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[slicedmass]

That is the issue, Diablo 2 was (is) hack ridden and that was one of the reasons.

Thats because they had player hosted games which let them look at how the netcode was doing its magic. Just have 2 choices, fully offline or battle.net no LAN play no nothing. That way you cannot reverse engineer how the client and the server interact with each other to the degree you could in D2.

 

[Phil4000]

So should be expect a major overhaul of the game or what?!

 

[partyphone]

Auction house creates problems...i played a shit ton of D3 and every single time i finished the game i had a total of 2 or 4 better items. That's it,only way you could get good items is buy it from the AH. Witch is fucking stupid,it was not a loot game it was farming gold and lots of it.

I want Blizzard to work a bit harder and listen to the community instead wearing those rose tinted glasses and think "what is best for the game".

They're working on solving the itemization problem. They've admitted that the AH was a mistake and forced poor design decisions. Whether or not they can fully deliver on this promise is still up in the air but they've already made a lot of significant changes that have diminished the importance of buying auctioned items.

You can currently get through inferno with self-found/crafted items. Getting rid of the auction house isn't going to magically make that better.

 

[Ghost23]

Got to inferno with my wizard and quit on Act II pre-nerf. It was fun while it lasted, though I have no intention of going back unless the new content is interesting.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Just make it so offline characters can only play offline and can't access the ah. You know, just like D2.

Is there an offline confirmed or something?

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

This would have to be the mother of all revamps to get the game whipped into shape, basically make it Diablo 2: LoD in 3d, with Diablo 3s combat (and the ability to dodge properly).

 

[Ricerocket]

I like the combat feel of this game, I don't like the lack of rpg aspects of it, the customizations, skills etc. If this expansion has bullet points that solve the issue with customization, stats, gear, and skill changes to a new system as well as ACTUAL RANDOM MAPS that aren't long hallways, I will be all over this.

None of this, level up and choose 6 skills to use and call it a day bullshit we have now.

 

[Dylan]

Diablo III should have been a first person shooter.

 

[Forsaken82]

Just make it so offline characters can only play offline and can't access the ah. You know, just like D2.

Just don't use the AH... problem solved...

Not sure what difference offline play will make when the itemization wouldn't change...

 

[Risible]

i didnt realize my demon hunter played the same as my barbarian, bro. give me your secrets!!

Sorry, worded that badly. I of course meant there's no reason to play one class more than once to 60.

 

[Risible]

how dare you experiment and change the way you have fun with a character on the fly

you should be leveling a whole different character that is the same class if you want to do that! there's like no reason you should be able to re-customize anything in any game. you should have to start over from the beginning. that's what makes it fun

Ok, we get it. For some of us that was fun, though, and given the popularity of D2 vs. D3 I would say it was fun for a lot of other people as well.

 

[Loofy]

Sweet. Will wait for the PS4 version assuming there's no AH on consoles.

 

[LumpOfCole]

How does one fix the RMAH? A mode that's separated from the RMAH like Hardcore, except you can die?

After selling my Non-Hardcore's Demon Hunter gear for ridiculous real cash the week the RMAH went online, the only times I ever played Diablo III was with my Hardcore Witch Doctor. She's still at max level, but I just don't feel like playing anymore, so she just sits there.

 

[Risible]

There are a lot of people defending D3 and saying how it's a different game now.

Would some kind soul be willing to describe why it's so different now? When I left, 3-4 weeks after launch, it was impossible to finish Inferno past Act II without resorting to the AH otherwise it meant hoping for a lot of luck or massive glitching/kiting/exploiting geometry.

What changes have they implemented that makes all of that a thing of the past? I'd like concrete examples if you could.

Thank for anyone willing to help!

 

[ubercheez]

I might hop back on and give this a chance, but my expectations will be nowhere near what they were for D3.

