That seems non-cosntructive and completely backward to me. I think pretty much every point of debate from the PvP side of this discussion has been answered logically and politely at some point. And some PvPers have been rational and talked constructively too. Then you have posts like this. In my experience, when someone starts raging and trying to bully their way through a debate on cheep insults and testosterone, it is because they know they don't have answeres and fall back on intimidation.
Sorry if I'm being equally non-cosntructive, but the character of this post is just highly annoying.
I appreciate this. I've done nothing but try to be polite and explain why we won't have many of the Diablo 2 or eSport related PvP features, but it seems that my posts just get ignored by those blinded by rage or something. Despite being insulted, harassed, etc...I'll continue to be civil and explain things as best I can and I appreciate the support.
Also for those people who dont believe it can be done, Path of Exiles gives you more storage space, will have PvP at launch, dueling, etc, will have EVERYTHING d3 has, plus way more customization in character build, way more itemization. Oh, and ITS FUCKING FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE.
And they did it living off scraps, and their studio is 18 people, lots of those have been recent hires.
Everyone puts blizzard on a pedestal, why? I'll never understand. Because they made you great games? So? Companies that have nothing, and start with nothing make games of equal quality if not better? They do so with so few resources in comparison to blizzard it's disgusting.
expect more from the companies you support. You think its right to launch d3 without PvP? That's a fucking joke, who the fuck releases a game without all its features? That's laughable, and coming from a company that has succeeded and thrived off PvPers forever? A slap to the fucking face is what that is.
My whole original point, that people take out of context is that... pvp is as much a part of blizzard as pve, saying pvp is the minority and fucks up balance for pvp is either 100% ignorance or 100% troll.
Could blizzard make d3 and eSport? yes.
Do they want to? no.
Do i care it's not going to be an eSport? no.
Do i care blizzard thinks it's cool to release a game without pvp after we've been waiting an eternity for it? When one of your competitors is not only going to have pvp in their beta, but at launch, and its f2p? No. It's not acceptable. Anyone who thinks it's acceptable has lowered their standards, or just had piss poor standards to begin with.
That is all.
I've said that Blizzard could do it. Could they do it at this point without compromising the integrity of PvM? No. They designed the game around PvM and all abilities, items, etc are based on that fact. To do differently at this point is unrealistic. They are already had to push back PvP in order to complete Arena. How long do you think they'd have to push it off if they were to try re-balance the game for PvP? How long would such revisions push back any new PvM content?
Seriously guys, you guys are being very unrealistic. I'm not just accepting Blizzard's decision blindly. I actually understand the reasons they chose to do what they did. They have other games for PvP, Diablo is about PvM. If you don't like it so much, do not buy it. Obviously its not the game for you, and that is fine. You cannot expect every game to be exactly what you want. The majority of their players like the direction they've gone, and want them to keep the focus PvM, so it's the best path for Blizzard.
To the 'PvP'ers are not the minority' comment, you're actually wrong. Blizzard actually did polls to find out what players preferred. If you also look at Mysts of Pandaria, Blizzard has stopped focusing on PvP as a primary goal as well (just look at the talent changes, many are overpowered in PvP). Blizzard has decided to focus their RPG's on the original goal of their RPG's...the story. They don't want to have characters inhibited just because abilities would be overpowered in PvP.
I honestly don't understand why its so hard for people to actually read and understand what I've been saying...Diablo 3 is a single player online hack and slash RPG with multiplayer and casual PvP components. It is not a PvP game with RPG components. If you want a PvP focused game, choose another game. Blizzard has made their intentions very clear, the majority of the community has sided with Blizzards decisions, and we're not likely to see the situation change...so why make demands?
Thats not the PvP players fault, thats the game developers fault for not making abilities behave different in pve and pvp.
