MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John shares another part of their Q&A with Jay Wilson (Diablo 3 Lead Designer). Jay Wilson discusses why potions were removed from the game, and what the plan is to change game mechanics for handling monsters and bosses; and how the game will appeal to Diablo fans. Read the article.
Jay Wilson: “When you have a player who has more mobility, more health and endless power, essentially the only thing you can really do to challenge [the players] is to kill them.”
Bashiok answered a QQ-rampage from fan bobydole concerning this very MTV interview about Health Potions. His answer makes sense. There is a mix between nostalgia, and how gaming experience, game mechanics and systems have evolved eight years later. Sometimes you can't appeal to everyone, but gotta balance games somewhere in the middle. Personally, I have been one of those players who go into Duriel with a full stack of healing potions, do hit and run, and spam healing potions. Same with Diablo at the Chaos Sanctuary. Teleport, stack more healing potions, then return to continue tackling Diablo. Playing Diablo 3 differently would surely put a dent on the healing pot spamming nostalgia. However, shooting down the new healing concept laid by the Diablo 3 team before even getting our hands on a playable demo, or beta is a bit too early.
Bobydole: They keep touting potiopn dropping as if it's a new dynamic that's going to make the game more interesting. It's been around for decades as a game mechanic.
What made diablo interesting was the lifetap ability of most classes, it wasn't so much the potion popping, though that was important for casters.
What gets me is these guys claim they're fixing this that, putting in potion drops rather than potions, then they say some BS like this...
"We want diablo III to be beatable by just pushing one button."
No $%ing *(, genious. Diablo I and II both got that right for lower difficulties.
How about we stop trying to fix what isn't broken and refine it. Rather than, oh i don't know...
DEVOLVING ONE OF THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME TO MIMIC THE BASIC PLAY MECHANICS OF PREVIOUS BULL(*$ TITLES.
Are we making a blizzard game here or an SOE title? Quit making bull*(&$, water-down, vanilla gameplay descisions.
Blizzard doesn't cater to massive audiences, they create them.
Refine lifetap, Refine player run speeds, make synergies work better. Make some skills powerful damage-wise, but weaken a players speed/ defense over time. Make more dynamic buff abilities like berserk.
Go ahead, kill the messenger. Blizzard can do no wrong, right?, Empires never fall..
Bashiok: Hrmmm, I was really confused at first but I think you make a very valid point. However, game development and design just doesn't tend to work the same as it used to, and I'm not talking about Blizzard games, but just in general.
The days of design-by-luck are by no means gone, but far less accepting are players of flaws as valid rules. It requires a more methodical and player-serving approach. I actually think it may have to do somewhat with the increase in expectations of customer service and consumer rights... possibly the ever-shrinking attention span, regardless though, players have higher expectations from their games, and systems/rules that may have worked or were at least accepted as part of the game even a few years ago rarely fly these days. It's not the same market, and you're not applying to the same small group of core gamers anymore. Aside from that I don't think most still enjoy the masochistic, obscure, and often overly-complex or undefined game design of yore. Nostalgia blinds though.
Anyway... I don't know, I'm just a player myself, but I think I get where you're coming from and the best we can do is play games and enjoy ourselves. Maybe more than we ever have before, but nostalgia is such a powerful lie it makes it difficult to properly weigh the experiences.
I'm reading a bit between the lines of your posts though I think, and getting way too far from discussing health regeneration in Diablo games.
I know at this point I probably can't really allay your concerns in this specific case until you try it out, except to say that I believe you're wrong in regards to health globes. The overuse of potions was a path of least resistance, and I don't feel removing it detracts anything from the game except to say that it's something that was in a previous title in the series.
Those who have expressed concern that the screenshots show a difference from what was shown at the Gameplay video in WWI Paris seem to be wrong. Bashiok , Diablo 3 Community Manager, has answered fans the following:
Is it just me or does this recent pic indeed show a darker dungeon then in the previous screen shots?
Bashiok: All of the screenshots being posted were taken pre-announcement, the same time the video was shot. So no, there isn't any difference. There are darker parts, and lighter parts, and while there are certain to be lighting tweaks as we go it isn't expected to change dramatically.
Well at least one thing I noticed new in the screen shots was the barbarian has gotten new battle scars from killing demons in this picture, but in the game play video when they zoom in he didn't have as many on him..
