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[V_Arnold]

I liked how Lightning Enchanted Multishot Magic Immune Physical Immune bosses would always appear when you play a melee character.

What's the most special attributes a Hell monster could have? I recall some of them being immune to pretty much everything except 1 attack type.

Hell pindleskin!

 

[Gromph]

Hell pindleskin!

Uber mobs

 

[Teknoman]

Yeah, I can definitely guarantee there won't be an area as mindblowingly awesome as the Arcane Sanctuary in DIII.

Good God, I'm so sour about how bland the environments look in this game. None of them stand out or have their own identity like the ones in DII.

I wouldnt call them bland, and we've just seen a couple of field areas, and one dungeon or so.

 

[SamuraiX-]

I wouldnt call them bland, and we've just seen a couple of field areas, and one dungeon or so.

Has that been confirmed? I'm getting the feeling that most of the areas just look alike now.

 

[V_Arnold]

Has that been confirmed? I'm getting the feeling that most of the areas just look alike now.

Oh, dear lord in heaven, put me into a hibernated sleep before the Doom and Gloom is finally over in this board. Please.

Spoiler

Do not, Creator. I love living

Jeez, it should be pretty obvious to you why you are not seeing footage from anything beyond act 1 and you are not seeing ANY act bosskill youtube videos neither.

I want to create a thread with only pictures from Diablo 2 Act 1 and show it to players who never played it. I wonder if they will predict the same as you do now, regarding of the full game's enviromental variety.

 

[Teknoman]

Has that been confirmed? I'm getting the feeling that most of the areas just look alike now.

Using D2 as a reference, we had a grassy area, a few normal caves, and then a dungeon area with crazy bloody stuff and stone structures in act 1. Since they havent shown anything outside of act 1, and we've seen a fairly normal area surrounding tristram, a dark cathedral dungeon, and a desolate desert area...i'm thinking the rest of the acts will be pretty different.

I mean they've sort of already covered what was shown in Diablo II act 1 and 2 for the most part in early act 1.

That and i'm optimistic since I havent really seen a crappy environment from any Blizzard team yet.

 

[V_Arnold]

Using D2 as a reference, we had a grassy area, a few normal caves, and then a dungeon area with crazy bloody stuff and stone structures in act 1. Since they havent shown anything outside of act 1, and we've seen a fairly normal area surrounding tristram, a dark cathedral dungeon, and a desolate desert area...i'm thinking the rest of the acts will be pretty different.

I mean they've sort of already covered what was shown in Diablo II act 1 and 2 for the most part in early act 1.

That and i'm optimistic since I havent really seen a crappy environment from any Blizzard team yet.

Yeah. I would be hard pressed to find ANY blizzard game that have ever been done and that had lacked the variety in the enviroments. In World of Warcraft, even if they do an expansion with 5 new zones, that 5 new zones each differ radically AND have 5-6 TOTALLY differently-looking subzones with different colors, lightning and textureset.

Variety is not gonna be a problem, I am absolutely sure on this.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Yeah, I can definitely guarantee there won't be an area as mindblowingly awesome as the Arcane Sanctuary in DIII.

Good God, I'm so sour about how bland the environments look in this game. None of them stand out or have their own identity like the ones in DII.

When can we expect your full review?

 

[chris-013]

Desert area (monk gameplay) is act 2.

 

[Teknoman]

Desert area (monk gameplay) is act 2.

Hmm? So we revisit Lut Gholein(sp) (or at least the region near it)?

 

[V_Arnold]

Desert area (monk gameplay) is act 2.

Yeah, true. Or, to be more precise, the start of it : )

 

[SamuraiX-]

Using D2 as a reference, we had a grassy area, a few normal caves, and then a dungeon area with crazy bloody stuff and stone structures in act 1. Since they havent shown anything outside of act 1, and we've seen a fairly normal area surrounding tristram, a dark cathedral dungeon, and a desolate desert area...i'm thinking the rest of the acts will be pretty different.

I mean they've sort of already covered what was shown in Diablo II act 1 and 2 for the most part in early act 1.