Ability X Does 100 dmg and does and 60% slow for 5 seconds PVE
Ability X does 80 dmg and does a 60% slow for 3 seconds PvP
holy shit, the ability to balance, without PvE effecting pvp balance.
the problem is blizzard thinks that their avg user base is too stupid to comprehend and excel having abilities perform 2 different ways (which is true) and that they have become too lazy to implement this balance (in wow)
In a dev interview they said they wanted to have abilities perform 2 different ways based on if you're in pvp or pve for d3, thats probly whats taking them so long. Because they slacked off with re balancing WoW this way, when it came to d3, this is the first stab at it.
PvE was never affected by PvP in rift, now you're talking out of your ass. PvP suffered for PvE for the longest time, still slightly now.
You still seem to be missing a very specific issue with the idea of balancing both PvE and PvP completely separated that I've touched on a few times in this thread now. Blizzard doesn't have infinite resources. What you're essentially asking Blizzard to do is make two versions of Diablo 3 that are similar but distinctly different and somehow manage to still provide continual content for both. To do that they would need a PvE team and a PvP team, each developing content. The investment would be huge, and would only appeal to a minor subset of their players...how is that a good idea?
To be honest, why it likely 'took so long' is that its gotten the least amount of development attention. It has always kind of been last on the to-do list. Their goal has been to finalize the PvE story and gameplay and add casual PvP afterwards. PvP will have some balancing tweaks to it in order to tame down things like crowd control and most likely some of the really high damage abilities. It won't be all that balanced though, and it won't be extremely competitive. Welcome to Diablo 3.
As i said getting better gear to kill monsters to get better gear to kill more monsters...u know its a program right? Where is the challenge in that? It will reach the point that u can kill every monster in the game easily and then what? If the monster were new or i dont know, different atleast, i can understand that but... killing the same monster over and over again to kill the same monsters over and over again...man u have a serious problem with the idea of having fun.
I think you're missing one key factor...those of us defending PvE actually have some interest in casual PvP as well. We're not saying there should be no PvP. What we're saying is that they should not balance the game with PvP as a focus. We want to see the game maintain a focus on story and bashing monsters, like its always been with the Diablo series.
I look forward to the Arena, it sounds like it'll be a lot of fun.
The reason we cannot have more PvP features beyond Arena really boils down to this...Any features that give the impression that Diablo 3 PvP is an eSport would go against Blizzards decision to not support eSport PvP in Diablo 3. I understand why you guys want rankings, ladders, wagering, custom matches, etc. However, those kinds of features are primary features for eSport level PvP play. They aren't needed in a more casual PvP environment at all. Since Diablo 3 is focusing on such an environment, those features don't fit into Diablo 3.
It really isn't about what you want, or what I want...Blizzard made its decision for the direction of the game. If that means the game is not for you, then don't play it. Demanding that they change their entire design decision just because you want it, is just silly.
Demands:
Customizable Arena options for private matches - Game types (FFA, Teams, 2 v 3, ect) - Changing the time limit - custom respawn times (instant, XX seconds, none) - other options I can't think of right now.
World PvP option (D2 Style) - Allow world PvP as a game option during creation.
Group/Party vs Group/Party - Able to selectively choose if you want to take XXX to the arena/dual/game.
Statistics (toggleable) - Kills, deaths, highest burst damage, most players killed in a life, ect.
Guild/Clan Flags - Ability to show your guild/clan name on your flag.
Wishful thinking:
Wagers - A safe way to bet on duels (it is going to happen either way right? Cough Cough RMAH logic).
Nonsense:
Balance - Not many are expecting this, actually nobody is except the PvMers useing it as a counter aurgument. - And no you don't need to be inside of an arena for skills to be balanced, even in D2 they had ways of balancing skills on players.
Ladders - Nobody mentioned ladders on the pvp side, statistics does not equal ladders.
Customizable Arena: Arena customization isn't likely to happen to the degree you want due to the development time needed. I'm honestly not sure we'll even see prearranged team vs team PvP. The reason again comes down to the core reason Blizzard isn't adding many competitive PvP features. They don't want to officially support creating any form of eSport.
