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[Boken]

Question:"In the new website database all gems only display “Head” and “Weapon” slot effect. Does this mean they can be no longer be placed in other slots? And this page only display 4 types of gems, were Diamond and Sapphire removed?"

Blizzard: "The website is currently incorrect, gems can still be placed in all the same slots as before (including Weapon). We did remove Diamond and Sapphire a while back. Their effects just weren’t very interesting. We can always bring them back later if we find some stat spots to fill."

Interesting, there are now only 4 types of gems.

Thank god I guess.

 

[Omotesando]

Greyjoy#2107

 

[V_Arnold]

A really interesting post here: (Bolded is the question, non-bolded is Bashiok-s answer...)

1) “Forced” Experimentation while leveling. Basically, you are forced to play with runeskills you may or may not like until something better unlocks. Under the old system, via the AH and with a bit of luck you could play the build you wanted and refine it. Under the new one you have to play for (potentially) a long time to get the build you want.
I don’t see that as a negative. Previously you were held to either randomness, or left to your own to pick something with little incentive to jump around. Previously most people would determine what they believe is best and do very little experimentation. With the unlock system there is actually some incentive in the absence of complete choice to try something you otherwise may not have.

But anyway, it was really a symptom of solving worse problems with the item-based rune system. Both systems have their benefits, both have their downsides, but we know that this system has more ups than downs compared to the others.

2) The death of customization and specialization. Runes were initially introduced to offset the loss of ‘uniqueness’ in character builds due to the skill system. Runes allowed you to craft a build that was *yours* and finding ranks allowed to you continually refine and improve it. Under the new system, you are a few clicks and a cooldown away from being the same build as the guy next to you.
No they weren’t. Runes were a part of the Diablo III skill design because we thought it’d be bad !@# to be able to customize skills.

Rune ranks were never customization, it was a gradual power increase dictated by drop chance. And don’t be fooled that there is customization with skill trees. I’ve yet to see any skill tree that offers anything but the illusion of customization.

If you mean skill choice permanence, well, we just fundamentally disagree that you need to be locked into something to make your character choices meaningful. There is still plenty to make your character build meaningful that doesn’t require re-rolling, and we believe we’ve achieved that.

3) Hell is for Heroes, and Inferno is not a place I want to still be ‘trying out’ new skills. In Diablo 2 stuff would unlock at a reasonable rate, and by the end of normal you had your build and were just getting the extras. Under this system, it’s entirely possible that you will be waiting until you have finished Hell to unlock the skill effect you want. I don’t know about you, but by the time I hit Hell I really want to have my build down and be working on gear and technique.
It’s weird how on one hand we’re asked for limitations, add more limitations, we really want to be punished and forced to level new characters and just be beaten about the face and neck with punishing game mechanics… and then it almost feels like there’s a fear that you won’t have a perfect character to take on the challenging areas of the game.

You won’t. You’re going to die, a lot, and you’re going to have a horrible character for quite a while. You’re not going to hit 60 and finish the game on Inferno. You’re going to be smashing your face against Act 1 Inferno for weeks. Perfecting your build before then will not matter.

4) Not everyone is going to get to Inferno. I thought Blizzard said a while back that most players will quit after Normal? So…rather than letting everyone play around with rank 1 runes and at least see the various effects you aren’t going to let them see them at all?
Totally! Reward for more invested players, and very likely a way to entice players not to just stop at Normal.

To be honest the repetitive difficulty levels in Diablo games is not a very straightforward mechanic. Plenty of games have difficulty levels, but there are only a handful that use them as progression. If we can communicate the intent of the game to people by showing unlocks in future difficulty levels, maybe we can get more people to play beyond Normal.

5) It feels like a deliberate delay to extend Diablo 3′s lifespan for casual gamers (who may not have got to 60 otherwise). It’s a lot like those fighting games that lock half the roster until you’ve finished Arcade mode dozens of times. Basically a cheap trick to keep you playing.
I’m not sure why this is a separate point. Maybe this should be 4a. ?

