I just found this interview of Leonard Boyarski at Gamasutra. He explains that despite a lot of fan backlash from the Aug. 1st changes, he is still strong in his convictions that what Blizzard is doing is the right way to go, and that they are still listening to their fans:
Official Blizzard Quote:
You would definitely have to have thick skin, because there's always going to be people who don't like what you've done or are objecting to your latest decisions. So, you get used to it after a while.
The fan base doesn't just throw slings and arrows: they're passionately vocal about what direction they want to see it go. Fan feedback is a "double-edged sword". It's very helpful to hear what people have to say, how people see things and what people want to see from a franchise, whether it's one that you created or whether it's one that you're carrying on.
It's not to say that we always have to blindly follow what the fans want, but it's nice to know what the fans are looking for, if that makes sense. [It's important to know] what people are expecting, what people are looking for, the questions that they feel that they need to have answers to. Because if you don't deliver on at least some of those things, then you've kind of failed.
The Fallout community is extremely vocal and extremely opinionated about what they want or don't want, so that's kind of prepared me for the Diablo community, which is also very passionate about the game. They have distinct wants, likes, and dislikes for the series. But overall, I mean, we've gotten a really good response from everything we've showed and the stuff we've done.
They (Blizzard) put their heart and soul into it. It's not easy making games. [laughs] You know, I'm not going to come along and second-guess what other people have done. The people who made Diablo before me could say the same thing about what we're doing with Diablo, so I wish them all the best of luck with what they're doing with it.
So, keep posting on the forums!
Edit: I recommend reading the entire interview [here].
Yes, its the cynical guy again: Remove the words Blizzard, Fallout, and Diablo and you've read this statement 100x before from 100x different game developers. Completely Cpt Obvious stuff.
I think all the changes so far has been positive, only change i don't like that they might implant is the new rune system which i hope they change a bit, except for that i think blizzard listens to their fans more then most developers.
Of course they're listening - but we have to acknowledge and understand that game design by committee never works. Blizzard has to design the game that pleases THEM the most first. If they try to please us, then the game gets torn in a million different directions and they don't know which of them are good because it's not how they wanted it.
Any good developer will tell you that designing the game to please anyone other than yourself is the first step towards failure.
Just read through the whole article, not too bad. Nothing really new, it's always interesting though to get insight on how a particular dev team member views Diablo, and his job.
“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
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Official Blizzard Quote:
You would definitely have to have thick skin, because there's always going to be people who don't like what you've done or are objecting to your latest decisions. So, you get used to it after a while.
The fan base doesn't just throw slings and arrows: they're passionately vocal about what direction they want to see it go. Fan feedback is a "double-edged sword". It's very helpful to hear what people have to say, how people see things and what people want to see from a franchise, whether it's one that you created or whether it's one that you're carrying on.
It's not to say that we always have to blindly follow what the fans want, but it's nice to know what the fans are looking for, if that makes sense. [It's important to know] what people are expecting, what people are looking for, the questions that they feel that they need to have answers to. Because if you don't deliver on at least some of those things, then you've kind of failed.
The Fallout community is extremely vocal and extremely opinionated about what they want or don't want, so that's kind of prepared me for the Diablo community, which is also very passionate about the game. They have distinct wants, likes, and dislikes for the series. But overall, I mean, we've gotten a really good response from everything we've showed and the stuff we've done.
They (Blizzard) put their heart and soul into it. It's not easy making games. [laughs] You know, I'm not going to come along and second-guess what other people have done. The people who made Diablo before me could say the same thing about what we're doing with Diablo, so I wish them all the best of luck with what they're doing with it.
So, keep posting on the forums!
Edit: I recommend reading the entire interview [here].
I will flood your forums with belligerent rage-posting if you do not meet the following demands:
-Fudgedoodles, lots of them.
This is your final warning.
Your biggest fan,
Me
hahah so true.
Any good developer will tell you that designing the game to please anyone other than yourself is the first step towards failure.