DiabloFans

Well through extreme kiting and teamwork I managed to kill Malthael: Extreme really seems like an understatement.

I have played quite a bit in the last couple of days and so far have only managed to "upgrade" (with a partial downgrade I felt) one item, namely my bracers. I seem to not be getting the gist of what the proper gearing scenario is now, i.e. what factors matter most.

Here is a link to my wizard:http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/Nanaki-1929/hero/38624769
I have saved a few items that could potentially be upgrades by new standards; however, I'm not sure what those new standards are so that is my question. For example, I found a pair of legendary pants today.... They show all green as the indicators go, but I loose my attack speed, my movement speed, my 1% crit, and my str, dex, and 84 int (they do have 2 OS though). So I'm not seeing how they upgrade me, even though the game says they do.

What am I looking for now? Should I not be worried about my crit chance, crit damage, attack speed at this point?

Please lay it on thick the more info the better, the more in-depth the explanation the better, links to anything that will help me understand are more than welcome.

Quote from Forro

I also wanted to add a few points about my perceived reasons for all of this:

Diablo3 has been in production for a very long time. Usually Blizzard games receive the Blizzard finish, called "when it's done". D3 didn't receive this treatment.

Major design decisions were completely changed weeks/months before launch:
- damage comes from weapon damage for all classes (balance implications - never tested)
- inferno difficulty ramps up after each act (this is why inferno act 1 is fine, and the other acts are not - never tested)
- better items drop in hgiher inferno acts, instead of just different looks (this is why blue weapons from later acts are so much better than anything before that - in conjunction with the other 2 points above it destroys all balance - never tested)
- leveling artisans, crafting things - in relation to finding things/buying them on AH - never tested

And probably there are other things that I have missed/don't know about. If you ask me, after changes of this magnitude they would have needed another year of beta to get things right, instead the game was shoved out of the door.

Now the cat is out of the bag and this game cannot be saved. Imo they should cancel the RMAH for now, balance everything and then wipe the gold AH completely.

I agree with all your points, except I think they should just completely cancel the RMAH as it will just come full circle and completely ruin the game. However, I could see a class action suit being filed if they did that.

Quote from Explorer

I am so very disappointed in Diablo 3, and I've been a member here since 2007. I haven't played the game in almost 2 weeks now, mostly because I am so bored.

I am with you, I try to sit down and play so I can say I have gotten my money's worth, yet it is very boring, I may go back to pvp on D2.

OP, I completely agree with all your points.

On the auction house

Firstly, I must point out that it was indeed D2jsp that ruined the Diablo 2 economy. Item for item trading was one of highlights (imo) of the game.

Duping of sojs this was never really that big of a deal (imho) for a few reasons. 1.) People still traded items for items. 2.) Unless you were trading for good gear you weren't trading for sojs. 3.) By the time you had "good gear" you were either aware of duping and cautious or just dumb. Also they created an awesome fix for duped sojs a.k.a Diablo Clone.

Anyway, point is D2jsp ruined the whol fun side to trading items. Instead of Blizzard making it a legal loop-hole to where websites would be sued, shutdown, etc... (and yes there are loop-holes they could have used to make sure sites like jsp could not exist). They implemented the very thing that ruined the fun of the previous system.

The trade system could have been easily expanded on, and made more convenient. But it's all about business, and good ole Activision/Blizz wanted a piece of the cut.

While I would much rather have the auction house than a outside web-site, I think it takes a lot away from the game.

Also, to everyone saying well just dont use it. It is forced upon you, Bash-i-cock let the snake out of the bag when he opened his smartass mouth and openly told the world that drops are directly effected by the auction house, therefore I cant get great items because there are to many on the auction house (pretty much). I should mention he also tried to cover his ass but failed miserably.

And since we are comparing to D2... Diablo 3 took away stat allocation and also added a item system that is a lot more class specific than diablo 2. Yes the item grind in diablo 2 was just as tedious but when you found something good it (most of the time) improved your character. Meanwhile back in Diablo 3 land if you find something good, it goes "damn thats good for a wizard," and (for the sake of argument) if you are choosing to play by yourself (not use the auction house) you have a few options 1.) Sell it to a vendor. (whats the point here, unless you're using the auction house?) 2.) Salvage it. 3.) make a wizard and give it to him/her. But none of these options allow you to improve your current character and progress thus you are stuck farming that same area until you find a stonger weapon or w/e, which most likely isn't going to drop for you.

I understand farming is part (most) of the game, but I strongly consider hard farming an end game feature.

The last point to be made is that the entire game is based off gold being currency... Lets hope the 100'000 I just spent on these 3 items at the blacksmith pay off... Nope

On Exploration

I think the OP about sums it up with this one.

