To Molster: which is another reason D3 is doomed to become unplayable at some point(It's free to play), most online games that are free, have an item mall service otherwise they use really crappy servers.
Also we know what will happen when the game does get hacked(just look at blizzards record for the answer), they will ignore the game completely.
This Isn't a MMO, so sure as hell doesn't warrant being online only.
Infact making it offline only, with local multiplayer, and controller support would be a hell of a lot better then making a non MMO f2p game, online only.
what are you basing this on?
its not an mmo though. And blizzard already stated they will never add items to the RMAH.
Granted at some point we -could- get a store with maybe dyes and such? but thats nothing. diablo 2 (though its servers are very lacking compared... ok extremely) its always been 100% free. With the RMAH, I really think they will have no problem taken care of the server costs.
Im confused though on your "when the game gets hacked they will ignore it" .. Diablo 2 is over 10 years old...and they still take care of it. [but it was not designed to fight off hackers.. only so much they can do now]
Which this point brings another reason I would never want diablo to be an MMO, I don't want to pay to play.
but like I said, my argument is not about if it should be online only or offline [thats for a whole nothing thread] ...ect I just didnt like the lazy comment =P )
You need money to run a server(sigh well an actual good server anyway), that's why I'm bringing up the store concept. It doesn't matter that D3 Isn't a MMO, It's a multy player game that can "only" be played online, and even the insane price tag on the launcher, wont pay for a long term server.
PS. To that, I don't think it should become a MMO, but being made a MMO, will probally be the only way they will actually make money on the franchise, since they are making it online only anyway.
You need money to run a server(sigh well an actual good server anyway), that's why I'm bringing up the store concept. It doesn't matter that D3 Isn't a MMO, It's a multy player game that can "only" be played online, and even the insane price tag on the launcher, wont pay for a long term server.
PS. To that, I don't think it should become a MMO, but being made a MMO, will probally be the only way they will actually make money on the franchise, since they are making it online only anyway.
You're missing the RMAH, which many players will use in the hopes of making money. Also the inevitable Blizz store.
If you happen to be an avid follower of Blizzard you'd remember That Retarded Horse. $3.5 mil in 24 hours. Say wut?
^This, there being no offline suck as is, and their exuses hold no water. They are just being lazy, because they just don't feel like coding the offline mode.
because making it online only is easier? That argument holds no water.
I can feel for the people that dont like the no offline (I do) but.. at least use a good logical reason =P
Um, incase you didn't know, there would need to be a bunch of additional code to make an offline mode(shouldn't take too long, but neverless probally another 2 weeks or so, which no gamer would even complain about).
lmfao, I'm guessing you don't actually know anything about coding? To make an offline mode? They would have to change EVERY piece of coding. Why? Because with an offline mode, the entire games architecture is on YOUR computer. Making it extremely easy to hack / test and create bots / duplicate items, and load them on to battle.net with trojan accounts. (Just to cite a time reference, they said it would take months, or close to a year to integrate diablo II to the new battle.net infrastructure)
Sure i'd love to play it offline sometimes, but I'd much rather take that hit and have an extremely more stable online economy, then be able to play on a roadtrip or whatever it is you people complain about.
OMG, you're the one who knows nothing, the game code It's self will almost entirely be the same(as in untouched).
The major things that would need to be coded, is a new save file system, and a client handling system, which will have all the files needed to play(since as is, 99.9% of the game will be run off their servers).
The only thing that needs changing with the actual game(well copy of the game I sould say), is that you need to tie the offline game save file system with the new offline version of the game.
I've worked with coder before, you most definitely don't need to change everything, when making different modes to a single game, that is more or less the exact same game.
Infact if nothing else, there will be uneeded code(which if they left in, wouldn't be a problem, there would just be no point in it), such as the chat system for example.
Yes I agree it would be easy to switch modes, if that were the case with D3. The reason I'm saying they would have to change almost everything is the same reason i stated before; If they didn't hackers botters and dupers would have their hands on the code used for the online version, and be able to wreak havoc upon it.
You need money to run a server(sigh well an actual good server anyway), that's why I'm bringing up the store concept. It doesn't matter that D3 Isn't a MMO, It's a multy player game that can "only" be played online, and even the insane price tag on the launcher, wont pay for a long term server.
