying and not really care. The opportunity cost was significantly lower than leaving half way through a raid and risk having my guild be pissed.
However I have noticed a few of things since I stopped playing other games:
My opinion of Blizzard started to decline because I began to believe in the vocal minority.
I spend a lot of time reading fan sites for Diablo and see a lot of well constructive arguments/criticisms, but I see more people saying stuff like “Blizzard sucks”, “Diablo is dead”, and “The Devs don’t listen to us.” If you see something long enough and often enough, then you begin to believe it. I fell into that trap.
I spent some time outside of Diablo and tried some other indie games as well as a few AAA titles. If you want to know what a broken game/company looks like, then I highly recommend you go explore some of the options in the Steam/Origin store. There are some atrocious examples of how a company can try to ram a game down your throat, ignore feedback, and try to get you to purchase something that you should have received as part of the base package. It wasn’t until I looked at those titles that I realized that Blizzard has some faults, but they are far from being broken or “dead.”
I was coming up with less creative feedback recommendations on how to improve the game.
When you think of how to improve GRifts, what do you use as a basis of comparison? D2? Torchlight2?
If you live in the world of ARPGs and dungeon crawlers, then you are limiting yourself in your ability to provide feedback that can help shape the future of a game that you enjoy.
For example, the 4 man meta is broken. There are a couple of iterations that work, but mostly the same builds and classes doing the same thing. So what if we take a strategy from popular FPS’ out there and let you change class after you die? You just encountered an Elite pack that just crushed you on your current party design? No problem, swap classes while the rez timer is counting down so you can re-optimize your group for the way the GRift has changed your strategy. Now, the new meta is working together to build a library of characters that can be used in new strategies instead of sticking to a single meta. Those who can build and improve based around the group’s strategy on dealing with certain situations wins.
Another example, I’m a hardcore solo player and I’m about to die. I have an item equipped that lets me tag in another one of my characters to continue the fight for me. Now I don't lose that character and can try a different strategy to win the fight. It helps me in Marvel vs. Capcom, so why can’t I look at the same mechanic here.
I was burning out on a game I loved.
Finally, I was getting burned out on the grind. I didn’t find pleasure in the things I enjoyed in the past. Smashing my head against the GRift tier, trying to quickly farm mats, helping folks power level, etc. When I started to play other games and then come back for some time in Diablo, I began to enjoy those things again. It’s like eating the same food every day without ever trying something else. What you do becomes bland, unpalatable, and you ultimately end us disliking it.
Think of it like a diet. Most diets don’t work because you give up on them and don’t allow yourself to cheat. If you’re true passion is Diablo, then play it but also “cheat” on it. Find some other titles from other genres and go to town. I think you’ll like being refreshed when you re-enter Sanctuary.
In the end, I really, really recommend that you don’t make the mistake I did and lock yourself into a single game. Since I’ve started to branch out, I have started to appreciate my time in Diablo a little more. I see it with a different lens and I can enjoy the good aspects of the game and make better recommendations on the things that need improvement.
If you haven’t branched out lately, then I recommend you do so. It might be what you need to carry you through the rest of the season and keep the fires of the Nephalem burning inside of you.
Another example, I’m a hardcore solo player and I’m about to die. I have an item equipped that lets me tag in another one of my characters to continue the fight for me. Now I don't lose that character and can try a different strategy to win the fight. It helps me in Marvel vs. Capcom, so why can’t I look at the same mechanic here.
I love that idea. Did you (or anyone else) ever play Darkspore? That swapping strategy is what made that game so unique. You controlled a squad of 3 heroes and could make one the active hero on the fly at any time depending on the enemies you were facing.
Another example, I’m a hardcore solo player and I’m about to die. I have an item equipped that lets me tag in another one of my characters to continue the fight for me. Now I don't lose that character and can try a different strategy to win the fight. It helps me in Marvel vs. Capcom, so why can’t I look at the same mechanic here.
I love that idea. Did you (or anyone else) ever play Darkspore? That swapping strategy is what made that game so unique. You controlled a squad of 3 heroes and could make one the active hero on the fly at any time depending on the enemies you were facing.
I've never played it. I was playing MvC one night and thought, "well damn, why can't I do that in other games?".
Another idea from fighting games, what if you could build up a meter by hitting and getting hit that lets you execute a super move for the class?
Ever play super mario maker? Ever want to make your own level and submit to see who could beat it the fastest?
OP: For a long time the only game I played was Diablo 2. Metropolis_Man knows me since we hosted a lot of Single Player Tournaments for a D2 mod called Eastern Sun. Those were good times and it would be nice if we could have some of those tournaments in D3.
I have been playing quite a bit of other games like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3/New Vegas/Fallout 4, Sub Nautica, Stonehearth, Timber and Stone, Elite, Torchlight 1 and 2, Rebel Galaxy.