But, I noticed people commenting on boss runs. People are already doing boss runs anyway skipping past the "(not so) unique" monsters. So what the hell is the point? I dont like when someone tells me what is supposed to be fun, in this case Blizz.

In Diablo 2 I did boss runs a lot sure, but when I got tired of it I did something else... Either way its the same shit. ok you dont do boss runs. Now what you do unique monster runs... and since the best gear (per. difficulty) drops in act 4 you're going to be doing act 4 unique monster runs.... big damn difference, more time, more monotonous, less rewarding, less fun. Oh I forgot you can always hope for a resplendent chest...

The game being completely linear do to the checkpoint/quest system is really dumb, and leads to more monotonous gameplay.

I really hope the open the game up as this is one of my more major gripes.

On Community

I really dont think lack of is the right terminology. Non-existent about sums it up. While Diablo 2 was not perfect in anyway, aspects of it were a lot better than what there is now. It was fun once in awhile to just go talk shit in the general chats. You could also make your own "chat room" for you and friends. Those 2 things to me were loads better than this general chat shit. People dont even talk in public games...WTH.

The general chat was quite annoying when I got on yesterday, I didn't look for how to shut it off but I will today. All it is, is a bunch of kids saying "im bout to smoke some weed man, yeah" etc... And I really feel bad for people whom haven't got through the game yet. I counted 5 times yesterday people saying thanks for spoiling the story, this is in like an hour and a half.

Other

I really like the stash and the size of the items. I think the art is pretty cool, although it could have been "darker."

The boss fights suck nothing in the game should have been harder than the bosses and mini-bosses whether the drops are better or not, I think thats a serious design flaw, and frankly an easy fix that should be made.

The lack of stat allocation has led to problems already and I think I should have an option to assign my own stat points as I see fit. Frankly they made this decision for bad reasons.

The lack of reward when you level is a major disheartening factor for me. No skill point to add no stats to allocate. The skills dont even gain any power... All I get is my pre-determined stat points added, because Blizz said thats the funnest way.

Skill runes are cool, but there should be more, or they should have sub runes in themselves. Also why are they called runes and how does that work? How, theoretically does a barbarian put a rune into his skill? does he stick it up his...? I think skill traits would have been a better option.

which leads me to my next point.

Lack of socketables, give me more, 4 different gems really?

Rainbow unicorn land is really stupid as fuc* as well... Give me a real cow level again please.

Cooldowns suck as well. They really dont fit into a Diablo game (IMO) and for how long a lot of them are, the skill is not really worth waiting for. I think the resource system cost should be sufficient.

I could go on and on but I will leave it at that...

Nice post

Quote from Mormolyce

Quote from Gheed2010

Ah, but they are making everyone uses their servers to play the most basic single-player game. And the only reason you'd obsess over the potential "security" therein (of course, the reality is the opposite) is if your focus was multiplayer and item ownership, and, ultimately, the AHs. And, of course, even the ersatz "single player" game design is so warped towards gear-gear-gear that if you have even the slightest interest in an endgame, they're making you use the AH.

So, actually, they are making me use the AH, and they're making the basic game experience the absolute opposite of "convenient".

Diablo has ALWAYS been a multiplayer game. Diablo 1 was a LAN game. When net gaming came along, Diablo 2 was on BNet. It had a LAN component as a legacy of D1. LAN games are pretty much defunct now, everyone prefers the convenience of online play, so they've dropped that.

D1 had Bnet also

BONO does a lot more for charity than this guy... But he is still a douchebag asshole... just sayin..

Quote from abu11

Innovate
verb (used without object)
1. to introduce something new; make changes in anything established

+1 for definition posting : )


I have to simply say NO. It is not an innovative game.

Quote from ruksak

Quote from Gheed2010

Quote from ruksak

From what I've heard

Ruk, I assume you've never worked on a long-term project to develop something like a movie, game, business software, textbook, etc.

I know this is hard for you to believe - but coming up with ideas and selectively throwing out all but the best of them is called development. In games in particular, that stuff which is clearly documented as happening in 2003 or earlier in those interviews - things like establishing an engine, codebase, class structure, locations for backgrounds and story events - that's all stuff you build on later, and sometimes radically change.

If you're satisfied with innuendo and secondhand sources, probably encouraged by some of the many people who came on the project later, that's great. I'll stick with the words of the actual company that released the game, and multiple documented sources in various media that have been confirmed to have worked on the project.

If your birthday is accurate, it's a little sad that we have to spell these things out for you at age 40, but life is all about learning.

It's a little sad that you act like a child when debating. Why not just call me a stupid head?

Look, you're not telling me anything I don't already know.

Do you not understand the difference between "We've been working on this game for 9 years" and "we've put 9 years of work into this game"?