 

[Deadstar]

how dare you experiment and change the way you have fun with a character on the fly

you should be leveling a whole different character that is the same class if you want to do that! there's like no reason you should be able to re-customize anything in any game. you should have to start over from the beginning. that's what makes it fun

I know this is a sarcastic post but I agree with it. It WAS fun to make a new character because you could try different builds and experience the early game again and try new things. In D3 you never have to experience these things or even ever make a new character because you can change all your skills on the fly.

Sure it's great to try a new skill, realize it's not something you like and then respec immediately, but in the end it's less fun. One main reason is because you can't put skill points into the skills to make them better. I want to be able to put a ton of points into my hydra skill since that's my favorite. In D3, I can't do that. I have to be the same as everyone else. There is no uniqueness to the characters.

 

[Skab]

There are a lot of people defending D3 and saying how it's a different game now.

Would some kind soul be willing to describe why it's so different now? When I left, 3-4 weeks after launch, it was impossible to finish Inferno past Act II without resorting to the AH otherwise it meant hoping for a lot of luck or massive glitching/kiting/exploiting geometry.

What changes have they implemented that makes all of that a thing of the past? I'd like concrete examples if you could.

Thank for anyone willing to help!

Couple of things that come to mind immediately:

Monster Power system as far as end game difficulty goes. Which came along with a balance adjustment across Hell and Inferno. Base Inferno now is about as hard as Hell was at launch. Inferno MP2 is about where launch Inferno was. The MP system itself lets you select how hard the monsters are. The higher the MP level, the harder things are, but you also get a boost to magic find/gold, and bonus experience find that increases with each MP level. Lets you choose what you feel you can handle, while also giving you a reason to progress into higher MP levels.

Crafting got a bunch of new Bind to Account items that are pretty good for five slots, which means youre not stuck having to get items from Inferno to do Inferno, though they do require end game mats to craft. But it makes getting started on the end game a much smoother process. And, since they BoA, you can't sell them on the AH, which has had nice effects on the economy/means your not as reliant on the AH.

Monster Affixes were tweaked. The Invulnerable Minion one was removed. Reflect Damage was changed to not constantly be active on packs that roll it. Giving you windows to attack.

 

[Firemind]

Just don't use the AH... problem solved...

Not sure what difference offline play will make when the itemization wouldn't change...

'Cause you're fucked on HC with any amount of lag and/or disconnects.

 

[Alboreo]

Diablo III should have been a first person shooter.

u wot m8

I'm actually pretty hyped for an expansion, assuming it does add a decent amount to the game (2+ acts, new classes, etc). I was disappointed in the game at launch, but that didn't stop me from getting ~150 hours out of it. The itemization was shit and the balance was awful, but it was still fun.

 

[Hurf]

I guess now we know which project Jay Wilson was moved to!

 

[Mugaaz]

How do you figure? If you don't like the auction house don't use it. It's really that simple now.

People keep stating this like it's true and it's complete bullshit. I play all games competitively, if the best way to play the game is unfun I want them to remove the unfun option. I don't want to avoid using it, I want the best way to play the game to be fun.

I don't care if there is an AH enabled ladder even. I just want a ladder where the best way to play the game is to play the game and not play the auction house. There are many people like me. The game is at its most fun when you kill something more powerful than youve ever killed before and get a new item thats more powerful than you've gotten before.
The game is at its most fun when the best way to improve the power of your character is to do a Meph run, not to click the refresh button on the auction house. The game is at its most fun when you can tell your coworker about that sweet sword you got off Diablo last night, not when you told him how you saved up your gold for weeks and finally had enough to buy a unique off the AH.

 

[Forsaken82]

'Cause you're fucked on HC with any amount of lag and/or disconnects.

Again, what does that have to do with the AH? Your post was about the auction house, not about HC.

 

[partyphone]

People keep stating this like it's true and it's complete bullshit. I play all games competitively, if the best way to play the game is unfun I want them to remove the unfun option. I don't want to avoid using it, I want the best way to play the game to be fun.

