Petition to extend the anniversary buff
Diablofans.com has twenty (20) orphaned Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals (WWI) Cards to giveaway courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment. These cards contain:
- A Tyrael pet code redeemable for one of your current World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade characters.
- A World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Beta Key Code
Europe and USA players are eligible for as long as you play on servers in these regions. How can you become the foster parent of these orphaned Tyrael pets?
Simply be creative and post one or more detailed suggestions or your personal wishes for the Diablo 3 Team ... What do you want to see in Diablo 3 concerning Trading features and PvP features. Post them below.
These suggestions will be forwarded to the Diablo 3 Team through Bashiok (Diablo 3 Community Manager).
Only one entry per forum member and household. Anybody who makes more than one post in the contest thread will be disqualified. We will PM the winners and ship the cards to the winners' homes.
This contest will close on August 25th at 11:59pm EST at which point the forum thread will be locked.
Thanks for being an avid member of the Diablofans Community! Good Luck!
NOTE: Only entries are accepted in this thread. Any non-entry posts will be removed from this thread. More than one entry will result in an automatic disqualification.
For non-entry comments go to the following thread
Leipzig 2008 - Diablo 3 Media 49 Comments
Krawall.de got ahold of new Diablo 3 Media at the Leipzig 2008 Games Convention held in Germany. The new screenshots show both concept art and gameplay. Some of the gameplay screenshots show the Witch Doctor unit in action within a dungeon using his pets and spells to obliterate its enemies from a safe distance.
Check the images at Krawall.de
Check the images at Krawall.de
Bill Roper Shares Diablo III Thoughts 96 Comments
1UP cut a great World-Exclusive interview with Bill Roper, former Blizzard North Executive & Spokesman that we all love. In this 8-shocking pages interview he faces the fans for first time after the Flagship Studios crisis with the facts behind the dissolution of the game studios; and the fate of the Hellgate: London and Mythos IPs. We get to see the other side of the coin after Handbisoft's claims that they had presented various offers which were rejected. Not everything was as colorful as Hanbitsoft painted it [And by Hanbitsoft, I mean T3].
This is a Diablo III fansite, so I am gonna try to stick to that. Below you have a couple of quotes from the interview. You can read other comments made by Bill Roper concerning the Diablo III art direction through page four and five. His opinion on Diablo III is very valuable. Personally, myself and all the crew (and fans) wish Bill Roper the best in the immediate present and future. I know these are very hard times. I held one of the first, if not the first, Hellgate: London fan site interviews with Bill Roper on August 27, 2005. And, prior to that, was surprised to get emailed by him for other personal matters. I have always been a fan of him and his work. As such, it pains me as much and as close as it would a brother.
This is a Diablo III fansite, so I am gonna try to stick to that. Below you have a couple of quotes from the interview. You can read other comments made by Bill Roper concerning the Diablo III art direction through page four and five. His opinion on Diablo III is very valuable. Personally, myself and all the crew (and fans) wish Bill Roper the best in the immediate present and future. I know these are very hard times. I held one of the first, if not the first, Hellgate: London fan site interviews with Bill Roper on August 27, 2005. And, prior to that, was surprised to get emailed by him for other personal matters. I have always been a fan of him and his work. As such, it pains me as much and as close as it would a brother.
Quote
GFW: Have you thought about how you would feel if they get some team together and actually somehow cobble it into a game? Are you going to have mixed feelings -- like you're glad that somebody was finally able to put this baby out -- or do you wish that it just got killed with you guys?
BR: I think what I would really want to see is that there was some way where Travis [Baldree] and his guys were able to finish their game. It's pretty different from, for example, how I feel about the Diablo III stuff. I'm excited to see Diablo III, because it's a whole new thing. They've got a whole new direction on it. They have a few of the guys that worked at Blizzard North still around, but there's a whole new team on it, and it's like, OK, it's their license, and they're trying to really move the bar and do something different with the Diablo license. Yeah, I'm excited when I see what they're coming up with.