That's all I'm saying. It's not even that we disagree, I only disagree with the terminology being used that conveys the idea that 12 years of work went into the game. I don't see it that way. I see a process that began approximately 9 years ago and was revised repeatedly and not worked on consistently throughout this time period.

Also, for future reference, when you're discussing something and the person you're discussing things with comes up with multiple actual documented primary sources, it is best to not reference documentation that you don't have and almost certainly can't have because it doesn't exist. Just as a matter of form.

Well, first of all, Nanaki was the one that wanted to use the phrase "documented statements, facts, and research", so I responded..."what facts and research"...as he didn't post a damn bit.

Secondly, I posted that comment before you came back with links...so perhaps you should work on timeline comprehension?

Thirdly, I'm using your own links to prove you're wrong. Why bother digging up further reference material to say what's already been said? We started out arguing about this "12 years" idea....and now you say 9. I suggest that even that is misleading according to your own material.

Knock off the condescending attitude and absorb what's being thrown in your lap.

Really guy.... I dont need to post references, it's nice that someone did, but im not going to take the time. "Research" stands for my own personal, you can do your own. As far as facts and documentation go, try a simple google search before running your fingers across your keyboard. Even something as simple as early 2000's ign interviews is enough to know your wrong.

Of course you've watched a video so you know it all...

The game has seen many changes due to the business side of things, but has be consistently worked on.

(edit:) The influence of WOW's major success also played a large role in changing the direction of the game and the work that Blizz North had done.

Thanks for posting

Quote from Gheed2010

Two more primary sources:

"I remember back at Blizzard North when Jason Regier was first designing a rough game engine, and how it was always so exciting to see the new features added, day by day."

I believe he left the team in 2003, so that would mean he was referring to 2002 or even earlier. You'll note that Regier recently did interviews and is still on the team, and you won't find any mention from him about scrapping that work, AFAIK. Which probably means he built on it as part of a continuing development process.

http://diablo.incgam...comments-on-d31

"I left Blizzard North in 2003, when prototype work was still being laid out, like what classes were going to be in it, and what the environment should be like, and basic storyline stuff."

http://diablo.incgam...comments-on-d31

Believe it or not, prototyping, deciding on background location, classes is part of the development process.

So, ruk, 1) the crystal-clear words of Bliz themselves in a slick video recently released - 2) 3) two primary, documented statements, one of which mentions someone's work by name - 4) a concept piece which can be seen to inform monster design in the present game by someone apparently still there - all going at least back to 2003, if not earlier... And you show up with... well....

As a chance to not totally embarrass yourself, did you want to make a half-assed amendment to it in some way? Or did you maybe want to admit that the words of Bliz themselves, which a five-year-old could clearly understand, are, more or less, true?

Exactly.

Quote from ruksak

Quote from Gheed2010

Quote from ruksak

To suggest that the game has been in development for 12 years is wholly dishonest.

So I guess Blizz is lying? Try watching that ten seconds a few times, it might help.

And to suggest that guys like Cheng, Regier, Love, Lee, and others that apparently moved down had nothing of substance to build on after years of working on the title (Lee, being a concept artist, is the only one that really document that work) really makes you the hater, doesn't it?

Me, the "hater"? WTF are you talking about? I love this game and I have no issue whatsoever with Blizzard. They said "work began in 2000"....as in ....it was started then and not pursued... OBVIOUSLY! It didn't take them 8 years of work before they announced they were working on it in 2008.

The game didn't take 12 years of work to develop.....period. I blame the higher-ups for not pursuing the project the way it should've been. If they had, we would've had D3 back in 07.

Yeah I think I'll stick to documented statements, facts, and research (from the 8 years I have been following the rumors and project), rather than someones opinion that just joined this forum. The lack of knowledge is quite obvious.

Quote from Kildeer888

Quote from Revelations

So this is what WoW-like Diablo looks like. Insane Inferno difficulty, auction house and sites like www.diabloprogress.com...

WTF, since when did Diablo need a progress website? I feel like all those WoW kids are jumping on Diablo bandwagon and ruining the game. I'm pretty sure that Blizzard was forced to make the game have WoW feel. Or they just wanted to, and then sold a crapload of annual passes.

Endless grind in Diablo 2 was fun, in Diablo 3, it's just frustrating.

I have to say I agree. I'm probably not going to play the game for long and I'm not really sad about having waited and all that cause I went on about my usual life and education/job while waiting.

This is exactly the same what happened with Battlefield 3. If you go to the official EA forums and look, it's littered with people complaining about what a crap game BF3 is compared to BF2. They say it's more like Call of Duty and why is it that? Because EA wants a cut of the CoD players and their money. The hardcore, long-time BF fans will buy the game anyway right? As will us who've played D2.

