I have a strange, confusing theory about the beta. They called it a "client/server" stability beta since day one. But through all the patches, tunage and implementation that followed I kinda started leaning toward a skinner test.
There were times when I was very frustrated by the game. Just the way it felt and played was dreary to me. And I have played all the classes. Saying that means nothing now that the beta is up to it's 16th(?) patch.
About 10 days ago was the last time I played and I must say, WOW. For the most part, the little tidbit that is the beta is really nice to play at this polished level. Lots of mobs to kill (even as solo), and a sense of dreaded anticlimax when the SK dies is a very good thing! (remember my experience is diluted because I've played such a lot.) I can not wait to get my copy installed and play this game. If anything, I'd like to put normal behind me in one sitting. The plan amongst my real-world friends is to all solo the game and party up in Nightmare. (that way, skipping scenes or dialogs - which can be done by ANYONE in party - wont P anyone off.).
There's a lot of nay-saying about the beta floating around and given it's almost kindergarten approach at explaining itself to a newcomer, the negativity has got some substance to it. I don't like the way the game tries to explain to me what to do the first hour of play. But 17yr old Sims playing "Dave" might, because he is lost at a game that is not about what you're doing in the first hour. But what you're choosing to do six hours down the line.
A quick explanation (from my perspective). Almost everyone, including "Dave" enjoys playing COD: MW. Because it eases you as you go through your campaign. Its simple to use and easy to shoot with guns, boats and gunships that are handed to you, kitted out.
But not everyone enjoys going online in COD and playing MP with other, strange people. Partly because of frustration, partly pride (they "kicked ass" in SP and now die in 2 seconds in MP) and partly because the online is about progression and customization.
Diablo 2 was cool for a LOT of people. It had a great story and you really felt awesome when seeing what items you had collected and the stories each item told.
Diablo 2 is also infamous for spawning, or harbouring, a vast contingent of hardcore players who thrive at the choice/challenge/reward system its built upon.
So much so that the choice part could be bought (external item dupers)/the challenge had to be greater (uber tristram and pvp) and the rewards had to be so much better (runewords/soj's/etc).
Now Blizzard wants to turn the "Dave's" of the world into these hardcore gamers in the easiest way possible. Because they get to make SO much more money in the process. The only way you can do that, is to hold their hands from the get go.
The skinner test came in to see at what point it was easiest to detect when someone started embracing the systems and gameplay and truly understood how they work, that way, Blizzard knows the game will appeal to your girlfriend, boyfriend and uncle. On some or other level.
I really do think that a month from today, the negativity and reception of the beta will be loooong forgotten.
Who agrees that these new areas REALLY brought up that nostalgic diablo feel... The areas are so random... And I can't wait to see what's up in the old mill... And what quests await there...
Sorry... I'm about to rant. PvP (although not majorly important to the core game) was 'flaunted' over 18 months ago.
WTF have they been doing all this time? Is there ONE person coding this game?
This very announcement pours doubt in my expectation of the level of excellence Blizzard has executed with Diablo 3.
/rant
Sorry for double posting, working from a phone here!!:: concerning my last line, "don't put ur heart on a definitive announcement regarding either"... We have had enough reason to believe it will be this week. If it is or isn't, its still very very close I believe (now).
I'm gonna go out on a rant here about how I feel about the whole Diablo 3 release/beta/final shipping/servers and maintenance. Its random. But bare with me...
When Bashiok flew up to the EU last month he was carrying the server files with him. End of story. Shortly after he was there the eu beta server went live. Plus it makes more sense to send ur most trusted CM with an external HDD than to courier it there (case in point: the alleged leak of release dates via the italian branch).
Those server files are the most important asset blizz currently has in their D3 arsenal- and once the shipping-ready files are installed (which I'm sure they have been in the US and EU) they're easily patchable should things change pre-launch, the important thing is the bulk of the source code has been installed on all servers) but this is just a frivolous fact I'm pointing out.
I've seen a few threads heckling the beta badly and I feel I can comment on them here because the correlation behind those negative threads are that the game is not ready to ship.
I call BS on those threads simply cuz mr. Wilson said the beta as we know it is in "good" shape, but the game is in a great one. I'm goin to point out now that I believe that the final gameplay experience is goin to be far more superior to that of the beta on a balance and polished level. Sc 2 also looked and played differently to final builds.
So, bearing the above in mind, the GDC will be the best place to announce the release date. Because as u can see by just doing a google search, other heavyweights are also rumoured to be punting new things (eg valve's "steam box").
One more thing: the fact that april 17 is listed by retailers hasn't been proven to have leaked from wherever they say it did. It could be retailers fuelling hype to get some numbers in. If Jay is as smart as he should be in such a position, garnering such positive hype by not confirming or denying the april 17 release date has proven to put everyone on their toes.
All I'm saying is, don't put too much weight into either an announcement or a april 17 confirmation in this week.