GFW: What was your own gut reaction to the art direction?
BR: I just thought it was different. I think the thing I always liked about the Blizzard North and Blizzard HQ constructs is the fact that they were two very distinct groups. At Irvine, we had a way that we approached things -- game development, art style, from color to character shapes, everything -- that was very distinct from the guys at Blizzard North. I think that it made it pretty compelling when you bought the Diablo titles. You got something that was markedly different from what you got out of a WarCraft or StarCraft. I think now, because everything's down there, you're seeing the Irvine take on the Diablo universe. So it's just the direction they're going with the people they have and the mindset there. I always liked the fact that Diablo was very dark and Gothic and gritty and edgy, but I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with the direction they've gone. They just chose to go a different way.
I think the core Diablo fans are saying, "We really like the dark, edgy, gritty look of that game!" We had people impaled on spikes, for god's sake. And now it's kind of bright and airy and doesn't quite feel the same. But I dunno. I look at it, and it's got high production quality, and it looks like it's going to be really fun to play. I think that wall of zombies is the coolest concept for a spell maybe ever. It's not any different in terms of gameplay mechanics, but it's so cleverly thought-out. I'm gonna raise a wall of undead! Oh my god, why didn't we ever think of that! It's genius! So I look forward to that. Again, it's a take on something, even if it's different. With Mythos, it's a thing where...it's mostly done, and you want the guys who were working on it, pouring their vision into it, their heart and soul into it, to be the ones who complete it. Short of somebody else being involved with the project, I don't really see that happening.
BR: I think what I would really want to see is that there was some way where Travis [Baldree] and his guys were able to finish their game. It's pretty different from, for example, how I feel about the Diablo III stuff. I'm excited to see Diablo III, because it's a whole new thing. They've got a whole new direction on it. They have a few of the guys that worked at Blizzard North still around, but there's a whole new team on it, and it's like, OK, it's their license, and they're trying to really move the bar and do something different with the Diablo license. Yeah, I'm excited when I see what they're coming up with.
GFW: What was your own gut reaction to the art direction?
BR: I just thought it was different. I think the thing I always liked about the Blizzard North and Blizzard HQ constructs is the fact that they were two very distinct groups. At Irvine, we had a way that we approached things -- game development, art style, from color to character shapes, everything -- that was very distinct from the guys at Blizzard North. I think that it made it pretty compelling when you bought the Diablo titles. You got something that was markedly different from what you got out of a WarCraft or StarCraft. I think now, because everything's down there, you're seeing the Irvine take on the Diablo universe. So it's just the direction they're going with the people they have and the mindset there. I always liked the fact that Diablo was very dark and Gothic and gritty and edgy, but I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with the direction they've gone. They just chose to go a different way.
I think the core Diablo fans are saying, "We really like the dark, edgy, gritty look of that game!" We had people impaled on spikes, for god's sake. And now it's kind of bright and airy and doesn't quite feel the same. But I dunno. I look at it, and it's got high production quality, and it looks like it's going to be really fun to play. I think that wall of zombies is the coolest concept for a spell maybe ever. It's not any different in terms of gameplay mechanics, but it's so cleverly thought-out. I'm gonna raise a wall of undead! Oh my god, why didn't we ever think of that! It's genius! So I look forward to that. Again, it's a take on something, even if it's different. With Mythos, it's a thing where...it's mostly done, and you want the guys who were working on it, pouring their vision into it, their heart and soul into it, to be the ones who complete it. Short of somebody else being involved with the project, I don't really see that happening.
PC Gamer's Diablo III Cover Story 18 Comments
The latest issue of PC Gamer that's currently only available to subscribers of the magazine is featuring a cover story and preview of none other than Diablo III.
The issue of PC Gamer has yet to hit the shelves, but BlizzardGuru managed to get their hands on the issue and take photos of the pages, which they've uploaded for viewing.