They should've made it D2.5 (but called it D3 of course). In D2 they had a formula for a game that people played for 10+ years, but many companies don't have a lot of integrity these days. It's all about the bottom line and how much money they can possibly make. What I mean with D2.5 is that D2 was good. They only needed to make a completely new game with some elements from that game and some new ones. Unfortunately it's all about making money (don't get me wrong - capitalism is good, it's what holds the world together like it or not) but they can still make lots of money while caring for their respective fans.

I was really looking forward to this game, it was gonna be the game for me. But unfortunately I can't see myself playing past 60 cause I know Inferno will be too hard.

I agree with almost all of that

Quote from Alucard_Tnuoc

Quote from InfidelMan

Are you high? How is it exactly the same? Yes, you do grind for better gear. But you don't get better gear in Diablo 3. That's the incentive, that you have a good chance to get better gear and progress being all bad ass Blizzard's retarded logic to combat boss runs/farming is to completely randomize everything, where a rare item has just as much a chance to fall out of a friggin urn as dropped from an elite or boss. And fyi, I killed a lot of elite packs and I'm in inferno now act 1. NEVER have they dropped a legendary or set item, and 95% of the time it was blue items. Bosses only dropped blues for me in nm through inferno so far. I didn't even want to get to level 60, it felt so rushed. This is unfortunate

95% of the time you only see blues? i call bullshit, rares drop all the time for me, and i have gotten 5 legendarys and i only have a 60 wiz in act2 inferno and a 32 barb.... and only 2 of the legendarys have been droped on my wiz.

Well aren't you just the lucky one 90% of people haven't even had one legendary drop

Quote from Sallazar

Quote from Revelations

So this is what WoW-like Diablo looks like. Insane Inferno difficulty, auction house and sites like www.diabloprogress.com...

WTF, since when did Diablo need a progress website? I feel like all those WoW kids are jumping on Diablo bandwagon and ruining the game. I'm pretty sure that Blizzard was forced to make the game have WoW feel. Or they just wanted to, and then sold a crapload of annual passes.

Endless grind in Diablo 2 was fun, in Diablo 3, it's just frustrating.

Why you people can't understand what evolution is? You really wanted them to keep game as it was ELEVEN FUCKING YEARS AGO?

First. Auction house made things easier. No more searching for players on random web sites for trade in game which could end horribly in 90% time.

Second. You lost your argument when you said WoW-kids. It's not wow players fault why you don't like the game.

Third. diabloprogress? So what? Fan based web site which isn't official from Blizzard (nor will it ever be) which you are not obliged to visit or even mention makes the game bad?

Fourth. Why does it have WoW feel? Because of the quests? Because of the level cap? Oh now I know, the EXCLAMATION marks above quest givers... yes that must be it...

Fifth. What's wrong with inferno? I find it fun to actually work for my gear. Drops are a bit fucked up, but rng is rng, and hopefully it wll be fixed soon (legendary should be legendary).

And about annual pass, it's logic they would come out with something like that. You are forgetting THEY MAKE GAMES FOR LIVING. If they can earn more money on some business move, they will use it.


Only thing which I dislike is real money auction house. "Pay to win" as it's called was never really thing I liked, but not like that will have any impact on way I'm playing the game.

zzzzz.... He actually didn't lose the argument. As I explained before to someone else. It's a simple economic concept. Target Primary Consumer (sometimes abbreviated TPC). Blizzard is an established multi-million dollar company, with an establish consumer base. WOW players happen to be their consistent money maker, making WOW players the Target Primary Consumer. The game was designed to ensure it would appeal to their Target Primary Consumer (WOW players), diablo fans just happened to be a 1up for them as they knew we would buy it anyway. But yes, they indeed did design the game to appeal more to the WOW community. Blizzard is not your friend, they are also not a small buisness out for (all) their fans anymore. What Blizzard is, is a financial powerhouse in the form of a video game company, out for money, not to please everyone, only their Primary Target Consumer. They also hope to add to that base.

The annual pass, makes it even more obvious. Basically, it was an incentive to keep paying for and playing WOW, basically saying, we will give you a free game to hold you over to the new expansion, just keep paying for that subscription.

They are even more money hungry now that their with Activision.

I thought the same thing...

Quote from Malaris

Quote from Abysses222

Inferno is not hard, if ur ranged it doesn't matter what ever spells you use

Fixed that for you: http://i.imgur.com/sK9fR.jpg

LMAO, save as

Quote from ApeironPrime

CIA changed their name to Blizzard years ago...

SHHHH... Dont let them know we know.... We can dissapear...

Quote from ApeironPrime

Inferno is a CIA conspiracy....

Kinda yeah. Except Blizzard instead of CIA

Quote from Letemburn

Um... And what exactly would Blizzard have to gain from that?

A balanced game....?