Azimuth - Hardcore Level 99 Paragon Azimuth, a Wizard on the EU part of Diablo, has managed to reach Paragon Level 99 on his Hardcore character! Let's see if he makes it to the shiny 100. The closest competitor behind him is still at 87 and there are already 2 deaths in the top 20 of highest Paragon Level characters.
Monster Power Level and Loot Drops
There was a post today explaining in more detail how the bonus loot in Monster Power works. Seems so far not all monsters are included in the mechanic, but if all works out well they'll be surely be added along.
When a monster dies, the first thing we do is decide whether it's going to drop loot at all.
Most monsters -- like say your everyday shambling zombies -- have a roughly 30% chance to drop loot. The exact percentage, however, varies from monster to monster (for example, the Tormented Stingers in Act III have a much lower chance because they spawn in large packs and are easy to kill).
When you kill a monster in Inferno on MP1 or higher, if you pass the initial roll to obtain loot, you will also get a second roll to get an additional piece of loot. The "bonus item" chance for each MP level is detailed here. A few monsters are exempt from the bonus loot, but we tried to put it on the vast majority of normal monsters, and will probably add it to more if we like how the system plays out.
Also, just to be clear, the bonus drop applies to Normal monsters only. We wanted Monster Power to provide players with extra loot rolls, and (since Champions and Rares are already guaranteed to drop multiple items) Normal monsters seemed like the best place for us to add that mechanic in.
More on PvP and Blizzard Game Launches
A new post confirms, yet again, that PvP will be included in patch 1.1, while also explaining some of the issues Blizzard games have during their launch, with promises to update said games for many years to come. The major point is, of course, that Blizzard wants your feedback on all things related to their titles!
In terms of PvP, we didn't feel like the system we had at the time we launched Diablo III was up to par, so we elected not to release it along side the actual game. We continuing to work on PvP, though, and are currently looking to release it with 1.1.0 as a free content update (as we've said before). We also hope to share more updates in the near future on its progress.
In terms of the actual game, our development team had total say on if and when Diablo III was ready for release, and we shipped it only after we felt it had met our vision for what a great game could be on day 1. Every game that Blizzard has released, though, has had some problems after launch -- either in terms of design or actual bugs. Even with lots of internal testing and a public beta, certain issues can be very difficult to find or predict and only come to light once millions of players have logged in, pushed the limits of the game's design, and shared their feedback.
And that's okay, because one of the things that has always stood out about Blizzard is that we're never satisfied with our games and will continue to work on them for years after release to make them more balanced, more engaging, and (hopefully) more fun. Patches, hotfixes, class balances, new systems -- this is all part of the normal process for supporting a Blizzard game and its community post-launch, and we'll continue to grow and improve Diablo III for a long time to come. Paragon, Monster Power, and Infernal Machine are great examples of this, but they certainly weren't features we sat on for the initial release of the game. They were ideas we explored after watching how players progressed and seeing what we could do to make the user experience better and more fulfilling.
Just keep providing us with your feedback and talking to us about what you like (and, more importantly, what you don't), and we'll do everything we can to make this game one of Blizzard's greatest.
Hellfire Ring Clarification
Lylirra explained today in detail why such things as the Hellfire Ring nerf sometimes happen, and that it's all part of testing the game and the purpose of the PTR.
Whenever we open up a public test for a particular patch (and this goes for most Blizzard games, not just Diablo III), it's rare that we are completely finished with implementing all the new content we intend to release. It's also rare that we have completed internal testing of that content. This means that, yes, you will often encounter bugs while playing. And, yes, some of those bugs may seem incredibly obvious in that "Oh my god, how could you have possibly missed this?" kind of way. This is completely normal.
We test concurrently along side with the PTR. By this, I mean that we will often push content to the PTR that hasn't yet been reviewed by QA. In the case of the Hellfire Ring, we made a mistake during initial implementation that caused its proc damage to scale inappropriately high. When QA tested the ring, however, they caught the bug, our designers fixed it, and it never made it to the live game. That's what testing phases are all about.
Really? REALLY?
Yes, really.
By participating in the PTR, you're witnessing not only the testing phase of a particular patch, but also its ongoing development. And, in many cases, you get to see it happen in real-time. Encountering bugs is something every PTR participant should expect and accept as part of the process, and that anything you see on a PTR could be changed or removed entirely as well.
If that doesn't sound enjoyable to you, than playing on a PTR may not be your thing. And that's totally okay. We provided the PTR to players not only because it's a helpful development tool, but also because we know that many players love jumping in early and seeing what's coming down the road -- even if it's not yet finished or polished.
