Recently I watched the gameplay trailer video for 50th time or so, and made an interesting 'discovery'. At one point before, there was a discussion regarding whether using a skill from the hotbar is instantaneous and effects wherever your cursor aims because that seemed to be how it is. However, I came to a conclusion that it's not the case. Namely, you will notice that the arrow cursor doesn't normally change even when you are targeting monsters, however, it does change to a sword icon briefly for once in a while, and I couldn't figure out what was causing it. Upon further inspection, it became clear as a day - whenever barbarian executed a special attack from the hotbar, the icon would change to a little sword when mousing over a monster. Just pay close attention - normal attacks don't change the arrow no matter what, but a a tiny moment before Hammer of Ancients spell is used, or while the player is deciding in which direction to Leap, the cursor changes while rolled over a target. It's very apparent and noticeable at the Thousand Pounder event - you can clearly see that the cursor doesn't move from the mini-boss, and then all of a sudden it changes a moment before the the player executes the attack. It's a bit hard to describe with words, but just pay close attention and it will become apparent to you.
Now, why is this interesting? Two things. First of all, it means that instead of the 'aim > hotkey' sequence, it's more like 'hotkey > aim > click' which makes a lot of difference. What does that remind you of? You guessed it! It's exactly how spell casting worked in D1 when you executed them from your belt or inventory: press a number 1-8, your cursor changes, click on a monster. Yes, in case some of you forgot - in D1 there were such things as scrolls of various spells and skills which you could stack on your belt and use in the exact same way as they appear to be used in D3.
Don't know if anyone noticed it before, but for me this is monumental. I always liked pretty much everything about the original Diablo and it's awesome concepts. This also further substantiates my claims that Diablo 3 is really going back to the roots of the series. Here's some points to recapitulate my theory:
1. In D3 you can't run 200 mph like in the previous game. You can no longer simply evade enemies with your super-speed. Moving is slower and more realistic, which was one of the most recognizable traits of D1, and one of those things that made it all more suspenseful.
2. Graphics are more vibrant and stylized, but above all, full of atmosphere and Gothic elements. Some people don't seem to understand the meaning of the word, they simply think that everything dark and gritty is Gothic, but it's really not by a chance. There's nothing Gothic about ANYTHING seen in D2 with a couple of minor exceptions. Jungles are not Gothic, oriental temples or harems or deserts are not Gothic, nothing about A5 is gothic although difficult to classify.... etc.
3. Hotbar spell casting system similar as the one in D1, but above all, same casting sequence mechanic.
4. Absolute focus on dungeons, since Diablo was a dungeon crawler after all, and D2 pooped on that by putting in tons of irrelevant outdoor areas which were tedious, unimaginative and lacked any vibrancy seen in the previous game, but above all, lacked any reason to exist since there was nothing relevant to do in them. D3 will make modular outdoor encounters something to look forward to in every new game you join. Instead of moving this bush there and a rock here, outdoor randomization takes on a whole new level, by shuffling parts of areas to create interesting environmental variations and obstacles which actually affect your gameplay experience, unlike the mere order of rocks and bushes.
5. No more runewords. Crafting overpowered items with the runeword system completely destroyed the point of the game.
Well, first of all, I want to know where you got your information on 1. and 5. I really hope you're right, but I haven't see anywhere where they said that.
You can't run like a crazed maniac in D3 which you can see from the trailer obviously, but it's also stated to be the development philosophy this time around - infinite supplies of potions and super-human running speed made it hard to challenge the player, as Jay Willson said on several occasions. As for runewords, it's official that they don't plan to put them in. Just browse the news section on the forum.
I've read what you have written and I hope you are right, it would make the game much more realistic. But the fact that #1 and #5 were not seen anywhere in forums is true. It's not because we don't see the barbarian or witch dortor running at 200mph in that video that he cannot (and don't forget that the game is still in production). Many years ago when Diablo 2 came out, there was a video in which the character was walking for 3-4 mins, but as we all know, they can definetely run.