PS. To that, I don't think it should become a MMO, but being made a MMO, will probally be the only way they will actually make money on the franchise, since they are making it online only anyway.
You're missing the RMAH, which many players will use in the hopes of making money. Also the inevitable Blizz store.
If you happen to be an avid follower of Blizzard you'd remember That Retarded Horse. $3.5 mil in 24 hours. Say wut?
While that would work, and Blizzard is definitely greedy, but they haven't decided to be evil yet.
They have specifically stated that they won't abuse the AH(I fully expect for some GMs to get cought, and then fired, but blizzard as a whole Isn't gonna abuse it), there's a "flat" posting fee(with no additional fees after sale), so needless to say, they won't be making a fortune.
You need money to run a server(sigh well an actual good server anyway), that's why I'm bringing up the store concept. It doesn't matter that D3 Isn't a MMO, It's a multy player game that can "only" be played online, and even the insane price tag on the launcher, wont pay for a long term server.
PS. To that, I don't think it should become a MMO, but being made a MMO, will probally be the only way they will actually make money on the franchise, since they are making it online only anyway.
You're missing the RMAH, which many players will use in the hopes of making money. Also the inevitable Blizz store.
If you happen to be an avid follower of Blizzard you'd remember That Retarded Horse. $3.5 mil in 24 hours. Say wut?
While that would work, and Blizzard is definitely greedy, but they haven't decided to be evil yet.
They have specifically stated that they won't abuse the AH(I fully expect for some GMs to get cought, and then fired, but blizzard as a whole Isn't gonna abuse it), there's a "flat" posting fee(with no additional fees after sale), so needless to say, they won't be making a fortune.
No they won't, but they also won't be hiring 300+ support employees, 50+ developers that need to constantly be creating huge landscapes you can fly in and they will most definitely not be using the same old server architecture that is sometimes making it very hard for a certain other Blizz game.
The main argument here is that you're talking as if we're discussing a 2-3 year old company that has no clue what they're doing. In the last 20 years I pretty much trust Blizz with knowing how to suck out enough money to be on the top spot in the entire industry. And they're not even a publisher.
The only things Diablo takes from MMOs is the very rich lore and some basics (leveling, items with stats, abilities). That's it.
There aren't enough classes to make an MMO, and all classes are dps. Diablo is fine the way it is.
Those traits are not entitled to MMO's alone, it's called RPG. So no Diablo doesn't take those things (leveling etc) from MMO's, as RPGs came before that and Diablo is an RPG. If anything they took it from RPGs, but well, as an RPG it would be odd if it didn't have RPG elements.
Anyways, just pointing that out. An MMO is usually an RPG just online, and well MM (massive multiplayer) it's intended to be massive, Diablo for one isn't in that sense. That's what I like, that's how it's a different kind of RPG game that despite that, still is online. For us who prefer to game online and not solo. (not saying that can't be fun.)
But I enjoy the online aspect, and having left MMO's for the first time I have no intention to go back to that again.. so Diablo is just the thing for me now, I can play online without it being this endless worlds with endless possibilities that never end. Diablo is still limited compared. I fancy the idea that this might work as more "Casual Play" for me, and I can keep my online gaming to that extent.
I think that Diablo has potential as an MMO. It's worth a shot at least.
Not trying to flame here, but please tell me what exactly it is you picture when you say you want diablo to be an mmo.
I've stated before; How would you handle outside environments / dungeons?
Mobbs outside : Would they drop loot? If so could they drop the best? (thinking inferno) I'm asking because if so, then people would just get a ton of friends together to farm them. what would be their difficulty? Would you be able to solo? If yes to everything (soloable, drops best loot) Then everyone would farm in groups outside of dungeons.
If no to everything, they no one would touch the outside world because it wouldn't be lucrative.
All these problems take place because if they 'were' to try to make in an mmo, they would have to get rid of a lot of features that make diablo unique. Why make random dungeons when everyone will be outside? Why even make an outside world of everyone will only be in dungeons? (see above on that subject). What about randomizing the outside world?
Diablo does not in my opinion belong in an mmo setting. It would strip away all that is diablo. What's next, you want a tank / heal / dps set up to take down bosses?