That and i'm optimistic since I havent really seen a crappy environment from any Blizzard team yet.

I suppose I just can't get used to this new art style they have going. Something about it still doesn't sit well with me.

Btw, do we have any images of gameplay with a user interface? I wonder why they leave it off in all the gameplay videos. Do they think it's giving away too much?

 

[antipod]

Hmm? So we revisit Lut Gholein(sp) (or at least the region near it)?

I don't know but there are more desert areas in Sanctuary even though those are way off from Tristram and its surroundings.

Edit: And there are lots of artwork from Diablo 3 including the CG trailer where a rather large desert city is pictured. Caldeum maybe? So it could be near that.

 

[Raide]

Yeah. I would be hard pressed to find ANY blizzard game that have ever been done and that had lacked the variety in the enviroments. In World of Warcraft, even if they do an expansion with 5 new zones, that 5 new zones each differ radically AND have 5-6 TOTALLY differently-looking subzones with different colors, lightning and textureset.

Variety is not gonna be a problem, I am absolutely sure on this.

Fully agree. Blizzard know how to make huge worlds with lots of variety and tiny details. I am sure Diablo 3 will be no different. We have seen utterly nothing of Hell or even what the other boss worlds are like, though we do know we will be re-visiting some of the D2 levels like Kurast and Lut Gholein.

 

[MrKnives]

I suppose I just can't get used to this new art style they have going. Something about it still doesn't sit well with me.

Btw, do we have any images of gameplay with a user interface? I wonder why they leave it off in all the gameplay videos. Do they think it's giving away too much?

You mean something like this? There is also some good gameplay videos with the interface so they haven't been hiding it all the time.

Edit: Not the greatest pic for the gameplay itself but just in your mind remove the right item menu. The lower part is the same. I'll try to find those videos.

 

[SamuraiX-]

Ah, that's right. I completely forgot about those videos. Wasn't that like a year ago though?

I assume they've done some tweaking since then.

Thanks for finding that.

 

[Gromph]

Ah, that's right. I completely forgot about those videos. Wasn't that like a year ago though?

I assume they've done some tweaking since then.

Thanks for finding that.

You are looking for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEvThjiE038

 

[Raide]

You are looking for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEvThjiE038

I love the start of this video. Really sums up Diablo for me.

 

[Yoshichan]

These two pictures makes me shiver all over my body... those are the four stats they've been talking about. Wait, where's the stat for magic power? (I know there was no such thing i D2).

 

[Goldmund]

These two pictures makes me shiver all over my body... those are the four stats they've been talking about. Wait, where's the stat for magic power? (I know there was no such thing i D2).

So is there no elemental damage anymore? If it is tantamount to physical damage (»all damage«), it's as if they removed it. I liked the resistance penalties you got in Nightmare and Hell.

 

[chris-013]

Magic power = attack.

Elemental damages/resists are still in.

 

[Yoshichan]

Magic power = attack.

Elemental damages/resists are still in.

Oh shit, so attack = for both melee AND casters?

 

[Goldmund]

Magic power = attack.

They should have streamlined it to a single stat: fun. It increases automatically as you level up and implicates attack (magical and physical), dexterity, health, stamina, mana and defense.

 

[Corky]

You are looking for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEvThjiE038

Oh god... I really hope that they didn't steer away from this. That looks so much better than the recent media. I swear, if they've gone and intentionally scaled it BACK from that point for whatever reason ( consoles/younameit ) I will be crying blood in my stomach.

 

[chris-013]

Oh shit, so attack = for both melee AND casters?

Ye it's from the new shitty WoW's easy stats system...

Funny screenshot from blizzard campus :

 

[derFeef]

You are looking for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEvThjiE038

Still awesome. That is why I was so disappointed with the new videos, it was lacking the weigth and feel somehow.

 

[Goldmund]

Ye it's from the new shitty WoW's easy stats system...

It's not shitty, it's easy, okay? Easy. Get it right next time.

 

[glaurung]

It's not shitty, it's easy, okay? Easy. Get it right next time.

But it's true that the stats increase on their own according to the character class, no user intervention required.

Unless you get some bonus points or something.