I don't care if there is an AH enabled ladder even. I just want a ladder where the best way to play the game is to play the game and not play the auction house. There are many people like me. The game is at its most fun when you kill something more powerful than youve ever killed before and get a new item thats more powerful than you've gotten before.
The game is at its most fun when the best way to improve the power of your character is to do a Meph run, not to click the refresh button on the auction house. The game is at its most fun when you can tell your coworker about that sweet sword you got off Diablo last night, not when you told him how you saved up your gold for weeks and finally had enough to buy a unique off the AH.

Oh. Well then I guess it's not the game for you. Some people actually enjoy the auction house.

 

[Zelias]

I guess gameplay improvements are a given, but would it be too much to hope that the xpac's story doesn't constantly slap you in the face with its Saturday morning cartoon villains? Seriously, I don't mind that Diablo 3's story was lacklustre at best, but their villains popping up at every opportunity to remind you how eeeeeeevil they were was insultingly bad.

 

[Goldmund]

Is the name meant in reference to what that they've done to the franchise or what the franchise does to its fans?

 

[Valnen]

People keep stating this like it's true and it's complete bullshit. I play all games competitively, if the best way to play the game is unfun I want them to remove the unfun option. I don't want to avoid using it, I want the best way to play the game to be fun.

I don't care if there is an AH enabled ladder even. I just want a ladder where the best way to play the game is to play the game and not play the auction house. There are many people like me. The game is at its most fun when you kill something more powerful than youve ever killed before and get a new item thats more powerful than you've gotten before.
The game is at its most fun when the best way to improve the power of your character is to do a Meph run, not to click the refresh button on the auction house. The game is at its most fun when you can tell your coworker about that sweet sword you got off Diablo last night, not when you told him how you saved up your gold for weeks and finally had enough to buy a unique off the AH.

The existence of an auction house doesn't remove the ability for you to farm for loot and improve your character. I'm sorry but you're being absurd.

 

[Rubius]

Here we go again with the over sophisticated quotes. Metzen literature TM (c).

Call me a bad guy but I love them.

Kinda sad its not Mist of Xiansai. Its the main place we didnt see yet in Sanctuary. D1 had Samurai armors from Xiansai, and yet, no where to be seen.

Also, yes, the Auction house influenced the design of the game, which lead to less rare item, and less actual loot in exchange to being able to pick what you want.
Its the main reason why Path of Exile feel superior. Every bit of loot have the possibility of being usefull in PoE. You take a white item with great slots, and you can transform it into an artifact or even a unique if you are lucky.

 

[Hurf]

The existence of an auction house doesn't remove the ability for you to farm for loot and improve your character. I'm sorry but you're being absurd.

It largely does because the game is tuned with the expectation that your character has access to the AH, and drop rates are tuned with the expectation that millions of players will be playing and putting their drops up for sale on a central AH.

Diablo 3's AH has a direct and pronounced effect upon the game's design; he's not the one being absurd.

 

[Mechanized]

I guess gameplay improvements are a given, but would it be too much to hope that the xpac's story doesn't constantly slap you in the face with its Saturday morning cartoon villains? Seriously, I don't mind that Diablo 3's story was lacklustre at best, but their villains popping up at every opportunity to remind you how eeeeeeevil they were was insultingly bad.

I feel like less is more when it comes to Diablo's story anyways. The writing doesn't have to get better. There just needs to be less of it. Leave it to our imaginations.
The bad guys shouldn't go on diatribes about how they're this great evil that can't be killed, they should say something along the lines of, "Rarrrrgh, your death awaits". And that's it.

 

[Forsaken82]

The existence of an auction house doesn't remove the ability for you to farm for loot and improve your character. I'm sorry but you're being absurd.

He is basically saying that the feature exists so he feels obligated to use it, so because its a shitty feature from a design standpoint, it is up to the developer to remove it completely for it to fix itself because he, as a gamer, can't remove himself from a game feature.

 

[Valnen]

It largely does because the game is tuned with the expectation that your character has access to the AH

No it isn't, it's very possible to farm Inferno without ever hitting up the AH.

and drop rates are tuned with the expectation that millions of players will be playing and putting their drops up for sale on a central AH.