The magazine doesn't contain too much new information, however and goes through the typical questions that most of us have asked and had answered by Bashiok on the forums and Jay Wilson in various interviews online.
However, the issue also contains some interesting reading, such as a fanboy vs hater op-ed piece, a column regarding the color/art petition and a Q&A section with some new information about the game. The article also contains a feature on what we know and what we don’t, with some very detailed speculation on the matters.
Thanks for the tip, Sp3tsnaz!
The issue of PC Gamer has yet to hit the shelves, but BlizzardGuru managed to get their hands on the issue and take photos of the pages, which they've uploaded for viewing.
The magazine doesn't contain too much new information, however and goes through the typical questions that most of us have asked and had answered by Bashiok on the forums and Jay Wilson in various interviews online.
However, the issue also contains some interesting reading, such as a fanboy vs hater op-ed piece, a column regarding the color/art petition and a Q&A section with some new information about the game. The article also contains a feature on what we know and what we don’t, with some very detailed speculation on the matters.
Thanks for the tip, Sp3tsnaz!
BlizzCon Sold Out in 15 Minutes 40 Comments
OCRegister interviewed Shon Damron, Blizzard’s PR manager, who responded to various questions addressing the Blizzcon tickets online store meltdown. What some fans wondered or theorized ended up being the truth.
Last year, BlizzCon 2007 sold out in three days at a pace of two tickets per minute. This year, BlizzCon 2008 tickets sold out ... in 15 minutes with thousands of connections per second pressing ctrl+F5 attempting to get through the cart process. Read the complete interview at the Orange County Register. Thanks, WoWInsider
Last year, BlizzCon 2007 sold out in three days at a pace of two tickets per minute. This year, BlizzCon 2008 tickets sold out ... in 15 minutes with thousands of connections per second pressing ctrl+F5 attempting to get through the cart process. Read the complete interview at the Orange County Register. Thanks, WoWInsider
Quote
Q: Can you, meaning Blizzard, be specific as to what technically happened and why do you think the system broke down? Was it outsourced?
Blizzard: The issues that people faced were due to an incredible rush to purchase tickets. Last year we sold about two tickets per minute, selling out in 72 hours, and this year, with 50% more tickets available, we sold out in a combined total of 15 minutes. This meant that thousands of people were trying to purchase tickets at the same time, so some people were not able to get all the way through the purchase process before the tickets had been sold out.
Blizzard: The issues that people faced were due to an incredible rush to purchase tickets. Last year we sold about two tickets per minute, selling out in 72 hours, and this year, with 50% more tickets available, we sold out in a combined total of 15 minutes. This meant that thousands of people were trying to purchase tickets at the same time, so some people were not able to get all the way through the purchase process before the tickets had been sold out.
MTV - ‘Diablo III’ Designer Describes How Game Will Appeal To ‘Diablo’ Fans And Broad 51 Comments
MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John shares another part of their Q&A with Jay Wilson (Diablo 3 Lead Designer). Jay Wilson discusses why potions were removed from the game, and what the plan is to change game mechanics for handling monsters and bosses; and how the game will appeal to Diablo fans. Read the article.
Bashiok answered a QQ-rampage from fan bobydole concerning this very MTV interview about Health Potions. His answer makes sense. There is a mix between nostalgia, and how gaming experience, game mechanics and systems have evolved eight years later. Sometimes you can't appeal to everyone, but gotta balance games somewhere in the middle. Personally, I have been one of those players who go into Duriel with a full stack of healing potions, do hit and run, and spam healing potions. Same with Diablo at the Chaos Sanctuary. Teleport, stack more healing potions, then return to continue tackling Diablo. Playing Diablo 3 differently would surely put a dent on the healing pot spamming nostalgia. However, shooting down the new healing concept laid by the Diablo 3 team before even getting our hands on a playable demo, or beta is a bit too early.