As for the rune words, i also hope you are right because they were sooo overpowered (thinking of Breath of the Dying). It might have been discussed by fans in the forums, but they are no official saying from M. Wilson that there wont be any. Until he says that himself, i won't acquire anything. I hope we get some new official info soon, like character classes and battle net features.
You can't run like a crazed maniac in D3 which you can see from the trailer obviously, but it's also stated to be the development philosophy this time around - infinite supplies of potions and super-human running speed made it hard to challenge the player, as Jay Willson said on several occasions. As for runewords, it's official that they don't plan to put them in. Just browse the news section on the forum.
Not all characters run faster.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
They are still plenty faster than anything seen in D1.
From Jay Willson:
You have a character class that has endless health, endless resource, they can run faster than almost anything in the world. When you combine speed with endless power and endless health, really, the only way you can challenge that player is to kill them.
We've tried to get towards restricted movement, and having a health system that actually plays into placement, where where you're standing makes a difference.
As for the runewords, it's official, stop asking for the source and look it up yourself.
In D3, the barbarian could leap over enemies, or even charge away.
Charge has a cooldown, and leap has a very limited range and takes plenty of time to execute. Just note how much time he prepares to jump, and how there's a slowdown before the fall - it almost takes as much time as walking to the spot. Everything is also more cramped and crowded much like how it was in D1. I mean - in D2 my assassin just ran past everything in the forgotten tower in a blink - there was so much space to manoeuvre. You can really see how everything is more limiting in the way where you can squeeze when crowds of monsters surround you. By simply attempting to run away without killing anything, you will just simply die - you have to make your bashing through to get the health globes and make up for the bashing that you will obviously get.
D3 will make modular outdoor encounters something to look forward to in every new game you join. Instead of moving this bush there and a rock here, outdoor randomization takes on a whole new level, by shuffling parts of areas to create interesting environmental variations and obstacles which actually affect your gameplay experience, unlike the mere order of rocks and bushes.
i read in an interview there is no outdoor randomization.. there will be dungeon randomization though.
Charge has a cooldown, and leap has a very limited range and takes plenty of time to execute. Just note how much time he prepares to jump, and how there's a slowdown before the fall - it almost takes as much time as walking to the spot. Everything is also more cramped and crowded much like how it was in D1. I mean - in D2 my assassin just ran past everything in the forgotten tower in a blink - there was so much space to manoeuvre. You can really see how everything is more limiting in the way where you can squeeze when crowds of monsters surround you. By simply attempting to run away without killing anything, you will just simply die - you have to make your bashing through to get the health globes and make up for the bashing that you will obviously get.
Yet they said they plan to make it less claustrophobic?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
We have a new system of adventures that allows us to cut sections out of the terrain to put random -- whatever -- in there.
He also said in a previous interview that players may find certain obstacles or blocked passages or things of that nature that might require finding alternate paths or solving a quest. As I stated, that kind of subtle terrain randomization is way more effective and meaningful than displacing rocks and bushes around.
Quote from "Krow" »
Yet they said they plan to make it less claustrophobic?
And I thought that was pretty damn apparent from the gameplay trailer. You're no longer constantly in the middle of a bright circle in the void of blackness, there's detail and vibrancy all around, huge structures and layered background/foreground/decoration. In contrast, the gameplay field where you can move is much more cramped, with tiny chambers and narrow bridges with no walls to make you feel confined (platforms, rather than chambers). Yet it's still crampy enough to not let you squeeze through without receiving a bash from everyone in the room. So compared to D2, where you could easily stride around and evade combat, its definitely different. More importantly, on higher difficulties, you can't just run around drinking pots like you could in say, Durance of hate - you are forced to consume the game at a slower, more natural pace and kill monsters on your way to regenerate health. The concept is ingenious. I pity the fools who reject it simply because its different.
He also said in a previous interview that players may find certain obstacles or blocked passages or things of that nature that might require finding alternate paths or solving a quest. As I stated, that kind of subtle terrain randomization is way more effective and meaningful than displacing rocks and bushes around.