I’d agree with you though if the game wasn’t a 1-time price to buy the box. We earn nothing by ‘tricking’ you into playing more. Is it so crazy that we just want to make a fun game you’ll enjoy? Maybe it is these days.

6) Leveling is a huge focus of D3. This isn’t WoW. Inferno will be nice, but getting there is going to take a long time and for most characters will be the majority of their lifespan. Not being able to do this as the build I want is rather lame.

However, there are two simple solutions.

1)Allow players, every 10 levels, to unlock a single runeskill of their choice, in addition to the existing system. This means that there is still something to look forward too, those of us with very specific builds in mind can enjoy them pre-Inferno and the newer players/Zarhym’s Grandmother won’t be affected at all.

2) Like Crafting, once a runeskill has been unlocked it is available at level 6, or when the base skill unlocks on any new characters of that class.

A third really good suggestion, made by InfernoBound is giving some free rune choices as quest rewards. I am a big fan of this idea too. Thoughts?
Ok, so here it is, we do not have any problem with some kind of ‘rune point’ system where you could maybe earn points and then spend them wherever you want. But, and everyone loves this answer I know, it’s not going to make or break an already well-functional system and thus is not worth delaying the game to design and build out one where this is possible. Contrary to popular belief “when it’s done” is not the same as “let’s work on it for 7 more years until we’ve accomplished absolutely everything we can dream of”. Our commitment to quality and polish very much is the intent of our design mantras, though.

I realize some people are going to really want to be able to get that rune and MAN! it doesn’t unlock until level 58! And honestly that’s something we sympathize with to a degree, but the current system works very well, the current limitations absolutely have their benefits, it’s actually fun to be forced to try other effects, and immediately giving you what you want is usually not a fun game mechanic in the long term.

In my own personal opinion, it’s Diablo. If you can’t find a workable build without having your own perfect choices being handed to you on a silver platter at the start of the game, good luck in Inferno. Actually, good luck in Nightmare. This game is hard.

My biggest "issue" (I would not really say it is an issue, but really an observation) with the arguments against this rune system - where the arguments are made up like the one in the quote is that some hardcore players have a really, really...how shall I say it...interesting perspective shifts going on. Because they jump into a mindset where:

1) It needs to be better than Diablo 2's system, but it should retain its main style
2) It needs to be deep for the hardcore's sake
3) Yet, at the same time, it needs to be enjoyable for the so-called casuals.

It is very unlikely that a casual will EVER stop playing Diablo 3 BECAUSE his "favorite" rune is only unlocking lv58. Why? Because he does not know that rune exists! He does not know what it does! He does not know the specifics of that rune at all!

How could a "casual" have an information about something that even most hardcores are not REALLY experiencing before getting to the point of ACTUALLY being able to try it out? How in the hell could you know what is your "preferred" rune-modifier will be if you never even tried the current version out? By making one build in an empty hour in Blizzard's "talent calculator"? Really?

That is a bad argument. Casuals and normal players will play the game if it is fun, and they wont stop playing the game once they died - and they will not blame the developer for having skill unlocks on levelups - a mechanic that is present in almost every single RPG out there since 1975. (That is a made-up number, yep).

The only ones bothered with this already have vested interests in some builds - which is a trait that is only present with players that were dedicated enough to spend tons of hours theorycrafting even before the said skill could be even experimented with ingame! That is not a sign of turning off the computer on your first frustrating death, is it?

 

[Boken]

I just want to add that I hate the idea of skill as item drops.

PoE eat your heart out.

 

[V_Arnold]

I just want to add that I hate the idea of skill as item drops.

PoE eat your heart out.

I loved it at first, but honestly, after the current reset, I have yet to come across a Puncture, an Explosive Shot, and several other crucial skillgems - which simply sucks. Of course an AH would solve that instantly.

 

[GasProblem]

My battletag is gasproblem#2894

 

[helloresolven]

Thank for for producing a graphic for the every 100 post reminder that I'm not in the beta.

