Official Blizzard Quote:
Jay Wilson: We understand the problems with item sets. We want to solve them. Set items are under work now, if we cant’ find a way to solve the problem it won’t be in the game. But we’ve got a couple of ideas on the table and we think it’ll work out.
With Diablo III's development nearing 2011, Bashiok posted one of the ways that the team is trying to get around some of the drawbacks of set items as faced in prior games and their own experience with Diablo III:
Official Blizzard Quote:
It's looking more and more likely that set items will simply be something you chase in the end-game. And realistically that's really where they simply work the best.
We have a few ideas still that could allow them to be available while leveling, but each of them have sticking points that would require their own solutions. One is expanding sets out so that it isn't just one item in each slot, but a group of items all separated by level requirement. So there could be, say, five pairs of pants that all work as part of the set and are each better than the last. While leveling you could be wearing the first pair of pants and then find a new and better pair that still work to benefit your set bonus. That isn't without its problems though.
We of course like and intend to keep partial set bonuses, by the way.
Anyway, sets are actually in the game right now in very limited forms, there's a bit of design left on them yet, but as I said they work very well at end-game and that's where we're leaning toward them appearing.
With any luck, we won't be completing Sigon's Complete Steel in Nightmare mode this time around, and the nearly impossible to find sets won't be useless in Hell. But will tuning set items to work in the end-game only replace the old conundrum of mass Runeword abuse in Diablo II? As is just about everything concerning the third installment, we wait on the question of balance.
Quite the opposite, in fact =D. I usually get bored after around level 30, though I have had a few high 80's MF characters. I usually go through end-game experiences once or twice, and then start making new characters and experimenting with builds. I never get to the point where I feel I need the best equipment in a game like this.
Regarding uniqueness: I could care less, personally. It doesn't bother me if another character and I are wearing exactly the same items(the likelihood of which should be low if they itemize correctly). Of the millions of combinations of class/gender/items/colors that will exist, the chance of having two of the millions of players in the same game in the same place with enough time to actually worry about how they look...well it's a very small concern. If this did ever happen I guess I found my twin. If you ragequit at this point you are a lost cause anyways, and Blizzard(and any other developer) is not making this game for you(I hope).
As for massive grinding of loot hotspots...I rarely to never engaged in such behavior, and from what I've read Blizz seems to be developing against this kind of behavior in the early game. Obviously end-game behavior will be looking for the best items in the game, and there is little that can be done for that, but it sounds like D3 will be a game where grinding for items at low level won't be necessary(not that it ever really was in Diablo/Diablo 2 or most games really, I never did any grinding until end-game and got by just fine with sub-optimal builds).
I for one hope they keep a very similar system as in Diablo 2, where there are appropriate sets for each level to chase and if you want to grind for a better item you can. I'll be wearing my Arctic Furs til level 40, thank you very much.
I suppose that if trading had been better in D2 then maybe it would have been easier to get hold of your missing set items. I still think that it's more rewarding to have them drop though...
IE: I already have IK boots, need belt, yet I get 2 more pairs of boots over 100 runs...
I like this idea.
Well I keep editing my post so ur quotes may be outdated :biggrin: And i believe my suggestion is easy for D3 dev team cuz all they need to do is create these items, add recipe and merge formula.
Bsides, Another simple tweak for the team I like to share here. I also hope they make skill learned from scroll too, such as low level wizard's skill like Spectral Blade, its scrolls are purchasable and cheap but up till level 4 only (if max is 5), you got to kill monsters to hope for a drop of better scroll from it. high level skills such as hydra is not available at all from vendor. With this mechanism implemented, they can achieve the goal that everyone can reset their skills, but comes with a price. Ofcuz, resetting skill means reset 1 of your many skills only. You don't want to recollect all skill scroll again just bcuz u have to reset all ur skills.
Sorry for getting off topic, but i really wanted to make D3 a long term game for insane treasure collectors.
Perhaps just check if your character has it. If they drop or sell it, they can find it again. But that doesn't take in to account shared stashes, which is an enormously grey area in this regard.
I think it would be nice if they lowered your chance of finding low-level set items at higher levels and difficulties. The other high-level sets can still be hard to find, but at least you won't have junk popping up everywhere and the set item spawn won't be wasted on items you don't need/want.
Why not have set items be completely random with the exception of what the set bonuses are?
This would make every set item you find worthwhile, and make it worth having the full set as well. So basically they would be like random magic/rare items stat wise, but with set item bonuses. Also maybe make them have 1 or 2 stats that always stay the same. Also to go along with your idea of making different tier items if found on harder difficulties.
A few examples
"Merlin's Ring"
+100-150 mana
+10-20 Intelligence
+random stat (If found on normal)
+random stat (If found on nightmare)
+random stat (IF found on hell)
Achille's Sword
+200-300% Extra damage
+20-30% Attack speed
+random stat (If found on normal)
+random stat (If found on nightmare)
+random stat (IF found on hell)
So you get better items for finding them in harder modes and set items could be viable for top end game items.
To me this fits the Diablo item system more, as I never was a fan of unique items all being the same, as if they are unique, shouldn't there only be one of them? But it also makes sense that famous items would be replicated, but never done exactly, which explains why they have a few of the same item stats, and then random stats spawn with it.
I like this idea. This way you don't have to find new ones for the complete set bonus, but if you do then it's all the better.
I had another idea that might help with set drop rates. If you are wearing one set item your chances of finding another item from that set increases (either the same upgraded piece or another one) by some marginal value, maybe 15%. This will help with completing a lower full set earlier while it is still useful.
They were cheap enough for the poor to use and eventually work their way up.
And for the rich could do whatever gimmicky stuff they wanted with them. They could make another character and just outfit them with the sets for fun, etc.