What's with all the lies?
While we exercise caution whenever we choose to change aspects of the game that can reduce player power, we'll still go forward with those changes if we believe it's best for the long-term health of the game. We've also always called a spade a spade when it comes to nerfing. If we nerf something, we'll say we nerfed it. No need to mince words.
So, when we note that the Hellfire Ring change was actually bug fix, we mean it. It wasn't cop-out. It wasn't a way for us to nerf the ring's damage without saying we nerfed it. The ring wasn't working the way we originally designed on the PTR, so we corrected the issue and now the proc damage is where it want it to be for the full release of 1.0.5.
That all said, these forums are for players to constructively discuss the game -- they are not an arena for ad hominem attacks. Please keep that distinction in mind when making future posts.
what a load of bliz PR horseshit, the section on pvp and the launch is just crap, "In terms of the actual game, our development team had total say on if and when Diablo III was ready for release, and we shipped it only after we felt it had met our vision for what a great game could be on day 1."
Really? GREAT?
i would barely rate it sub-par on day one, based on connectivity and server issues alone.
All Blizzard is these days is PR responses. Nothing is just open and honest. Even when there is humility there is always the "but..." to save themselves from appearing as if they don't have all the right answers. It's really sad as I am sure a lot of us are long term fans of Diablo and Blizzard as a whole.
The problem with hardcore is the deaths are mostly from disconnects, or crashes/freezes etc... so it's more a luck of the draw imo. But nonetheless good dedication by that dude.
what a load of bliz PR horseshit, the section on pvp and the launch is just crap, "In terms of the actual game, our development team had total say on if and when Diablo III was ready for release, and we shipped it only after we felt it had met our vision for what a great game could be on day 1."
Really? GREAT?
i would barely rate it sub-par on day one, based on connectivity and server issues alone.
So, you have say 2mil people play on your Open Beta weekend, figuring there will be a fair bit more for launch, maybe double that, based on pre-order info from retailers and digital orders + annual pass.
Turns out your estimations were off by about 100%.
HOW do you plan for that? Overcompensate to the point of ridiculousness, only to have to sit with unused hardware (refering to your connectivity and server issues).
I think they did damn well, considering that their servers got so heavily flooded on launch, they had no idea it was gonna be that bad. And Mike Morhaime ADMITTED TO IT. They planned based on expectations from retailer info and digital sales. The fact it doubled that or something crazy was beyond their scope of knowledge. Would you like them to start working with Ms Cleo to determine what the playerbase and customer wants, to try and pre-emp all our demands and interests?
what a load of bliz PR horseshit, the section on pvp and the launch is just crap, "In terms of the actual game, our development team had total say on if and when Diablo III was ready for release, and we shipped it only after we felt it had met our vision for what a great game could be on day 1."
Really? GREAT?
i would barely rate it sub-par on day one, based on connectivity and server issues alone.
So, you have say 2mil people play on your Open Beta weekend, figuring there will be a fair bit more for launch, maybe double that, based on pre-order info from retailers and digital orders + annual pass.
Turns out your estimations were off by about 100%.
HOW do you plan for that? Overcompensate to the point of ridiculousness, only to have to sit with unused hardware (refering to your connectivity and server issues).
I think they did damn well, considering that their servers got so heavily flooded on launch, they had no idea it was gonna be that bad. And Mike Morhaime ADMITTED TO IT. They planned based on expectations from retailer info and digital sales. The fact it doubled that or something crazy was beyond their scope of knowledge. Would you like them to start working with Ms Cleo to determine what the playerbase and customer wants, to try and pre-emp all our demands and interests?
note i said i rated the game on connectivity issues alone for the release, i didn't want to get into the MASSIVE pile of bugs, the TERRIBLE itemization, or the total lack of build diversity at endgame at launch.
but attack speed was pretty cool ;P
*EDIT* PS, you can plan and compensate for this by allowing the game to be played offline, *gasp*
I don't see Paragon levels ever becoming account wide. If that happened you would be done with paragon exp forever even with future expansions(I doubt they'll raise the cap above 100). I think the amount of exp required should just be more sensible to be more accommodating for alts.
I don't see Paragon levels ever becoming account wide. If that happened you would be done with paragon exp forever even with future expansions(I doubt they'll raise the cap above 100). I think the amount of exp required should just be more sensible to be more accommodating for alts.
The current system does not encourage alts...
If its account wide you would play other chars even after 100, I do not see a problem with that ...
