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- Winged
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Member for 15 years, 3 months, and 28 days
Last active Sun, Dec, 8 2013 14:26:18
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Jul 31, 20111
snowhammer posted a message on Auction House TopicThey could litteraly do almost ANYTHING to this game.. and by that I mean take out all the content and put a "Nyan Nyan Cat" mini game in its place.. as long as the box said Diablo 3.. I would still buy it. Just like the VAST majority of every one else who is following the game already. Its ok to react negitivly to this.. but truthfully (and you know it) you'll buy the game any way.Posted in: Old Trading -
Jul 28, 20112
Daemaro posted a message on Which is Scarier?I'd take anything he posts with a grain of salt. They weren't invited to the press event so it's all he said she said.Posted in: Diablo III General Discussion -
Jul 25, 20111
Winged posted a message on Monsters have Flavor!Thanks everyone, glad to put something together to hold us over until the big news!Posted in: News & Announcements
Same here lol.
Quote from stricho
Only thing that I still doubt on this topic is number of mobs they'll allow on screen at once. I really hope they're not going for full tactical combat with a max of only 10-15 mobs on screen at once at any time. I'd also like 50+ mobs in giant groups, whether its a large group of weak and slow mobs (zombies) or whatever else.
I wouldn't worry too much about this. Blizzard will be running an in house, custom game engine for Diablo 3 which I'd bet can support as many monsters on screen as will fit. As an example, check out 4:22 in the Monk Gameplay trailer. I paused the video, and counted at least 50 enemies in that one mob. -
Jul 25, 2011
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Winged posted a message on Monsters have Flavor!A Monster's LifePosted in: News & Announcements
Diablo in its most simple form is loot, skills, and monsters. Slaying monsters allows the player to level their skills, and gives them loot so they can kill more monsters. Developers have only three opportunities to showcase a monster in a game such as Diablo. First is during spawn, when the monster appears on screen. Secondly in combat, where the player interacts with the monster. Then finally in death, when the player receives their loot, and moves onto the next target. We'll be visiting each one of these stages with numerous examples to get an idea of how Diablo III's development team is flavoring each monster; having it tell a story through the brief time it's on screen. Throughout this article I will note encounters of all three types from 5 rich gameplay footage sources, the 2008 Barb/Witch Doctor Gameplay Trailer, 2010 Demon Hunter Gameplay Trailer Part one/Part two, the 2010 Monk Gameplay Trailer, and the 2010 Wizard Gameplay Trailer. Click the time stamp to skip to the time relating to the corresponding encounter. Open the time stamp in a new tab, then close after the example is over to navigate the article smoothly. Lets begin our tour through the lives of monsters in Diablo III.
Spawning, first impressions
In 00:25). Shortly after we see a Grotesque, which itself doesn't have a unique spawn, but the
Grotesque about to burst2:29). Next we see a 4:06). After slashing through those encounters the Barbarian comes across a 4:41). After acquiring a scripted full set of gear from the chest, the Barb leaps over a break in a bridge and uses 6:37), reinforcing the fact that these are indeed undead creatures we are dealing with. Later on we see a Dark Vessel transform into an Activated Vessel, who attacks the player viciously until destroyed (9:30). They have a nice death animation also, more on this later.
10:19). After slaying the mini boss, outside the dungeon we see some run-of-the-mill Zombies rising from the ground; still a nice touch (12:10). Next we see a Skeletal Summoner bring a Skeleton to life via a purple mist of energy (13:27). Thereafter we witness a slew of 13:43). Come (16:29) we see the huge Gnarled Walkers creek and rattle into combat. Finally the players encounter certainly the biggest creature seen thus far, the 18:50).
The 3 Bosses we've seen in game so far; Thousand Pounder, Siegebreaker, and Skeleton King
Dark BerserkerMoving along to the 0:29). Right after, the Treasure Seeker is encountered, more on him in the combat segment. (2:39) Ghouls once again surround the player via climbing up from below, and a large unnamed skeleton jumps from the ground wielding a large one handed mace. While not mini boss status, he is certainly unique. Next, though not a creature, we see a ghostly scene playing out of 3:00). Later we see Walking Corpses climbing out from an underground chamber at the top left of the screen (4:55). Lastly three 7:29).