Tomorrow blizzard announces D3 to be released on 1 may. *Crosses Fingers*
other than that being a sunday, I would be pleased with very evry very early may. I still had hopes for apirl (not the 17th) late apirl, but we would have to get the date 100% for sure tomorrow for me to feel safe with that still
it will eb april matey, remeber the stuff they took out to implement in a later date, half the stuff they took out could have stayed in and got it fixed if it comes out in may
thats 5 months after they took suff out
yea i dont see it being more then ~5 weeks from the announcement to release because theres really nothing left to do but advertise since they cut so much shit awhile ago.
They still have a few things for us to test:
From: @Bashiok
Sent: Mar 1, 2012 02:59
@norcalbear84 We'll probably have a few updates we'll want to make sure we get public testing on.
I have played beta, but not patch 13... Something I'm looking forward to on the weekend (its on a friends pc). Runes aside, I can really see d3 on console.. Melee would be easy because whenever you swing a barbarian's axe or whatever, it tends to not rely on targeting a specific enemy (ie, you can shift and click on the furthest part of ur screen and barb will rip crap to shreds)... That been said, your ranged attacks (demon hunter/WD) will require some sort of targeting.
I do believe this to be their biggest hurdle and massive amounts of iteration could currently be taking place (a fifa styled target-swap-with-a-tap-of-X comes to mind as one). But I can already see the boredom in that.
Menu scrolling is easy, its just the maneuvering around certain screens that could cuz a problem- the faux-cursor-controlled-by-joystick is cliche and cheapens the game- remember, blizz likes to keep u in the action in D3. So imagine for a second what type of "different" systems/screens/UI could be in place come platform launch.
Moving on to battle.net on platforms: Ever thought they might not even necessitate a battle.net login? And just use the PSN or Xlive along with paypal?
As I don't own either of those I'd like to ask- what type of apps can u load on the PS3/XBOX? What about a battle.net "api" that "authenticates" you and then launches the game? I reckon this is the easiest hurdle for blizz, seeings as it doesn't affect how the game is played.
Guys, we won't get anything today/tomorrow, depending when in the world u r. In fact, I don't think we'll see any finalizing of any systems either... Maybe closer to the end of this month? Do urselves a favour and stretch your thoughts beyond the second quarter. Do u remember when bash said, for example, that halls of the dead won't make release, but now all of a sudden he tweeted that it would make it. This says to me that they set a tentative release date within the next month and a half. Then jay walked upstairs and asked for another 3 months and he was given it. This extra three months granted enough time to code the halls of the dead. See what I'm saying here? The day jay walks upstairs and tells the bossmen that he believes its ready, we'll get a release date. I'm gonna say what I've always said; get ready for a June 28 release. That way u don't let urself down each time hype is generated. To me, it feels realistic. (Ps.unrelated SPOILER: The LOST finale did not reveal they had all been dead all along. It revealed that everybody dies sometime. SE06 was half purgatory half island. To make them realize at the end, that the island was the most important thing any1 of them had ever saved)
But! If you take the amount of letter's in Bash: 4. In what month he predicted it: 8. The date you predict an announcement: 15. The day that'll come and we'll still be waiting for an announcement: 16. The amount, in trillion, builds there are: 23. The amount of months that have passed since WWI 2008: 42.
You get: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Which is the same number algorithm used to reveal the condor, hidden as a clue, that saw this website peak in 2008.
The same number was used in LOST.
I'm goin nowhere with this post
Skeleton King is not the boss of act 1. And this is a good thread.
If I'm not mistaken, (haven't played much public) but when creating or joining a public game u have to be in the same tier of quests the "host" of the public game is on. So all blizz has to do is apply this to the join friend scenario. All done.
Its isn't my line its my mate's (my pc is there) Its 4mb with openweb. Please keep in mind that playing monday to friday between 8 and 5 is not recommended, obviously because of sa reasons, that and the telkom box is housing the wrong capacity for our area. This is their prob and they're gonna sort it out. Yet the game is not totally unplayable. It just gets slightly annoying at times. Also keep in mind re my previous post that in SA we'll be playing on the eu server, we're goin to experience better gameplay than on Beta.
There were times when I was very frustrated by the game. Just the way it felt and played was dreary to me. And I have played all the classes. Saying that means nothing now that the beta is up to it's 16th(?) patch.
About 10 days ago was the last time I played and I must say, WOW. For the most part, the little tidbit that is the beta is really nice to play at this polished level. Lots of mobs to kill (even as solo), and a sense of dreaded anticlimax when the SK dies is a very good thing! (remember my experience is diluted because I've played such a lot.) I can not wait to get my copy installed and play this game. If anything, I'd like to put normal behind me in one sitting. The plan amongst my real-world friends is to all solo the game and party up in Nightmare. (that way, skipping scenes or dialogs - which can be done by ANYONE in party - wont P anyone off.).
There's a lot of nay-saying about the beta floating around and given it's almost kindergarten approach at explaining itself to a newcomer, the negativity has got some substance to it. I don't like the way the game tries to explain to me what to do the first hour of play. But 17yr old Sims playing "Dave" might, because he is lost at a game that is not about what you're doing in the first hour. But what you're choosing to do six hours down the line.