Bashiok: Those are actually fading crit blood sprays. When you get a crit death on a monster (that isn't an elemental crit death) it sprays the hero with blood (decals) and those then slowly fade over time. The screenshot shows them pretty much faded all the way out which gave them the appearance of scars. Maybe we can get some screenshots out that show the blood sprays a bit more effectively.
I think we should have the option to either be dependent on health globes or pots, new users might wander towards health globes, while players who have been playing the game for since its begging, might lean more towards "spamming" pots.
I just hope they get it so I'm not dieing becuase the randomizer didn't drop a globe in time and i get over ran by a horde of monsters. :mad:
I hope they make a good balance in the monsters' strenght. I can't imagine playing with a sorc, falling in a place crowded with souls and cant use lots of potions. Souls + No Potions = Fried Sorc.
hmm what im gonna find stupid is, what if your a mana based attack char, and u run out of mana and health at the same time, if a health globe drops your still stuffed no mana, if a mana globe drops your still stuffed no life, whats the point?... Thats why i still like and want my potions.
I can't imagine fight without potions, but will see. But it wasn't so easy even you had the potions. Sometimes monster was so strong that it had you for 2 shots, and you were dead. I liked potions
For once, something I can agree with you on. Yea yea, these "orbs" will test your skills, but in actuality, these "orbs" are just instant forms of health potions. Instead of pressing buttons 1-4 to activate a health potion, now all u do is walk on this large floating red orb (pretty unrealistic even for a game based of fantasy) and your health is restored. How is simplifying something adding more of a test of skill?
hmm what im gonna find stupid is, what if your a mana based attack char, and u run out of mana and health at the same time, if a health globe drops your still stuffed no mana, if a mana globe drops your still stuffed no life, whats the point?... Thats why i still like and want my potions.
except you haven't played the game and don't know how it works so
stfu
if blizzard saw it as a problem they would go back to potion spamming, but I for one am glad I can focus on hitting left and right mouse button w/o tapping 1 2 3 4
if you are a sorc you shouldn't be in the middle of people, you should be behind the barb that is tanking
it isn't going to be a grindfest where you just tap buttons and move on
you are going to have to use strats so that you aren't low on health and mana
and if you get to the point where you are low, get better at the game noob
I'm pretty sure that potions are still in the game even if they are not playing as much of a role in combat as they used to, because i'm sure i saw a monster drop a minor health potion in the gameplay video.
I think the combination of orbs and potions will make combat even better as it will test your skills but you have a potion handy in case things get a bit hard.
and if you get to the point where you are low, get better at the game noob
I don't care how gg your gear is, or how skilled you are, SHIT HAPPENS, Iron maiden kills your merc and all of a sudden your getting surrounded by mobs of enemies and you cant tele away becuase your locked but oh noes no pots and bam you die. That doesn't sound fun to me at all in the least bit, but who knows, we haven't played the game so we cant really say anything just yet.:D
if you are a sorc you shouldn't be in the middle of people, you should be behind the barb that is tanking
And if your magic finding by yourself and you accidentally teleport (assuming there are still sorceresses) into a large group of enemies that stun you when they attack?
if blizzard saw it as a problem they would go back to potion spamming, but I for one am glad I can focus on hitting left and right mouse button w/o tapping 1 2 3 4
My idea where you can either choose to use potions or "orbs" will make everyone happy. People more used to the old way will stick with potions, and people who are new or want to try something different, might want to try the "orb" method.
k, I never post, but people seem to miss the point he's trying to make.
The point is: In D2, everyone was always spamming pots.
To be able to raise the difficulty of the game the monsters you met HAD to kill you in one or two shots (or iron maiden or whatever) or your pot-factory would bring you instantly back to full health within a sec.
With less pot-spamming, they don't have to make the monsters as strong to make the game equally challenging.
Instead of having to insta-kill you , they can make you suffer, but still have a possibility of reacting and make a great comeback.
