After what was likely one of the biggest weeks in Diablo 3 development history (aside from, of course, the game's announcement), I think now is a good time to summarize and touch on the great flood of information we've received over the past week or so. Not only am I referring to the information from the Press Event and the Conference Call, but there has also been ~100 new blueposts/tweets from Blizzard as well. Before we begin, I wanted to point out that just prior to the event, three pretty big editorials were posted covering: death throughout the Diablo series, the life of a Monster, and the Interface/Controls throughout the Diablo series.
Thus far, the biggest and most discussed topic from the Press Event has been the Auction House and this is simply because real money will be involved. While real money is going to be used, Gold will still make up the economy, the only difference is that the value of gold will be determined by its' exchange rate within the RMAH. The AH will, without a doubt, affect all aspects of the game indefinitely. With the entire revamp of the skill system, including the removal of skill points and potential rune system change, it will make the trading of runes on the AH much more valuable than it currently is. Not only that, but keeping in mind the fact that the PvP System will not be competitive means that players can essentially purchase items and pwn the arena without any foreseeable nerfs. That in mind, Blizzard is taking a much more casual approach to the Arena now. No longer will arena matches be 3v3 or "last man standing"-styled; now Blizzard is aiming for 4v4 PvP matches (with the maximum D3 party size being 4) and a Team Deathmatch styled arena.
Not only were these big changes presented to us, but a number of exclusive interviews were conducted, including the secret Blizzard interview with Kevin Martens, where he may have slipped up on a potential fourth difficulty, and the G4TV interview with Rob Pardo, where he may have also slipped up about Diablo being the final boss. For those of you who like to tune into our weekly DiabloCasts, this past weeks' Cast covered all of the topics presented throughout this article.
Following both the Press Event and the Conference Call, Blizzard requested that we all update our Beta Profile Preferences for the chance to opt-into the D3 Beta. It seems as if this past week was the calm before the storm and all we're waiting for now is the beta to begin.
I don't think anyone, inside or outside the walls, really considered just how much the RMAH will have added to the development time. But that's what happens when upper management pushes an idea down. A few currencies, a dozen countries, hundreds of relevant laws, and the need for the complete security that comes with real money. It must be frustrating for the dev team - they could probably release this thing in october if it was just a matter of delivering the single player game. Instead, March is optimistic.
I don't think the inferno difficulty was a slip cause in the most recent newsletter blizzard that was sent out had this in it.
How are you approaching balancing the game’s overall difficulty?
Kevin Martens: When it comes down to balancing the actual numbers, there is an expected amount of damage output that players should be able to sustain based on their level and gear. There is no absolute benchmark though, as skillful players will be able to do more damage with speed, precision, and advanced attack combos, while less experienced players will generally do less damage with more straight-forward attacks. The expected damage is a starting point to balance from. Balance must be maintained for both players types, and everyone in between, which can be tricky. Ultimately, it’s going to take the game's harder difficulty modes -- Hell and Inferno -- to challenge the limits of the best Diablo III players.
So they have publicly announced the Inferno system although that's all we know. I assume it is probably the game again but from act 1 the monsters are like level 61-63 and everything is just generally harder. I also hope this difficulty introduces some new areas.
omg, I HOPE inferno isn't a difficulty of all higher level mobs, that drop higher than average items, and can be completed once a day.. SOUNDS LIKE WORLD OF WARCRAFT INSTANCES.. kekek
seriously if it was up to me, I would make every weapon/armor in the game bind to the user account, that way you would be able to use the shared stash for your other chars but couldnt trade with others
THAT would be the right solution, so even 3rd party sites couldn sell stuff anymore
I concur that is a solution to 3rd party sites. However Blizz thinks trading is a major aspect of diablo and would never go for such an idea. I would be for it because i am the one who always gets screwed in trades.
seriously if it was up to me, I would make every weapon/armor in the game bind to the user account, that way you would be able to use the shared stash for your other chars but couldnt trade with others
THAT would be the right solution, so even 3rd party sites couldn sell stuff anymore
Except the fact that Diablo, in general, is a trade based game. Which I agree, trading is a MAJOR part of the Diablo franchise. So, this will never happen; however, I could see some items and such BoP...but I still dont like the idea personally...
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~ Some people are still alive only because it is illegal to kill them ~
i hate when people say the fans made blizzard, the fans made ufc, the fans made capcom. no, the fans didn't make blizzard. they made themselves by making amazing games. blizzard actually made you. so be a little more respectful you ungrateful little brats.
also, i hate the idea of bound items.
"and the need for the complete security that comes with real money." you talk like having better security is a bad thing.
No Disrespect but saying "the fact that the pvp system will not be competitive" is very narrow minded. Look at D2, it had absolutely no pvp features other than being able to kill other players yet D2 had a very competitve pvp community. So considering D3 already has more features for pvp saying that it is a "fact" that it won't be competitive is extremly ignorant. I for one believe that it will still be very competitive and it will be because the community will make it this way.
Thanks for the recap Sixen. Crazy weekend here in Chicago during Lollapalooza, but it seems I am now caught up with Diablo 3 info, now we continue to wait!!!
i hate when people say the fans made blizzard, the fans made ufc, the fans made capcom. no, the fans didn't make blizzard. they made themselves by making amazing games. blizzard actually made you. so be a little more respectful you ungrateful little brats.
What astounding ignorance.
What's makes a game great and successful? The fans that buy it.
Why is Blizzard such a large, rich game developer? Because the fans give them their money.
Why does Blizzcon sell out in five seconds every year? Because the fans have a strong desire to go.