 

[chris-013]

Still awesome. That is why I was so disappointed with the new videos, it was lacking the weigth and feel somehow.

It's the most beautiful video and the only one with the HUD, it's strange...

 

[Zaptruder]

So is there no elemental damage anymore? If it is tantamount to physical damage (»all damage«), it's as if they removed it. I liked the resistance penalties you got in Nightmare and Hell.

The value of differing defensive resistances as in Diablo 2 is that it forces players to choose equipment dependent on what they wanted to be resistant against.

The optimized player solution is to keep and collect a wide variety of resistance gear and equip them depending on enemies faced - which differ depending on area played.

It's a gameplay mechanic that can be defeated via rote learnt knowledge, rather than nuanced skill - it's also a gameplay mechanic that introduced more hassle than to the player than the value of the fun provided by matching up resistance gear to the monsters in a given act.

Rolling it into a single defensive stat still allows for a trade-off between other stats such as attack and hit chance, and even damage capacity (vitality). Also the penalty of nightmare and hell mode can still be applied.

Moreover, additional nuance can be added via a critical hit reduction mechanic - a trade off between general defense, and defending against sudden spiking burst damage.

i.e. do you want to reduce the average rate of damage, or do you want to reduce the instances of unexpected damage?

 

[chris-013]

The last leaked screens :

 

[Yoshichan]

Really hate the "3.45 damage per second"-screen :/

 

[Goldmund]

But it's true that the stats increase on their own according to the character class, no user intervention required.

Unless you get some bonus points or something.

What?! I was just joking around there. Okay, it seems I'm completely out of the loop and I apologize for asking so many stupid questions.

Man, that's just terrible. Why was there no uproar because of this? Who cares about always on DRM and real money auction houses? Maybe the number of possible points distributions that made any sense to begin with was negligibly small, but it's the illusion of choice that makes a game, isn't it?

 

[MrKnives]

Really hate the "3.45 damage per second"-screen :/

Why?

 

[Raide]

Really hate the "3.45 damage per second"-screen :/

They added a DPS listing on weapons, so they have to show it somewhere, else it would be a bit pointless. Remember bigger numbers are better!

 

[Yoshichan]

Why?

It's extremely simple and I hate the word dps in Diablo since it varies so much depending on how you play.

 

[Corky]

It's extremely simple and I hate the word dps in Diablo since it varies so much depending on how you play.

I agree with this.

 

[MrKnives]

It's extremely simple and I hate the word dps in Diablo since it varies so much depending on how you play.

True. But don't know if I agree on "bigger is better" in here so I could live with this. That would apply if every attack is similar.

 

[Yoshichan]

I agree with this.

That's fine though! That's one negative thing in this game (out of 418 other amazing stuff).

 

[V_Arnold]

What?! I was just joking around there. Okay, it seems I'm completely out of the loop and I apologize for asking so many stupid questions.

Man, that's just terrible. Why was there no uproar because of this? Who cares about always on DRM and real money auction houses? Maybe the number of possible points distributions that made any sense to begin with was negligibly small, but it's the illusion of choice that makes a game, isn't it?

Illusion of choice?
No, real choice makes a game.

HOW you play is still totally interactive.
You still get to choose your own traits, your own skills and your own gear. That is the core in this game.

(Not to mention that the majority of D2 build FAQS went like... put str so you can wear item X, put dex so you can wear item Y, put 0 to energy, ALL to vitality. Were there exceptions to this? Yeah, a few. But the majority was this.)

It's extremely simple and I hate the word dps in Diablo since it varies so much depending on how you play.

You do realize that weapon dps and attack dps only means the auto-attack, right?

 

[Yoshichan]

You do realize that weapon dps and attack dps only means the auto-attack, right?

Yep (white damage in WoW), but I feel that it's so pointless in this game.

 

[Aeris130]

What?! I was just joking around there. Okay, it seems I'm completely out of the loop and I apologize for asking so many stupid questions.

Man, that's just terrible. Why was there no uproar because of this? Who cares about always on DRM and real money auction houses? Maybe the number of possible points distributions that made any sense to begin with was negligibly small, but it's the illusion of choice that makes a game, isn't it?

