there is very little info on what the differences between the difficulties will be in D3. In D2, it was pretty much a +def, +hp, +dmg, +res type thing. Just make each monster harder to kill. Now, there is nothing wrong with this idea. We are more powerful so should the monsters. However, I really hope that there is more to it than that with D3. We saw in the crafting sanctuary panel from Blizzcon that there are numerous stats that they alter to change how the monsters work. Delay times, response times, following speed, attack speed, AI. All of these little things can be tweaked to make the monster more challenging but in a much more varying way. An example would be like imps getting faster and faster with each difficulty. They run after you quicker, they attack quicker.
I also hope boss battles change with different difficulties. Expanding their skills and tactics that they use when fighting you. Maybe the first time you fight big D he uses his lightning skill, a melee attack and a fire wall. Then when you get to him on nightmare he also has a fissure skill and a charge attack. On hell, he can grab you and attack you and can summon other demons from hell. I think this would add a good challenge and incentive to try these harder difficulties.
I also hope with the random encounters, we get to see some in nightmare and hell that we can't get in normal. Not all new ones but just a few extra that only unlock once in nightmare or hell. Would definitely add some nice variety between the difficulties and would make you want to run through them to see what else you discover.
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Seeing monsters change fight tactics in high difficulties would be pretty sweet. Changing more than just health & damage would be nice. One of my peeves with D2 was that with each difficulty level, the damage skewed way higher than the health (except on bosses, which got really hard).
It got to the point where you could kill any mob (except bosses) with 1 hit and they could almost 1 shot you back.
I was just discussing this with a guy at work about d2 hardcore. Without max block, full resists & high enough defense so it says 5% chance to be hit... hell mode is kinda pointless as a melee character... because if you don't have max defensive stats then you can get 1 shot so easily.
Luckily from what D3 has shown so far, such as the PvP in arena, it doesn't look like the characters damage gets so high that you can 1 hit anybody in PvP like D2, which is very lovely. It looks balanced. I would think this transitions over to PvE also where the damage doesn't get so high you almost die if you get hit.
On another note. I vote NO for adding so many different types of resists in hell difficulty for d3. There is nothing worse than being a "fire sorc" and being useless in act 4 because of all the fire immunes. Maybe make fire "resistant" instead so they still take damage?
there is very little info on what the differences between the difficulties will be in D3. In D2, it was pretty much a +def, +hp, +dmg, +res type thing. Just make each monster harder to kill. Now, there is nothing wrong with this idea. We are more powerful so should the monsters. However, I really hope that there is more to it than that with D3. We saw in the crafting sanctuary panel from Blizzcon that there are numerous stats that they alter to change how the monsters work. Delay times, response times, following speed, attack speed, AI. All of these little things can be tweaked to make the monster more challenging but in a much more varying way. An example would be like imps getting faster and faster with each difficulty. They run after you quicker, they attack quicker.
I also hope boss battles change with different difficulties. Expanding their skills and tactics that they use when fighting you. Maybe the first time you fight big D he uses his lightning skill, a melee attack and a fire wall. Then when you get to him on nightmare he also has a fissure skill and a charge attack. On hell, he can grab you and attack you and can summon other demons from hell. I think this would add a good challenge and incentive to try these harder difficulties.
I also hope with the random encounters, we get to see some in nightmare and hell that we can't get in normal. Not all new ones but just a few extra that only unlock once in nightmare or hell. Would definitely add some nice variety between the difficulties and would make you want to run through them to see what else you discover.
I totally agree. It was boring to have the same exact feel to almost every mob as you progressed through difficulties. Although, I hope they do not completely change each type of mob in any instance through difficulties - the example being the Worldstone levels having completely different monsters each time. I think a varying look, slight increases to their stats should be implemented. Total additions to their attacks would be a great addition. A simple, ranged attack in Normal would then have an AOE effect in Nightmare, etc.
I love the idea of Boss's spawning demons to assist and complete changes to their basic attacks. Still a variance on the theme, not something completely new. I'm so excited about the random pockets thrown about the static world. Maybe those could have a new look to them, as you progress through the world - a reflection of your progress through the difficulties.
I know that this would be a difficult thing to package in, but I would like the plot and story to be integral to the difficulty system. Its not enough to me as a player to complete the story and then be told "your princess is in another Castle." Some sort of story element of "good job, but there are always consequences to your actions. Now go back and correct them. Oh and it will be harder this time."