Dune ThresherNow on the 0:31). Also in the mix at this encounter is a Lacuni Huntress who also can teleport, and is noted to have a lightning aura around her hinting that she is a lieutenant class creature. (1:38) marks our first encounter with three Dune Threshers. One dives under the sand and swims near the player. Following, the Monk is surrounded by Lacunis popping from the sand triggered by a chest (2:27). Next a Dune Dervish makes its first appearance, launching from the sand in a spinning fury alongside a few others, which seem to be spawning around a suiting large tornado (5:14). Come 7:47 the Tomb Vipers are spotted to the upper right. At a distance they are invisible, as they approach the player they appear as a glowing orb, and only when in close range they're seen in their true form.
During the first 1:30 of the Wizard Gameplay Trailer, 3:44). Most notable in this video though, we see the 4:50).
Combat, a role to play
First impressions over you want it dead, combat will get you there. Diablo 2 had a good variation of monster blends, keeping the player on their feet. As with most everything though, the D3 team is taking this a step farther, adding new monster types, each of them having different roles to play in battle.
During the 2009 Heroes & Monsters Blizzcon Panel, 28:34).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmcth0J5jRg&t=28m34sAdvance to 28:34 for monster archetypes
Monster Archetypes
- Swarmers - Weak, Typically Melee
- Ranged - Prjectile Speed, Arc, Direct
- Lieutenant - Resurrect, Buff, Spawners
- Elite - Tough, Stronger Attacks, or Both
- AOE - Point Blank, Line, Radial, Cone
- Weakener - Debuff, Slow, Drainer
- One Offs: Sleeper, Alarm, Bee Hive, Linked, Sapper, Thief
Through many combinations of those functions, different groups of monsters form different challenges, which each class has to approach suiting to their play style. During the 2010 Blizzcon Crafting Sanctuary Panel 2/4, 6:16). As you roll through the examples below, give some thought to the archetypes listed, and what one the monster is fulfilling.
Skeletal ShieldmenTo note some of these mechanics in action, starting in the 2008 Gameplay Video, Jay Wilson elaborates on how to properly approach a Dark Berserker. "These Berserkers have a powerful attack that does massive damage, it's best to avoid it, then retaliate while he recovers" (3:07). Jay goes on to describe the Dark Cultist and their threat on the field, "The Cultist that are joining the fight are weak and easy to kill, but the demon spawn the summon are not. The Barbarian must dispatch the Cultist quickly before he is overrun" (3:18). He goes onto explain how these two monsters complement each other, "Working together the Berserkers provide a tough obstacle, allowing the Cultist time to stack the odds against our hero." Next the Barb triggers the four 4:41). Afterward the player runs across a mass of 8:40). Also notice how the Skeletal Shieldman make a barrier between the player and the less resilient 
Skeleton Archers in the back.
BeastOur next encounter marks where two groups of Dark Vessels are seen; these monsters are high priority targets. In this case there are no other creatures around to distract the player, though even if there were, killing as many of the vessels as possible before they transform into Activated Vessels would likely be the best game plan (9:24). Soon after during the mini boss battle the Thousand Pounder reaches half heath, which sends him into a frenzy. This increases his movement speed, attack speed, and likely attack damage (10:52). These type of monster mechanics can make longer combat encounters more diverse and difficult. At 12:56 we see an example of a enemy charge attack by the 13:27). This I suspect is purposeful, and implemented into the AI of the Summoner to better surround the player. Next at (13:42) the Witch Doctor gets jumped by many Scavengers. Falling under the "Swarmers" archetype, these creatures attack in numbers, are melee, and rather easy to kill. Lastly in the 2008 Gameplay Video from 16:30 on we see an example of a multi tiered fight, beginning with the the Gnarled Walkers, climaxing with the Siegebreaker Assault Beast, and ending with the mass of Skeletons.
