Official BlizzCast 5 Q&A Submissions
The Diablo III Community Manager Bashiok has invited DiabloFans.com and other fansites to gather questions for the upcoming BlizzCast Episode 5. Only a very few questions will be chosen. Make sure to throw your best shot. Submit your question as clear as possible.
The best questions will be forwarded to Blizzard next week. Good luck!
Make sure to watch BlizzCast Episode 4 when it is available. In the meantime, check out previous episodes of the Blizzard in-house podcast and transcripts at the BlizzCast website.
What are Blizzard plans regarding the current battle.net channel?
Why?
As all of you know, Diablo is a fast-paced, click and go carnificine, but, besides that, it also has a very deep economy and trade system, and this trade system is based entirely in the Battle.net channels. Looking for a iK armor? Go to Trade-useast, Found an eaglehorn and not going to keep it, you now where to go.
The trading channel is a reference when it comes down to trading, but it has one major problem.. it's hella confusing, 40 people with all kind of diferent and huge names doing they're propaganda, and when that dual leech/pris ring you was looking for catches your eye you waste 9385393 minutes trying to look for the guy, or, you try to msg him... but /pm l33Tz_arrrVzszs02324 can take too long.... long enough for him to quit battle.net, to trade with someone else, to whatever.
If i had a soj for each deal i missed because when i finally got to msg the guy his response was ''sry, just sold it''... oh well, you've got the idea.
The battle.net channel needs a re-vamp, it needs to be fast, easy to use, and user friendly. So, Blizzard, what are the current plans?
are there lvls like NORMAL NIGHTMAR AND HELL like D2?
(srry for english if someone can corerct mistakes cause i am not that good in english)
My question is : Was the inventory mechanic changed? Is it bigger than in D2?
Anyway, for another question, is the randomness going to be to the level of Diablo II in levels/items, or will it be more linear? I think someone asked this, but it is one that would be good to know.
2. is the original Diablo item rarity colouring gonna still be used? i saw a purple item dropped in the video and purple = epics in WoW. i think it very disappointing if the WoW item rarity colouring is gonna be used instead of the staple Diablo one.
3. is there gonna be items that can only be gotten online again? (ie - Ladder only items). i hated that, cause it prevents offline solo-players from ever getting these.
4. are you considering more that just 5 classes at game launch? to me, that is too small (it worked for D2, but hey, that is an 8 year old game and was a step up from D1). and i would like if more D2 classes would make a comeback (ie, Necromancer). i saw that it was said that "less classes can make them more diverse and different", but WoW had 9 classes on launch and they where all diverse and different.
5. this may be a little too early to know, but, is D3 gonna have copy-protection on the disc(s)? reason i ask is cause alot of CP methods, (like StarForce, SecuRom, SafeDisc, etc...) are very intrusive and can actually ruin a PC. so i hope that you guys consider not putting that on the game.
-Will there be multiple ways of traversing dungeons using different character classes?The Barbarian was shown in the initial gameplay video to leap over a broken bridge using his ability, was this an example of a situation where other character classes may have to find another path (i.e mutliple pathways dependent of class) or was this something thrown in for show? If it will be present in-game what examples of it will we see with other character classes?
-In the Initial gameplay video it was made note of that environments are now far more interactive as well as destructive, with thsi new level of player input will there be puzzles using this mechanic or perhaps hidden areas containing monsters or special items behind destructable walls, moveable/destructable boulders, clusters of trees etc. ?
-Do you plan to create a lot of downloadable content for Diablo 3? Will additional downloadable quests, items, enemies (perhaps even a character class or two) be made available over time after the intial release of Diablo 3?
They already stated that you may not change color of armour and the only thing about the character is the male/female other than that its all the same:P
Any word on when we can actually expect that? They are so erratic with putting these things out, hell it could be Christmas before we hear the next one.
What new stats will be added, and what old stats will be preserved? The trailer seemed to suggest that a "Willpower" stat may be added to the game, possibly among others.
Will new classes of gems be added? Will different shapes of gems have different effects, as seen in the "Chipped Star Topaz"? Will gems continue to change the color of items in which they are socketed, or do they apply a particle-based visual effect instead?
Will the LAN, Open Battle.net and Direct IP options be retained in multiplayer?
Is it possible to interact with and/or destroy any structure imaginable, or will destructible elements in the environment be limited to preserve game balance? Can you theoretically kill everything just by smashing walls/trees/rocks?
Will every town NPC still offer commentary on every quest, as well as an introduction and the "gossip" option? Will players that enjoy dialogue with NPCs have a chance to learn from Cain the secrets contained within Tristram's cathedral's volumes?
Is the waypoint system retained or replaced with a new system?
Will Unique monsters still have the creative names? The Thousand Pounder was nice, but we all have a special place for Puke Pus in our hearts.
Will ranged weapons still take ammunition and thrown weapons still decrease in quantity? Does equipment still degrade over time? Are thrown potions, charms, keys, et cetera still included?