Those who have expressed concern that the screenshots show a difference from what was shown at the Gameplay video in WWI Paris seem to be wrong. Bashiok , Diablo 3 Community Manager, has answered fans the following:
Quote
Jay Wilson: “When you have a player who has more mobility, more health and endless power, essentially the only thing you can really do to challenge [the players] is to kill them.”
Bashiok answered a QQ-rampage from fan bobydole concerning this very MTV interview about Health Potions. His answer makes sense. There is a mix between nostalgia, and how gaming experience, game mechanics and systems have evolved eight years later. Sometimes you can't appeal to everyone, but gotta balance games somewhere in the middle. Personally, I have been one of those players who go into Duriel with a full stack of healing potions, do hit and run, and spam healing potions. Same with Diablo at the Chaos Sanctuary. Teleport, stack more healing potions, then return to continue tackling Diablo. Playing Diablo 3 differently would surely put a dent on the healing pot spamming nostalgia. However, shooting down the new healing concept laid by the Diablo 3 team before even getting our hands on a playable demo, or beta is a bit too early.
Quote
Bobydole: They keep touting potiopn dropping as if it's a new dynamic that's going to make the game more interesting. It's been around for decades as a game mechanic.
What made diablo interesting was the lifetap ability of most classes, it wasn't so much the potion popping, though that was important for casters.
What gets me is these guys claim they're fixing this that, putting in potion drops rather than potions, then they say some BS like this...
"We want diablo III to be beatable by just pushing one button."
No &#$%ing *(&#, genious. Diablo I and II both got that right for lower difficulties.
How about we stop trying to fix what isn't broken and refine it. Rather than, oh i don't know...
DEVOLVING ONE OF THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME TO MIMIC THE BASIC PLAY MECHANICS OF PREVIOUS BULL(*&#$ TITLES.
Are we making a blizzard game here or an SOE title? Quit making bull*(&$, water-down, vanilla gameplay descisions.
Blizzard doesn't cater to massive audiences, they create them.
Refine lifetap, Refine player run speeds, make synergies work better. Make some skills powerful damage-wise, but weaken a players speed/ defense over time. Make more dynamic buff abilities like berserk.
Go ahead, kill the messenger. Blizzard can do no wrong, right?, Empires never fall..
Bashiok: Hrmmm, I was really confused at first but I think you make a very valid point. However, game development and design just doesn't tend to work the same as it used to, and I'm not talking about Blizzard games, but just in general.
The days of design-by-luck are by no means gone, but far less accepting are players of flaws as valid rules. It requires a more methodical and player-serving approach. I actually think it may have to do somewhat with the increase in expectations of customer service and consumer rights... possibly the ever-shrinking attention span, regardless though, players have higher expectations from their games, and systems/rules that may have worked or were at least accepted as part of the game even a few years ago rarely fly these days. It's not the same market, and you're not applying to the same small group of core gamers anymore. Aside from that I don't think most still enjoy the masochistic, obscure, and often overly-complex or undefined game design of yore. Nostalgia blinds though.
Anyway... I don't know, I'm just a player myself, but I think I get where you're coming from and the best we can do is play games and enjoy ourselves. Maybe more than we ever have before, but nostalgia is such a powerful lie it makes it difficult to properly weigh the experiences.
I'm reading a bit between the lines of your posts though I think, and getting way too far from discussing health regeneration in Diablo games.
I know at this point I probably can't really allay your concerns in this specific case until you try it out, except to say that I believe you're wrong in regards to health globes. The overuse of potions was a path of least resistance, and I don't feel removing it detracts anything from the game except to say that it's something that was in a previous title in the series.
What made diablo interesting was the lifetap ability of most classes, it wasn't so much the potion popping, though that was important for casters.
What gets me is these guys claim they're fixing this that, putting in potion drops rather than potions, then they say some BS like this...
"We want diablo III to be beatable by just pushing one button."