Male Demon Hunter
During the Demon Hunter Gameplay footage, a strange creature is noted. This is the Treasure Seeker, this monster doesn't attack the player, instead it will run away in attempts to keep its stolen loot. With each hit the Treasure Seeker will drop gold, loot, or both (0:39). The next encounter introduces environmental hazards, note the huge metal grate on the ground, periodically bursting into a huge inferno which would most definitely harm the player (0:43). Next is something reminiscent of Diablo 2, when a Skeleton Archer fires upon the player from behind a barred cell wall (1:21). I remember that being extra annoying as a Barbarian in D2. Afterward marks an Elite class creature encounter, as the player reaches the center of a four way walk bridge, an event is triggered as Ghouls climb up from every direction surrounding the player, then a huge Skeleton jumps up from the ground, becoming a top priority target (1:21). Note how the Demon Hunter volts over the fiery grates to avoid taking unnecessary damage (3:43). Shortly after another environmental hazard is seen in the form of giant falling blades (4:42). Next we stumble upon an interesting mixture of monsters. A 5:58). Lastly three Dark Berserkers under command of an Dark Cultist make for a dangerous encounter (7:28).
Activated Vessel Concept Art, Treasure Seeker Reward Poster, Tomb Viper Concept Art
Fallen shaman
Right off the bat in the Monk Gameplay Video a few 0:05). These kind of choke points can make it hard to avoid from casters, thus why the Monk uses a damage reflection skill. At 1:28 as before we see the three 2:09). Shortly after the Monk sets off a sabotaged chest, causing multiple Lacuni Huntresses to spring from the sand (2:27). Following that, we see a melting pot of creatures including Lacuni Warriors, Lacuni Huntresses, 2:41). Next marks my favorite part of the video, where multiple clans of Fallen attack the four players at a choke point. Masses of fallen charge in as the front lines get mowed down while the players break through and finish off the few left behind (4:22). It's times like that where you feel the power of your character. At 5:13 a strange tornado coming from a rocky hole in the ground is seen. Around this tornado are swirling symbols on the ground, soon after the players enter the area multiple Dune Dervish leap from the sand. From 5:59 to 7:29 we see chaotic battles break out as the players enter an overtaken desert city now inhabited by the forces of Hell. Afterward are the 7:47). This could make for quick surrounds when venturing through dark tombs.
Unburied
Lastly the Wizard Gameplay Video, while few mentions of intricate combat exist in this video, the ones that do are very interesting. After being threatened by the Skeleton King, the Wizard is attacked by Skeleton Shieldmen, that have excellent attack resistance, 1:53). Secondly we see a large lumbering 3:31). Lastly during the battle with the Skeleton King, the player has their large objective target (Skeleton King), yet all the while has to keep the Skeletons around her at bay (4:53).
Aside from regular foreseeable encounters as listed, there are also random events. As Jason Bender explains to us during the Crafting Sanctuary Panel, random encounters can occur in many places throughout the world, which are themselves randomized. "You could just be walking thought a swamp and boom, 500 Zombies pop up." Surely an overstatement, though the In Game Example gives us a realistic idea.
Death, the most important part of a Monster's Life
"One of the most important stages of any monster's life, is really, death." - Jill Harrington
Often times the most exciting part of an encounter with a monster is indeed its death. In Diablo 2 we had a handful of unique death animations. Many of you remember Epic Death Experiences (10:04)."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA6su8Mg__0&hd=1Advance video to 10:04 for Monster Deaths
Wraith and Ghostly OrbStarting with the 2008 Gameplay Footage, as mentioned in the Spawning segment we come across a 2:28). Next a defeated Wraith implodes before degenerating into a mist of ghostly energy (4:51). Third we have the death animation for the Activated Vessel, twitching as the demonic energy which brought it to life escapes upward until its body finally explodes, bits fly everywhere (9:45). Afterwards the player witnesses the death of the Thousand Pounder, his innards spray out and up, leaving just his skeleton laying lifeless (11:06). Following the mini boss we see how the Witch Doctor's Locust Swarm attack eats the flesh right down to the bone, more on these type of skill caused death animations soon (12:14). Next marks the death of an Skeleton Summoner, flickering for a split second, then bones and all degenerating upward into a purple mist (13:33). Later on the 16:35).
On the topic of deaths, special player deaths are in the game. At 17:28 we see the Siegebreaker Assault Beast, pick up the Female Which Doctor, roar in her face, and chuck her at the ground killing her instantly. Soon after, the Male 18:05). Shortly after the Siegebreaker falls, its body smoldering. It then catches on fire, falling apart as a demonic force flies out of it, opening 5 portals around the players where massive amount of Skeletons emerge (18:36).