.

 

[TheApatheticOne]

Have the CE preordered from Amazon, would love to get my name added to the list!

Battletag - ApathyReigns #1159

 

[ElyrionX]

I loved it at first, but honestly, after the current reset, I have yet to come across a Puncture, an Explosive Shot, and several other crucial skillgems - which simply sucks. Of course an AH would solve that instantly.

I don't understand this. Skillgems? I thought random drops skill runes were cut in favour of the current level-based system?

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm really unsure what class I want to play. I wanted to play Witch Doctor, but they are very underwhelming in the beta.

 

[GasProblem]

I don't understand this. Skillgems? I thought random drops skill runes were cut in favour of the current level-based system?

I think he's talking about Path of Exile ^_^

 

[epmode]

I don't understand this. Skillgems? I thought random drops skill runes were cut in favour of the current level-based system?

http://www.pathofexile.com/skills/

 

[ElyrionX]

Oh. Phew. Path of Exile.

Going back to the skill rune system, when I first heard of that it would be based on runes that drop randomly like all other loot, I didn't like it at all. I just didn't like the fact that character builds were going to become even more reliant on random loot drops. The bulk of the benefits from random drops in games like this should only be statistical and aesthetical, IMO.

 

[ZealousD]

So if anybody wants a refresher on el juego Diablo Uno, I've recorded and edited together all of the key events from the game.

Should take you about 40 minutes to watch, and it'll keep you from having to play through the whole game again if all you're looking for is a story refresher.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL517434D31A9B209F&feature=view_all

I'm also planning on doing Diablo 2, although that's probably a couple weeks away.

 

[Fallout-NL]

I'm really unsure what class I want to play. I wanted to play Witch Doctor, but they are very underwhelming in the beta.

Yeah, I really hope it's a beta thing, cause the rest of the classes aren't much better. The barb is the only one I really enjoy.

 

[V_Arnold]

Yeah, I really hope it's a beta thing, cause the rest of the classes aren't much better. The barb is the only one I really enjoy.

Quite the opposite for me, the Beta cemented WD as my first character (even if the first...gasp...6 levels will be boring, just like any class in D2 ), with Monk and Wizard competing over the second place.

The moment you get Harvest is the moment WD starts to rock the house, imho.

 

[SteveWD40]

Trying it on my laptop (or I want to) and I am finding that the downloader is fucked right now, if it isn't crashing it's dl'ing at about 60kbs (I get 1.5mbs on Steam normally)...

any client mirrors?

 

[jersoc]

Quite the opposite for me, the Beta cemented WD as my first character (even if the first...gasp...6 levels will be boring, just like any class in D2 ), with Monk and Wizard competing over the second place.

The moment you get Harvest is the moment WD starts to rock the house, imho.

same here, i absolutely loved the way the WD plays. I was going to make a demon hunter first but the WD won out.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Quite the opposite for me, the Beta cemented WD as my first character (even if the first...gasp...6 levels will be boring, just like any class in D2 ), with Monk and Wizard competing over the second place.

The moment you get Harvest is the moment WD starts to rock the house, imho.

I don't think there ever was a point where I thought Diablo 2 was boring.

 

[V_Arnold]

I don't think there ever was a point where I thought Diablo 2 was boring.

I used the wrong words, sorry. Not boring, but plain. Even WD is not THAT plain, compared to a sorceress with a single target spell only, or to a bashing barbarian in those levels. That was what I meant

 

[Fallout-NL]

True, but the Sorceress had plenty promise of awesome spells (and they delivered on that promise). With the WD you already (at a low level) seem to have quite a lot of spells that don't particularly impress... It just makes me wonder whether there's something to look forward to with the DIII classes.

 

[V_Arnold]

True, but the Sorceress had plenty promise of awesome spells (and they delivered on that promise). With the WD you already (at a low level) seem to have quite a lot of spells that don't particularly impress... It just makes me wonder whether there's something to look forward to with the DIII classes.