The important part is having fun playing a game that you are enjoying. If at anytime you are feeling burnt out take a break and do something else. It can be taking up a different hobby.
OP: For a long time the only game I played was Diablo 2. Metropolis_Man knows me since we hosted a lot of Single Player Tournaments for a D2 mod called Eastern Sun. Those were good times and it would be nice if we could have some of those tournaments in D3.
I have been playing quite a bit of other games like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3/New Vegas/Fallout 4, Sub Nautica, Stonehearth, Timber and Stone, Elite, Torchlight 1 and 2, Rebel Galaxy.
The important part is having fun playing a game that you are enjoying. If at anytime you are feeling burnt out take a break and do something else. It can be taking up a different hobby.
Yup! I'm glad to see you had the same experience.
My point for writing that post today was to remind people in the forums that they can do different things AND still be a Diablo Fan.
Another example, I’m a hardcore solo player and I’m about to die. I have an item equipped that lets me tag in another one of my characters to continue the fight for me. Now I don't lose that character and can try a different strategy to win the fight. It helps me in Marvel vs. Capcom, so why can’t I look at the same mechanic here.
I love that idea. Did you (or anyone else) ever play Darkspore? That swapping strategy is what made that game so unique. You controlled a squad of 3 heroes and could make one the active hero on the fly at any time depending on the enemies you were facing.
One of the best arpg's until the dev's broke tork and abandoned game. Each char also had a unique passive other chars could use. Love that game
Actually hit #1, took 8 hours though (single game)
I'm always playing d3 like that. Starting a new season, playing for around 1-2 months until I start to getting bored with it, and then play other games until next season start or a PTR comes up with changes I'm curious about
I'm only playing d3 for fun and not really care to compete for any high leaderboard position. As long as I'm done with the season journey, I'm more then happy to play other games for a bit, since there often are a lot of games I want to play anyway. And if I've only been playing d3, there would not been time to explore these other games.
So I'm one of the ppl that is happy with how the structure of d3 seasons works right now. Since it keeps me coming back and not feeling bad for playing other games for a while then coming back and still be at the same lvl as everyone else at the start of a new season
I'm so glad you wrote this...I love D3, and the crappy thing is, I'm starting to feel "guilty" about not feeling the same way in this patch (2.4.1). Truth be told, not much really changed and the XP nerf has really soured me. It doesn't help that the clan that I play with is starting to break up just a bit. Kind of sucks when you are at a little higher Paragon level than normal and you don't have the same people to run with. Just like the original author of this post, there are only so many bounties and rifts and soloing and power leveling that you can do before it becomes monotonous. And that's not even to mention the issues with the 4-person meta.
I just saw that 2.4.2 has been posted and I was disappointed to see (so far) that it appears like not much has changed. So much for waiting until the next patch for a refresh...
I might have to swallow the guilt and pick up SC2 again... At least split the time between the two... Perhaps that will help keep me from getting too completely burned out from D3.
I'm so glad you wrote this...I love D3, and the crappy thing is, I'm starting to feel "guilty" about not feeling the same way in this patch (2.4.1). Truth be told, not much really changed and the XP nerf has really soured me. It doesn't help that the clan that I play with is starting to break up just a bit. Kind of sucks when you are at a little higher Paragon level than normal and you don't have the same people to run with. Just like the original author of this post, there are only so many bounties and rifts and soloing and power leveling that you can do before it becomes monotonous. And that's not even to mention the issues with the 4-person meta.
I just saw that 2.4.2 has been posted and I was disappointed to see (so far) that it appears like not much has changed. So much for waiting until the next patch for a refresh...
I might have to swallow the guilt and pick up SC2 again... At least split the time between the two... Perhaps that will help keep me from getting too completely burned out from D3.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wrote it because a while ago I was dealing with that guilt too. Eventually, I found that spending time in other places refreshed my mindset and made me enjoy D3 again.
I'm a fan of "make my own meta." I know that I do not have the time to compete on the ladder and I'm okay with that. Instead, I make my own challenges to see what I can do. For example:
How far can I push with each set in solo?
How far can I push with only yellows, blues, etc.
Can I drive efficiency in farming <insert resource here> by improving it <insert goal here>%?
Play the game only using the zoomed in mode.
It adds a new "freshness" to something I'm already playing.
Once I came to the conclusion that the only way to progress in D3 was to skip monsters in a game that is all about killing monsters (and loot)... it was the last straw. Plvl farming and Season 5 introducing a retarded amount of power creep added to a good reason to leave.
If they reworked Plvls and changed ladders to based on main skill and not classes I'd consider going back. The great thing is leaving made me found Grim Dawn and I foresee 5 fold the amount of hours I put into D3 (roughly 1400 hours).