Wish they remove paragon, wish we could make one or two mf runs in 20 minutes, do not like to waste 20 minutes just to get all 5 NV to then start MF ... thats pretty annoying
I'm very upset pvp isnt out yet too.
BUT i can see what happens if its not on par with what people expect. They dont wanna release something in progress that they have to fix it up with major patches. If you be patience it will come. There is already so much troll and hate on d3 so as a developer you'd rather have people wait for something good, rather than get something out the door.
i know.. it sucks to wait
All Blizzard is these days is PR responses. Nothing is just open and honest. Even when there is humility there is always the "but..." to save themselves from appearing as if they don't have all the right answers. It's really sad as I am sure a lot of us are long term fans of Diablo and Blizzard as a whole.
Hate to say it, but as someone who has played multiplayer Blizzard games since StarCraft 1 ... Blizzard has always been like this. They just used to get away with a little bit more. They did it all the time in StarCraft 1, WarCraft 3, and Diablo 2. The difference is back then nobody called them on it. Now more people are insanely weary of any company's response to anything.
I'm not holding me breathe for either of these damn patches, but if feels as if both should have been implemented by now. I'm still qqing over the fact that I have to play this game online.
Trying to get a quick farm in for D3, get 5 stack in about 10 minutes, play for another 10 minutes, have to go afk for a couple minutes, come back to disconnect, wasting my time. repeat 100x, no fun = stupid and noob game
Offline mode = No warden/server authentication = hacks (not exploits or botting only) and cracks = destroyed GAH economy (dupes, items created by commands or cheats, etc) = No RMAH = No profit to me from RMAH/GAH for flipping 1d12h items = No fun = stupid and noob game
And there lies the problem with today's playerbase. I want to have fun in a game, be challenged by actual well thought mechanics, and be rewarded with well thought of itemization.
Instead its a game where "fun" is directly (and purposely) correlated around the amount of profit that can be turned.
I'd gladly lose the $200 (-$60 box cost) I made on the RMAH for a good Diablo sequel.
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Azimuth, a Wizard on the EU part of Diablo, has managed to reach Paragon Level 99 on his Hardcore character! Let's see if he makes it to the shiny 100. The closest competitor behind him is still at 87 and there are already 2 deaths in the top 20 of highest Paragon Level characters.
Monster Power Level and Loot Drops
There was a post today explaining in more detail how the bonus loot in Monster Power works. Seems so far not all monsters are included in the mechanic, but if all works out well they'll be surely be added along.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Most monsters -- like say your everyday shambling zombies -- have a roughly 30% chance to drop loot. The exact percentage, however, varies from monster to monster (for example, the Tormented Stingers in Act III have a much lower chance because they spawn in large packs and are easy to kill).
When you kill a monster in Inferno on MP1 or higher, if you pass the initial roll to obtain loot, you will also get a second roll to get an additional piece of loot. The "bonus item" chance for each MP level is detailed here. A few monsters are exempt from the bonus loot, but we tried to put it on the vast majority of normal monsters, and will probably add it to more if we like how the system plays out.
Also, just to be clear, the bonus drop applies to Normal monsters only. We wanted Monster Power to provide players with extra loot rolls, and (since Champions and Rares are already guaranteed to drop multiple items) Normal monsters seemed like the best place for us to add that mechanic in.
More on PvP and Blizzard Game Launches
A new post confirms, yet again, that PvP will be included in patch 1.1, while also explaining some of the issues Blizzard games have during their launch, with promises to update said games for many years to come. The major point is, of course, that Blizzard wants your feedback on all things related to their titles!
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
In terms of the actual game, our development team had total say on if and when Diablo III was ready for release, and we shipped it only after we felt it had met our vision for what a great game could be on day 1. Every game that Blizzard has released, though, has had some problems after launch -- either in terms of design or actual bugs. Even with lots of internal testing and a public beta, certain issues can be very difficult to find or predict and only come to light once millions of players have logged in, pushed the limits of the game's design, and shared their feedback.
And that's okay, because one of the things that has always stood out about Blizzard is that we're never satisfied with our games and will continue to work on them for years after release to make them more balanced, more engaging, and (hopefully) more fun. Patches, hotfixes, class balances, new systems -- this is all part of the normal process for supporting a Blizzard game and its community post-launch, and we'll continue to grow and improve Diablo III for a long time to come. Paragon, Monster Power, and Infernal Machine are great examples of this, but they certainly weren't features we sat on for the initial release of the game. They were ideas we explored after watching how players progressed and seeing what we could do to make the user experience better and more fulfilling.
Just keep providing us with your feedback and talking to us about what you like (and, more importantly, what you don't), and we'll do everything we can to make this game one of Blizzard's greatest.