It wasn't just negligibly small, it was: Enough str/dex to wear your endgame equipment, dump the rest into vitality. Glad they removed it.

 

[Gromph]

Yep (white damage in WoW), but I feel that it's so pointless in this game.

I dont think will be AA in this game...

 

[Sol..]

What?! I was just joking around there. Okay, it seems I'm completely out of the loop and I apologize for asking so many stupid questions.

Man, that's just terrible. Why was there no uproar because of this? Who cares about always on DRM and real money auction houses? Maybe the number of possible points distributions that made any sense to begin with was negligibly small, but it's the illusion of choice that makes a game, isn't it?

it's one of the many decisions they made to eliminate min-maxing. From the interviews i've watched they really do think this stuff through and I can't wait to try out the execution of their ideas.

 

[Yoshichan]

(Not to mention that the majority of D2 build FAQS went like... put str so you can wear item X, put dex so you can wear item Y, put 0 to energy, ALL to vitality. Were there exceptions to this? Yeah, a few. But the majority was this.)

Agreed. This turned out quite boring after a few characters.

 

[V_Arnold]

Yep (white damage in WoW), but I feel that it's so pointless in this game.

Pointless or not, DPS as a "stat" was used constantly in any D2-related discussions (calculating with frame data and assuming some spamming ), so I do not care if it is in there. It just helps some players who would not choose a faster weapon just cause its "damage:x-y" is lower to compensate, but the DPS is actually higher.

Of course, that can be also misleading when it comes to procs and additional (possibly flat) damage modifiers, but that now is learning the game itself

 

[Goldmund]

The value of differing defensive resistances as in Diablo 2 is that it forces players to choose equipment dependent on what they wanted to be resistant against.

The optimized player solution is to keep and collect a wide variety of resistance gear and equip them depending on enemies faced - which differ depending on area played.

It's a gameplay mechanic that can be defeated via rote learnt knowledge, rather than nuanced skill - it's also a gameplay mechanic that introduced more hassle than to the player than the value of the fun provided by matching up resistance gear to the monsters in a given act.

Rolling it into a single defensive stat still allows for a trade-off between other stats such as attack and hit chance, and even damage capacity (vitality). Also the penalty of nightmare and hell mode can still be applied.

Moreover, additional nuance can be added via a critical hit reduction mechanic - a trade off between general defense, and defending against sudden spiking burst damage.

i.e. do you want to reduce the average rate of damage, or do you want to reduce the instances of unexpected damage?

I completely agree, it often could be a hassle and it wasn't a very intricate mechanic. However, it did introduce additional narratives (»I was still weak against lightning when a lightning enchanted unique appeared«) whose involved fabric is what often makes games like Diablo for me.

 

[V_Arnold]

I completely agree, it often could be a hassle and it wasn't a very intricate mechanic. However, it did introduce additional narratives (»I was still weak against lightning when a lightning enchanted unique appeared«) whose involved fabric is what often makes games like Diablo for me.

You just have to wait and experience D3's own mechanics like that. All we know so far is what is NOT like D2. I cant wait to finally drown in the amount of possibilities (and potential fuckups) regarding runing my skills.

 

[Goldmund]

It wasn't just negligibly small, it was: Enough str/dex to wear your endgame equipment, dump the rest into vitality. Glad they removed it.

While that is true, making the stats more meaningful and equally desirable (»how do I personally want to balance them out?«) could have saved the player-based distribution and magnified the build variety.

You just have to wait and experience D3's own mechanics like that. All we know so far is what is NOT like D2. I cant wait to finally drown in the amount of possibilities (and potential fuckups) regarding runing my skills.

You're right. I don't mean to be concern-trolling.

 

[MrKnives]

You just have to wait and experience D3's own mechanics like that. All we know so far is what is NOT like D2. I cant wait to finally drown in the amount of possibilities (and potential fuckups) regarding runing my skills.

I'm actually complele in the dark. Can you delete characters ( I would assume ) and wasn't the max character count at 10? Remember something like that from a interview with Wilson.