Maybe even a time element. By actually killing a Prime Evil, you cause an imbalance or more problems for Sanctuary. So you have to go back and progress through the story again - with changes to the major encounters, because of your involvement. I'm starting to really like that idea.....
Steve Shimizu discussed the monster behaviors at Blizzcon - I really hope what he was alluring too was increased monster AI in higher difficulties. That's immediately what popped in my mind. However it can't be radically different or it will have a negative effect. Simply altering the delay and response times would be sufficient, and to some degree like in DII, the addition of new skills or effects to monster attacks.
As mentioned there's nothing wrong with the "D2 Style" of increasing difficultly, but seeing as the technology has come so far I'd really like to see each act be freshened up via monster behaviors, boss tactics, random events, random dungeons and instances unique to the difficultly, expanded monster ranks (champion and as such), maybe even new NPCS and monsters added each difficulty.
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” - Albert Einstein
Nice ideas all around! I thought one of the Blizzcon panels (The one after introduction of armor set graphics) they said that some monsters in the higher difficulties would not spawn in normal. Gonna see if I can find it now...
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If that made sense to you, Bravo! I think I even confused myself...
I have to say I think all the idea are great here, anything that makes the harder difficulties feel new and fresh would be welcomed. As for myself I just started up new toons after getting bored trying the higher difficulty types. They need something that makes them feel special. Heck let Hell really live up to its name by truly changing the random encounters and missions to be really hellish. I want to squirm in my seat thinking about them.
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I also hope boss battles change with different difficulties. Expanding their skills and tactics that they use when fighting you. Maybe the first time you fight big D he uses his lightning skill, a melee attack and a fire wall. Then when you get to him on nightmare he also has a fissure skill and a charge attack. On hell, he can grab you and attack you and can summon other demons from hell. I think this would add a good challenge and incentive to try these harder difficulties.
I also hope with the random encounters, we get to see some in nightmare and hell that we can't get in normal. Not all new ones but just a few extra that only unlock once in nightmare or hell. Would definitely add some nice variety between the difficulties and would make you want to run through them to see what else you discover.
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the News team
It got to the point where you could kill any mob (except bosses) with 1 hit and they could almost 1 shot you back.
I was just discussing this with a guy at work about d2 hardcore. Without max block, full resists & high enough defense so it says 5% chance to be hit... hell mode is kinda pointless as a melee character... because if you don't have max defensive stats then you can get 1 shot so easily.
Luckily from what D3 has shown so far, such as the PvP in arena, it doesn't look like the characters damage gets so high that you can 1 hit anybody in PvP like D2, which is very lovely. It looks balanced. I would think this transitions over to PvE also where the damage doesn't get so high you almost die if you get hit.
On another note. I vote NO for adding so many different types of resists in hell difficulty for d3. There is nothing worse than being a "fire sorc" and being useless in act 4 because of all the fire immunes. Maybe make fire "resistant" instead so they still take damage?
I totally agree. It was boring to have the same exact feel to almost every mob as you progressed through difficulties. Although, I hope they do not completely change each type of mob in any instance through difficulties - the example being the Worldstone levels having completely different monsters each time. I think a varying look, slight increases to their stats should be implemented. Total additions to their attacks would be a great addition. A simple, ranged attack in Normal would then have an AOE effect in Nightmare, etc.
I love the idea of Boss's spawning demons to assist and complete changes to their basic attacks. Still a variance on the theme, not something completely new. I'm so excited about the random pockets thrown about the static world. Maybe those could have a new look to them, as you progress through the world - a reflection of your progress through the difficulties.
I know that this would be a difficult thing to package in, but I would like the plot and story to be integral to the difficulty system. Its not enough to me as a player to complete the story and then be told "your princess is in another Castle." Some sort of story element of "good job, but there are always consequences to your actions. Now go back and correct them. Oh and it will be harder this time."
Maybe even a time element. By actually killing a Prime Evil, you cause an imbalance or more problems for Sanctuary. So you have to go back and progress through the story again - with changes to the major encounters, because of your involvement. I'm starting to really like that idea.....
Monkalicious: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/OptimusPrime-12194/hero/79139477
As mentioned there's nothing wrong with the "D2 Style" of increasing difficultly, but seeing as the technology has come so far I'd really like to see each act be freshened up via monster behaviors, boss tactics, random events, random dungeons and instances unique to the difficultly, expanded monster ranks (champion and as such), maybe even new NPCS and monsters added each difficulty.