No &#$%ing *(&#, genious. Diablo I and II both got that right for lower difficulties.
How about we stop trying to fix what isn't broken and refine it. Rather than, oh i don't know...
DEVOLVING ONE OF THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME TO MIMIC THE BASIC PLAY MECHANICS OF PREVIOUS BULL(*&#$ TITLES.
Are we making a blizzard game here or an SOE title? Quit making bull*(&$, water-down, vanilla gameplay descisions.
Blizzard doesn't cater to massive audiences, they create them.
Refine lifetap, Refine player run speeds, make synergies work better. Make some skills powerful damage-wise, but weaken a players speed/ defense over time. Make more dynamic buff abilities like berserk.
Go ahead, kill the messenger. Blizzard can do no wrong, right?, Empires never fall..
Bashiok: Hrmmm, I was really confused at first but I think you make a very valid point. However, game development and design just doesn't tend to work the same as it used to, and I'm not talking about Blizzard games, but just in general.
The days of design-by-luck are by no means gone, but far less accepting are players of flaws as valid rules. It requires a more methodical and player-serving approach. I actually think it may have to do somewhat with the increase in expectations of customer service and consumer rights... possibly the ever-shrinking attention span, regardless though, players have higher expectations from their games, and systems/rules that may have worked or were at least accepted as part of the game even a few years ago rarely fly these days. It's not the same market, and you're not applying to the same small group of core gamers anymore. Aside from that I don't think most still enjoy the masochistic, obscure, and often overly-complex or undefined game design of yore. Nostalgia blinds though.
Anyway... I don't know, I'm just a player myself, but I think I get where you're coming from and the best we can do is play games and enjoy ourselves. Maybe more than we ever have before, but nostalgia is such a powerful lie it makes it difficult to properly weigh the experiences.
I'm reading a bit between the lines of your posts though I think, and getting way too far from discussing health regeneration in Diablo games.
I know at this point I probably can't really allay your concerns in this specific case until you try it out, except to say that I believe you're wrong in regards to health globes. The overuse of potions was a path of least resistance, and I don't feel removing it detracts anything from the game except to say that it's something that was in a previous title in the series.
Those who have expressed concern that the screenshots show a difference from what was shown at the Gameplay video in WWI Paris seem to be wrong. Bashiok , Diablo 3 Community Manager, has answered fans the following:
Quote
Is it just me or does this recent pic indeed show a darker dungeon then in the previous screen shots?
Bashiok: All of the screenshots being posted were taken pre-announcement, the same time the video was shot. So no, there isn't any difference. There are darker parts, and lighter parts, and while there are certain to be lighting tweaks as we go it isn't expected to change dramatically.
Well at least one thing I noticed new in the screen shots was the barbarian has gotten new battle scars from killing demons in this picture, but in the game play video when they zoom in he didn't have as many on him..
Bashiok: Those are actually fading crit blood sprays. When you get a crit death on a monster (that isn't an elemental crit death) it sprays the hero with blood (decals) and those then slowly fade over time. The screenshot shows them pretty much faded all the way out which gave them the appearance of scars. Maybe we can get some screenshots out that show the blood sprays a bit more effectively.
Bashiok: All of the screenshots being posted were taken pre-announcement, the same time the video was shot. So no, there isn't any difference. There are darker parts, and lighter parts, and while there are certain to be lighting tweaks as we go it isn't expected to change dramatically.
Well at least one thing I noticed new in the screen shots was the barbarian has gotten new battle scars from killing demons in this picture, but in the game play video when they zoom in he didn't have as many on him..
Bashiok: Those are actually fading crit blood sprays. When you get a crit death on a monster (that isn't an elemental crit death) it sprays the hero with blood (decals) and those then slowly fade over time. The screenshot shows them pretty much faded all the way out which gave them the appearance of scars. Maybe we can get some screenshots out that show the blood sprays a bit more effectively.