In the Demon Hunter Gameplay footage we see the death of the large skeleton mentioned in all 3 segments of this article. Sadly his death isn't very interesting, as his body just goes limp, and falls off the ledge (0:37). I feel a giant explosion of bone would have been much more suiting. Secondly something neat happens. Due to the physics in the game the Dark Cultist's body flies past the camera (5:27).
Female MonkOnto the notable death animations in the Monk Gameplay video. Seeing as the Monk often uses combo moves, causing the monster to violently explode, sometimes what appears to be a unique monster death is just the end result of combination of attacks from the Monk, and not to be confused with the explosions of higher class monsters. Firstly the death of a Frozen Mage, its limbs fly outward falling and scatting nicely due to the in house physics engine (1:32).
Lastly for our Gameplay videos, during the Wizard footage, we have an Unburied's death animation. Falling backward and decomposing down to its rib cage (3:45). Suiting since after all it is just a multitude of corpses bound together by demonic forces. We don't get to witness the death of the Skeleton King, that is left to our imaginations.
Aside from standard death animations, there are also critical kill deaths which have their own effects. During a 2008 D3 Blizzcon Panel, Monster Deaths were showcased. Jay Wilson goes on to talk about how during a critical hit kill the monster will explode, and also show which primary damage type ended its life. He then talks about what you've just seem through a multitude of examples, how certain monsters have unique specialty deaths. Lastly he showcases how skills with specific damage types effect monsters differently. We see how the Witch Doctor's Locust Swarm eats the flesh off its victims, how Burst of Acid melts the flesh off, and how rare monsters are filled with a lot of energy, so they obviously have to explode upon death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdxzTV2qhLsDiablo 3 Monster Deaths - BlizzCon 2008
Another great example of how different damage types effect the death animation of monsters is at 50:10 in the Diablo III Gameplay Panel, Blizzcon 2010; where the Wizard's Hydra skill is showcased, showing how each of the five Runestones effect it, and the effect it has on its victim's death animations.
The Diablo universe would be nothing without the monsters which inhabit it. Blizzard is going the extra mile to make sure our experiences with them this time round are varied, and challenging. I hope you enjoyed our journey through the life and death of monsters in Diablo 3. Thank you for reading, see you next time!
More Diablo you say? Ophion also covered creature encounters, in the Diablo Chronicles. Further into the chronicles he details the randomization of these encounters through the Diablo series, some new creature behaviors in Diablo 3, Boss mechanics, and discussion of some character/follower mechanic evolution. Swing by the article and get your read on.
It's not too late to vote in our most recent poll, Cooling Down with Cooldowns, or listen to Force's DiabloCast XVIII, The Armory Will Expose You! where the Trio talks about skill cooldowns, beta speculation, and much more.
Also be sure to check out ScyberDragon's How Soon is Soon™ article where Diablo 3's unknown release date is discussed.
Dying for more? Check out Don_guillotine's Editorial on death, and the toll it could take in Diablo 3.
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Jul 22, 2011
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Winged posted a message on Who wants to buy a Tyrael Hoodie?At least we have some official word on this.Posted in: Diablo III General Discussion
Official Blizzard Quote:
PunchintheFace
@Diablo - hey would you know how to get ahold of the Hoodies displayed @ SDCC? ty
Diablo
@Punchintheface - Not yet, it was just a preview. I want that Tyrael one though..
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Jul 20, 2011
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Winged posted a message on Diablo 3 challanging AI or the same stuff....??As Scyber mentioned, AI has improved a lot from D2. Aiding the AI of each monster, the composition of mobs has been more carefully thought out as compared to D2. 6:16.Posted in: Diablo III General Discussion
Skip to 6:16, or click the linked time above.
As Scyber noted, an example of this is seen at 8:40 in the 2008 Gameplay trailer.
Skip to 8:40 or click the link above. -
Jul 18, 20114
ScyberDragon posted a message on Drops for You and MeInPosted in: News & Announcements Diablo II, there were some advantages and disadvantages to playing on-line with other players. When players would enter your game, Diablo's minions would grow stronger. This would result in them rewarding more experience for their deaths and yielding more loot drops. This would allow for each player to get their fair share of the loot. However, this rarely occurred as smoothly as intended. Any player was able to pick up any and all of the loot. It became it's own game of who could click their mouse button first, especially in end-game during Baal runs. This looting issue became a problem and multiple fights would ensue over the drops that someone may or may not have gotten.
