How does the game world actually work? Is there persistent elements, like the cities where everyone can talk to each other, trade, etc but when you leave the city it is randomized? Or is it exactly like diablo 2?
I'm not really sure what this game is... It isn't clear at all, haha.
I'm more glad there wasn't yet another idiot asking a dumb, already answered question instead of doing their 5 seconds Google research. We had far enough of that.
outdoor areas are mainly static. They aren't randomized.
Definitely in my top 5 of disappointments with the game, though I seem to be in the minority on it here. You'd think with 12 years and 100 million bucks in development, they would have given it a shot.
Im glad outdoors are static. It kinda was awkward to have Lut Ghulein (spelling?) randomly change its entrance every new game I made, and also, I want to spend as much time as possible crawling around dungeons, so the less outdoors the better
I like the idea of static outdoors, you can bolt on through to the next area if you want(perhaps after a few playthroughs to familiarize), but your not guessing going every which way wondering wheres that damn exit already!
And do we know how the mini-map is going to work? is it like D2 where its faded on top of you (which i liked) or a corner thing?
Yea, its the convenience of being able to get from place to place based on memory, and you'll still encounter different things every time. I think its a great way to keep an element of randomness while making it so that you're able to more easily remember where stuff is, instead of having to walk around the edge of every map. The outdoors are just too big and not directed to have randomness imo.
And as far as "giving it a shot," I'm sure they did. They're development process is pretty much make tons of different iterations of an idea, and see which one works best.
Randomized weather effects can also play a big whole (if they truelly make into the game).
The very same area may have vastly different ambient depending on the weather.
Well there's no day/night system based on time, but it can change based on area, so there could be a similar thing for weather.
Also a disappointment. Everyone knows D is about the loot - but the immersion and randomness of place is just as important. I think it is impossible to experience both things from a press demo or blizzcon experience in 20 minute chunks.
Also a disappointment. Everyone knows D is about the loot - but the immersion and randomness of place is just as important. I think it is impossible to experience both things from a press demo or blizzcon experience in 20 minute chunks.
Its not like you're going to be timing the day/night cycles. It just makes it so that certain areas will always be night, so it can be used to make them feel different from other areas. For example when you enter a graveyard of sorts it could turn to dusk/night. Its not like its just going to be you enter one place and it goes from really bright to night (and if it is, then I would have to agree with you about immersion) barring some kind of thing like D2's darkened sun part, but it just makes it so that some areas of the desert, for example, can seem more "dry" by having them be really bright, and an oasis is more at dusk to give it a slightly more tropical feel.
I thought the Bloodraven quest was great in the exteriors, even in daytime.
I just think it is funny that WoW came out 7 years before this thing will be released (a game that was the real Diablo 3 in many ways), and there's now a hesitance to adopt even the day/night cycle from that. Sure, I may sound like a conspiracy theorist in terms of talking about how afraid they are of cannibalizing WOW $$$ - but, let's face it - aren't they consciously sacrificing immersion because they don't want to step on the toes of an MMO-type mechanic in some ways? And that just sucks. Day/night and weather effects were great when they were done right in D2, even if it sort of fell apart fast after Act I.
They are adopting many WoW features. What are you talking about?
There is even a friggin Demon Hunter class.
Sure, the superficial ones (and we'll overlook the fact that the demon hunter is 90% the vanquisher from torchlight, and the fact that the shared stash is also pure TL) - but they seem to be drawing the line at including the really immersive mechanics like day/night and weather, out of some misguided arcade-type vision for the game. Maybe they're trying too hard to not be WOW in all the wrong ways, much like they're trying too hard to be a pure fantasy game in all the wrong ways. Just my opinion, as always.
I like the static environments. What springs to mind for me is trying to find my way through act 3, which always was nothing less then a nightmare imo...
So true. The first 3/4 of Act 3 was easily the worst thing about this game. I really disliked it.
Once again day/night cycles were removed so that they could use lighting for better immersion. They are trying to tell a story wih diablo and certain scenes need particular lighting. As mentioned, skeletons raising from their graves in broad daylight is just not right. They can set moods by controling the time day and the lighting it provides. Again, it just helps them tell a better story. Plus, Diablo is not an mmo with a persistant world where day/night cycles aid to that feeling.
As for the weather, there are random weather patterns that will change how areas look. For instance, a graveyard maybe be foggy one time you visit it and rainy the next. I also wrote an article recently where Bashiok stated that the difference between two screen shots of the exact same area looked different partially because of a giant sand storm that was taking place in one of them. I feel weather patterns is a much better way to add diversity than lighting cycles.
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Not to mention that this type of Day/Night cycle is really in no way influenced by WoW. In WoW, it turns to night when the server time reaches "nighttime," its time-based, not area based. And as Don said, its handled in a subtle way. Its not like just because it isn't time based you'll be going from day to night suddenly, and you'll be like "wtf? oh right that stupid day/night system."
How does the game world actually work? Is there persistent elements, like the cities where everyone can talk to each other, trade, etc but when you leave the city it is randomized? Or is it exactly like diablo 2?
I'm not really sure what this game is... It isn't clear at all, haha.
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the News team
I'm more glad there wasn't yet another idiot asking a dumb, already answered question instead of doing their 5 seconds Google research. We had far enough of that.
Definitely in my top 5 of disappointments with the game, though I seem to be in the minority on it here. You'd think with 12 years and 100 million bucks in development, they would have given it a shot.
and noticed alot of good points behind the idea of the static d3 enviroment.
And do we know how the mini-map is going to work? is it like D2 where its faded on top of you (which i liked) or a corner thing?
And as far as "giving it a shot," I'm sure they did. They're development process is pretty much make tons of different iterations of an idea, and see which one works best.
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The very same area may have vastly different ambient depending on the weather.
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Your math fails again, Don G - I suspect your day job has more to do with words than numbers.
Even if we count the days from d2 and not LoD, they had 61 months before the plug was pulled - and it has been 67 since!
Also a disappointment. Everyone knows D is about the loot - but the immersion and randomness of place is just as important. I think it is impossible to experience both things from a press demo or blizzcon experience in 20 minute chunks.
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I just think it is funny that WoW came out 7 years before this thing will be released (a game that was the real Diablo 3 in many ways), and there's now a hesitance to adopt even the day/night cycle from that. Sure, I may sound like a conspiracy theorist in terms of talking about how afraid they are of cannibalizing WOW $$$ - but, let's face it - aren't they consciously sacrificing immersion because they don't want to step on the toes of an MMO-type mechanic in some ways? And that just sucks. Day/night and weather effects were great when they were done right in D2, even if it sort of fell apart fast after Act I.
Sure, the superficial ones (and we'll overlook the fact that the demon hunter is 90% the vanquisher from torchlight, and the fact that the shared stash is also pure TL) - but they seem to be drawing the line at including the really immersive mechanics like day/night and weather, out of some misguided arcade-type vision for the game. Maybe they're trying too hard to not be WOW in all the wrong ways, much like they're trying too hard to be a pure fantasy game in all the wrong ways. Just my opinion, as always.
So true. The first 3/4 of Act 3 was easily the worst thing about this game. I really disliked it.
As for the weather, there are random weather patterns that will change how areas look. For instance, a graveyard maybe be foggy one time you visit it and rainy the next. I also wrote an article recently where Bashiok stated that the difference between two screen shots of the exact same area looked different partially because of a giant sand storm that was taking place in one of them. I feel weather patterns is a much better way to add diversity than lighting cycles.
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the News team
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