World PvP/Group PvP: There are no game lists in which to be able to choose a game running world PvP or not. In addition, what benefit would this provide to the majority of players? I could see them adding an in-world arena where people are flagged for PvP upon entering it. This would allow for people to make up their own rules for PvP, but not create many demands on Blizzard for support.
Statistics: What benefit would this have to the majority of players? All I can see complex statistics doing is leading to more elitist behavoirs, insulting players who do worse, etc.
Clans: I agree here. Clans would be beneficial to PvP and PvE alike and be a nice addition to the game.
Wagers: There are a bunch of legal issues to this. Gambling laws (as gold can be traded for cash, it becomes equal to cash in some cases) specifically would be a huge hurdle.
Balance: Not likely to be balanced beyond crowd control duration, player damage, etc. Which means many skills will still be vastly overpowered when used against players. Since Jay also stated that he doesn't want diminishing returns either, stun lock will still be possible, slow lock, etc.
Ladders: Not going to be added according to Jay. Ladders are a competitive PvP statistic that goes against the casual PvP design they are shooting for. Again, ladders seem to only end adding fuel for elitist behavior (I'm higher on the ladder so you're a noob, etc). I'm curious how this kind of behavior is good for the community?
And Ecutruin:
It is not about the rankings. You again, pick 1 little thing to try and spin in your favor while ignoring all of the other facts. I think you nailed it on the head though, with the word casual. Blizzard is indeed making this Diablo for the casual crowd, the crowd who will easily flock to the next latest game. Shame really, the casual crowd isn't who still plays Diablo to this day. Oh well, Blizzards loss not mine.
I picked out ratings because Elementz complained I was picking out eSports and said ratings were what they wanted. If you point out another eSport-based feature (say ladder), the reasons against adding it are pretty much the same. Blizzard has no intention of giving ANY impression that they support eSports in Diablo 3. Adding competitive PvP features create that kind of impression and as such won't likely ever make it into game (unless Blizzard changes their mind).
I will say that some suggestions I've seen for PvP are pretty awesome. I love the idea of just having a specific world area that just has open PvP. That'd allow for players to create a competitive scene if they wanted it (duels, etc), but without Blizzard really offering any direct support for such competitive PvP. Say make the Arena integrated into the actual world, you could go to it from within a game to do open world PvP, or you could choose PvP from out of game to use the matchmaking system for non-open PvP. Best of both worlds, without stepping on either's toes.
I'm not against PvP, but I'm against changing the focus of Diablo 3...especially at this point in the game's development.
First off, don't want you on PvP'ers side. Your flawed theories and blind nuthuggery would do nothing but bad for the community.
Secondly, rankings do not require "esport" level balancing. It is a very simple K/D ratio, that is very easily implemented. Will people complain cause they suck to bad to make a strategy? Sure, but they won't complain anymore then kids who can't seem to get past Lord De seis or the lighting monsters.
Thirdly, again we do not want Blizzard's full support. We just want the very basic tools and options we had before to where we could craft and make PvP what it should be. Instead we get this secluded arena BS that has everyones hands tied. It's like giving power to a person who doesn't want it and just lets it rot.
AGAIN, PvP does not affect PvM anyway. I don't see how you believe it will or does, because it does not. It is very simple to code skills to work differently for PvM and PvP, it is very simple to allow duel games and non duel games, it is very simple to do everything we ask for...and yet blind nuthuggers like you seem to keep resorting to "esports" ha.
See, it seems you failed to actually read my post. On top of that you also resort to insults (what is with the PvP crowd using insults as part of their counterpoints?). Let me restate the same thing, yes again...
Blizzard does not want to add eSport-based features because doing so would give the public impression that they were supporting eSport-level play in Diablo 3, which they aren't. This isn't about ranking being hard to implement, its that by implementing ranking they endorse non-casual PvP within Diablo 3. That will lead to sponsors pressuring them to balance the PvP further, etc.
It's a direction they did not want to go with Diablo 3 as the Diablo series has always been about the story and smashing monsters, not PvP. They instead chose to create a design for casual PvP to let people continue to PvP, while maintaining the core concepts that Diablo has always been about.
What purpose do ranking serve to the average player of Diablo 3? Why would the benefit the general community? They wouldn't. The general Diablo 3 community wants amazing co-op play. Rankings tend to only act as a way for one player to say they are better then others...a bragging right. It tends to breed elitism and create inflated egos, something the casual community would not really care to deal with at all.
I will most definitely PvP in Diablo 3 as it will be fun, not to inflate some need to be better then everyone. I urge others to do the same.
As there have been too many posts since I last posted, I'm going to avoid quoting everyone...
Clans/Guilds: I actually agree that this feature would be a good one to have. Its not really a PvP specific feature and would be very nice to be able to have an in-game representation for those various clans that will exist anyways.
eSport: Elementz keeps bringing up that I focus on eSport. The reason for this is that if you don't care if its an eSport or not, then this whole topic is moot. Ranking will not be added unless the game were to be focused towards being an eSport, Blizzard has outright stated this. So, to ask for eSport features means Blizzard would have to balance the game as an eSport. As that would adversely affect the rest of the game, its frowned upon by the majority of the D3 community.
Duels: Jay Wilson said that we wants a way for people to have duels, even if its just going to a specific spot in the world where you get flagged while in that place. I think an area like this would offer a good way to have the D2 PvP aspect without it affecting those that don't want it. Make a place in the world that flags everyone that walks into the area. Then people could setup their own rules for dueling, etc...and Blizzard doesn't need to support it any further.
The last point I want to make is that a lot of us that enjoy PvE also like casual PvP. Calling us 'carebears' etc is not a really good way to sway us to your side. In fact, all you achieve by using insults like that is drive us to disagree more. That whole elitist attitude is a major reason why casual players dislike PvP players. If PvP players could just PvP and still be respectful of players that do not PvP, I'm sure the casual crowd would be more respectful of the PvP desires.
The reality of the situation is this, however...
- Diablo 3 is nearly finished.
- eSport level balance is nearly impossible with the current design of the game
- They've publicly announced that they will stay away from eSport features.
- Development would be split between PvP and PvE if PvP became a major focus.
- PvP has never been a major focus in the Diablo series.
Honestly, they could change their stance on PvP and eSports between now and when PvP is released. Due to the amount of changes that would have to be made to make it a reality (as well as the amount of resources), it isn't likely. They'd be diverting a large amount of their development team in order to make this happen, hurting the PvE gameplay as a result. The majority of their players are primarily PvE players as well, making it a rather bad business decision to focus heavily on eSport PvP.
Because of all of this, I can say with some confidence that we'll never see eSport features in Diablo 3. It could happen, but there a lot of reasons against it.
I totally agree with Elementz. I also prefer PVP over PVE, and would like to see a ranking system like that in WOW for competetive play. We'll see what comes out when the PVP part gets added, i hope they will focus their efforts on the pvp aspect of the game. (im not trolling, this is my honest opinion)
They've specifically said that after release, their focus will be on making finishing the arena PvP and getting it into the game. Beyond that I wouldn't hold your breath. Jay Wilson specifically said no rankings system. Blizzard's goal for PvP in Diablo 3 is a casual fun Team Death-match style Arena. Honestly, it sounds like a lot of fun.
STOP SAYING ESPORTS OH MY GOD! I said it once as a reference on how it would be good for the game (because it would be). Get off that god damn one word. Ladder doesn't = eSports. Ladder = a place common casuals can be competitive.
~snip~
I understand that and even said in previous posts that I understand it. Does that change my opinion of wanting it in the game anyways? Nope. Pushing it towards an eSport is good for the game and even if Blizzard is pressured to make it an eSport or do anything past ladders doesn't matter. There's already pressure to make it an eSport. How about Blizz just grants us this wish and then they can go back to ignoring the PvP community. I'd be happy with that.
The reason that Blizzard is not going that way has been given, multiple times. Who knows though, with them pushing the PvP back...they might surprise us all and add some of those features. There are a lot of reasons NOT to add them, but they might.
Pushing Diablo 3 towards an eSport, however, will not be as good for the game as you think. As I have stated, it would create a divide between developing PvP content and developing PvE content. This is the reason a majority of us do NOT want to see eSport PvP in Diablo 3. It would likely destroy any idea of new monthly content updates that they talked about in the past as the resources would go towards PvP balance. It'd also very likely push back any expansion. If eSport became a large focus, we'd see a lot of abilities changing from their PvE design to a more PvP design. These are the kinds of things that the majority of Blizzard's D3 community do not want to see. We want the game to remain focused around being a hero that slays hell's minions en-mass, not around being a guy who kills hell's minions to run around and kill other heroes.
Its just not Diablo if it focuses too much on PvP and not enough on the awesome PvE content.
STOP SAYING ESPORTS OH MY GOD! I said it once as a reference on how it would be good for the game (because it would be). Get off that god damn one word. Ladder doesn't = eSports. Ladder = a place common casuals can be competitive.
See, you're not getting what I'm trying to explain...or you're ignoring it. The reason ladders and rankings cannot be implemented is because it would be a direction towards eSports. It would create a situation where Blizzard would be pressured by tournaments and such to balance the game around the ladders and rankings. It essentially would force Blizzard's hand in making the game an eSport focused game. Since Blizzard does not want PvP design controlling PvE design, they chose to stay away from eSport features in D3.
That's where you and I disagree though, I think you are incorrect in believing that the majority wants what you do. They don't .
It's a seriously small little minority of you that are so paranoid of Esports.
See, I'm not paranoid about eSports. I know Blizzard's stance on the issue, so what do I have to be paranoid about? I've given you the reasons WHY eSports aren't something that Blizzard can reasonably do at this point. Surely in 4-5 years when the PvE content has lost interest, they could devote resources to it. It'd change the game quite extensively though, so the likelihood is that they would be better off making a new game instead.
The minority is the PvP crowd though. Its very evident. Most of the PvP crowd are also part of the PvE crowd as well. PvP will exist in D3 as well, so only those that feel a need for elite eSport PvP are actually complaining. Those are a minority in a minority. Not a large enough group for Blizzard to make any design decisions based on.
That really isn't saying anything, PvP WAS endgame, and the biggest part of it when d2 was actually a prevalent game still. Most of the PvP community has simply moved onto other games while we wait for diablo 3 to come out.
You can find most of them in starcraft 2, dota 2, counterstrike 1.6, quakelive etc, pretty much any game thats competitive, but we will return, in force. Don't you worry
Carebear PvE'ers generally are the ones that troll these forums, which is why there are so many more of their voices heard, most PvP'ers couldn't care less what the PvE community wants, but I figured i'd at least take the time to try and talk some sense into you guys
Some of you are beyond saving unfortunately, but a few of you seem to be rational.
So, you're attempting to explain why PvP is important by insulting the people you want to sway...awesome idea.
If the majority of PvP players have left D2 and the majority of PvE players have left D2...then shouldn't the fact that people still prefer PvE over PvP there say something? Blizzard themselves wants D3 focused on PvE. The vocal majority wants D3 focused on PvE. How can you rationalize Blizzard focusing on PvP when the majority of input they get says to focus on PvE?
I've not been trolling, I've been actually explaining the methods, reasons, and such as to why Blizzard made the choice they did. The ones that seem more like they are tolling are those like yourself that seemingly ignore the reasons and shout that Blizzard is bad if they don't make eSport PvP.
If you don't want the PvP that Blizzard plans on offering...and you don't care to enjoy the game purely for PvE...don't buy the game. I know that I for one will be glad to not having to play with people complaining about PvP constantly as I enjoy the game for what it is and has always been, PvE.
Guys, can we get back on topic and stop resorting to insulting each other? All this will do is potentially get this thread locked. If you want to be able to continue to discuss this topic, I suggest actually posting constructive reasons for your side instead of insults.
I appreciate this. I've done nothing but try to be polite and explain why we won't have many of the Diablo 2 or eSport related PvP features, but it seems that my posts just get ignored by those blinded by rage or something. Despite being insulted, harassed, etc...I'll continue to be civil and explain things as best I can and I appreciate the support.
I've said that Blizzard could do it. Could they do it at this point without compromising the integrity of PvM? No. They designed the game around PvM and all abilities, items, etc are based on that fact. To do differently at this point is unrealistic. They are already had to push back PvP in order to complete Arena. How long do you think they'd have to push it off if they were to try re-balance the game for PvP? How long would such revisions push back any new PvM content?
Seriously guys, you guys are being very unrealistic. I'm not just accepting Blizzard's decision blindly. I actually understand the reasons they chose to do what they did. They have other games for PvP, Diablo is about PvM. If you don't like it so much, do not buy it. Obviously its not the game for you, and that is fine. You cannot expect every game to be exactly what you want. The majority of their players like the direction they've gone, and want them to keep the focus PvM, so it's the best path for Blizzard.
I honestly don't understand why its so hard for people to actually read and understand what I've been saying...Diablo 3 is a single player online hack and slash RPG with multiplayer and casual PvP components. It is not a PvP game with RPG components. If you want a PvP focused game, choose another game. Blizzard has made their intentions very clear, the majority of the community has sided with Blizzards decisions, and we're not likely to see the situation change...so why make demands?
You still seem to be missing a very specific issue with the idea of balancing both PvE and PvP completely separated that I've touched on a few times in this thread now. Blizzard doesn't have infinite resources. What you're essentially asking Blizzard to do is make two versions of Diablo 3 that are similar but distinctly different and somehow manage to still provide continual content for both. To do that they would need a PvE team and a PvP team, each developing content. The investment would be huge, and would only appeal to a minor subset of their players...how is that a good idea?
To be honest, why it likely 'took so long' is that its gotten the least amount of development attention. It has always kind of been last on the to-do list. Their goal has been to finalize the PvE story and gameplay and add casual PvP afterwards. PvP will have some balancing tweaks to it in order to tame down things like crowd control and most likely some of the really high damage abilities. It won't be all that balanced though, and it won't be extremely competitive. Welcome to Diablo 3.
I think you're missing one key factor...those of us defending PvE actually have some interest in casual PvP as well. We're not saying there should be no PvP. What we're saying is that they should not balance the game with PvP as a focus. We want to see the game maintain a focus on story and bashing monsters, like its always been with the Diablo series.
I look forward to the Arena, it sounds like it'll be a lot of fun.
The reason we cannot have more PvP features beyond Arena really boils down to this...Any features that give the impression that Diablo 3 PvP is an eSport would go against Blizzards decision to not support eSport PvP in Diablo 3. I understand why you guys want rankings, ladders, wagering, custom matches, etc. However, those kinds of features are primary features for eSport level PvP play. They aren't needed in a more casual PvP environment at all. Since Diablo 3 is focusing on such an environment, those features don't fit into Diablo 3.
It really isn't about what you want, or what I want...Blizzard made its decision for the direction of the game. If that means the game is not for you, then don't play it. Demanding that they change their entire design decision just because you want it, is just silly.
Customizable Arena: Arena customization isn't likely to happen to the degree you want due to the development time needed. I'm honestly not sure we'll even see prearranged team vs team PvP. The reason again comes down to the core reason Blizzard isn't adding many competitive PvP features. They don't want to officially support creating any form of eSport.
World PvP/Group PvP: There are no game lists in which to be able to choose a game running world PvP or not. In addition, what benefit would this provide to the majority of players? I could see them adding an in-world arena where people are flagged for PvP upon entering it. This would allow for people to make up their own rules for PvP, but not create many demands on Blizzard for support.
Statistics: What benefit would this have to the majority of players? All I can see complex statistics doing is leading to more elitist behavoirs, insulting players who do worse, etc.
Clans: I agree here. Clans would be beneficial to PvP and PvE alike and be a nice addition to the game.
Wagers: There are a bunch of legal issues to this. Gambling laws (as gold can be traded for cash, it becomes equal to cash in some cases) specifically would be a huge hurdle.
Balance: Not likely to be balanced beyond crowd control duration, player damage, etc. Which means many skills will still be vastly overpowered when used against players. Since Jay also stated that he doesn't want diminishing returns either, stun lock will still be possible, slow lock, etc.
Ladders: Not going to be added according to Jay. Ladders are a competitive PvP statistic that goes against the casual PvP design they are shooting for. Again, ladders seem to only end adding fuel for elitist behavior (I'm higher on the ladder so you're a noob, etc). I'm curious how this kind of behavior is good for the community?
I picked out ratings because Elementz complained I was picking out eSports and said ratings were what they wanted. If you point out another eSport-based feature (say ladder), the reasons against adding it are pretty much the same. Blizzard has no intention of giving ANY impression that they support eSports in Diablo 3. Adding competitive PvP features create that kind of impression and as such won't likely ever make it into game (unless Blizzard changes their mind).
I will say that some suggestions I've seen for PvP are pretty awesome. I love the idea of just having a specific world area that just has open PvP. That'd allow for players to create a competitive scene if they wanted it (duels, etc), but without Blizzard really offering any direct support for such competitive PvP. Say make the Arena integrated into the actual world, you could go to it from within a game to do open world PvP, or you could choose PvP from out of game to use the matchmaking system for non-open PvP. Best of both worlds, without stepping on either's toes.
I'm not against PvP, but I'm against changing the focus of Diablo 3...especially at this point in the game's development.
See, it seems you failed to actually read my post. On top of that you also resort to insults (what is with the PvP crowd using insults as part of their counterpoints?). Let me restate the same thing, yes again...
Blizzard does not want to add eSport-based features because doing so would give the public impression that they were supporting eSport-level play in Diablo 3, which they aren't. This isn't about ranking being hard to implement, its that by implementing ranking they endorse non-casual PvP within Diablo 3. That will lead to sponsors pressuring them to balance the PvP further, etc.
It's a direction they did not want to go with Diablo 3 as the Diablo series has always been about the story and smashing monsters, not PvP. They instead chose to create a design for casual PvP to let people continue to PvP, while maintaining the core concepts that Diablo has always been about.
What purpose do ranking serve to the average player of Diablo 3? Why would the benefit the general community? They wouldn't. The general Diablo 3 community wants amazing co-op play. Rankings tend to only act as a way for one player to say they are better then others...a bragging right. It tends to breed elitism and create inflated egos, something the casual community would not really care to deal with at all.
I will most definitely PvP in Diablo 3 as it will be fun, not to inflate some need to be better then everyone. I urge others to do the same.
Clans/Guilds: I actually agree that this feature would be a good one to have. Its not really a PvP specific feature and would be very nice to be able to have an in-game representation for those various clans that will exist anyways.
eSport: Elementz keeps bringing up that I focus on eSport. The reason for this is that if you don't care if its an eSport or not, then this whole topic is moot. Ranking will not be added unless the game were to be focused towards being an eSport, Blizzard has outright stated this. So, to ask for eSport features means Blizzard would have to balance the game as an eSport. As that would adversely affect the rest of the game, its frowned upon by the majority of the D3 community.
Duels: Jay Wilson said that we wants a way for people to have duels, even if its just going to a specific spot in the world where you get flagged while in that place. I think an area like this would offer a good way to have the D2 PvP aspect without it affecting those that don't want it. Make a place in the world that flags everyone that walks into the area. Then people could setup their own rules for dueling, etc...and Blizzard doesn't need to support it any further.
The last point I want to make is that a lot of us that enjoy PvE also like casual PvP. Calling us 'carebears' etc is not a really good way to sway us to your side. In fact, all you achieve by using insults like that is drive us to disagree more. That whole elitist attitude is a major reason why casual players dislike PvP players. If PvP players could just PvP and still be respectful of players that do not PvP, I'm sure the casual crowd would be more respectful of the PvP desires.
The reality of the situation is this, however...
- Diablo 3 is nearly finished.
- eSport level balance is nearly impossible with the current design of the game
- They've publicly announced that they will stay away from eSport features.
- Development would be split between PvP and PvE if PvP became a major focus.
- PvP has never been a major focus in the Diablo series.
Honestly, they could change their stance on PvP and eSports between now and when PvP is released. Due to the amount of changes that would have to be made to make it a reality (as well as the amount of resources), it isn't likely. They'd be diverting a large amount of their development team in order to make this happen, hurting the PvE gameplay as a result. The majority of their players are primarily PvE players as well, making it a rather bad business decision to focus heavily on eSport PvP.
Because of all of this, I can say with some confidence that we'll never see eSport features in Diablo 3. It could happen, but there a lot of reasons against it.
They've specifically said that after release, their focus will be on making finishing the arena PvP and getting it into the game. Beyond that I wouldn't hold your breath. Jay Wilson specifically said no rankings system. Blizzard's goal for PvP in Diablo 3 is a casual fun Team Death-match style Arena. Honestly, it sounds like a lot of fun.
The reason that Blizzard is not going that way has been given, multiple times. Who knows though, with them pushing the PvP back...they might surprise us all and add some of those features. There are a lot of reasons NOT to add them, but they might.
Pushing Diablo 3 towards an eSport, however, will not be as good for the game as you think. As I have stated, it would create a divide between developing PvP content and developing PvE content. This is the reason a majority of us do NOT want to see eSport PvP in Diablo 3. It would likely destroy any idea of new monthly content updates that they talked about in the past as the resources would go towards PvP balance. It'd also very likely push back any expansion. If eSport became a large focus, we'd see a lot of abilities changing from their PvE design to a more PvP design. These are the kinds of things that the majority of Blizzard's D3 community do not want to see. We want the game to remain focused around being a hero that slays hell's minions en-mass, not around being a guy who kills hell's minions to run around and kill other heroes.
Its just not Diablo if it focuses too much on PvP and not enough on the awesome PvE content.
See, you're not getting what I'm trying to explain...or you're ignoring it. The reason ladders and rankings cannot be implemented is because it would be a direction towards eSports. It would create a situation where Blizzard would be pressured by tournaments and such to balance the game around the ladders and rankings. It essentially would force Blizzard's hand in making the game an eSport focused game. Since Blizzard does not want PvP design controlling PvE design, they chose to stay away from eSport features in D3.
Do you understand now?
See, I'm not paranoid about eSports. I know Blizzard's stance on the issue, so what do I have to be paranoid about? I've given you the reasons WHY eSports aren't something that Blizzard can reasonably do at this point. Surely in 4-5 years when the PvE content has lost interest, they could devote resources to it. It'd change the game quite extensively though, so the likelihood is that they would be better off making a new game instead.
The minority is the PvP crowd though. Its very evident. Most of the PvP crowd are also part of the PvE crowd as well. PvP will exist in D3 as well, so only those that feel a need for elite eSport PvP are actually complaining. Those are a minority in a minority. Not a large enough group for Blizzard to make any design decisions based on.
So, you're attempting to explain why PvP is important by insulting the people you want to sway...awesome idea.
If the majority of PvP players have left D2 and the majority of PvE players have left D2...then shouldn't the fact that people still prefer PvE over PvP there say something? Blizzard themselves wants D3 focused on PvE. The vocal majority wants D3 focused on PvE. How can you rationalize Blizzard focusing on PvP when the majority of input they get says to focus on PvE?
I've not been trolling, I've been actually explaining the methods, reasons, and such as to why Blizzard made the choice they did. The ones that seem more like they are tolling are those like yourself that seemingly ignore the reasons and shout that Blizzard is bad if they don't make eSport PvP.
If you don't want the PvP that Blizzard plans on offering...and you don't care to enjoy the game purely for PvE...don't buy the game. I know that I for one will be glad to not having to play with people complaining about PvP constantly as I enjoy the game for what it is and has always been, PvE.