It's in a completely different genre on purpose. It's like saying ' yea I think MW3 could work well in a TBS platform '
To Snaks42: It matters very little if hackers have the code(people like me would flame such punks, because we don't like cheaters), but it wont really help them much to hack online, because of how the online mode works(basically everything but maps, and possibly music is on the server, as is the save file, so do do anything more then minor map hacks, they would need to hack the actual server).
To your last post: I agree with the reasons why you think Diablo shouldn't become a MMO.
The only things Diablo takes from MMOs is the very rich lore and some basics (leveling, items with stats, abilities). That's it.
There aren't enough classes to make an MMO, and all classes are dps. Diablo is fine the way it is.
Those traits are not entitled to MMO's alone, it's called RPG. So no Diablo doesn't take those things (leveling etc) from MMO's, as RPGs came before that and Diablo is an RPG. If anything they took it from RPGs, but well, as an RPG it would be odd if it didn't have RPG elements.
Anyways, just pointing that out. An MMO is usually an RPG just online, and well MM (massive multiplayer) it's intended to be massive, Diablo for one isn't in that sense. That's what I like, that's how it's a different kind of RPG game that despite that, still is online. For us who prefer to game online and not solo. (not saying that can't be fun.)
But I enjoy the online aspect, and having left MMO's for the first time I have no intention to go back to that again.. so Diablo is just the thing for me now, I can play online without it being this endless worlds with endless possibilities that never end. Diablo is still limited compared. I fancy the idea that this might work as more "Casual Play" for me, and I can keep my online gaming to that extent.
Oh I agree, i left wow and other mmorgs (played everything from aion, rift, WH, blah blah) because it dawned on me one day; This feels like a damn job. When I have to be online at a certain time, for a certain time frame, that's a job. When my success and failure is dependent upon other players, it's no fun. Not saying MMORGS don't have their place, I'm just glad I'm not a part of it anymore.
Ahh, diablo. I can hop on for 10 minutes or 10 hours, doesn't matter. No longer will I be standing around a city, waiting on others before I can play a game. I can get the best possible items by myself if I want, or join with friends.
Yep you can either go hardcore or casual with diablo, and your success will be dependent entirely on your own time =)
To Snaks42: It matters very little if hackers have the code(people like me would flame such punks, because we don't like cheaters), but it wont really help them much to hack online, because of how the online mode works(basically everything but maps, and possibly music is on the server, as is the save file, so do do anything more then minor map hacks, they would need to hack the actual server).
To your last post: I agree with the reasons why you think Diablo shouldn't become a MMO.
Well I guess to clarify, what I mean by code is not just the code, but every items' script and boss AI, which would make it easier to create a bot =)
I feel like a Diablo MMO is very possible. Especially if you were to place it during the sin wars.
I mean, there are factions (Cathedral of Light, The Triune, and The Edyrem), you have multiple worlds to explore (Sanctuary, Burning Hells, High Heavens), a lot of things going on for plot.
It's all there. I can totally see it being possible. But it couldn't just be your traditional MMO. They would need to still have the diablo gameplay-feel to sell it. No 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0, smash your head on the keyboard and win nonsense...
To Snaks42: It matters very little if hackers have the code(people like me would flame such punks, because we don't like cheaters), but it wont really help them much to hack online, because of how the online mode works(basically everything but maps, and possibly music is on the server, as is the save file, so do do anything more then minor map hacks, they would need to hack the actual server).
To your last post: I agree with the reasons why you think Diablo shouldn't become a MMO.
Well I guess to clarify, what I mean by code is not just the code, but every items' script and boss AI, which would make it easier to create a bot =)
They'll have to make a third party program that can be run without being auto detected to say the least, but even then, I'm not sure it would be feasable.
With that said, I could've sworn I remember hearing that the server will constantly be doing save file checks, and anything that wasn't initially dropped from a mob would be auto deleted, but perhaps I missheard them.
The only things Diablo takes from MMOs is the very rich lore and some basics (leveling, items with stats, abilities). That's it.
There aren't enough classes to make an MMO, and all classes are dps. Diablo is fine the way it is.
Those traits are not entitled to MMO's alone, it's called RPG. So no Diablo doesn't take those things (leveling etc) from MMO's, as RPGs came before that and Diablo is an RPG. If anything they took it from RPGs, but well, as an RPG it would be odd if it didn't have RPG elements.