If you are this nested in pessimism, then yeah, you should not look forward to anything at all in the game :O

 

[TheContact]

Hmm...I have an i5 and a gtx460 with 4gb ram and my pc can't handle this game...I get like 3 fps in combat. Even with graphics all the way down. Something's not right here, my pc isn't that bad

 

[The Game]

So if anybody wants a refresher on el juego Diablo Uno, I've recorded and edited together all of the key events from the game.

Should take you about 40 minutes to watch, and it'll keep you from having to play through the whole game again if all you're looking for is a story refresher.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL517434D31A9B209F&feature=view_all

I'm also planning on doing Diablo 2, although that's probably a couple weeks away.

That's awesome, keep it up was searching for something like this to learn more about story.

 

[Bradach]

So if anybody wants a refresher on el juego Diablo Uno, I've recorded and edited together all of the key events from the game.

Should take you about 40 minutes to watch, and it'll keep you from having to play through the whole game again if all you're looking for is a story refresher.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL517434D31A9B209F&feature=view_all

I'm also planning on doing Diablo 2, although that's probably a couple weeks away.

thanks for this, i look forward to watching them. Very useful for me as D3 will be my first venture into the world! I'm looking forward to it!

 

[IceMarker]

Hmm...I have an i5 and a gtx460 with 4gb ram and my pc can't handle this game...I get like 3 fps in combat. Even with graphics all the way down. Something's not right here, my pc isn't that bad

I've heard Fullscreen Windowed is always the way to go.

 

[Ricker]

Hmm...I have an i5 and a gtx460 with 4gb ram and my pc can't handle this game...I get like 3 fps in combat. Even with graphics all the way down. Something's not right here, my pc isn't that bad

Something is wrong man,do some clean up,registry checks etc etc,this game is not that demanding,unless it's your connection with Battlenet that's bad, I don't see why you are getting 3fps...

Just beat the demo with the DH,it was easier then with the Monk hehe...now to try the Wiz or WD.

 

[TxdoHawk]

Hmm...I have an i5 and a gtx460 with 4gb ram and my pc can't handle this game...I get like 3 fps in combat. Even with graphics all the way down. Something's not right here, my pc isn't that bad

Have you updated your video card drivers? Checked to make sure your heat situation is a-ok? Checked Task Manager to make sure something in the background isn't misbehaving? Ran a spyware scan? Something definitely sounds off here.

 

[Deepo]

Battletag - Deepo#2499

 

[kirblar]

True, but the Sorceress had plenty promise of awesome spells (and they delivered on that promise). With the WD you already (at a low level) seem to have quite a lot of spells that don't particularly impress... It just makes me wonder whether there's something to look forward to with the DIII classes.

Look at the Wizard if you want someone closer to the sorceress. The WD is much closer to the Necromancer.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah, I wasn't comparing really. Most classes underwhelm a bit. It'll probably get better when you level past the beta content.

 

[sazzy]

So if anybody wants a refresher on el juego Diablo Uno, I've recorded and edited together all of the key events from the game.

Should take you about 40 minutes to watch, and it'll keep you from having to play through the whole game again if all you're looking for is a story refresher.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL517434D31A9B209F&feature=view_all

I'm also planning on doing Diablo 2, although that's probably a couple weeks away.

thank you! very helpful.

 

[padlock]

I’ve yet to see any skill tree that offers anything but the illusion of customization.

I've seen this argument several times, and it always seems to miss the point to me. Even if it were true, even if any appearance of customization was simply an illusion, so what?

Some of the best gameplay momement I can remember are based almost entirely on the illusion of choice. Removing said 'choice' would absolutely make for a poorer gameplay experience, whether or not the choice was ultimately meaningfull.

I would expect game designers to understand this.

 

[Tacitus_]

I've seen this argument several times, and it always seems to miss the point to me. Even if it were true, even if any appearance of customization was simply an illusion, so what?

