Intricacies of Diablo III Gameplay

No non-consensual PvP (No Pking.)

There aren't any details yet on how this will work, but from the hints given it sounds like there will simply be no way to PvP in regular games, and players will have to join special PvP or Arena type games to fight head to head. (Old school Mking techniques, like leading dozens of monsters to trap waypoints, will presumably still be possible.) How does this make you feel? Better? Or worse?


Better game finding/joining tools.

Jay Wilson has talked about how the D2 style of lists of game names is sub-optimal. They want much better friend list contact options, and their dream system for D3 is a way for players in a game to agree to play another game together, and with some simple clicks it would be so. Hopefully this new implementation will encourage group play, rather than solo. Going solo may not be that easy anyway, once you've gone up a few difficulties. What's your opinion?


Sharing health globes

Every character within range will receive the benefits of a health globe when any other character activates (walks over) one. This includes (presumably) the non-hps benefits of a health globe, such as various skills that activate upon using them, mana recovery for the Witch Doctor, etc.

These are all features that most Diablo players welcome (well, except for the PKs) but you'll note that none of them are actually bonus benefits to playing in parties. (We're assuming that experience sharing will work something like it did in D2, though this has never been addressed by the D3 Team.) They're just removed disincentives to playing together. You don't get more item drops, or more health globes, by playing in a D3 party. You just don't have to worry about other players stealing your lewtz if they're quicker to the scene of the crime.



Will we see such party benefits in Diablo 3? Most of us were assuming so, but we know most of the skills in the game, and so far exactly one has a party benefit. It's the Barbarian's Battle Cry, which is basically Shout from D2, boosting the defense of everyone in the party. (While this will be a useful Barbarian skill, its utility as a party skill is uncertain, since Wizards and WDs aren't tanking, and will probably have such low defense that doubling it would mean nothing to them.)

There's nothing (yet) in D3 that works like the best party skills did in D2; no known skills will boost the party's hit points, damage, attack speed, resistances, etc. Nor are there any easily-activated debuffs that will hobble the monsters in fashion that's useful to everyone. The Witch Doctor has some mind control skills, but these work in a radius from the caster, so only affect monsters near the WD, and they don't make the monsters easier to kill as did Amplify Damage, Decrepify, Lower Resistance, etc. Furthermore, look at how they work. Horrify makes monsters run away from the WD; imagine your Wizard or Archer is standing on the edge of the screen; where are those monsters likely to run? Right at you, arriving just as the Horrify wears off. That's not a skill you're going to be real eager to see any WD casting in a party game.

Party Skills

Does Diablo 3 actually need party skills? Will players play together just because it's more fun in a group, and it's easier with a variety of damage types going at the monsters, and since no one's ninja-snatching all your drops anymore? Or do you want there to be skills coming from other players that actually improve your character, or debuff the monsters?

Jay Wilson changed the complexion of this issue when he broke the news that we will probably see Auras in Diablo 3, most likely as Monk skills. Auras, by definition, are party-benefiting skills, and could make the Monk the most popular MP character of all. But if the Monk has some awesome, Paladin-like auras, and none of the other characters can do anything for the party other than add damage; would that cause more problems than it cures? Would everyone post "LFG Monk!" notices, while freezing Witch Doctors out of party games since they can't add anything useful to the group?

It's too soon to predict, with more skills yet to be revealed, but it is surprising that with all the skills we've seen, none of them are clearly I want someone in my party using this? type abilities. Is the D3 team not thinking about party play yet? The multiplayer gameplay footage we've seen is all very "rat race" in style. Multiple characters racing to kill the fastest, without any sign of teamwork or cooperation. Is that their vision for Diablo 3?

Is that a vision you share?



(See the full article here at Diii.net. This was written by xXSoulXx and posted in his absence.)

Comments

  • To post a comment, please or register a new account.
Posts Quoted:
Reply
Clear All Quotes