With
Diablo III, the developers looked into fixing this problem. There appeared to be one quick and easy decision on this since it was revealed at the same time as the game itself. In this new installment, each player will be getting their own loot drops that only they can see and pick up. This stops the hustle to click on items first and allow players to play the game without worrying about fighting for drops.
While the system sounds simple enough, there has been a lot of discussion and debate on the intricacies of the system. There have been debates on whether or not there was any advantage to playing multi-player or single-player to get the best gear quickest. With multi-player, each player gets their own drops but can share their loot by picking it up and dropping it back on the floor. This allows every other player to be able to see it and pick it up. With four players in one game, this essentially increases the drop rate by four. To compensate for this increase, some have mentioned the idea that single-player drops would have a better chance of dropping better gear. However, this doesn't seem to be the case. cherubdown asked Bashiok this question about the separation of gear from multi-player and single-player. At first, his response was that there was better drop rates in multi-player. However, he soon recanted this statement and corrected himself.
It appears that there is no difference whether you are playing multi-player or single-player as far as drop rates go per individual player. You will not be at an advantage or disadvantage based upon how you want to play the game (excluding the fact that each player can share their drops in multi-player and you will kill things quicker). However, this does not mean there is absolutely no way to increase your drop rate in single-player. As we know, Diablo III now has
Official Blizzard Quote:
Diablo: @cherubdown Sorry that was an incorrect answer. Drops don't change while playing in a group vs. alone.
Followers, a system where a NPC will follow you around and fight along with you. With these NPC's, there are skill choices that the player gets to make to customize their Follwers to their liking. A leak from the August PC Gamer announced that each Follower has a skill option that increases either rune and gems drops, magic item drops, or gold drops. By choosing this, a player playing alone can help to compensate for the trading and sharing that they could be getting in multi-player. While this does not exactly encourage players to play on-line in groups, which Blizzard is trying to push, it does not penalize those who do not want to play with others either.
In addition to the fact that there is no separation between the different modes, Bashiok also added the fact that Magic Find and other attributes will effect only the person's drops who is wearing the gear with those attributes. This, again, makes it so playing in a group will not give anyone an advantage to someone not playing in a group with MF stacked between the group.
Official Blizzard Quote:
I've gotten this same question wrong in the past, I don't know why it continues to confuse me.
Drops are not different in co-op. The fact that you're killing faster (which you will) in a group means more items in less amount of time, means we don't need to provide other incentives.
Your own drop modifiers will affect your personal drops, such as magic and gold find. But that's the same while playing alone or in a group.
Special thanks to Doomscream for finding this additional news on MF.
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Jul 18, 20111
CherubDown posted a message on D3 = geared in 1/4 the timeNevermind, Bash simply made a mistake.Posted in: Diablo III General Discussion
He went on to clarify it here:
Official Blizzard Quote:
@cherubdown Sorry that was an incorrect answer. Drops don't change while playing in a group vs. alone.
So there you have it. Neither drop percentages change NOR do drop rates, ever. This is very much unlike Diablo 2 where drop amounts would increase as party increases.
Official Blizzard Quote:
I've gotten this same question wrong in the past, I don't know why it continues to confuse me. Drops are not different in co-op. The fact that you're killing faster (which you will) in a group means more items in less amount of time, means we don't need to provide other incentives. Your own drop modifiers will affect your personal drops, such as magic and gold find. But that's the same while playing alone or in a group.
I like it. It's very simple and straight forward. We won't be wondering now if we're getting the most bang for our time spent. If you want to get better lootz, you'll just have to get better Magic Find. -
Jul 17, 20113
TheWeirdOne posted a message on D3 items look really lamePosted in: Diablo III General DiscussionQuote from paroxysm2010
Your all tripping, the items REALLY do not look that impressive, your just for lack of a better description, diablo whipped, and you would pretty much love anything they throw at you,
look REAL close at the items, they are ok ya, nothing to throw a hissy fit about, but seriously not that impressive, I know 15 year olds who can draw armor/weapons that would blow those away
You see there is this thing, it's called an opinion. People tend to have different ones. Now, this opinion thing varies very widely between person to person, and most of the time a lot of people disagree about something. Just because they disagree though it does not necessarily mean they are wrong. Now remember, opinions are something we all have, and in things like aesthetic appeal, it's very hard to say someone is wrong when they disagree with you.
