Patch 4 of the Beta just went live a couple of hours ago. Nothin' really to see here, though for the sake of completeness we're reporting it, :). It doesn't appear as if the new class changes have made it in just yet either.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Diablo III Beta Patch 4 – v.0.3.0.7447
Bug Fixes
Fixed a number of game and service crashes.
To read up on previous full patch notes from the entirety of the Beta, check out our Diablo III Patches archive.
While we've been busy play testing the PC/Mac Beta Client, Blizzard, who seems to always be one step ahead of us, has been busy experimenting with the console version of the game. They originally announced back in November that they would be exploring Diablo on consoles at some point in time, and had job positions opened up for PS3 and XBox360 specialists. Just recently, PCGamer spoke with Jay Wilson about the concept behind a console version of the game.
Official Blizzard Quote:
One of the reasons why we're exploring the idea of a console version of Diablo 3 because we feel that the controls and the style of the game lend itself to a console.
This line of thinking is pretty hard to dispute because he pretty much hit the nail on the head. Sure, many diehard Diablo fans are going to argue and say that it just doesn't make sense on consoles because it isn't "Diablo" if it isn't on my computer, but there's no arguing the fact that these controls would feel great when used with a controller. The analog sticks would work wonders for spellcasting and movement, and ironically (or purposely!) there are just enough buttons on the controller to match up with the spellbar and UI.
Official Blizzard Quote:
With some of our early experiments in putting a direct control scheme into the game via a 360-like analogue controller, I've been, 'Oh this feels even better, with direct control...'
To help show off this direct control (because hey, who wants to hear me preach?), malu05 from SC2Mapster has made a demonstration of just what exactly Diablo with a console controller would look like. I'd also like to throw out there, that I was able to playtest the Torchlight 360 console version and the game really did feel much better with direct control. If you want to read my review of TL360, head to the RunicGamesFansite.
Yes, he really is controlling the character with the controller!
Very early this morning, Blizzard made a post from Mike Morhaime explaining that the D3 release date was going to be moved into "early 2012." We have a very simple question for you all, what do you think about this changing, after the amount of times they reiterated they were aiming for a 2011 release?
Glad they're taking their time.
Excited to have a longer Beta.
Sucks having to wait.
Release buggy, patch later (Microsoft!).
Don't really care.
In our previous poll, we wanted to know what you thought about Paypal being Blizzard's cash distributor for the Auction House. I think you guys made it pretty clear that you expected this to happen, with 55% of the votes coming in on that choice.
With the Closed Beta officially beginning, we have plenty to talk about, as well as the item database going up on the D3 site, and a ton of class changes. If you missed the twenty-sixth episode, you can check it out here. Otherwise, the twenty-seventh episode covered the following topics:
It appears as if Press have begun being added to the Beta. Whether or not this is still the Friends & Family Beta or the next phase (Closed Beta), there are no signs. As of current, all we know is that Press have been given Beta access right now, which does bring us one step closer! This means that myself, ScyberDragon, Magistrate, Force, and ProzaicMuze will be playing and providing streams/coverage in the near future... Stay tuned, ;).
UPDATE: It's official! The Closed Beta has now begun... This means those of you opting in can potentially receive invites.
Official Blizzard Quote:
The fiery gates leading to the Burning Hells have begun to swing open, and the Diablo III beta test is officially underway. Invitations to participate in the beta test are now being delivered to the chosen heroes. ...
Force recently posted up the second part of his Diablo Lore series. In part two, he takes us through the events and explains the back story of Diablo I, which follows the Warrior, Aidan, son of King Leoric. Those of you that need to catch up on the lore of Sanctuary in preparation for Diablo III, it is highly recommended that you check out this video as well as part one.
Not only did we just launch our Skill/Rune Calculator last night, we now have a few more new and cool features in our arsenal to show off to you guys! Today, I would like to introduce to you all the Streams section of our website, where you can find live streams of the D3 Beta, moving forward into the release of the game.