That's being changed too. They've already massively increased the drop rate of legendaries, and they're going to be doing even more improvements as time goes on.

 

[Jhriad]

No interest after the garbage that was D3 and the inclusion of the AH.

 

[Hurf]

No it isn't, it's very possible to farm Inferno without ever hitting up the AH.

Technically yes, but not particularly well.

That's being changed too. They've already massively increased the drop rate of legendaries, and they're going to be doing even more improvements as time goes on.

If they are indeed making positive changes to the game then that's great and I may install it again some day if they continue to do so, but for now Diablo 3 is still in need of a complete overhaul of its itemization system at the very least.

 

[Rubius]

No it isn't, it's very possible to farm Inferno without ever hitting up the AH.


That's being changed too. They've already massively increased the drop rate of legendaries, and they're going to be doing even more improvements as time goes on.

Sure, but you have to farm for days, even weeks to get the gear to go in Inferno. That's the problem. You do not get the gear while you play normally, you HAVE to farm.
Diablo 3 is extremely based on equipment and not skill. Diablo 2 was nothing farm wise compared to D3.

 

[Valnen]

Technically yes, but not particularly well.

No it's actually pretty easy now if you work up from MP0.

Sure, but you have to farm for days, even weeks to get the gear to go in Inferno.

Not anymore. You haven't had to do this for a long time. You can start clearing Inferno as soon as you're done with Hell. And besides, the whole point of Inferno is farming for days and days. That's the whole point of a Diablo game.

If they are indeed making positive changes to the game then that's great and I may install it again some day if they continue to do so, but for now Diablo 3 is still in need of a complete overhaul of its itemization system at the very least.

They are working on it.

 

[Firemind]

Again, what does that have to do with the AH? Your post was about the auction house, not about HC.

Your post was about hacking. If they can't access the AH servers then no damage can be done. Then you made a rebuttal about what difference offline play could make. I gave you a reason why offline play would matter.

 

[paolo11]

It does not hurt to add offline mode like D2(closed b net/separate characters offline and online).

I'm traveling as well too so this would benefit me greatly.

 

[koryuken]

Not falling for this shit again Blizzard, worst 50 euros ever spent.

Word.

 

[Forsaken82]

Your post was about hacking. If they can't access the AH servers then no damage can be done. Then you made a rebuttal about what difference offline play could make. I gave you a reason why offline play would matter.

I think you have me confused with this post http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=76397827&postcount=453

Just make it so offline characters can only play offline and can't access the ah. You know, just like D2.

^ this was the first post I quoted in which i said

Just don't use the AH... problem solved...

Not sure what difference offline play will make when the itemization wouldn't change...

To which you replied

Cause you're fucked on HC with any amount of lag and/or disconnects.

Not sure how you got hacking from anything in my posts.... I am not even sure how you confused our two user names... Our avatars aren't even alike...

 

[CarbonatedFalcon]

If they fix the shit, and I mean shit that I have/had issues with, then I'm back on board. I'm certainly not going in head first this time though.

And some sort of ladder or similar effect is absolutely necessary. Regular economy is pretty much fucked beyond hope at this point when I could spend a dollar and have more gold than I ever earned actually playing the game for 100+ hours.

 

[Maledict]

The game's itemization sucks with or without the AH. The loot drops however used to be absolutely horrendous until they slowly tuned it so that you can have a comfortable experience without using the AH. Nowadays you can easily play the game and beat Inferno with self found gear and slowly build yourself up towards higher MP levels.

You cannot unless you are either the luckiest person alive, or your definition of slowly is measured in years. The drop rate on useful items is so ludicrously low that to play without the AH is basically not viable. Just to repeat earlier - paragon level 26 wizard and I still have not had a single drop worth more than 500K drop. Not a single useful unique, and no set items at all. Every item I wear is AH bought and is just the really cheap stuff that costs less than 1 million.

I had better drops in the first 2 hours of Path of Exile than the entire time Ive played D3. The itemisation is just broken, and the game relies on the incredibly high liquidity that the AH brings to be playable at the endgame.