Anyways, just pointing that out. An MMO is usually an RPG just online, and well MM (massive multiplayer) it's intended to be massive, Diablo for one isn't in that sense. That's what I like, that's how it's a different kind of RPG game that despite that, still is online. For us who prefer to game online and not solo. (not saying that can't be fun.)
But I enjoy the online aspect, and having left MMO's for the first time I have no intention to go back to that again.. so Diablo is just the thing for me now, I can play online without it being this endless worlds with endless possibilities that never end. Diablo is still limited compared. I fancy the idea that this might work as more "Casual Play" for me, and I can keep my online gaming to that extent.
Oh I agree, i left wow and other mmorgs (played everything from aion, rift, WH, blah blah) because it dawned on me one day; This feels like a damn job. When I have to be online at a certain time, for a certain time frame, that's a job. When my success and failure is dependent upon other players, it's no fun. Not saying MMORGS don't have their place, I'm just glad I'm not a part of it anymore.
Ahh, diablo. I can hop on for 10 minutes or 10 hours, doesn't matter. No longer will I be standing around a city, waiting on others before I can play a game. I can get the best possible items by myself if I want, or join with friends.
Yep you can either go hardcore or casual with diablo, and your success will be dependent entirely on your own time =)
Btw, diablo fanboi right here <---
Oh I do agree. Nice to see someone that sees it from the same viewpoint, most just seem to say "if you don't go pro go home" so to say. I play for fun, and I have a daughter, a job and all that. At the end of the day, a game is a game, real life is real life. No matter how you look at it. If something virtual convinces you that it's more than that, then you should reflect on your life for a while, and find out what's best for your future. That's when you'll get your payback, whether it be good or bad.
Depends on what you did with your time, I sure won't look back and regret I spent mine playing games, that I have nothing to show for. That's just my opinion though, and I haven't been so sure of anything since I quit WoW back in August 2010. Had a better life since, got out of the addicting habit of gaming. Well, more the addicting habit of MMO's, but I play close to nothing in general anymore. So I feel it's okay for me to play Diablo casually, I'll just have to keep it that way..
And I want to address some of the things you point out; You said it feels like a damn job, which is exactly how I felt playing, and the part about being too tied down and how you relate to other players. More work than fun really. Nothing wrong with team work and success, but my idea of fun isn't how I can't just enjoy my game laid back, having to watch my every step so I don't mess up for others and it's a big deal if one does. Of course, these people are serious and spend a lot of their time to achieve this, virtual grandeur, so each has to play his part. Maybe there was a time like that for me as well, but I'm just too old and it doesn't suit me.
If I do play games now it is to lay back and have some fun, without having responsibilities even when I'm playing the game.. I have my share of those in real life already haha. A game shouldn't be work per say, progress yes, but it shouldn't feel more like actual work than a game. Then you're playing it more like a sport, if that's what you want sure.
Like you said there is a place for MMO's, but thanks but no thanks. And as you said, it's up to you what amount of time you choose to invest in the game, spend time as you have it. With MMO's it's a little more complicated than so, I for one know I can't play one casually. These games urge you to spend more time, the more you spend the more you'll achieve. If you don't want that, then why play an MMO. Diablo should stay Diablo, there are oh so many options for those of you who want MMO's. This is what sets Diablo apart if you ask me.
Oh and yes I've played a few myself. Started with Anarchy Online, guild wars, wow, age of conan, aion, I'm sure there was a few more.. Anyways here's to Diablo becoming that jolly good funtime to be had, with no strings attached. Haha.
Hi there! I would like to comment on a few things that i read on this thread...
First.. i find it hard to understand when people say Blizzard (or whatever company) is "greedy" because they... well.. are trying to earn money for their work?? So, let's say they leave offline mode available... how many people will just torrent the game instead of buying it? So yes, the game is online only for (in part) DRM purposes... so what? It is their complete right... they don't "owe" us anything. And they are certainly not greedy for wanting to earn money...
Other reasons, as they have stated, is that it feels weird to have two separate game modes that you cant mix, because if you let offline chars on the servers you cannot protect against hacks and cheats... The only downside about no offline mode is that you cannot play if you do not have an internet connection at that moment, which is not really a big deal.