Some of the best gameplay momement I can remember are based almost entirely on the illusion of choice. Removing said 'choice' would absolutely make for a poorer gameplay experience, whether or not the choice was ultimately meaningfull.

I would expect game designers to understand this.

I think their argument boils down to "why have bloated skill trees when people will only use a couple of builds -- lets instead concentrate on few builds to make them more meaningful and fun".

They've been saying this for a while now. Putting your points into filler skills like putting five points to a talent that gives you 2% more damage per point isn't meaningful or fun.

 

[garath]

I think their argument boils down to "why have bloated skill trees when people will only use a couple of builds -- lets instead concentrate on few builds to make them more meaningful and fun".

They've been saying this for a while now. Putting your points into filler skills like putting five points to a talent that gives you 2% more damage per point isn't meaningful or fun.

That's really what it boils down to. Making the base skills themselves more meaningful is a huge step forward. The runed abilities give you choice, even if that choice can be changed 30 seconds later.

I've come around to the skill system and I like it. I envision builds that flex with the environment - i.e. getting torn up in a section and rearranging your build mid-fight to tackle it better. I love the idea of not being suck with choices I made before I started the game. IMO, the worst part of any RPG that locks in skill choices is feeling like I've wasted points or made the wrong decision and having to research the hell out of the different builds to find the "best".

 

[hobart]

So... I was really really underwhelmed with the Witch Doctor.... until I forced myself to play him.

I think he could very well be the most Dynamic of the classes available. Yes, after 6, he got REALLY interesting to play. Managing pets, debuff placement, DoT placement... he's a beast. I don't think he'll be my Day 1... but I think a lot of people are going to be rolling a REALLY strong class if they go with the Doctor.

It's hard. I think I've now spent enough time with each character through multiple patches to know that there will be SOMETHING I will miss in not going with that particular class. Part of me really wants to level multiple characters... but I really, really want to specialize in one first before delving into a second leveling.

Love the Barb. But part of me doesn't want to go with such a popular class. I think the solution is in whether or not I'll be playing with a couple of my friends exclusively. If that's the case, then maybe it's best I choose a character the best compliments the group. But with so little reason to play groups... and so little knowledge of the benefits of grouping due to relatively simple content....... WHO KNOWS?!

Haha. This is a good problem. I've had a lot of fun playing with these low levels in ways that cater to my particular style. This game is so deep... and there are still so many skills I have yet to use. Really excited.

 

[sazzy]

does anyone know who from the original blizzard north team worked on d3?

the machinima video i watched kinda suggested that the top people on left.

 

[zlatko]

Can't believe I never got into beta. I had opted for all betas well over a year ago and have a PC well above the specs this game needs for max graphics. Played a ton of SC2 too, and WoW.

Day 1, but still woulda liked to enjoy it a little earlier too. ; ;

 

[mysteriousmage09]

Thank god I guess.

Knew it was wrong the second I read it last week.

 

[Corky]

Posted?

Demon Hunter Spotlight

 

[Tacitus_]

does anyone know who from the original blizzard north team worked on d3?

the machinima video i watched kinda suggested that the top people on left.

They did and then they made Hellgate London.

 

[JohnOfMars]

Played the D3 beta on my Mac for the first time last night and oof! It's bad. I can run Skyrim on this hardware at 720p ultra or 1080p high and I couldn't get Diablo 3 to run smoothly at all. Graphics set to 720p with lowest settings across the board. Shadows off, physics off, textures low. Looks terrible, but even then if I get more than 5 enemies on screen, it just stutters and even freezes. I wasn't expecting to max out graphics, but I was at least expecting something smooth. I beat the minimum specs and am close to recommended.

Minimum req's:
Mac® OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.x or newer
Intel® Core 2 Duo
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT or ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 or better
2 GB RAM

My system:
10.7.3
Intel Core i3 550 3.22GHz
ATI HD 5670 512MB
4 GB of RAM

It looks like I'm not the only one based on the b.net forums. But man, I was hoping for better. This is terrible and really making me reconsider my pre-order.