And I thought that was pretty damn apparent from the gameplay trailer. You're no longer constantly in the middle of a bright circle in the void of blackness, there's detail and vibrancy all around, huge structures and layered background/foreground/decoration. In contrast, the gameplay field where you can move is much more cramped, with tiny chambers and narrow bridges with no walls to make you feel confined (platforms, rather than chambers). Yet it's still crampy enough to not let you squeeze through without receiving a bash from everyone in the room. So compared to D2, where you could easily stride around and evade combat, its definitely different. More importantly, on higher difficulties, you can't just run around drinking pots like you could in say, Durance of hate - you are forced to consume the game at a slower, more natural pace and kill monsters on your way to regenerate health. The concept is ingenious. I pity the fools who reject it simply because its different.
well alright its random to a certain degree but i love everything they're doing with the game no complaints. looking foward to another class being revealed, also dont uh say theres multiple difficulties cause we dont even know if there will be different difficulties yet.
1. In D3 you can't run 200 mph like in the previous game. You can no longer simply evade enemies with your super-speed. Moving is slower and more realistic, which was one of the most recognizable traits of D1, and one of those things that made it all more suspenseful.
oh and also movement in d1 was too slow imo. the movement in diablo 3 seems a mix of both which is good and i agree it was fast although i cant really remember exactly how fast it was but with +movement speed and stuff like that it did get fast but it should be if you got +movement speed gear on. it wasnt ridiculously fast at all.
Well if they gave everyone in counter-strike halo shields and forced you to unload a whole clip to kill a guy alot of people who enjoy counter-strike would complain, radically changing the game is bound to leave some people unhappy.
I for one love CS but cant stand halo, same thing might happen to d2/d3. The fast speed of diablo 2 was what made it enjoyable to me.
Well if they gave everyone in counter-strike halo shields and forced you to unload a whole clip to kill a guy alot of people who enjoy counter-strike would complain, radically changing the game is bound to leave some people unhappy.
I for one love CS but cant stand halo, same thing might happen to d2/d3. The fast speed of diablo 2 was what made it enjoyable to me.
So you are saying, "screw Diablo, Diablo 2 is where it's at". It's basically wrong and unfair to look at D2 and LoD as the only entries in the franchise. By many people's opinions, D2 strayed in pretty much every aspect compared to D1. Diablo 3 is much, much closer to Diablo 2, than Diablo 2 was to D1 and that is undeniable. But you can't blame it for not ignoring the first game completely and trying to be 100% different now can you? Just because you loved D2 doesn't mean that D3 should be a perfect clone. Too many people think that.
@OP
I agree with about half of what you said, but you're really putting a spin on it all instead of just listing facts and pointing out similarities or faults. It makes it hard to side with you.
But you're right that Diablo and Diablo 2 were vastly different games and that Diablo 3 is trekking the middle ground.
2. Graphics are more vibrant and stylized, but above all, full of atmosphere and Gothic elements.
If only this were true. Sadly, the world fits into the high-fantasy psuedo-steampunk world that is Warcraft more than it does the masochistically dark world of Diablo.
Recently I watched the gameplay trailer video for 50th time or so, and made an interesting 'discovery'. At one point before, there was a discussion regarding whether using a skill from the hotbar is instantaneous and effects wherever your cursor aims because that seemed to be how it is. However, I came to a conclusion that it's not the case. Namely, you will notice that the arrow cursor doesn't normally change even when you are targeting monsters, however, it does change to a sword icon briefly for once in a while, and I couldn't figure out what was causing it. Upon further inspection, it became clear as a day - whenever barbarian executed a special attack from the hotbar, the icon would change to a little sword when mousing over a monster. Just pay close attention - normal attacks don't change the arrow no matter what, but a a tiny moment before Hammer of Ancients spell is used, or while the player is deciding in which direction to Leap, the cursor changes while rolled over a target. It's very apparent and noticeable at the Thousand Pounder event - you can clearly see that the cursor doesn't move from the mini-boss, and then all of a sudden it changes a moment before the the player executes the attack. It's a bit hard to describe with words, but just pay close attention and it will become apparent to you.