It was also stated on this thread that blizzard is "lazy" for not coding offline mode. It is not a matter of lazyness... in fact the current architecture for the game is much more complex and will cost blizzard more, as more people play the game. More servers, more bandwidth, more customer support... more work.
About D3#: It is a server emulator... it is not a "crack"... there is nothing to "crack"... a LOT of the game's code is server side, including monster spawns, AI, skill behaviour. If it wasn't, we would already be all playing the beta by now... but they are still trying to get basic stuff to work. So they basically have to make everyhting from scratch, just like WoW server emulators. And yes, they will never reach the level of the original servers, because only Blizzard has access to the server-side code. So, whoever said D3# is going to "destroy" the game in the future... I really don't see how and why.
The problem with mmo's and particularly mmo rpg's is you feel like you are committed into logging in so you don't fall behind or hold back your buddies. It almost becomes a really easy fun job, but time consuming as anything. However on the same token these things are the same characteristics of a "great game". I was completely blown away when I switched to wow, even from diablo 2. I had never seen anything even close to as immersing and detailed. There was a social aspect of the game which meets psychological social requirements in the brain, as well as instant gratification and also elements for more hardcore players like world (eventually rated arena) pvp.
The game kicks ass. Unfortunately I think the game kicks so much ass that it kicks your ass while you play it.
I think there's going to be some of that present in any RPG, but once you're interacting with tons of people like you do in everyday life it's hard not to get hooked, cause it's a lot easier to sit there and type/click your mouse than to be employed, date, and hold up other normal social functions/hobbies that would actually help you improve your actual self.
That said, I don't care. I'm playing diablo 3. I've written off mmo's because of my experience in lotro, wow, and warhammer and I know how time consuming and addictive they are. If diablo makes me feel that way I'll drop it too and get back on a healthier game genre like fps or rts where the game starts, 15-30 minutes later the game ends and you put the game down and move on.
I've stated before; How would you handle outside environments / dungeons?
Dungeons would appear radomly. You would have to search for them. Say have a rating of dungeons 1-10. 1-7 in high secure areas where no PvP. in Wild areas the harder one and 9 -10 difficulty will be made so hard can not be done solo. And drop great loot.
Mobbs outside : Would they drop loot?
When you kill someone you get their stuff. But not all stuff will drop because of damage will be too much to repair. So random drop for PvP.
Outside world would not be random. Be safe areas and passage so people know where they are going.
I've looked at some of the other games that are mentioned here and quite frankly they look not so good. Anyways just a thought. I remember in 06 googling Diablo 3 and hearing about fighting in heaven and shadowing this site. Just dont want that too happen again. I need my Diablo fix damit.....:)
no.. there is no reason for such a thing. Blizzard has WoW and they will have Titan.. why change a successful action rpg into a 3rd mmo from the same company? that's illogical.
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You need money to run a server(sigh well an actual good server anyway), that's why I'm bringing up the store concept. It doesn't matter that D3 Isn't a MMO, It's a multy player game that can "only" be played online, and even the insane price tag on the launcher, wont pay for a long term server.
PS. To that, I don't think it should become a MMO, but being made a MMO, will probally be the only way they will actually make money on the franchise, since they are making it online only anyway.
If you happen to be an avid follower of Blizzard you'd remember That Retarded Horse. $3.5 mil in 24 hours. Say wut?
Ha. Bagstone.
Yes I agree it would be easy to switch modes, if that were the case with D3. The reason I'm saying they would have to change almost everything is the same reason i stated before; If they didn't hackers botters and dupers would have their hands on the code used for the online version, and be able to wreak havoc upon it.
All in all, I'm stoked it's online only.
While that would work, and Blizzard is definitely greedy, but they haven't decided to be evil yet.
They have specifically stated that they won't abuse the AH(I fully expect for some GMs to get cought, and then fired, but blizzard as a whole Isn't gonna abuse it), there's a "flat" posting fee(with no additional fees after sale), so needless to say, they won't be making a fortune.
The main argument here is that you're talking as if we're discussing a 2-3 year old company that has no clue what they're doing. In the last 20 years I pretty much trust Blizz with knowing how to suck out enough money to be on the top spot in the entire industry. And they're not even a publisher.
Ha. Bagstone.
