Kenelm youre wrong, not a single person from the old Diablo 2 team is working on this game.
Where is your source for this?
It was my understanding that only a few of the key developers left to form Flagship. Most of the staff from Blizzard North simply merged with the main studio and I would find it very odd if they were put on different projects.
I don't find it to be troublesome if there are none of the original guys around.
I think the next group has seen (or will see) that they have to raise the "bar" on what was done initially. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product- and I know it will be awesome!
the funding on d2 is pretty much unlimited, the time is unlimited. they have people who designed the previous games. they know what they need to do. they will do a good job.
My opinion on who is making it and answers the question of "why now", it looks to me like Blizzard brought the Castaway(former Blizzard North ppl) team back in to make Diablo 3. Castaway closed up shop in april looking for a buyout, Blizzard buys Diablo3.com in may. Look here at the game Castaway was working on supposedly back in 2005, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK9mJVsF_Do , seen those red and blue orbs before?
Flagship wasnt the only team that the people from Blizzard made, there is another 2 i think, 20 members left Blizzard, that's like the whole Blizzard North and we can see the consequences of that, all the art style of Diablo is gone.
agree
D3 needs the old artists back.
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~
"[Diablo1+2] obviously had the gothic look to it, but, you they weren't, they weren't very uh, very colorful games."
"We want to take dark as an emotion, rather than an actual color art choice." -Rob Pardo
"Why the hell shouldn't it be for 'kiddies', it's a goddamn game afterall." -lethlan
My opinion on who is making it and answers the question of "why now", it looks to me like Blizzard brought the Castaway(former Blizzard North ppl) team back in to make Diablo 3.
Not true. Not a single one of the Castaway people is currently working in Irvine.
Because they've waited 8 years for a look at the sequel to one of their favorite games ever, and it looks like some of their favorite things about it - the dark atmosphere, the music, the unique look - may be seriously lacking.
Basing on a 20 minutes trailer you can see what kind of art style is any game about, im sure the rest of the game will follow this kind of cartoonish art style because the artistic direction is one of the first things done in any game, when you have an art style everything will rotate around that, everything, from textures to models, they will have to obey that art style and it's pretty secure to say that Diablo 3 has already developed it's art style and that art style just dont fits Diablo, at all.
So they've developed an art style. I think it's a good one. They don't need to revamp their entire art style - I think they just need to add in some more gritty and bloody textures, increase the shadows, improve some of the models, and it'll be perfect. So if they take another two years to finish the game, I'm sure they can do that.
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Ranger - Ranged Weapon Mastery (fire a bow or javelins like a machine gun!), Traps (MK style!), Pets (lions, tigers, and bears oh my!) - physical damage based
Demonologist - Bone Spells (Necro style!), Avatar (shapeshift into a demon!), Furies (evil spirits that hang around you, giving party bonuses) - mix of physical damage and magic
LEAP ATTACK!!!!! PLAGUE OF TOADS!!!!!
SLOW TIME!!!!!
Give the new guys a chance, will ya? Every so often, new blood is needed to come and inject some life into the franchise. Once SC2 and D3 comes out- and maybe even a new IP- we'll be fully able to judge the new Blizzard against the legends of old.
It is my opinion that it wasn't any one person that gave Blizzard its signature track record. I used to attribute a lot of that to Bill Roper and co. earlier though, but it's Blizzard's persistence to have the absolute best polish in there that defines their games.
So obviously, they wanna put their own touches on things. If they screw it up, it won't mean the complete end of a franchise...although I would hope that they really don't. I would much prefer Warcraft die, though.
My only worries is that they're coming at this from more of a fan angle, and while they seem to have gotten a few things down, the game seems to have degenerated into a clone of itself. That's the only thing to worry about when dealing with new blood is when they take TOO much from the fan angle or steal from other games where they're not applicable.
My only worries is that they're coming at this from more of a fan angle, and while they seem to have gotten a few things down, the game seems to have degenerated into a clone of itself.
The three creative visionaries behind the "big 3" are all gone: Allen Adham (WoW), David Brevik (Diablo) and James Phinney (Starcraft).
Wouldnt it be odd if the orginals werent working on this game? I bet they feel kinda stupid now dont they.
It was my understanding that only a few of the key developers left to form Flagship. Most of the staff from Blizzard North simply merged with the main studio and I would find it very odd if they were put on different projects.
I think the next group has seen (or will see) that they have to raise the "bar" on what was done initially. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product- and I know it will be awesome!
//Christmas will come twice that year.
They will, there are blizzard after all they won't release a game that won't be totally epic.
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=598297&cid=23986167
agree
D3 needs the old artists back.
"[Diablo1+2] obviously had the gothic look to it, but, you they weren't, they weren't very uh, very colorful games."
"We want to take dark as an emotion, rather than an actual color art choice." -Rob Pardo
"Why the hell shouldn't it be for 'kiddies', it's a goddamn game afterall." -lethlan
Not true. Not a single one of the Castaway people is currently working in Irvine.
Because they've waited 8 years for a look at the sequel to one of their favorite games ever, and it looks like some of their favorite things about it - the dark atmosphere, the music, the unique look - may be seriously lacking.
So they've developed an art style. I think it's a good one. They don't need to revamp their entire art style - I think they just need to add in some more gritty and bloody textures, increase the shadows, improve some of the models, and it'll be perfect. So if they take another two years to finish the game, I'm sure they can do that.
Demonologist - Bone Spells (Necro style!), Avatar (shapeshift into a demon!), Furies (evil spirits that hang around you, giving party bonuses) - mix of physical damage and magic
LEAP ATTACK!!!!!
PLAGUE OF TOADS!!!!!
SLOW TIME!!!!!
Of course they wouldnt be, neither blizz north or castaway were ever in irvine.
It is my opinion that it wasn't any one person that gave Blizzard its signature track record. I used to attribute a lot of that to Bill Roper and co. earlier though, but it's Blizzard's persistence to have the absolute best polish in there that defines their games.
So obviously, they wanna put their own touches on things. If they screw it up, it won't mean the complete end of a franchise...although I would hope that they really don't. I would much prefer Warcraft die, though.
My only worries is that they're coming at this from more of a fan angle, and while they seem to have gotten a few things down, the game seems to have degenerated into a clone of itself. That's the only thing to worry about when dealing with new blood is when they take TOO much from the fan angle or steal from other games where they're not applicable.
The three creative visionaries behind the "big 3" are all gone: Allen Adham (WoW), David Brevik (Diablo) and James Phinney (Starcraft).