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- _incarnate_
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Member for 13 years, 5 months, and 17 days
Last active Tue, Dec, 13 2011 13:33:59
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Aug 3, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on Activision/Blizzard's August Financial Conference CallOk, so it's over. As we should expect there isn't much information. The beta is coming "later this quarter", as we expected.Posted in: News
We have up to 2 more months before we see it, though it could be sooner. -
Aug 3, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on Skill Points Removal Fuels Game ControversyI spent all day yesterday debating this with other people and there was one common denominator with people that didn't like this system. They all wanted the ability to "mess up" their characters. They wanted the sense of fulfillment when they finally found a build that they felt "worked" for them.Posted in: News
The funny thing is this system doesn't really change much from the previous. There are only 2 things you lose in the new skill system, neither of which impact "customization" of your character in any way.
The first is, at it's most basic level, the ability to make your character weaker in choosen areas. WIth the old system you basically had to decide which skills you wanted "strong" and then distribute a few points around the rest of the other skills. So, in essence, you choose which skills you wanted to have that would "SUCK" so you could have one or two really good skills.
The second is you loose some of the level-to-level variability between similar classes using the same skills as you. Basically, with the old system it was possible for 2 characters to have a certain skill and have one player use that skill more strongly then the other (because they dumped more points into it at different levels). Obviously the other character would be stronger in another skill, but assuming both characters are of equal level and class, they both have the same relative strength (character level).
But this only seems to matter in those few cases where you're partied up with somone of the same level and class and who has chosen the same skills as you. It's just a way to temporarily flex your e-peen because you have a skill that's "slightly" better then others. The "advantage" is false anyway, since you're not really competing with other characters.
The new system fulfills the same purpose in that, you get to choose the skills you "want" to use and then fill in the blanks with others. It's just that the other skills won't "suck" because you failed to choose to put points into them.
The customization of a character isn't determined by the strength of the skills they choose (skill points were only good for that), but by the skills they choose to actually use.
People who don't like this system really, actually, have a problem with the idea of respeccing, because now it's an inherent part of the skill system, instead of an optional one. -
May 9, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on May 9th Conference CallPosted in: NewsQuote from Cyber_Cheese
Quote from Dolaiim
what the hell, i started this thread. why the fuck does skarin1993 have the first post.
can i get a moderator to PM me ASAP.
Edit: I just realized they re-named another thread and folded my post into this one. And I don't like that.
Anyway, to confirm, The soonest we'll see the external beta is July.
threads got merged dude, they were all on the same thing
kinda depressing listening to them talk about WoW like a cash cow, even though i never liked the game, but wow activision
that spyro game is SUCH A NEW LOW
LOL wow *is* a cash cow. This is a company first and foremost and a publicly traded one at that. Don't let all this talk about quality and making sure it's right get you thinking it's just for us. Don't let it fool you. They want quality products so that they can make more money. The balance sheet is what matters most before anything else.
I don't mean to put that in a negative context either. That is what companies are for and I'm more then happy to let them make the most of their own hard work because, at the end of the day, it's still a job for these people. I work for the paycheck before anything else, that's for sure. -
May 2, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on Clarification on BoE Removal and Set ItemsPosted in: NewsQuote from Dolaiim
It seems to me that since full sets will be dropped as one single recipe while leveling, that will basically mean we'll just be going from set to set until we hit max level.. my instinct is to assume everyone will basically wear the same thing given their level range/class throughout progression. Not sure how I feel about that..
I think that's reading into it a bit too much.
I think it's possible that many people will be wearing the same sort of things at the same levels, but that's also excluding the fact that there are other types of items to use. Granted, the benefit of the sets is in having more of their pieces, I distinctly remember not really caring for the sets in d2 exclusively. I think it's just as likely that people will be wearing the same combinations of uniques and rares (or close to the same combination) because they are combinations that meet a certain need or want.