A QUADRILLION MAGIC FIND is worthless if you can't kill shit!
Those traits are not entitled to MMO's alone, it's called RPG. So no Diablo doesn't take those things (leveling etc) from MMO's, as RPGs came before that and Diablo is an RPG. If anything they took it from RPGs, but well, as an RPG it would be odd if it didn't have RPG elements.
Anyways, just pointing that out. An MMO is usually an RPG just online, and well MM (massive multiplayer) it's intended to be massive, Diablo for one isn't in that sense. That's what I like, that's how it's a different kind of RPG game that despite that, still is online. For us who prefer to game online and not solo. (not saying that can't be fun.)
But I enjoy the online aspect, and having left MMO's for the first time I have no intention to go back to that again.. so Diablo is just the thing for me now, I can play online without it being this endless worlds with endless possibilities that never end. Diablo is still limited compared. I fancy the idea that this might work as more "Casual Play" for me, and I can keep my online gaming to that extent.
Not trying to flame here, but please tell me what exactly it is you picture when you say you want diablo to be an mmo.
I've stated before; How would you handle outside environments / dungeons?
Mobbs outside : Would they drop loot? If so could they drop the best? (thinking inferno) I'm asking because if so, then people would just get a ton of friends together to farm them. what would be their difficulty? Would you be able to solo? If yes to everything (soloable, drops best loot) Then everyone would farm in groups outside of dungeons.
If no to everything, they no one would touch the outside world because it wouldn't be lucrative.
All these problems take place because if they 'were' to try to make in an mmo, they would have to get rid of a lot of features that make diablo unique. Why make random dungeons when everyone will be outside? Why even make an outside world of everyone will only be in dungeons? (see above on that subject). What about randomizing the outside world?
Diablo does not in my opinion belong in an mmo setting. It would strip away all that is diablo. What's next, you want a tank / heal / dps set up to take down bosses?
It's in a completely different genre on purpose. It's like saying ' yea I think MW3 could work well in a TBS platform '
To your last post: I agree with the reasons why you think Diablo shouldn't become a MMO.
Oh I agree, i left wow and other mmorgs (played everything from aion, rift, WH, blah blah) because it dawned on me one day; This feels like a damn job. When I have to be online at a certain time, for a certain time frame, that's a job. When my success and failure is dependent upon other players, it's no fun. Not saying MMORGS don't have their place, I'm just glad I'm not a part of it anymore.
Ahh, diablo. I can hop on for 10 minutes or 10 hours, doesn't matter. No longer will I be standing around a city, waiting on others before I can play a game. I can get the best possible items by myself if I want, or join with friends.
Yep you can either go hardcore or casual with diablo, and your success will be dependent entirely on your own time =)
Btw, diablo fanboi right here <---
Well I guess to clarify, what I mean by code is not just the code, but every items' script and boss AI, which would make it easier to create a bot =)
I mean, there are factions (Cathedral of Light, The Triune, and The Edyrem), you have multiple worlds to explore (Sanctuary, Burning Hells, High Heavens), a lot of things going on for plot.
It's all there. I can totally see it being possible. But it couldn't just be your traditional MMO. They would need to still have the diablo gameplay-feel to sell it. No 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0, smash your head on the keyboard and win nonsense...
They'll have to make a third party program that can be run without being auto detected to say the least, but even then, I'm not sure it would be feasable.
With that said, I could've sworn I remember hearing that the server will constantly be doing save file checks, and anything that wasn't initially dropped from a mob would be auto deleted, but perhaps I missheard them.
Oh I do agree. Nice to see someone that sees it from the same viewpoint, most just seem to say "if you don't go pro go home" so to say. I play for fun, and I have a daughter, a job and all that. At the end of the day, a game is a game, real life is real life. No matter how you look at it. If something virtual convinces you that it's more than that, then you should reflect on your life for a while, and find out what's best for your future. That's when you'll get your payback, whether it be good or bad.
Depends on what you did with your time, I sure won't look back and regret I spent mine playing games, that I have nothing to show for. That's just my opinion though, and I haven't been so sure of anything since I quit WoW back in August 2010. Had a better life since, got out of the addicting habit of gaming. Well, more the addicting habit of MMO's, but I play close to nothing in general anymore. So I feel it's okay for me to play Diablo casually, I'll just have to keep it that way..