Now, in my opinion, the cooler feature of the two is the new 3D Model Viewer we've just added to the DiabloWiki. Ever want to see exactly what your hero looks like? How about what some of the crazy monsters that you face throughout Sanctuary? With the power of our viewer, now you can see a full 360 view every part of Sanctuary you could possibly think of! To get things started, we've got the NPC's and Items already up on the site, with the rest to follow soon.
Seeing as how Blizzard finally announced Paypal as the third party payment provider for the Auction House, we're curious to see what everyone thinks about that... At first, during the press event, Blizzard was hesitant to name any names because things weren't finalized just yet.
It was expected.
Psyched!
I hate Paypal.
Doesn't bother me any.
Who cares?
In our previous poll, we wanted to know what type of content you guys wanted us to pump out throughout the course of the Beta. Seems like most of you want to see commentaries and play experiences... Duly noted, :).
The AH was recently added to the Beta and we're starting to get into the Beta state of mind here, with patches and cool new features, :). If you missed the twenty-fifth episode, you can check it out here. Otherwise, the twenty-sixth episode covered the following topics:
What kind of Diablo III fansite would we be without kicking things off pre-Beta with some tools for you guys to use? A bad one! That in mind, we've just added a brand new tool to our arsenal. No longer will the Diablo II Skill Calculator and Diablo I Spellbook yearn for a sibling to take on the role as the Diablo III Skill Calculator! Our calculator allows you to select skills and passives, add runes where applicable, as well as sharing links to your builds. I do realize that Blizzard just released their own, but those of you that don't want to leave DiabloFans will now never need to! This is just the beginning, we've got some great plans in store for our Tools section, stay tuned...
In addition, please be sure to report any feedback, including bug reports and suggestions, to the board counterpart, the Diablo Tools Discussion forum.
EDIT: OK, Barb skills all fixed! Refresh if it's still showing the Wizard skills.
The third F&F Beta patch has just gone live and it re-introduced the Public Game system as well as helping a heads up on the upcoming Auction House!
Official Blizzard Quote:
Diablo III Beta Patch 3 – v.0.3.0.7338
General
Public Games are once again available to players. To help us test this automated matchmaking feature, click on "Campaign" and then select "Public Games."The number of characters playing the selected public quest will now display in the Public Games menu.
As you are all completely aware, the Friends & Family phase of Beta testing has begun a few days ago, that in mind, what kind of content would you like to see the most? We want to be sure that we're not only producing lots of content, but we want to make sure that we're giving you all what you want to see!
Class play-throughs
System overviews
Commentary/Play experiences
Co-op
Other (Let us know below!)
In our previous poll, we wanted to know which resource system/mechanic was your favorite... And it seems like the majority of you liked the Wizard's Arcane Power, followed up by an almost 3-way tie between the Barbarian's Fury, the Monk's Spirit, and the Demon Hunter's Split resource.
The Friends & Family testing phase has officially begun and you're all in for some real treats. If you missed the twenty-fourth episode, you can check it out here. Otherwise, the twenty-fifth episode covered the following topics:
The second patch of the Diablo III Friends & Family Beta has just been released! As expected, it's really all just bug fixes, though it seems they have changed the Character Skill UI. I'm actually really diggin' the Skill UI changes, we no longer have to scroll through the list of skills to see everything! Yay!
Official Blizzard Quote:
Diablo III Beta Patch 2 - v0.3.0.7318
User Interface
The UI for character skills has been greatly improved.
Bug Fixes General
Breaking News will now properly display when launching the game client.
The victory text for completing the Diablo III beta will now only appear after the Skeleton King’s death animation has fully completed.
Classes
Monk
Fixed an issue with Dashing Strike where casting it would sometimes cause the character to become stuck performing the ability repeatedly, at no resource cost.
Fixed an issue that allowed characters to receive the Divine Protection buff without having an Alabaster Runestone socketed in Mantra of Evasion.
Wizard
Helm icons will now properly display for both male and female characters.
Acts
Act 1
New Tristam
Fixed an issue where the southern gate out of New Tristam would not be open for all characters on the quest "The Fire From the Sky: Talk to Leah Inside the Inn."
Fixed an issue that did not properly remove a character’s waypoints and checkpoints when restarting the beta after killing the Skeleton King while on the quest "Reign of the Black King."