A quick explanation (from my perspective). Almost everyone, including "Dave" enjoys playing COD: MW. Because it eases you as you go through your campaign. Its simple to use and easy to shoot with guns, boats and gunships that are handed to you, kitted out.
But not everyone enjoys going online in COD and playing MP with other, strange people. Partly because of frustration, partly pride (they "kicked ass" in SP and now die in 2 seconds in MP) and partly because the online is about progression and customization.
Diablo 2 was cool for a LOT of people. It had a great story and you really felt awesome when seeing what items you had collected and the stories each item told.
Diablo 2 is also infamous for spawning, or harbouring, a vast contingent of hardcore players who thrive at the choice/challenge/reward system its built upon.
So much so that the choice part could be bought (external item dupers)/the challenge had to be greater (uber tristram and pvp) and the rewards had to be so much better (runewords/soj's/etc).
Now Blizzard wants to turn the "Dave's" of the world into these hardcore gamers in the easiest way possible. Because they get to make SO much more money in the process. The only way you can do that, is to hold their hands from the get go.
The skinner test came in to see at what point it was easiest to detect when someone started embracing the systems and gameplay and truly understood how they work, that way, Blizzard knows the game will appeal to your girlfriend, boyfriend and uncle. On some or other level.
I really do think that a month from today, the negativity and reception of the beta will be loooong forgotten.
WTF have they been doing all this time? Is there ONE person coding this game?
This very announcement pours doubt in my expectation of the level of excellence Blizzard has executed with Diablo 3.
/rant
But I got to be honest. I haven't even see people FIGHT over money this bad...
To OP: well played man. U've obviously worked for those keys.
And now out of the good of your heart you're giving one away. Kudos.
When Bashiok flew up to the EU last month he was carrying the server files with him. End of story. Shortly after he was there the eu beta server went live. Plus it makes more sense to send ur most trusted CM with an external HDD than to courier it there (case in point: the alleged leak of release dates via the italian branch).
Those server files are the most important asset blizz currently has in their D3 arsenal- and once the shipping-ready files are installed (which I'm sure they have been in the US and EU) they're easily patchable should things change pre-launch, the important thing is the bulk of the source code has been installed on all servers) but this is just a frivolous fact I'm pointing out.
I've seen a few threads heckling the beta badly and I feel I can comment on them here because the correlation behind those negative threads are that the game is not ready to ship.
I call BS on those threads simply cuz mr. Wilson said the beta as we know it is in "good" shape, but the game is in a great one. I'm goin to point out now that I believe that the final gameplay experience is goin to be far more superior to that of the beta on a balance and polished level. Sc 2 also looked and played differently to final builds.
So, bearing the above in mind, the GDC will be the best place to announce the release date. Because as u can see by just doing a google search, other heavyweights are also rumoured to be punting new things (eg valve's "steam box").
One more thing: the fact that april 17 is listed by retailers hasn't been proven to have leaked from wherever they say it did. It could be retailers fuelling hype to get some numbers in. If Jay is as smart as he should be in such a position, garnering such positive hype by not confirming or denying the april 17 release date has proven to put everyone on their toes.
All I'm saying is, don't put too much weight into either an announcement or a april 17 confirmation in this week.
They still have a few things for us to test:
From: @Bashiok
Sent: Mar 1, 2012 02:59
@norcalbear84 We'll probably have a few updates we'll want to make sure we get public testing on.
sent via web in reply to @norcalbear84
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bashiok/status/175022462604554240
(WHEN ASKED IF PATCH 13 WAS FINAL)
On another note:
I'm sure we'll see a release date this week (GDC and CEbit)... Anyone wanna phone around SF to see which hotel JW is stayin in?
I do believe this to be their biggest hurdle and massive amounts of iteration could currently be taking place (a fifa styled target-swap-with-a-tap-of-X comes to mind as one). But I can already see the boredom in that.
Menu scrolling is easy, its just the maneuvering around certain screens that could cuz a problem- the faux-cursor-controlled-by-joystick is cliche and cheapens the game- remember, blizz likes to keep u in the action in D3. So imagine for a second what type of "different" systems/screens/UI could be in place come platform launch.
Moving on to battle.net on platforms: Ever thought they might not even necessitate a battle.net login? And just use the PSN or Xlive along with paypal?
As I don't own either of those I'd like to ask- what type of apps can u load on the PS3/XBOX? What about a battle.net "api" that "authenticates" you and then launches the game? I reckon this is the easiest hurdle for blizz, seeings as it doesn't affect how the game is played.
You get: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Which is the same number algorithm used to reveal the condor, hidden as a clue, that saw this website peak in 2008.
The same number was used in LOST.
I'm goin nowhere with this post
Not being negative. I've said it before!
If I'm not mistaken, (haven't played much public) but when creating or joining a public game u have to be in the same tier of quests the "host" of the public game is on. So all blizz has to do is apply this to the join friend scenario. All done.