And I want to address some of the things you point out; You said it feels like a damn job, which is exactly how I felt playing, and the part about being too tied down and how you relate to other players. More work than fun really. Nothing wrong with team work and success, but my idea of fun isn't how I can't just enjoy my game laid back, having to watch my every step so I don't mess up for others and it's a big deal if one does. Of course, these people are serious and spend a lot of their time to achieve this, virtual grandeur, so each has to play his part. Maybe there was a time like that for me as well, but I'm just too old and it doesn't suit me.
If I do play games now it is to lay back and have some fun, without having responsibilities even when I'm playing the game.. I have my share of those in real life already haha. A game shouldn't be work per say, progress yes, but it shouldn't feel more like actual work than a game. Then you're playing it more like a sport, if that's what you want sure.
Like you said there is a place for MMO's, but thanks but no thanks. And as you said, it's up to you what amount of time you choose to invest in the game, spend time as you have it. With MMO's it's a little more complicated than so, I for one know I can't play one casually. These games urge you to spend more time, the more you spend the more you'll achieve. If you don't want that, then why play an MMO. Diablo should stay Diablo, there are oh so many options for those of you who want MMO's. This is what sets Diablo apart if you ask me.
Oh and yes I've played a few myself. Started with Anarchy Online, guild wars, wow, age of conan, aion, I'm sure there was a few more.. Anyways here's to Diablo becoming that jolly good funtime to be had, with no strings attached. Haha.
First.. i find it hard to understand when people say Blizzard (or whatever company) is "greedy" because they... well.. are trying to earn money for their work?? So, let's say they leave offline mode available... how many people will just torrent the game instead of buying it? So yes, the game is online only for (in part) DRM purposes... so what? It is their complete right... they don't "owe" us anything. And they are certainly not greedy for wanting to earn money...
Other reasons, as they have stated, is that it feels weird to have two separate game modes that you cant mix, because if you let offline chars on the servers you cannot protect against hacks and cheats... The only downside about no offline mode is that you cannot play if you do not have an internet connection at that moment, which is not really a big deal.
It was also stated on this thread that blizzard is "lazy" for not coding offline mode. It is not a matter of lazyness... in fact the current architecture for the game is much more complex and will cost blizzard more, as more people play the game. More servers, more bandwidth, more customer support... more work.
About D3#: It is a server emulator... it is not a "crack"... there is nothing to "crack"... a LOT of the game's code is server side, including monster spawns, AI, skill behaviour. If it wasn't, we would already be all playing the beta by now... but they are still trying to get basic stuff to work. So they basically have to make everyhting from scratch, just like WoW server emulators. And yes, they will never reach the level of the original servers, because only Blizzard has access to the server-side code. So, whoever said D3# is going to "destroy" the game in the future... I really don't see how and why.
That's it for now
The game kicks ass. Unfortunately I think the game kicks so much ass that it kicks your ass while you play it.
I think there's going to be some of that present in any RPG, but once you're interacting with tons of people like you do in everyday life it's hard not to get hooked, cause it's a lot easier to sit there and type/click your mouse than to be employed, date, and hold up other normal social functions/hobbies that would actually help you improve your actual self.
That said, I don't care. I'm playing diablo 3. I've written off mmo's because of my experience in lotro, wow, and warhammer and I know how time consuming and addictive they are. If diablo makes me feel that way I'll drop it too and get back on a healthier game genre like fps or rts where the game starts, 15-30 minutes later the game ends and you put the game down and move on.
Dungeons would appear radomly. You would have to search for them. Say have a rating of dungeons 1-10. 1-7 in high secure areas where no PvP. in Wild areas the harder one and 9 -10 difficulty will be made so hard can not be done solo. And drop great loot.
Mobbs outside : Would they drop loot?
When you kill someone you get their stuff. But not all stuff will drop because of damage will be too much to repair. So random drop for PvP.
Outside world would not be random. Be safe areas and passage so people know where they are going.
I've looked at some of the other games that are mentioned here and quite frankly they look not so good. Anyways just a thought. I remember in 06 googling Diablo 3 and hearing about fighting in heaven and shadowing this site. Just dont want that too happen again. I need my Diablo fix damit.....:)