I just thought you should know what an opinion is since you obviously have no idea how they work. -
Jul 15, 2011
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Winged posted a message on Pet ScalingPosted in: Diablo III General DiscussionQuote from CCG_Chinny
Quote from Jackzor
Sorry to burst your bubble but that simply was never said. They've said that certain skills (ie stuns and the like) will have different effects on players and bosses than on standard monsters, but there won't be anything close to entire sets of skills. In fact, after saying that they would balance PvE and PvP separately at Blizzcon 2010, they later were sure to clarify that separate balancing would be used as little as possible, but would be an option.Quote from Equinox
Best news ever.Quote from CCG_ChinnyThey've said many many times that there will be two sets of skills. A PvE set and a PvP set. That way they can balance both sets for their respective uses.
I'd look at them as versions.
Got that video? Or post?
Found it. Diablo III: Open Q&A 1/4 - Blizzcon 2010, 2:56. Jay Wilson talks about balance, which in turn leads into PvE/PvP skill balancing, not separate skills. Which is mentioned at 3:26, which is the time the Blue quote is linked to.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Speaking specifically to PvP, one of the goals we have is to make sure that PvP never effects PvE game balance. So it's one of the reasons we've put PvP into Arenas that are separate from the PvE game. We'll never nerf a PvE skill for PvP, we can balance every skill specifically for PvP.
Quote from CCG_ChinnyIf they didn't handle it with entirely different skill sets, they'd have to handle each skill individually. This would take much much longer, and with them being Blizzard, I don't think they want that kind of slop if it can be done in a much cleaner fashion.
On the contrary balancing each skill separately for both PvE, and PvP would take much less time than creating whole separate skills for both. All the development team has to do is tweak numbers under the hood, compared to creating whole new skills which may be almost useless in PvE, thus making for more skills, and balancing needed in general. This has less to do with programming, as it does to do with general labor hours. I also feel personally that the way it is being done is, "cleaner" than if they were to make two styles of skills, one whole tree for PvE and one for PvP or something of the sorts.
This isn't to say some skills aren't more geared for PvP, is just means that skills are balanced for PvE, and PvP separately to suit both separately regarding the nature of its stats.
On in topic, Bashiok kindly responded to a post on the B.net forums assuring us this process isn't holding up the game.
Also on the topic of PvE/PvP skill balancing, Bashiok talks about how they want to avoid changing how a skill functions between both PvE, and PvP. Instead they will first try simply tweaking for example, CC durations, and other numbers under the hood instead of changing how the skill functions in general.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Q u o t e:
wouldn't release be much sooner if you didn't have to take months to balance skills for the PvP game?
No.
Alright, I'll elaborate!
The PvP game is being developed alongside everything else, so it's not as if the game is done and we're ready to ship it but then stop and take a few months to balance things. Also, it's to be expected that the game won't be and won't really need to be balanced right at release as it will take some time for people to really explore and begin reaching competition levels where more extreme balance is necessary or even possible for us to properly evaluate and react to.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Cool!
On the note of balancing PvE and PvP separately you guys talked about a little bit, it's something we want to largely avoid. I'm actually sort of confused where that info came from (I know you guys didn't just make it up I've seen it elsewhere). Somehow I feel like it's my fault, but maybe it was talked about at BlizzCon. We do have the ability to keep separate functionality, but we want to try to avoid big differences that make it feel like two different games when you play PvE and PvP. One area where things work differently, and we think it's ok, is in the case of CC, like stuns, snares, slows, etc. The duration of these skills is fairly significantly reduced when used against players, however, that same reduction in effectiveness is also see in the PvE game when it comes to unique/champion/boss monsters. So, it's not only a jarring difference, it's also actually experienced in PvE.
Bottom line is we'll have to wait and see but, as I said, it's something we have the ability to do if needed but would prefer to largely avoid. I just didn't want anyone to think that we're actively balancing them completely independently as that's not accurate.
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I'll try to explain it as I see it, and keep it short enough to not deter readers.
This description is for EvE, or MvM if you'd like. Pretty much monsters fighting eachother only controlled by AI. So an AI dog fight pretty much.