Good i am glad that the replace pots whit globes, how ever the pots will be in the game for imergancy, wich is good to! i belive in Blizzard and what they are doin so ill wait and see, gonna play first then complain! thing is i did not like Diablo 2 at first either, Diablo 1 was much better, however after playing D2 awhile i was stuck, and i gave a shit about the graphs, gameplay was the thing that took my soul, life, girlfriend, friends, jobb and my right hand for ever! Thanks alot Blizzard :thumbsup:
I can't imagine fight without potions, but will see. But it wasn't so easy even you had the potions. Sometimes monster was so strong that it had you for 2 shots, and you were dead. I liked potions
I hardly ever used potions in D2 (life/mana leech), whenever things got hot I just tped the hell outta there. I think rejuvs really fucked up the game.
yes, how idiotic of us, how dare we speak of diablo 3 on a diablo 3 forum... its almost as if the objective of this forum was for us to discuss the news about the game... damn are we all stupid or what? :confused:
no he is talking about you making retarded accusations of something you have 0 grounds for speaking
As silver_wings said about the inventories always getting full, i agree and respect taht comment even though sometimes u needed those potions in your inventory
They would take up room if u where to get items and you had a full inventory of potions you wouldn't be able to pick up and if u drank potions to get room your wasting money correct? D:
Interesting read; I noticed he said in the first stage of difficulty it's pretty easy. I wonder if that means they are very far along if they already have one stage of difficulty, say normal, finished.
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Bashiok answered a QQ-rampage from fan bobydole concerning this very MTV interview about Health Potions. His answer makes sense. There is a mix between nostalgia, and how gaming experience, game mechanics and systems have evolved eight years later. Sometimes you can't appeal to everyone, but gotta balance games somewhere in the middle. Personally, I have been one of those players who go into Duriel with a full stack of healing potions, do hit and run, and spam healing potions. Same with Diablo at the Chaos Sanctuary. Teleport, stack more healing potions, then return to continue tackling Diablo. Playing Diablo 3 differently would surely put a dent on the healing pot spamming nostalgia. However, shooting down the new healing concept laid by the Diablo 3 team before even getting our hands on a playable demo, or beta is a bit too early.
Those who have expressed concern that the screenshots show a difference from what was shown at the Gameplay video in WWI Paris seem to be wrong. Bashiok , Diablo 3 Community Manager, has answered fans the following:
http://www.blizzplanet.com
I just hope they get it so I'm not dieing becuase the randomizer didn't drop a globe in time and i get over ran by a horde of monsters. :mad:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
For once, something I can agree with you on. Yea yea, these "orbs" will test your skills, but in actuality, these "orbs" are just instant forms of health potions. Instead of pressing buttons 1-4 to activate a health potion, now all u do is walk on this large floating red orb (pretty unrealistic even for a game based of fantasy) and your health is restored. How is simplifying something adding more of a test of skill?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
except you haven't played the game and don't know how it works so
stfu
if blizzard saw it as a problem they would go back to potion spamming, but I for one am glad I can focus on hitting left and right mouse button w/o tapping 1 2 3 4
if you are a sorc you shouldn't be in the middle of people, you should be behind the barb that is tanking
it isn't going to be a grindfest where you just tap buttons and move on
you are going to have to use strats so that you aren't low on health and mana
and if you get to the point where you are low, get better at the game noob
I think the combination of orbs and potions will make combat even better as it will test your skills but you have a potion handy in case things get a bit hard.
I don't care how gg your gear is, or how skilled you are, SHIT HAPPENS, Iron maiden kills your merc and all of a sudden your getting surrounded by mobs of enemies and you cant tele away becuase your locked but oh noes no pots and bam you die. That doesn't sound fun to me at all in the least bit, but who knows, we haven't played the game so we cant really say anything just yet.:D
And if your magic finding by yourself and you accidentally teleport (assuming there are still sorceresses) into a large group of enemies that stun you when they attack?
My idea where you can either choose to use potions or "orbs" will make everyone happy. People more used to the old way will stick with potions, and people who are new or want to try something different, might want to try the "orb" method.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
suffering doesn't sound fun:confused::D
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Fuck you, I'm a dragon.
no he is talking about you making retarded accusations of something you have 0 grounds for speaking
does your fingers have tourettes?
your opinions are invalid because they are based on assumptions
until those assumptions have weight and thus become more than an assumption, they are STILL invalid
you can assume all you want, but speculation rarely turns out to be beneficial
people speculated that blizzard would not be announcing d3 at WWI, then they QQ'd about art direction, now you QQ about globes
it has done no good, nor will it ever
They would take up room if u where to get items and you had a full inventory of potions you wouldn't be able to pick up and if u drank potions to get room your wasting money correct? D: