DiabloFans

Quote from Shadowdragon85

this might sound way out there but they could stop selling it cuz they r going to update the game with newer graphics (lets say like D3) but keep the game play the same and release it on an anniversary. this could be a reason but most likely it just my hope to see a classic game get an updated look yet still feels like the old game.

Blasphemer! The game doesn't need a single update to any of its aesthetics. It's one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. No super polygon rendered fog rain smokey 549 super duper bit radiant texture shit could ever make it look any better than it does.

If you really wanted to update D1 somehow, the best thing to do would just make the inventory system more practical and less redundant. Perhaps add a slow health regenerator the way The Hell mod did. Actually....just go play The Hell mod.

I understand many of your sentiments, Godric. The fact of the matter is, this site used to be a small time operation ran by some shmoe who made a few extra bucks on the side with some relatively unobtrusive ads. And now it's a fully operational business that does whatever it can to maximize its profits. And there is nothing fundamentally wrong about this. It's just the way things work. Some transition well into it, others don't. For a long time after D3's announcement I was very pleased with a lot of the changes and improvements the site was undergoing. Even when Curse purchased the site, I still thought we were headed in the right direction for a long time.

I suppose things really got sour for me when I felt like all the spam and forum games were becoming the main focus of so much attention. And it's not like I can blame anyone for that. People like what they like. And for most people, at least the most commonly active users I was observing, seemed more interested in just alleviating their boredom in the quickest and most satisfying way possible. And those people would spend lots of time on the site. I hated sometimes writing huge long replies to people's topics, only to return a couple days later and see no one had even viewed the thread since then, yet all the threads that I found to be most inane were just inundated several times over with shrift replies. But again, what can you do about that? That's just what people want and I can only begrudge them the right to do so for so long before even I realize how futile it all is.

And then what I think happens is sometimes some of those older, once more active users try to return after awhile and test the waters a bit to see how well they can still participate in the new environment. It doesn't take much before they conclude that it's not worth it to them anymore. If you look to see who most frequently is updating their status, these are the people who have transitioned best into the new format of this site. They are the most active users on the forum and seem to spend the most time either updating their status or blipin' it up in spam section. Come on, we all know that's what it still is despite its new euphemistic term.

When Curse bought this site, they brought about many changes. Many of them here were desperately needed. I personally don't like the new aesthetic of the site. I find it really cluttered and distracting. But there are some features that I think are really cool. These new emoticons to the right of me are a real turn off, though. But I understand that the majority of people like this kind of stuff and there's nothing anyone can do about that.

I don't think however that the lack of activity is due to lack of news and updates. Back when we were diablo3.com there was tons of conversation always going on. We'd have in-depth conversations about the first Diablo game. People were always discussing D2 builds and arranging new groups to play in on Battle.net. We even had more discussion on Starcraft than the actual Starcraft fan page. And the off topic section was great back then. Lots of great political and ethical debates. Granted, debating that stuff on the internet is pretty pointless, but I still found it pretty gratifying anyway. The last thread I even saw remotely like those old threads was Jetrall's misandry thread. There was a lot of good discussion going on in it. But for most people around here, those discussions aren't a fast enough way to treat their boredom. So yes, they would rather just go rate each other's eyelashes. LOL

But not even counting those huge debate threads, I even still just drop in on threads discussing other games. Yet people are hardly even discussing other games anymore. Or like, I remember when that Huck guy started a Cowboy Bebop thread. I was like, this is cool, I'm just starting to watch this show. I'll talk a lot about how I feel about it and I just know we'll get lots of pages of discussion outta that. But no....we didn't. Sometimes though I do see a pretty good thread and decide to post in it. But because I got to the thread kind of late as I do not frequent the site as much as I used to, my reply wouldn't really get noticed by anyone and the thread had already died on its own.

I do think that it is up to the users for the most part to make this site into what they want it to be. However I can also understand what it's like to actively try to jumpstart discussions only to wonder where the fuck everyone went and later find them in the spam section or just having conversations via the status updates. And heck, a lot of it is probably my own fault. I'm certain I've done several things to damage my own reputation and credibility here. So it's likely when I type up responses in threads people are like, "Oh, it's just Siaynoq." This kind of thing happens inevitably to others too. There are several users here that I just sort of tune out cause I'm so used to the kind of content they put out there and it...disagrees with me. And maybe similar things have happened to other users here too. Or maybe they just found they didn't fit in here anymore.

Change is inevitable, obviously. You could tell the moment Diablo 3 was announced that many changes would come. Some were great, some were really bad. But I've always tried my hardest not to sound like some stubborn dinosaur who just wanted his old precious forum back. Granted I sure did bitch a lot about spam, but my brain just doesn't have the capacity to care anymore. Things just are the way they are now. I like stopping by sometimes and seeing if there's any spark left around here. Then I might read poignant statements like, "supar dupar hamster" or "I don't even need a gun when I'm paintin' my balls." or "supar dupar hamster". And I realize, it's their site now, they can have it. The status updates may not mean much to some, but I find it quite indicative of most user content to be found here. I can't even browse inside the spam threads to find examples their because they're too depressing to read.

I think all of it would be so much easier if I even still cared about Diablo 3 as much as I used to. But consider sexual abstinence. Many people believe that the longer one abstains from orgasm, the more their sexual energy will build up. And that it will build up so much that they're be constantly brimming with sexual energy like a pink flamingo with a boner. But this is only true for so long. What actually starts to happen to the body is it begins getting signals that perhaps it no longer has orgasms because it is finished trying to procreate. In males, the level of testosterone starts dropping after a time. And it can drop to the point where previous levels of virility are never achieved again. So with Diablo 3, I was excited for a very very long time. Then I started to feel that even for a game developer that is supposedly is obsessed with quality, 11 something years is just too long to produce a sequel to a game. But maybe I also felt like the time in between D3's announcement, and when I can actually start to expect the game was way too long. The climax just didn't come soon enough. And my metaphorical genitals are now just wilting away with apathy for a game that I feel has been long overhyped and teased on me. This anyway is possibly what happened for a lot of users who were anxious awaiting D3. It all just went on so long, they just sort of stopped caring. And the ones leftover on the site hardly had the needed caliber to keep them involved.

All these ideas though, there's no one unified theory to explain it all. But I can at least agree that it's kind of sad. I especially miss a lot of people that I used to get into lengthy discussions with. Maybe they were just wiser than me to walk away and never look back. I still feel drawn to this place no matter what's become of it. Aaaand *soapbox off*

I don't think a lack of news is ever what's wrong with this site. I think even though the news has been slow that a lot of good stuff still manages to be reported on consistently.

Quote from Warlord55

Assassins Creed 1 and 2 are always good, but Red Dead Redemption is an awesome game, and the ending almost made me cry
And ill stick by Oblivion also, the Elder Scrolls series is one of the best rpg's out there.

That reminds of me this article I read about that game. Stop being so lazy, people, and just read it already.

Quote from Dauroth

The new Robin Hood is supposed to be set before he became the "outlaw" Robin Hood I thought

I watched Robin Hood just the other day! It isn't groundbreaking or breathtaking, but it's worth watching! In any case, it's far better than Iron man II; another summer ''hit''!

And yeah, it happens before the events that were depicted in the Robin Hood movies with Errol Flynn and Kevin Costner, respectively!

It seems like they just made Robin Hood as an excuse for making an epic battle movie. Cause they know those do reasonably well in theaters and it's like, "Okay guys, we've done epic battle movies from just about every era of time and place, fictional and otherwise. What can we still bank on this summer?"

Then one guy's like, "Ooh, let's do Robin Hood!" And another guy's like, "That dude that prances around the woods robbing rich pansies and stupidly giving his loot to the poor?"

"Yeah that guy!"

"Can we have epic battle scenes at least?"

"Yeah I'm sure we can contrive something like that."

"Sigh, alright. Robin Hood it is."

Quote from Matt.J

I'd recommend Oblivion: Elder Scrolls, it's a bit monotonous, but it's very in-depth.

Oooh must disagree about it being in-depth. Maybe I'm not sure what that means anymore though. Oblivion was really fun the first time through. Like most of the fun for me was just exploring and my first play through I didn't find any of it monotonous. But try doing it a second time around and yes it is very much that. The story isn't as good as Morrowind's though. And quests largely just involve going from point A to point B. Main quests anyway. The sidequests were actually more fun than the main ones I think.

Quote from Turmobil

Ehh...
Dragon Age is not quite as good on the console than on the PC.
Just saying.

Yeah I didn't want to play that game at all on the console. Games with overhead party control like that I really want to play with a mouse. So I kind of just have to wait one day before I can get a laptop that could actually run it. Just thinking about it though makes me want to play Baldur's Gate again.

As far as shooters go (yeah I know that's not quite what you're looking for), I thought Wolfenstein was pretty fun. The plot is really stupid and typical, but the gameplay is quite fun. You can upgrade your weapons and powers and switch back in forth between normal reality and this place called the Veil where you are more powerful but can only be there for a limited time.

My favorite RPG right now is still Mass Effect 2. I think I'm on my last playthrough of it though. I've done almost all the different classes and got all the achievements. It's been a really great game for me.

What is Zune? It's like a music service less pretentious and annoying than iTunes.

I'll make Curse a deal; they get rid of a few of these ad banners on some of these sections of the site, and I'll TOTALLY opt-in to receiving their newsletter.

Couple o' barbs, barbin' it up! Nice work fella! Color it!

I'll handle this old...spice. I can be quite the rough customer.

I'm white.

1. What NPC in Act 3 has class specific intro for Necromancer?
Gheed
2. What is the name of the amulet you receive after completing the Halls of the Blind quest in Diablo 1?
IDK
3. What type of magic is used to create the protective ward that surrounds Harrogath?
Ancient Magic?
4. How much gold did it cost just to look at Wirt's item for sale?
200?
5. What is the clan name of Bartuc and Horazon?
IDK
6. What clan does Ormus most likely come from?
A magi clan?
7. What does the Assassin say upon first entering Blood Moor?
"They will never see me coming!"
8. Name all quest specific items in Act III (There's quite a few when you think about it).
Brain, Heart, Eye, Golden Bird, Jade Figurine, Gibin blade, Kahleem's Flail, Kahleem's Will and I dont know if Mephisto's soul stone counts.
9. What are the two possible lines Andariel says upon approaching you?
Oh shit...never paid attention...um "Evil will..." IDK
10. Name each NPC in every act that you use for gambling.
Act 1-Gheed
Act 2-Elsix
Act 3-Alkor
Act 4-um...shit...jamel?
Act 5-Nihlathak

I agree. People have said they wouldn't announce two major projects so close together, and that is true, but only if you look in a past perspective. Blizzard has stated publically that they need to step up production to continue the growth WoW brought in. As the two games are on very different markets, and each game has a mostly loyal fanbase, they would not lose many customers to either, and gain in the long run. Most fall into the category of getting both regardless eventually anyway, or those that are only interested in one franchise. If they wait much longer, the hype for D2 would dwindle more, and it would have been longer since other D2 vets quit, making it less likely they would purchase D3.

Well, wasn't there that one side quest in the first Diablo where you meet that Hell Knight who was once an angel? I think he was anyway. But anyway, you're supposed to kill someone then come back and he asks you to kill him or something and you get that cool Hell Knight helm? Someone help me fill in the gaps here.

you talking about Lachdanan. the former captain of the guard of King Leoric.

he wants you to get him an elixir from the next level and bring it back to him so it can die. then he gives you the cool helm.

Izual is an obvious example of this anyway. I'm still inconclusive toward whether Inarius is considered that. He just seems bad for both Heaven and Hell.

not really sure whats up with Inarius. his prison does show up on the map of sanctuary, but we havent been there yet. so he is still in his prison of mirrors as far as i can tell.

taken from the diablo manual

Even the Seraphim are not immune to the corruption of the Dark Lords. One such angel, Inarius, was proud of his beauty and boasted loudly of his purity and worth. His thoughts became so clouded that he believed himself to be above both Angel and Demon, and he left the High Heavens to form his own dominion. He constructed a great cathedral of mirrored glass and crystal, and followers flocked to him, drawn by his numinous charm and wealth. Once Inarius had gathered a sizable army, he decided to prove his power. Inarius first laid siege to an infernal temple devoted to the worship of Mephisto, but made the foolish mistake of overestimating his prowess. The armies of Inarius laid waste to the temple and killed the dark monks that dwelled within. The Three Evils had considered the vain warrior a mere nuisance and amusement until this time, but this was an insult that they could not bear.

