Good news on this hot topic, the "fun" thing will NOT be a wallpaper! However it will most likely not be a release date.
Hardcore PVP - Final Death?
One again, pikke has pointed out some good blue posts from the Italian forums. Remember these are roughly translated, so please keep this in mind.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Simply we still have no definitive version of how the characters will be handled Hardcore PvP.
We have in mind the interest that some players, as you are showing, they have towards the Hardcore mode.
During BlizzCon Jay Wilson had said that we are considering various hypotheses, including a small arena for 1v1 and so on. Our aim is obviously to offer you the means to satisfy the desire of players interested in adrenaline mode.
How, we have not definitively decided.
Currently we have no plan to permanently kill the PCs in the arenas for teams, but only in PvE (intended to be: only in areas of the game dedicated to PvE, if a character is killed while on a stroll of course counts the same as final death).
I will keep you updated.
Isn't not dying in hardcore pvp a contradiction?
I honestly can't see how an arena could work with the final death activated.
Each character would have an average life expectancy of 1 match likely, given the ease with which a character might die if the opposing team focus on it.
I understand the adrenaline, but it would be counterproductive for the fun.
That said, we have not yet taken a final decision, our intention is to put some PvP mode that allows the final death, be it by duel, by 1v1 arena, or something we have not yet thought of.
We are evaluating the pros and cons of various options
Wizard - Meteor Runed
We have put together a video of the Wizard's runed Meteor spell. Please keep in mind this is put together from the beta and does not reflect how it will look live.
Book of Cain Signing
For anyone who has or wishes to get a copy of the Book of Cain, now is a good time. On January 7th you can get it signed!
If you have been keeping up with the Big Blue's news lately, then you may have heard about a little product called the Book of Cain. This definitive Diablo source book compounds the franchise's major lore with stunning artwork provided by many of the industry's greatest illustrators.
Heavyweights like; John Howe, Alan Lee, Gerald Brom, Ian McCaig and Adrian Smith to name a few. And also our very own Red Knuckle Welshman, Mark Gibbons!
To celebrate the release, the authors of the book (Chris Metzen, Micky Neilson and Flint Dille) together with artist Mark Gibbons have set up a panel and signing in a Los Angeles book store. Here are the details:
Date: Saturday January 7, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Book Soup - 8818 Sunset Boulevard - West Hollywood, CA 90069
Want to meet the Thundergod and the Red Knuckle in person? Here's your chance!
Beta Screenshots
Today we have a Wizard casting Disintegrate into a group of skeletons, a group taking on a Harvester with Grasp of the Dead and Firebomb, and an unlucky Barbarian about to meet his maker after an exploding Grotesque.
its nice to have a non-ambiguous answer from Bashiok for once. A straight up denial of the release date. His previous tweet, or post or whatever was along the lines of "unlikely, but would be nice if it was... :)" or soemthing to that effect. I hope the new year brings more straight to the point answers even if they aren't what we want to hear.
highly doubtful, but that would definitely qualify as a fun surprise, and qualify as being more than a wallpaper, but less than a release date.
This just in, Bashiok - Monday and Tuesday are the early days of the week. Wednesday is the middle day. Thursday and Friday are the late days. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend. Tuesday’s almost over. Now, when do you plan on starting this massive letdown of a celebration you've been hyping again???
I'm begging these people to stop using this ridiculously cryptic language to describe everything particularly things don't appear to be of any major importance to the new game. It serves no purpose. Just be honest and specific. Apparently too much to ask...
Apparently its also not coming "early" in the week.
If this is Blizzard's definition of "early" we can expect Diablo 3 sometime in July.
Just my 2 cents: fire Jay wilson and get someone with leadership skills like an army general. I mean its not like the release will be that much more delayed by switching lead designers. At least then we won't have to deal with Jay WIlson's indecisive brain.
although most people considering wednesday as the "middle" of the week because its the middle of the WORK week. so technically the middle of the whole week isnt until halfway through thursday.
If thats the case wend is indeed still early =P
But seriously now, its mid way through the work week, which is what he was obviously referring to. Also the early was most likely used referring to the fact it was going to be "The week after". So early in the week compared to that...
Lots of ways to look at it.. but people like to look at the ways that make it negative over positive, but watcha gonna do.
In the mean time go watch some runed skills on our youtube channel =P
The surprise will be announced tomorrow.
It's the same thing as your christmas presents on Christmas Eve: the surprises are there and they aren't going anywhere. Take a deep breath, let out a sigh of defeat, get some sleep, and check back tomorrow for the surprise that should be there.
Don't drive yourselves insane; Diablo hopes to do that for you. Be patient.
LOL. then they would get a million pre orders. and that would conflict with their wow annual pass thing and also would cause way too many people to enter the beta which is what opposite of what they want.
I don't know where you're from but most calendars here in the US go from Sun-Sat which makes Wed the middle.
Weekends don't mean the end of the week they mean the ENDS of the week like book ends.
i dont know where you from but the days of the week in the U.S. and every country in the world are mon - tues - wed -thur - fri -sat - sun
we learned in pre-school hbu?
Nope. It's Sun - Mon - Tues - Wed - Thurs - Fri - Sat. Notice how they are at the ends of the week...again like bookends. I'm sorry your school could afford accurate material.
Heck, you could just stop being butthurt and google calendar. Click on the first link and look how the days are lined up.
according to everyone. monday is the START of a week. regardless of what a calender LOOKS like. who STARTS work on a sunday? almost no one.
even according to religion the start of the week is monday, which is where the days of the week are derived from. which "god rested on the 7th day (end of the week) sunday" which would mean the start is monday.
still winning bro
Nope. It's Sun - Mon - Tues - Wed - Thurs - Fri - Sat. Notice how they are at the ends of the week...again like bookends. I'm sorry your school couldn't afford accurate material.
rofl where did you get the quote "sunday" for God's day of rest? The day of rest is the Sabbath which is Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. You're just mad that a calendar schooled you. It's not Monday. What days people normally start work have NOTHING to do with days of the week. M-F common work weeks didn't even exist when the Gregorian calendar was invented.
Yes, I'm still winning. Everyone else thinks Sun is the start too. You can just be by yourself in the corner trying to come up with some other fake information about how the middle of the week is "technically" mid-Thurs.
wow so millions of christians and catholics are teaching sunday as the last day, the day of rest.... wrong? wow you should run out and inform them! quick! man your so smart.