This is Diablo and there are going to be a *ton* of options at every level, I think. -
May 2, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on Clarification on BoE Removal and Set ItemsTo jump back on an earlier point - Yes, I think eventually people will have huge stockpiles of stuff. It's inevitable, I think, given the nature of the game. But, realistically, how long is that going to take? I think, for the most part, amassing that sort of in-game wealth will take far more time in d3, then in d2. Just my take on the way everything seems to be stacking up.Posted in: News
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Apr 28, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on Diablo III in the New York TimesPosted in: NewsQuote from carnage665
'we're on the home stretch': I just missed 27 heartbeats! Like more have said already; dont make it another SC2 stretch plz blizz plz!!!
I have nothing to look forward to anymore: Lost my father to cancer in just 6 weeks time (thats between them finding out he was sick and his actual 'demise'), found out my 2yo son is epileptic, lost my job because of the recession! and to top it all off my wife just lost or second unborn child.
So plz blizz, give me some good news for a change! You're all ive got left to smile once again.
That's terrible, carnage - I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble. I can only hope things get better for you soon.
The way I imagine an auction house in D3 working would be something like the trade windows we had from d2 where you can drop one or more items in a "box" set a gold price or allow for counter/barter offers then post the auction. It would show up in a list where people could search for various items, names, prices, etc. Then, when people make offers they too have an "inventory box" where they can put items up as an offer and/or gold. I would hope there would be a section for notes too.
But hey, what do I know - they could totally go a different direction.
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Apr 18, 2011
_incarnate_ posted a message on AtomicGamer Interviews Kevin MartensI think overall they have made the right decisions on the way to go with DIII and this interview sheds some light on their reasoning. I'm a bit of an optimist but it would take some effort for these guys to come out with something that I would utterly despise. They have a challenge to keep me playing DIII as long as I have DII, but if anyone is up to the task it's them.Posted in: News
I think having the random quests and what not setup the way they do may actually allow them to release content updates easier. They could literally focus on creating random content "tiles" and drop them into the available pool. Granted this is speculation, but I could see something like that happening easier. At worst, it will keep people like me interested for a long time.
Ultimately i'm super-happy about them sticking with the isometric view and despite the long, somewhat loosened, debates about how the game looks; I think it looks amazing. I can't stop drooling over some of the environments we see in the various movies and screens.
Just as a side note regarding the quests: Diablo isn't really known for having quest failures. I'm sure it's something they could, and may have, implemented. But quests in the Diablo games have always been a matter of do until complete or die trying. I'm not sure how a quest failure (like an NPC dying) would fit into the ARPG model anyhow - but I suppose we will see. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
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Overall that makes me sad. But if it was going to impact the release date i'll be fine waiting for it. I can just keep track of my "clan" another way.
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It's worth noting that as you gain higher levels there will likely be the cost of having to manage more and more runes if you want to swap skills without impacting your characters relative effectiveness.
Remember, runes are now (will be?) tied to specific skills.
It's not something that will prevent it, but there is at least one reason it won't be as easy as swapping the skill in and out.
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Well most of that is also mitigated in a well balanced system where you don't have such wildly varying strengths of similar skills. Whether or not that can be achieved in D3 -we have no idea.
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With all of the news i'm pretty disappointed that we didn't get any information on guild/clan support. Am I missing anything?
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Technicalities make me all warm and fuzzy inside. I get a "tingle" every time someone points one out.
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The font is too big, I can't make out the words. It looks like it says something to the effect of:
"WEWANTDIABLOTOBEANESPORTANDWILLKICKPUPPIESTOGETIT" or something...
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What about us guys who have played the game and maximized our potential by buying gear through RMAH?*
*DISCLAIMER:
I'm actually completely for the RMAH I just slightly resent the idea that anyone who uses it is a noob who hasn't a clue about how the game works. I don't really intend to use it much, but I can foresee myself buying something that I haven't been able to trade/find/craft for myself.
The thing is the items you have are completely independent of where they came from. Given 2 people with the same item, same experience and the same effective character if one buys the item from the RMAH and the other finds it the only difference between the two is that one invested time while the other invested real money. There isn't an advantage to one or the other.
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Sheesh it is super hard to read your posts.
Ok, so I think we agree, even if you want to portray it as a conflicting idea, you're really saying you like to have the option to make sucky characters because it changes the gaming experience for you. It helps reinforce the fact that you made a good decision later, with different skills. I get that and I can respect that.