Hellfire Ring Clarification
Lylirra explained today in detail why such things as the Hellfire Ring nerf sometimes happen, and that it's all part of testing the game and the purpose of the PTR.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
We test concurrently along side with the PTR. By this, I mean that we will often push content to the PTR that hasn't yet been reviewed by QA. In the case of the Hellfire Ring, we made a mistake during initial implementation that caused its proc damage to scale inappropriately high. When QA tested the ring, however, they caught the bug, our designers fixed it, and it never made it to the live game. That's what testing phases are all about.
Really? REALLY?
Yes, really.
By participating in the PTR, you're witnessing not only the testing phase of a particular patch, but also its ongoing development. And, in many cases, you get to see it happen in real-time. Encountering bugs is something every PTR participant should expect and accept as part of the process, and that anything you see on a PTR could be changed or removed entirely as well.
If that doesn't sound enjoyable to you, than playing on a PTR may not be your thing. And that's totally okay. We provided the PTR to players not only because it's a helpful development tool, but also because we know that many players love jumping in early and seeing what's coming down the road -- even if it's not yet finished or polished.
What's with all the lies?
While we exercise caution whenever we choose to change aspects of the game that can reduce player power, we'll still go forward with those changes if we believe it's best for the long-term health of the game. We've also always called a spade a spade when it comes to nerfing. If we nerf something, we'll say we nerfed it. No need to mince words.
So, when we note that the Hellfire Ring change was actually bug fix, we mean it. It wasn't cop-out. It wasn't a way for us to nerf the ring's damage without saying we nerfed it. The ring wasn't working the way we originally designed on the PTR, so we corrected the issue and now the proc damage is where it want it to be for the full release of 1.0.5.
That all said, these forums are for players to constructively discuss the game -- they are not an arena for ad hominem attacks. Please keep that distinction in mind when making future posts.
Ha. Bagstone.
Really? GREAT?
i would barely rate it sub-par on day one, based on connectivity and server issues alone.
D3 Channel: OnetwoD3
So, you have say 2mil people play on your Open Beta weekend, figuring there will be a fair bit more for launch, maybe double that, based on pre-order info from retailers and digital orders + annual pass.
Turns out your estimations were off by about 100%.
HOW do you plan for that? Overcompensate to the point of ridiculousness, only to have to sit with unused hardware (refering to your connectivity and server issues).
I think they did damn well, considering that their servers got so heavily flooded on launch, they had no idea it was gonna be that bad. And Mike Morhaime ADMITTED TO IT. They planned based on expectations from retailer info and digital sales. The fact it doubled that or something crazy was beyond their scope of knowledge. Would you like them to start working with Ms Cleo to determine what the playerbase and customer wants, to try and pre-emp all our demands and interests?
note i said i rated the game on connectivity issues alone for the release, i didn't want to get into the MASSIVE pile of bugs, the TERRIBLE itemization, or the total lack of build diversity at endgame at launch.
but attack speed was pretty cool ;P
*EDIT* PS, you can plan and compensate for this by allowing the game to be played offline, *gasp*
The current system does not encourage alts...
If its account wide you would play other chars even after 100, I do not see a problem with that ...
Wish they remove paragon, wish we could make one or two mf runs in 20 minutes, do not like to waste 20 minutes just to get all 5 NV to then start MF ... thats pretty annoying
hard to believe since wizards are so hard on HC
PvP patch, probs next year. 1.05, probably next month.
I'm very upset pvp isnt out yet too.
BUT i can see what happens if its not on par with what people expect. They dont wanna release something in progress that they have to fix it up with major patches. If you be patience it will come. There is already so much troll and hate on d3 so as a developer you'd rather have people wait for something good, rather than get something out the door.
i know.. it sucks to wait
Hate to say it, but as someone who has played multiplayer Blizzard games since StarCraft 1 ... Blizzard has always been like this. They just used to get away with a little bit more. They did it all the time in StarCraft 1, WarCraft 3, and Diablo 2. The difference is back then nobody called them on it. Now more people are insanely weary of any company's response to anything.
I'm not holding me breathe for either of these damn patches, but if feels as if both should have been implemented by now. I'm still qqing over the fact that I have to play this game online.
And there lies the problem with today's playerbase. I want to have fun in a game, be challenged by actual well thought mechanics, and be rewarded with well thought of itemization.
Instead its a game where "fun" is directly (and purposely) correlated around the amount of profit that can be turned.
I'd gladly lose the $200 (-$60 box cost) I made on the RMAH for a good Diablo sequel.