Will the Horadric Cube make a return? Does Cain still identify items for free?
Does the questing interface still have those cool icons that burn out once you complete the associated quest?
BlizzCast is a Blizzard in-house podcast. It has no specific release date. It is not like a specific day of the month. It is not necessarily a monthly podcast either. As with all the games, the next episode is ready when it is ready. The next episode will be #4. No ETA. The first episode was on January 10th. Second was around February, and the third one took about two or three months.
By the way, I am wrapping up question submissions at this point. the last hour I have been reading through all the 16 pages, handpicking certain questions. From that batch I can only pick two. Of course, I will still request a Q&A with the remaining questions. But only two can be submitted for BlizzCast Episode 5. Thanks to everyone who participated in this thread.
Will blizzard keep the system in Diablo II where in if you have more then one player in your game on battle net, the monster will grow stronger based on how many people are in the game?
AKA the shared stash idea from HGL
2. Will there be anything incorporated like a bazaar or auction house?
1. Through synergies and otherwise, will I be able to use lower level skills effectively late game *For Instance throwing barbarian like I could in Diablo II*
2. Because of the loot system, will more/higher quality loot drop from bosses resulting in boss farming (Groups since word is you can't solo all the bosses).
3. If I were a solo player, would I be able to make it through the game without the assistance of others?
DIABLOFANS SUBMISSIONS
Reaver-TC from Diablofans.com: In the Initial gameplay video it was made note of that environments are now far more interactive as well as destructive, with this new level of player input will there be puzzles using this mechanic or perhaps hidden areas containing monsters, or special items behind destructible walls, movable/destructible boulders, clusters of trees, etc.?
Vandro from Diablofans.com: Will we be able to use the old overlay map instead of the mini-map (I like the old one more in an action packed game like Diablo 3, especially when dueling)?
BLIZZPLANET SUBMISSIONS
Vandro from blizzplanet.com: Will we be able to create special duel games without monsters/loot, maybe some sort of random arena locations similar to World of Warcraft Arenas to make Diablo III more e-sports friendly?
Sly_dawg19 from blizzplanet.com: During the gameplay video an "Elixer of Vitality I" dropped. Can you explain Elixers and the benefits and roles they will play in Diablo 3?
EXTRA QUESTIONS (In case other fansites repeat, or can be used for a mini-interview with Diablo III team).
DarthKarnage from Diablofans.com: the final scene in the gameplay video, when the large demon rips the head off of the barbarian. Is this some sort of "instant death" move programmed into the game, or is it a move to simulate a gruesome death just because the Barbarian had low health at a point when the monster attacked?
Ralsu from Diablofans.com: In the game play video, we see Barbarian skills that cost Fury or Stamina to cast. Where are these pools visible in the UI, and can you talk about them some more?
AcidReign from Diablofans.com: How have the stats changed for characters? Is it the same old strength, dexterity, vitality, and energy? Or are there more attributes?
Sly_dawg19 from Diablofans.com: With Diablo 3 and Battle.net 2.0 coming, will there be an option for a "Global stash" for all your characters so we can eliminate the need for "Mules" and creating unnecessary games?
JayCrimson from Diablofans.com: Will unique items this time around truly be special? In Diablo 2 many rare items were often more powerful than the uniques, rendering the majority of unique items useless. Will Diablo 3 perhaps make these items more powerful, maybe giving them bonuses exclusive to uniques while making them much more rare as loot?
Jugzor from Diablofans.com: Will the game be divided into acts, or will it be all open, and about how long will the game be?
Deathspecter from Diablofans.com: Will you be able to equip mercenaries in Diablo 3 with rings, amulets, boots, belts, etc.? on that note will there be hot keys for giving potions to your mercenary?
Deathspecter from Diablofans.com: Will there be hot keys for each potion life/mana/antidotes etc.?
Kaleth from Diablofans.com: Could there be a way to make unique and set items scale with your character level? So they will always be good?
Sly_dawg19 from Diablofans.com: Will there be a return of "Universal Skills" i.e. Spell Books from Diablo 1?
Jaewoot from Diablofans.com: We see that certain skills have certain maximums (i.e.: 1, 5, 20). Will items have attributes adding +skills? +skill tree? +to all skills? If so, would a maxed out skill 5/5 with a +1 all skills show as 6/5? And how will it be calculated?
moonshine from Diablofans.com: With the announcement of a more Co-Op oriented game, are players still going to be able to finish end game content solo or will they require help from a group?
Reaver-TC from Diablofans.com: Will there be multiple ways of traversing dungeons using different character classes? The Barbarian was shown in the initial gameplay video to leap over a broken bridge using his ability, was this an example of a situation where other character classes may have to find another path (i.e.: multiple pathways dependent of class); or was this something thrown in for show? If it will be present in-game what examples of it will we see with other character classes?
Reaver-TC from Diablofans.com: Do you plan to create a lot of downloadable content for Diablo 3? Will additional downloadable quests, items, enemies be made available over time after the initial release of Diablo 3?