You walk into the act 2 city, in an off corner where the buildings look broken down, and the streets hardly seem maintained you find a scruffy NPC. Upon talking to him he asks you if you'd like to take part in a "dog fight" of sorts.
After saying yes, and purchasing your ticket (This is the first was Gold you exit the economy) you are granted entrance to the area behind him, where in a square pit in the ground there are 4 huge creatures chained in each corner. After talking to a merchant behind a table, and placing your bet on who you think will win, and how much you'd like to bet you're instructed to wait for the fight to start.
At the sound of the bell the creatures are released, and they go at each other.
The rest plays out as a dog fight would as speaking of how gold would be handled after the fight is over.. Although if you are the only real person partaking in the bet, all your money would be kicked from the economy if you were to loose the bet. (Which is a great thing for the community as a whole lol.)
If say, 4 people bet, one on each monster, than obviously one person would have won, and thus gets the others bets.
This could also work with PvE.
In a game with 4 people, one could be against the creature(s) and the others would bet on who the think will win, player or monsters. Maybe there would even be different creatures for him to fight against.
This is is obviously a VERY early concept, and something that will likely never make it into the game even if the team picks it up, but with enough refinement I could see it working.
Again these are all just my ideas..
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For the sake of not repeating myself more than I already have, I'll just generally state, of course Blizzard would like the game out 2011, to polish the year for their financial purposes. Though in the most simple of form I can put it, here's the chart in MY head, again my opinion.
Beta September 1st -
2-6 month length -
Best case - 2 month beta, leaves the game polished come November. Blizzard franticly articles all the paperwork and licencing, pushes the game mid December.
In my head, 10% chance.
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Most likely scenario - 3 month beta, leaves the game polished come December. Blizzard is silent all month knowing any sound from them will attract an army of pissed off fans.
70% chance.
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Worse case - Justin Bieber
X% chance.
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Oh, we'll see who's laughing
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I feel anyone who buys the game at any time should be able to achieve any achievement. He or she might be far behind those who got the game earlier, but none the less has the opportunity to get every achievement.
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I'm not attacking you, I just would like to shed some light on why I in particular don't believe 2011 is reasonable, no matter what Blizzard may say to understandably cover themselves.
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This.
Pretty much, by Blizzard saying, "We're aiming for a 2011 release." this means they want to get the game out asap. This is true I'm sure, does this mean they think they'll make it? HELL NO! Now, everyone step back from your hopes and dreams of playing D3 this year and look at Blizzard's track record, AND their task at hand. I'll reiterate from my last post, since I typed that out thinking that thread would be where most people where discussing.
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Agreed.
If you look at it from a logical perspective, note a hopeful one, it looks very bleak for a release in 2011.
The beta will likely come mid-late Q3, only a small percentage of the game will be tested in the beta, the rest will have to be refined internally, since they've said they don't want to ruin all the plot, or content. Just because a beta ends, doesn't mean it's fixed. The beta ends when they feel they've got enough feedback to stabilize the game, I'd say 25%-50% of the patching work to the game is done after the bet ends.
On top of that, they don't only have one version of the final game. In any game there are way to many bugs to ever truly reach ZBR (Zero Bug Release). This is a phrase used to describe a game stable enough to release. After the finish patching problems found in the beta, they are left with multiple versions of the game, all of which have difference bugs. They must present all these versions of the game to a board, and figure out which one is most preferable to be the final production model. The versions are called "Clients". The finial product is call the "Gold" model.
Other than all that, which is obviously a process in itself, there is the paperwork which is a whole nothing branch of work that needs to be complete before moving onto production. In this stage Blizzard is emailing, calling, contacting hundreds of people a day working out payment, distribution, licensing, merchandise, and a whole bunch of legal BS that takes a very long time to complete, and can only truly be bitten into after they have a Gold model ready.
It's so much more than just having the game ready.
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No way. 4 months at least to refine to Gold after the Beta. We're only going to see a small percent of the game in the Beta, which are likely the more polished parts they've worked on enough to present to the masses. It will surely take at least 4 months to polish, move to Gold, print disks, and settle shipping with distributers.
I've been part of and or followed many Betas, all of which took 4-8 months. 75% of them where console Betas but the PC ones also fell into the same time frames.