Hellgate: London was a game that experimented with this style of view (though it was first person was available too). It was an ARPG made by some former employees of Blizzard North that left to make their own gaming company.
While the game ultimately failed, the first person view was really immersive. In reference to Lamack's list above, there were still large packs of mobs to aoe down. Speed builds were still popular for farming. Teleport skills still existed. The aoe effects were quite impressive (for the day). Pet builds were very viable (even a little TOO viable in some settings). There were more NPC's than in diablo, but that was for story reasons, not for gameplay reasons. Environmental factors were much MORE influential than they are in diablo (cover and elevation were very impactful on what builds worked at high difficulties).
There's no reason an ARPG cannot be made with that camera perspective and still maintain the mechanical variety we expect from an ARPG.
It will, however, have a dramatic impact on the perception of your character. A first person or over the shoulder view makes us view the characters as embodying ourselves. It's a much more personal style. Isometric views tend to have us think of someone controlling a character (as opposed to being the character).
I would argue this is a core aspect of the Diablo series thus far. Changing the camera view would shift the focus away from the world and towards the character. This shift in focus, both literally and figuratively, would be a gamble. But it isn't necessarily a bad one. Different isn't always worse. Blizzard certainly has the resources and talent to pull it off well if they desire to do so.
In the long run, I don't think simply blending the good aspects of diablo 2 and 3 will work. Games have progressed far too much in 20 years for that. If/when we ever see a Diablo 4, it will have to be a fairly substantial evolution of the series. A new camera perspective is likely first of many potential changes that will have to be weighed.
I really liked the images of a possible 3rd person Diablo game, and it reminded me of a dream I had decades ago. Back when I played Diablo 1, one night I dreamed to be my character. just walked down those round stairs into a Hell level. There were a couple merchants right next to the stairs, selling some rusty weapons. I woke up short thereafter, and was thinking - "Diablo would look badass in a 3D environment!"
Back then the best 3D games available were the 1st Doom, and likes. So I was quite amazed to experience Diablo 1 in a life-like 3D quality.
Yeah, I would like to know how Whirlwind in circles would work. I guess you just throw up after a few minutes because the world around you spins so fast? I see a lot of current attacks that just would no longer work, or you wouldn't know what damage they did.
Yeah, I would like to know how Whirlwind in circles would work. I guess you just throw up after a few minutes because the world around you spins so fast? I see a lot of current attacks that just would no longer work, or you wouldn't know what damage they did.
An easy solution to that, in my opinion, would be to make those abilities like WW/Strafe/Tempest Rush/etc be usable in place instead of force moving.
I would love to see a 3rd person cam at Diablo séries, but only if it becomes an open world game...
But we can heve na open world game without a 3rd person cam too!
If Diablo series become a 3rd view perspective, it would be a totally diferent game. Nice, but not a Diablo game at all as we are used to play.
1- No more endless mobs to stack kills
2- No more speed builds as they are now
3- No more teleport skills as we would not know what could have behind every corner
4- No more impressive effects from AoE
5- No more pet builds as we know it too
6- Much more NPCs to Interact with
7- Less image quality or less interaction with scenario/background (no more rack, just slash!)
8- List keeps going on...
I don't understand why you think a 3rd person view would mean no more impressive aoe effects, and what does pet builds have ANYTHING to do with a 3d perspective?? I also disagree that a 3rd person view would require much more npcs to interact with. I also don't think interactable ground clutter would matter either.
It looks really cool and as many people have said above it would definitely bring more spooky feeling to the game, and as I think, it would put an end to density problem once and for all We could only hope that people wouldn't complain about having another density problem if there's more than two mobs around.
I've never realized that you could see tall buildings above walls in Caldeum's bazar. It kind of makes me think that those walls aren't that tall as I thought they were.
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Hellgate: London was a game that experimented with this style of view (though it was first person was available too). It was an ARPG made by some former employees of Blizzard North that left to make their own gaming company.
While the game ultimately failed, the first person view was really immersive. In reference to Lamack's list above, there were still large packs of mobs to aoe down. Speed builds were still popular for farming. Teleport skills still existed. The aoe effects were quite impressive (for the day). Pet builds were very viable (even a little TOO viable in some settings). There were more NPC's than in diablo, but that was for story reasons, not for gameplay reasons. Environmental factors were much MORE influential than they are in diablo (cover and elevation were very impactful on what builds worked at high difficulties).
There's no reason an ARPG cannot be made with that camera perspective and still maintain the mechanical variety we expect from an ARPG.
It will, however, have a dramatic impact on the perception of your character. A first person or over the shoulder view makes us view the characters as embodying ourselves. It's a much more personal style. Isometric views tend to have us think of someone controlling a character (as opposed to being the character).
I would argue this is a core aspect of the Diablo series thus far. Changing the camera view would shift the focus away from the world and towards the character. This shift in focus, both literally and figuratively, would be a gamble. But it isn't necessarily a bad one. Different isn't always worse. Blizzard certainly has the resources and talent to pull it off well if they desire to do so.
In the long run, I don't think simply blending the good aspects of diablo 2 and 3 will work. Games have progressed far too much in 20 years for that. If/when we ever see a Diablo 4, it will have to be a fairly substantial evolution of the series. A new camera perspective is likely first of many potential changes that will have to be weighed.
I really liked the images of a possible 3rd person Diablo game, and it reminded me of a dream I had decades ago. Back when I played Diablo 1, one night I dreamed to be my character. just walked down those round stairs into a Hell level. There were a couple merchants right next to the stairs, selling some rusty weapons. I woke up short thereafter, and was thinking - "Diablo would look badass in a 3D environment!"
Back then the best 3D games available were the 1st Doom, and likes. So I was quite amazed to experience Diablo 1 in a life-like 3D quality.
These 3rd person view pics pefrectly shows how D3 had been WoWitized.
Wonder how rift mess could look like with such camera perspective ))
Yeah, I would like to know how Whirlwind in circles would work. I guess you just throw up after a few minutes because the world around you spins so fast? I see a lot of current attacks that just would no longer work, or you wouldn't know what damage they did.
Diablo 3 in third person mode would be nightmarish for any cave maps and maps with many rooms like the areas before Butcher and Adria
An easy solution to that, in my opinion, would be to make those abilities like WW/Strafe/Tempest Rush/etc be usable in place instead of force moving.
I don't understand why you think a 3rd person view would mean no more impressive aoe effects, and what does pet builds have ANYTHING to do with a 3d perspective?? I also disagree that a 3rd person view would require much more npcs to interact with. I also don't think interactable ground clutter would matter either.
YES please.
I rather play like this, then the current way.
But I still want something new to change in D3.
Hellgate gameplay from 2009
Not sure I can see Diablo going in this direction... but it was a decent try for 3rd person view, considering it was 7 years ago.
It looks really cool and as many people have said above it would definitely bring more spooky feeling to the game, and as I think, it would put an end to density problem once and for all We could only hope that people wouldn't complain about having another density problem if there's more than two mobs around.
I've never realized that you could see tall buildings above walls in Caldeum's bazar. It kind of makes me think that those walls aren't that tall as I thought they were.