You might think Blizz would be great even if they had no fans or customers, but you'd be just as wrong as you think everyone else is being.
seriously if it was up to me, I would make every weapon/armor in the game bind to the user account, that way you would be able to use the shared stash for your other chars but couldnt trade with others
THAT would be the right solution, so even 3rd party sites couldn sell stuff anymore
Imagine if it was D2 and all item's were BoP... how crappy would that be (yes not the best application of D3 theory but I think it gets the point across); additionally let’s just roll on our loot too, might make it more fun. BoP/BoA is for WoW and Wow only. There would be no point to the AH, heck this game would probably been released by now if they went that route.
The only aspect that would ever get me to never buy this game is if things were BoP.
Shouldn't the RMAH fix the issue with 3rd party sites? I mean why go buy stuff from them when you can get it from RMAH with guarantee you won't get scammed etc. and it'll prolly be cheaper aswell
This quote sums it up. If any sites still do exist there won't be many and they probably won't do very well; of course many of the practices presented to us over the months sound great in theory, were just going to have wait and see.
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Playing Diablo since 97. I know nothing and having nothing good to say, I be a troll.
It will be interesting however to see if third party sites compete in any way. If competitive bidding makes a great item pricey in the Official RMAH, why not get it cheaper (if available) on a third party site? (with the risk of being scammed of course)
It will be interesting however to see if third party sites compete in any way. If competitive bidding makes a great item pricey in the Official RMAH, why not get it cheaper (if available) on a third party site? (with the risk of being scammed of course)
Why create a 3rd party site when you can just list that item for a lesser value and have it sell immediately.
I mean, if your goal is to obtain log-in info, sure, make your 3rd party site and keylog away, but if you're just looking for cash for items, the blizz ah market will give you that easy.
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After what was likely one of the biggest weeks in Diablo 3 development history (aside from, of course, the game's announcement), I think now is a good time to summarize and touch on the great flood of information we've received over the past week or so. Not only am I referring to the information from the Press Event and the Conference Call, but there has also been ~100 new blueposts/tweets from Blizzard as well. Before we begin, I wanted to point out that just prior to the event, three pretty big editorials were posted covering: death throughout the Diablo series, the life of a Monster, and the Interface/Controls throughout the Diablo series.
Thus far, the biggest and most discussed topic from the Press Event has been the Auction House and this is simply because real money will be involved. While real money is going to be used, Gold will still make up the economy, the only difference is that the value of gold will be determined by its' exchange rate within the RMAH. The AH will, without a doubt, affect all aspects of the game indefinitely. With the entire revamp of the skill system, including the removal of skill points and potential rune system change, it will make the trading of runes on the AH much more valuable than it currently is. Not only that, but keeping in mind the fact that the PvP System will not be competitive means that players can essentially purchase items and pwn the arena without any foreseeable nerfs. That in mind, Blizzard is taking a much more casual approach to the Arena now. No longer will arena matches be 3v3 or "last man standing"-styled; now Blizzard is aiming for 4v4 PvP matches (with the maximum D3 party size being 4) and a Team Deathmatch styled arena.
Not only were these big changes presented to us, but a number of exclusive interviews were conducted, including the secret Blizzard interview with Kevin Martens, where he may have slipped up on a potential fourth difficulty, and the G4TV interview with Rob Pardo, where he may have also slipped up about Diablo being the final boss. For those of you who like to tune into our weekly DiabloCasts, this past weeks' Cast covered all of the topics presented throughout this article.
Following both the Press Event and the Conference Call, Blizzard requested that we all update our Beta Profile Preferences for the chance to opt-into the D3 Beta. It seems as if this past week was the calm before the storm and all we're waiting for now is the beta to begin.
News Index:
Diablo III Analyst
SC2Mapster
So they have publicly announced the Inferno system although that's all we know. I assume it is probably the game again but from act 1 the monsters are like level 61-63 and everything is just generally harder. I also hope this difficulty introduces some new areas.
I concur that is a solution to 3rd party sites. However Blizz thinks trading is a major aspect of diablo and would never go for such an idea. I would be for it because i am the one who always gets screwed in trades.
Except the fact that Diablo, in general, is a trade based game. Which I agree, trading is a MAJOR part of the Diablo franchise. So, this will never happen; however, I could see some items and such BoP...but I still dont like the idea personally...
also, i hate the idea of bound items.
"and the need for the complete security that comes with real money." you talk like having better security is a bad thing.
There is far too much hyperbole rolling around the internet regarding D3 features.
I know hyperbole can be fun. So can cocaine (apparently). That doesn't mean you use all of it you can as often as you can.
What astounding ignorance.
What's makes a game great and successful? The fans that buy it.
Why is Blizzard such a large, rich game developer? Because the fans give them their money.
Why does Blizzcon sell out in five seconds every year? Because the fans have a strong desire to go.
You might think Blizz would be great even if they had no fans or customers, but you'd be just as wrong as you think everyone else is being.
Next time, think before you speak.
What's makes a game great and successful? the people who made it.
Why is Blizzard such a large, rich game developer? Because they make amazing games.
Why does Blizzcon sell out in five seconds every year? Because they make amazing games.
Next time, think before you speak.
Imagine if it was D2 and all item's were BoP... how crappy would that be (yes not the best application of D3 theory but I think it gets the point across); additionally let’s just roll on our loot too, might make it more fun. BoP/BoA is for WoW and Wow only. There would be no point to the AH, heck this game would probably been released by now if they went that route.
The only aspect that would ever get me to never buy this game is if things were BoP.
This quote sums it up. If any sites still do exist there won't be many and they probably won't do very well; of course many of the practices presented to us over the months sound great in theory, were just going to have wait and see.
Why create a 3rd party site when you can just list that item for a lesser value and have it sell immediately.
I mean, if your goal is to obtain log-in info, sure, make your 3rd party site and keylog away, but if you're just looking for cash for items, the blizz ah market will give you that easy.