Leoric's Passage
Players will no longer receive error messages when cancelling out of the cutscene for the quest "The Legacy of Cain: Save Deckard Cain."
Chancellor's Tomb
The portal in the Chancellor's Tomb returning you to the Defiled Crypt is now correctly labeled.
The Hidden Cellar
Leah has received adequate weapons training and will now properly fire arrows from her bow during this scene, rather than from her feet.
I'm sure most of you are already aware, a lot of Diablo III Beta information has been leaked over the long weekend. As crazy as this may sound, no, the Friends & Family Beta has not started yet. Unfortunately, while Blizzard has stripped the actual data out of the client, it seems as if the Stringlist files (text) for everything past Act I still remain in the client. That in mind, it's very simple to datamine some information that spoils the story progression, for example, the secret level and the end of the game. When I first stumbled upon this information myself a week or two ago, I knew it was bound to come out sometime, I just assumed that we'd have a little bit more time before it did actually come out. Regardless, being in the official fansite program, I would prefer not to leak information that isn't already out on the net (yes, there is still information that has yet to be found), however it is our job on DiabloFans to keep the player base informed of all the happenings with the game. Here are some recent topics about the leaks:
And there are a ton more threads within our forums. All I ask is that you please be courteous when talking about lore and what not, use spoilers and spoiler warnings to forewarn people. As far as our news goes, as I stated previously, we will be keeping you informed of the current buzz within the community.
Just recently, Blizzard put their new Diablo III Community Site to work by tossing up a blog post on the basics of each classes' Resource System. This weeks' poll is simple! We want to know what your favorite resource is, be sure to let us know why in the comments!
Fury
Mana
Arcane Power
Spirit/Combo Points
Hatred/Discipline
In our previous poll, we wanted to know what made the Diablo franchise your favorite out of all of Blizzard's other worlds, and it appears that the majority of you do it for t3h lewtz!
It seems as if the Beta has struck us harder than ever just this week, so of course this is what we discuss! If you missed the twenty-third episode, you can check it out here. Otherwise, the twenty-fourth episode covered the following topics:
I want to start this off by saying that the Beta has not yet begun. This was leaked from an ex-Blizzard employee, who must've been in the Beta prior to it beginning.
Now, normally we don't post leaks and the like, but I figure with Beta fever and the lack of information from the Webcast this morning, you'd all love to see some cool stuff... That in mind, he's posted up a video (as seen below) as well as a gallery.
Now, you may notice if you pause at just the right moment that Skill Videos are displayed on the character creation screens... Don't they look familiar? It also explains why the videos had no sound to them. Either the sound is added programmatically inside D3, or there is just no sound on them period. Regardless, those videos were extracted from the Beta client and leaked to the web, they were not supposed to be used for any Community posts or game guides, or anything else that we may have speculated on.
It's also worth mentioning that two new D3 Beta-only subforums have been added to the Community Site, the Feedback Forum and the Bug Report Forums.
Looks like the Cast just began, please note this is really just a business analytical type thing, it is not a Conference Call. If you'd like to listen in yourself, you may do so here. Otherwise, I'll update this post with anything relevant when the time comes. Mike Morhaime will be on the Cast later today (the cast is 3hrs and 45 minutes, >.>).
11:15 - Mike Morhaime said that Diablo 3 would be heading into Beta "later this month," with the slide showing "Beta in Sept '11). Other than that, they talked a little bit about the Auction House plans, SC2 (Blizz DotA will be a new game mode!), and Cataclysm. They also showed a Demon Hunter teaser video to the viewers physically there.
11:20 - Rob Pardo talks about the Battle.net progression (from D1 -> D3) and the Auction House. This is the same presentation we saw at the Press Event in July.
11:30 - Pardo confirms that they will have a mobile/web interface for the AH post-release, as well as the ability to buy/sell characters.
11:45 - Pardo hands it off and Blizzard is done speaking.
11:55 - Thomas Tippl (COO and CFO of ActiBlizz) confirms that there will be a D3 Expansion within 3 years after the release of D3 itself, two SC2 expansions (which we already knew), and two more WoW expansions.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Diablo III Patches archive.