Now, why is this interesting? Two things. First of all, it means that instead of the 'aim > hotkey' sequence, it's more like 'hotkey > aim > click' which makes a lot of difference. What does that remind you of? You guessed it! It's exactly how spell casting worked in D1 when you executed them from your belt or inventory: press a number 1-8, your cursor changes, click on a monster. Yes, in case some of you forgot - in D1 there were such things as scrolls of various spells and skills which you could stack on your belt and use in the exact same way as they appear to be used in D3.
Don't know if anyone noticed it before, but for me this is monumental. I always liked pretty much everything about the original Diablo and it's awesome concepts. This also further substantiates my claims that Diablo 3 is really going back to the roots of the series. Here's some points to recapitulate my theory:
1. In D3 you can't run 200 mph like in the previous game. You can no longer simply evade enemies with your super-speed. Moving is slower and more realistic, which was one of the most recognizable traits of D1, and one of those things that made it all more suspenseful.
2. Graphics are more vibrant and stylized, but above all, full of atmosphere and Gothic elements. Some people don't seem to understand the meaning of the word, they simply think that everything dark and gritty is Gothic, but it's really not by a chance. There's nothing Gothic about ANYTHING seen in D2 with a couple of minor exceptions. Jungles are not Gothic, oriental temples or harems or deserts are not Gothic, nothing about A5 is gothic although difficult to classify.... etc.
3. Hotbar spell casting system similar as the one in D1, but above all, same casting sequence mechanic.
4. Absolute focus on dungeons, since Diablo was a dungeon crawler after all, and D2 pooped on that by putting in tons of irrelevant outdoor areas which were tedious, unimaginative and lacked any vibrancy seen in the previous game, but above all, lacked any reason to exist since there was nothing relevant to do in them. D3 will make modular outdoor encounters something to look forward to in every new game you join. Instead of moving this bush there and a rock here, outdoor randomization takes on a whole new level, by shuffling parts of areas to create interesting environmental variations and obstacles which actually affect your gameplay experience, unlike the mere order of rocks and bushes.
5. No more runewords. Crafting overpowered items with the runeword system completely destroyed the point of the game.
Discuss if you want to.
As for the rune words, i also hope you are right because they were sooo overpowered (thinking of Breath of the Dying). It might have been discussed by fans in the forums, but they are no official saying from M. Wilson that there wont be any. Until he says that himself, i won't acquire anything. I hope we get some new official info soon, like character classes and battle net features.
Not all characters run faster.
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
From Jay Willson:
As for the runewords, it's official, stop asking for the source and look it up yourself.
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
i read in an interview there is no outdoor randomization.. there will be dungeon randomization though.
Yet they said they plan to make it less claustrophobic?
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
Take a deep breath:
He also said in a previous interview that players may find certain obstacles or blocked passages or things of that nature that might require finding alternate paths or solving a quest. As I stated, that kind of subtle terrain randomization is way more effective and meaningful than displacing rocks and bushes around.
And I thought that was pretty damn apparent from the gameplay trailer. You're no longer constantly in the middle of a bright circle in the void of blackness, there's detail and vibrancy all around, huge structures and layered background/foreground/decoration. In contrast, the gameplay field where you can move is much more cramped, with tiny chambers and narrow bridges with no walls to make you feel confined (platforms, rather than chambers). Yet it's still crampy enough to not let you squeeze through without receiving a bash from everyone in the room. So compared to D2, where you could easily stride around and evade combat, its definitely different. More importantly, on higher difficulties, you can't just run around drinking pots like you could in say, Durance of hate - you are forced to consume the game at a slower, more natural pace and kill monsters on your way to regenerate health. The concept is ingenious. I pity the fools who reject it simply because its different.
I for one love CS but cant stand halo, same thing might happen to d2/d3. The fast speed of diablo 2 was what made it enjoyable to me.
I agree with about half of what you said, but you're really putting a spin on it all instead of just listing facts and pointing out similarities or faults. It makes it hard to side with you.
But you're right that Diablo and Diablo 2 were vastly different games and that Diablo 3 is trekking the middle ground.
If only this were true. Sadly, the world fits into the high-fantasy psuedo-steampunk world that is Warcraft more than it does the masochistically dark world of Diablo.