This isn't a bad game, nor will it ever be dead. I'm just done with it due to grift mechanics (Diablo used to be about killing monsters)
I tend to lock myself into a single game, too. I used to play D2 for years, failed a year on college when Morrowind came out, didn't care for any game but Skyrim for long time... Now I am completely into D3. I would like to give ESO a try, but I fear that I will leave D3 then for good.. And I do enjoy D3, it has more good stuff than bad, no matter how you look at it. And I agree that Blizzard is a true gem compared to EA or Capcom or some other dev companies that cash out half baked shit and charge you for crappy things like skins and stuff...
I didn't want to buy D3 for a long time. Saw it at guildmate's home on the day of it's release, but I was kinda disappointed and was comparing it to D2 all the time. I mean, graphics looked great, and they still do, but vanila D3 was not according to what I expected. When RoS came out, I was still suspicious, but when I gave it a try I was like, wow, Blizzard really improved the game a lot. I hope we get great news from Blizzcon this year, new expansion with additional levels, skills ( 5th skill slot and 5th passive skill slot I hope), and some number diminishing should breath in the life into the D3 for few more years, I'm sure of that.
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Season 6 barbarian solo sc EU grift 85 12m 23.199s MotE build
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The other day I asked myself this question, how much do I play Diablo compared to other games? The answer: 99.5 percent Diablo, 0.5 percent other games, roughly.
I’m a busy guy and don’t really focus on games that can take a lot of scheduling with a team of folks or large time blocks to complete something to enjoy. I left WoW years ago because I couldn’t fit in time for dailies, raiding, building faction rep, farming mats, leveling skills, and the trillion other things that dedicated players with more free time could enjoy. It became a job to remain a “good player” and I already had one of those, so I quit the game and switched to D3. There, I could leave half-way through a rift when the kid started crying and not really care. The opportunity cost was significantly lower than leaving half way through a raid and risk having my guild be pissed.
However I have noticed a few of things since I stopped playing other games:
My opinion of Blizzard started to decline because I began to believe in the vocal minority.
I spend a lot of time reading fan sites for Diablo and see a lot of well constructive arguments/criticisms, but I see more people saying stuff like “Blizzard sucks”, “Diablo is dead”, and “The Devs don’t listen to us.” If you see something long enough and often enough, then you begin to believe it. I fell into that trap.
I spent some time outside of Diablo and tried some other indie games as well as a few AAA titles. If you want to know what a broken game/company looks like, then I highly recommend you go explore some of the options in the Steam/Origin store. There are some atrocious examples of how a company can try to ram a game down your throat, ignore feedback, and try to get you to purchase something that you should have received as part of the base package. It wasn’t until I looked at those titles that I realized that Blizzard has some faults, but they are far from being broken or “dead.”
I was coming up with less creative feedback recommendations on how to improve the game.
When you think of how to improve GRifts, what do you use as a basis of comparison? D2? Torchlight2?
If you live in the world of ARPGs and dungeon crawlers, then you are limiting yourself in your ability to provide feedback that can help shape the future of a game that you enjoy.
For example, the 4 man meta is broken. There are a couple of iterations that work, but mostly the same builds and classes doing the same thing. So what if we take a strategy from popular FPS’ out there and let you change class after you die? You just encountered an Elite pack that just crushed you on your current party design? No problem, swap classes while the rez timer is counting down so you can re-optimize your group for the way the GRift has changed your strategy. Now, the new meta is working together to build a library of characters that can be used in new strategies instead of sticking to a single meta. Those who can build and improve based around the group’s strategy on dealing with certain situations wins.
Another example, I’m a hardcore solo player and I’m about to die. I have an item equipped that lets me tag in another one of my characters to continue the fight for me. Now I don't lose that character and can try a different strategy to win the fight. It helps me in Marvel vs. Capcom, so why can’t I look at the same mechanic here.
I was burning out on a game I loved.
Finally, I was getting burned out on the grind. I didn’t find pleasure in the things I enjoyed in the past. Smashing my head against the GRift tier, trying to quickly farm mats, helping folks power level, etc. When I started to play other games and then come back for some time in Diablo, I began to enjoy those things again. It’s like eating the same food every day without ever trying something else. What you do becomes bland, unpalatable, and you ultimately end us disliking it.
Think of it like a diet. Most diets don’t work because you give up on them and don’t allow yourself to cheat. If you’re true passion is Diablo, then play it but also “cheat” on it. Find some other titles from other genres and go to town. I think you’ll like being refreshed when you re-enter Sanctuary.