But that's completely different then saying the system limits your customization of the character. It might change the way you intend to "experience" the character, but the system is fundamentally the same.
What you really don't like is the ability to change your character so easily. And that sort of change was introduced with the idea of respecing characters much longer ago, not with the change to the skill system.
The good news is you can still mess characters up. I haven't really looked to much at the skills, mainly because they keep changing, so I don't have an example ready. But, given the number of skill combinations, you can still pair up skills that just don't work well together.
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You know, I've been stomping all over posts today about people arguing that this system will lower the amount of customization in the game and this is the first one that stopped an made me think a bit.
You're absolutely right that the variability from level to level is removed by the system. In that sense, yes, the customization has been impacted.
But you haven't changed my mind, overall. Really the system still remains the same as it did before. The only thing you're losing is the ability to have that "advantage" by leveling one skill over another from level to level. In essence you lose the ability to make your characters weaker/stronger relative to the people you're playing with within a certain skill. Really, it only matters when you're in the same group as another character of equal level using the same skills as you.
Ultimately it really doesn't even matter if you're playing with 3 other classes, right? Because they're going to have a completely different skill base.
Secondly what is the context of the "advantage" really? The game is designed to be PVE, so the advantage you're looking for is really an advantage over characters of the same class that may be playing with you. But you're all fighting a common enemy, so who cares right?
The advantage is further diminished when you consider the fact that the relative strength of 2 characters at the same level of the same class are going to be the same in both systems. On the old system you could have a monk that was really focused on defense but didn't do good damage, while the other did just the opposite, more damage but took a beating like a wet napkin. Oh wait, it's the same in the new system. Not because of the skill points, but because of the skill choices. It's the skills that define your character not how many points you put into them.
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Ok, double posting doesn't really enhance you're argument. I read your first post.
I'm not going to argue your "feelings" about a system because I can't, it'd be silly. We all can feel a certain way about things. But just because we feel something doesn't necessarily mean it's true.
My skill choices are still going to "grow in power and develop" from level to level like they would have before, so, again, what you're really saying is you want the option for your character (or other people's characters) to suck more because they allocate their skill points wrong or differently. You like math for the sake of math, I get it.
Hey, if that's the system you want then I can't argue. But that's all you're getting from the old system compared to the new. I say focus on the stuff that really defines your character and let the system do all the stupid math for you.
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Well, then, express it. Because so far you're not. Comparing the auction house to a starcraft cheat doesn't prove anything. If anything it supports my argument more.
The auction house provides another medium on which trading (a system built into the game) can happen it's designed to work within the intention of the game and doesn't break any of the "rules". If you consider the auction houses cheating, then really you're saying trading, of any kind, is cheating.
EDIT:
Gotcha!
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How exactly is it removing customization? Customization is not achieved through the distribution of the skill points it's achieved through the actual skills you choose to use and that is something that has not changed. The skill points were just a mechanism for gauging the strength of those skills compared to your character level.
The only "customization" functionality you're losing with the new system is the ability to make your characters weaker, either on purpose or otherwise. All other functionality is still intact.
In the new system you still have to choose which skills you want, but now you don't need to worry about which skills you want weaker then others. You just use all of your skills with the same amount of relative strength (your character level).
The depth of the system isn't dependent on the allocation of the skill points. It's dependent on the active skills chosen and why. You still need to think about how each of the skills affect your build and how they will interact. That's not to mention the fact that you will have runes, gear and passive skills to deal with too.
Why is this so hard to grasp for everyone? Step back a minute and really think about how this affects the system, because, it doesn't.
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I'm pretty sure the fact that the word "cheat" in the name answers your question, irregardless of whether it was built into the system intentionally or not. It's still a cheat because it breaks the rules of the game, it bypasses the intent of the system in which it works.
Oh, and by the way taking one small part of a statement out of context and arguing it may seem cool, but it really doesn't do anything to further the debate one side or another.
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Thank god, i'm glad someone else realizes that.
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LMAO - that'd be hilarious.