Any other GAFers playing on Mac?

 

[KKRT00]

Posted?

Demon Hunter Spotlight

Really liked environment and enemies design from 1:34.

BTW next Blizzards footage with framerate problems ;\

 

[hobart]

Played the D3 beta on my Mac for the first time last night and oof! It's bad. I can run Skyrim on this hardware at 720p ultra or 1080p high and I couldn't get Diablo 3 to run smoothly at all. Graphics set to 720p with lowest settings across the board. Shadows off, physics off, textures low. Looks terrible, but even then if I get more than 5 enemies on screen, it just stutters and even freezes. I wasn't expecting to max out graphics, but I was at least expecting something smooth. I beat the minimum specs and am close to recommended.

Minimum req's:
Mac® OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.x or newer
Intel® Core 2 Duo
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT or ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 or better
2 GB RAM

My system:
10.7.3
Intel Core i3 550 3.22GHz
ATI HD 5670 512MB
4 GB of RAM

It looks like I'm not the only one based on the b.net forums. But man, I was hoping for better. This is terrible and really making me reconsider my pre-order.

Any other GAFers playing on Mac?

Yep. Few of us have lamented on these forums. If you read a bit more within the bnet forums... you'll see that they are putting it on optimization issues. Many people are even reporting that lowering the settings makes things even worse. The one fix that I've found that DID help optimization was turning off shadows. I never missed it.

I do get by, however. Seeing as how you play Skyrim on your Mac, I can safely assume you run it through Bootcamp. If you are, and you've got Win7, I recommend playing D3 on Windowed mode that way. I feel you... you are probably like me and wish to play D3 on yer native Mac OSX....... but if you need your D3 fix... there really is no better option for Mac users right now.

 

[Blast Processing]

Excuse the trifling question, but will beta achivements (the ones for doing things in the beta, specifically) carry over to full release edition? I want my exclusive limited edition cheevos.

 

[FrontalMonk]

nope. they didn't in SC2, and they won't here.

 

[Blast Processing]

nope. they didn't in SC2, and they won't here.

Phew, now I can blitz Dota 2 non-stop until May 15 and not feel like I'm missing out on anything.

 

[Macattk15]

Why do people cry about the in-game real money AH as one of the reason they won't play D3? Sure it may mean less sweet sweet items on the non real money AH ... but oh well. I got all my items in D2 through trading / looting .... there was no AH for me to peruse.

People do it in Diablo 2 ... go look at Ebay for item sales .... this is nothing new. It's just that Blizzard is making it legitimate now.

Only the hardcore players will use it .... and the stupid of course ... if you play in "hardcore" mode anyway .. you can't even use the RM AH.

 

[ShadowgeistX]

So I found out recently...that I had D3 beta access all along, and they didn't bother to send an email or anything. So I installed and played it this weekend.

It's not a bad game so far, but there's some parts where my fps basically drops to 0, freezing my computer for a second before rapidly catching back up. I have no idea why it happens, although it seems to be happening with more environmental effects like knocking down a bookshelf onto a mob. I hope they address this sometime, it's kind of distracting.

Looking at the character select screen, there seems to be a severe lack of an actual armored character. Everyone seems so naked at this point lol

 

[SteveWD40]

So I found out recently...that I had D3 beta access all along, and they didn't bother to send an email or anything. So I installed and played it this weekend.

It's not a bad game so far, but there's some parts where my fps basically drops to 0, freezing my computer for a second before rapidly catching back up. I have no idea why it happens, although it seems to be happening with more environmental effects like knocking down a bookshelf onto a mob. I hope they address this sometime, it's kind of distracting.

Looking at the character select screen, there seems to be a severe lack of an actual armored character. Everyone seems so naked at this point lol

We all have that issue at some point, it's known, so we can just hope for a fix pre-retail.

They get more armoured as they go along