In the end, I really, really recommend that you don’t make the mistake I did and lock yourself into a single game. Since I’ve started to branch out, I have started to appreciate my time in Diablo a little more. I see it with a different lens and I can enjoy the good aspects of the game and make better recommendations on the things that need improvement.
If you haven’t branched out lately, then I recommend you do so. It might be what you need to carry you through the rest of the season and keep the fires of the Nephalem burning inside of you.
Another idea from fighting games, what if you could build up a meter by hitting and getting hit that lets you execute a super move for the class?
Ever play super mario maker? Ever want to make your own level and submit to see who could beat it the fastest?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp32TigGfZk
And what is the point of your answer.
OP: For a long time the only game I played was Diablo 2. Metropolis_Man knows me since we hosted a lot of Single Player Tournaments for a D2 mod called Eastern Sun. Those were good times and it would be nice if we could have some of those tournaments in D3.
I have been playing quite a bit of other games like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3/New Vegas/Fallout 4, Sub Nautica, Stonehearth, Timber and Stone, Elite, Torchlight 1 and 2, Rebel Galaxy.
The important part is having fun playing a game that you are enjoying. If at anytime you are feeling burnt out take a break and do something else. It can be taking up a different hobby.
My point for writing that post today was to remind people in the forums that they can do different things AND still be a Diablo Fan.
Actually hit #1, took 8 hours though (single game)
I'm always playing d3 like that. Starting a new season, playing for around 1-2 months until I start to getting bored with it, and then play other games until next season start or a PTR comes up with changes I'm curious about
I'm only playing d3 for fun and not really care to compete for any high leaderboard position. As long as I'm done with the season journey, I'm more then happy to play other games for a bit, since there often are a lot of games I want to play anyway. And if I've only been playing d3, there would not been time to explore these other games.
So I'm one of the ppl that is happy with how the structure of d3 seasons works right now. Since it keeps me coming back and not feeling bad for playing other games for a while then coming back and still be at the same lvl as everyone else at the start of a new season
I'm so glad you wrote this...I love D3, and the crappy thing is, I'm starting to feel "guilty" about not feeling the same way in this patch (2.4.1). Truth be told, not much really changed and the XP nerf has really soured me. It doesn't help that the clan that I play with is starting to break up just a bit. Kind of sucks when you are at a little higher Paragon level than normal and you don't have the same people to run with. Just like the original author of this post, there are only so many bounties and rifts and soloing and power leveling that you can do before it becomes monotonous. And that's not even to mention the issues with the 4-person meta.
I just saw that 2.4.2 has been posted and I was disappointed to see (so far) that it appears like not much has changed. So much for waiting until the next patch for a refresh...
I might have to swallow the guilt and pick up SC2 again... At least split the time between the two... Perhaps that will help keep me from getting too completely burned out from D3.
I'm a fan of "make my own meta." I know that I do not have the time to compete on the ladder and I'm okay with that. Instead, I make my own challenges to see what I can do. For example:
It adds a new "freshness" to something I'm already playing.
Thanks Thorne....
Friendly Notice.
If you want to explore some new titles, then you might want to head over to Steam. Their summer sale has begun.
Burn out and left...
Once I came to the conclusion that the only way to progress in D3 was to skip monsters in a game that is all about killing monsters (and loot)... it was the last straw. Plvl farming and Season 5 introducing a retarded amount of power creep added to a good reason to leave.
If they reworked Plvls and changed ladders to based on main skill and not classes I'd consider going back. The great thing is leaving made me found Grim Dawn and I foresee 5 fold the amount of hours I put into D3 (roughly 1400 hours).
This isn't a bad game, nor will it ever be dead. I'm just done with it due to grift mechanics (Diablo used to be about killing monsters)
I do appreciate this post, kudos.
I tend to lock myself into a single game, too. I used to play D2 for years, failed a year on college when Morrowind came out, didn't care for any game but Skyrim for long time... Now I am completely into D3. I would like to give ESO a try, but I fear that I will leave D3 then for good.. And I do enjoy D3, it has more good stuff than bad, no matter how you look at it. And I agree that Blizzard is a true gem compared to EA or Capcom or some other dev companies that cash out half baked shit and charge you for crappy things like skins and stuff...
I didn't want to buy D3 for a long time. Saw it at guildmate's home on the day of it's release, but I was kinda disappointed and was comparing it to D2 all the time. I mean, graphics looked great, and they still do, but vanila D3 was not according to what I expected. When RoS came out, I was still suspicious, but when I gave it a try I was like, wow, Blizzard really improved the game a lot. I hope we get great news from Blizzcon this year, new expansion with additional levels, skills ( 5th skill slot and 5th passive skill slot I hope), and some number diminishing should breath in the life into the D3 for few more years, I'm sure of that.
Season 6 barbarian solo sc EU grift 85 12m 23.199s MotE build