 

[Hurf]

I had better drops in the first 2 hours of Path of Exile than the entire time Ive played D3.

I found a couple Orbs of Regret and a Chaos Orb before clearing Act 2 Normal in PoE, that game has a grossly superior itemization system/economy.

 

[Dahbomb]

I think at the minimum they really need the following stuff:

1) Vastly improved PvP. The PvP they have now is kinda ass, it's makeshift PvP at best.
2) Ladder system split into multiple tiers. AH version (Softcore/Hardcore) and non-AH version (Softcore/Hardcore)
3) Better game making system, they sort of improved it by letting you tag your game with stuff like "Questing" but it's still vague as hell.
4) Better itemization. Nothing more needs to be said about this other than that it needs to be a shit ton better.
5) More randomized dungeons or optional maps that give more loot. Right now missions are fairly linear, you generally know where the main spots are.
6) More items that you can put into sockets ie. Runes
7) Way to modify/tweak gear by putting in gold + materials like in PoE. Socket an item, change to get more sockets, upgrade item from blue to rare, chance to get legendary item etc.
8) An offline mode but you can't use that character online
9) Bosses always drop at least one rare regardless of difficulty or whether you are doing them a second time
10) Allow some of the benefits that you get in Inferno to appear in lower difficulties like Nephalem Valor

Stuff they just need more of:

1) More craftable high level items like they just introduced that Bind to Account
2) More options of Skill runes
3) More classes
4) More legendaries
5) More end game content like Ubers
6) More benefit to increasing Paragon level (like increasing item pick up radius)

 

[Einherjar]

Will I fall for this again? I know I shouldn't but...

Yeah I'm buying the expansion

 

[Valnen]

I found a couple Orbs of Regret and a Chaos Orb before clearing Act 2 Normal in PoE, that game has a grossly superior itemization system/economy.

Sounds too far in the other direction to me, good loot is supposed to be kind of rare. It was in Diablo 2.

 

[MickeyKnox]

Blizzard isn't getting another dime from me.

 

[spirity]

Sounds too far in the other direction to me, good loot is supposed to be kind of rare. It was in Diablo 2.

Good loot is still rare. Its just that in POE you always feel that your playtime is being rewarded. That's the big difference between the two games - in POE you won't have to play long until something nice drops (be it loot, or crafting items, or skills). I didn't feel that in D3, the slog to get something decent to drop was too much. It was all stick and no carrot.

 

[Mayyhem]

Will buy

 

[BlazingDarkness]

Actually think Diablo III is my most disappointing game purchase ever

 

[Dahbomb]

You cannot unless you are either the luckiest person alive, or your definition of slowly is measured in years. The drop rate on useful items is so ludicrously low that to play without the AH is basically not viable. Just to repeat earlier - paragon level 26 wizard and I still have not had a single drop worth more than 500K drop. Not a single useful unique, and no set items at all. Every item I wear is AH bought and is just the really cheap stuff that costs less than 1 million.

I had better drops in the first 2 hours of Path of Exile than the entire time Ive played D3. The itemisation is just broken, and the game relies on the incredibly high liquidity that the AH brings to be playable at the endgame.

So you started Inferno with AH bought items and then complain about not getting 500K+ items?

I have beaten Inferno on Monk pre Inferno nerf (patch 1.04) with self found gear. People have beaten Inferno with self found gear on HARDCORE. I can easily farm MP 1 and even MP2 with my self found gear. I have a LVL40 Paragon Monk with only one item on me that I didn't find myself and that was given to me as a gift (the Gloves). My DPS is 100K. There are people I know who have better gear than me and use self found gear farming over MP5. I have found numerous Legendaries and quite a few Set items, in fact I get a Legendary at least every 2 or 3 runs. Your claim about being forced to use AH to play at end game is ludicrous.

I can guarantee you that if you level yourself up to Paragon 100 then you will definitely be capable of farming MP5 or higher from self found gear. This is not a year worth of time, its a few months of play which is standard for these types of games.