Mephisto himself is said to have appeared at the cathedral of Inarius. He laid waste to the church and the surrounding countryside. The Lord of Hatred took the proud archangel and His follower’s captive. He bound Inarius with tremendous chains and slowly tore the wings from the back of the angel. Great barbed hooks were then used to stretch out the once glowing skin and his features were distorted by vile powers. Many of the followers of Inarius were given as gifts to Baal and Diablo, but the rest were molded to match the bloated image of the now crippled angel. To this day, Inarius is said to be trapped in Hell within a chamber of mirrors, his eyelids torn from his face as he is forced to gaze upon his misshapen form for all eternity. His misguided followers now serve as Hell’s taskmasters, taking the anguish of their lost glory out upon the bodies of others.

These grotesque demons have considerable brawn hidden beneath their layers of greasy flab. Do not underestimate their strength or their intelligence for crossing swords with them is ill advised. You will be far better served to combat them with ranged weapons or magic.

I've considered the possibility that since Baal's Soulstone was first damaged before they originally imprisoned him in it, with Tal Rasha, that perhaps the stone was never capable of completely containing him, and thus his essence managed to escape the bounds of it anyway.

Cause the only reason they were able to use the compromised stone, was because Tal Rasha assisted in containing him. However, this is another fine point of the story that escapes me: it seems that for one Prime Evils to exist in a physical form, they need a human host, otherwise they exist merely as the stones (remember in the first Diablo how he was confined to his and that's why he lured Prince Albrecht into the labryinth), although even without a host body they can still do harm. But when joined with someone, then they can really do some damage.

i think there is a bit of that diablo 1 ignorance concerning Baal's soulstone. it was broken, so a partial vessel needed to be found to replace the missing half. Tal Rasha was chosen, as the most power mage surely he could contain the beast within. much like how the warrior thought himself strong enough to contain the essence of diablo.

So why didn't the Horadrim originally take the Soulstone and just bury it in the tomb. One might assume it was because they couldn't take the chance of who's possession it might fall into. But if that was really their reason, then why would they chance putting Baal's soulstone in the most powerful mortal mage at the time? And obviously, the story addresses the arrogance of the Horadrim at the time assuming that they could pull it off. But why didn't Tyrael foresee that risk?

yes i dont think they would want to hide the stones in obvious places. one was hidden in an ancient city, one hidden in the vast desert amoung 7 tombs, the other hidden beneath a holy church. and there locations kept by a secret order.

I think the Horadrims big mistake is underestimating the extent of the power of the three. Diablo was able to corrupt the mind of an arch bishop then later the body and mind of the young prince and the unnamed warrior, baal corrupted the body and mind of the most powerful mage in the world, and Mephisto corrupted body and mind of the head of the Order of the Zakarum. and all with being trapped inside soulstones.

not sure if Tyrael posesses far sight, if he did, i dont think he would have told marius to tkae the stone, and destroy it knowing full well that marius wouldnt do it?

I suppose it was because Tyrael was unaware of Izual's treachery and did not know then that the Soulstones were corrupted. I think it would be interesting to read some more literature about the meeting between Izual and the Prime Evils. Because I couldn't understand really Izual's motivation for defecting the way he did.

yes how did Izual become corrupt and tell the Prime Evils the secrets of the soulstones? did he trade for something. often one make a deal with the devil, and well as Diablo, Mephisto and Baal are all embodiments of Lucifer so to speak, i dont see this concept being out of the question.

but it would be nice to know the exact reasoning. does he alude to anything in his dialogues after you defeat him? i recall him saying it was he who told the prime evils of the nature of the soulstones. but i dont recall anything of his reasoning for doing so.