Diablo 3

[Darklord]

World exclusive review!

http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/15/world ... 0-49-30-42

Daniel.

[Billick]

Hmmm... the server issues must have cleared up by the time I was able to play, because I was logged in for 3 or 4 hours last night without any problems. I'm enjoying the game so far.

[Thels]

Hmmm... the server issues must have cleared up by the time I was able to play, because I was logged in for 3 or 4 hours last night without any problems. I'm enjoying the game so far.

The server issues were during the first 3 or so hours after release, so monday on tuesday night. Other than that, they have been quite stable.

Though, be sure to assign an easy to reach hotkey to MOVE. I didn't bother, since I thought, leftclick is move as well. Caused me the death of a level 25 HC Demon Hunter.

[Darklord]

Though, be sure to assign an easy to reach hotkey to MOVE. I didn't bother, since I thought, leftclick is move as well. Caused me the death of a level 25 HC Demon Hunter.

How come that got you killed? Surrounded by that many enemies there was no wear to safely click to move to?

Daniel.

[Thels]

Nope.

SpoilerShow

The act 2 boss is really huge, and you're basically walking around on a small platform around his waist, while his arms are also all over the place. He occasionally swings an arm at you. Easy to dodge, but I constantly clicked somewhere that was considered to be part of him, making me continue shooting.

Obviously, I now hotkeyed MOVE (to Mouse4), so that my 2nd DH won't suffer the same fate.

[Isaac]

Actually, there are no TP scrolls in Diablo 3. It's now a free spell everyone learns early in act 1.

That's a shame. D3 gets worse the more I read about it.

However, eventually somewhere towards the end of this decennium everyone has stable internet everywhere, and then "always online" comes as zero annoyance to any user as they will be always online. Then it only makes sense for everyone to use it as a copy protection, as by then it no longer comes with a downside.

This will not happen for PC savvy users. I won't install a game that that saves offsite, or demands a network presence when I am not requesting multiplayer ~which I'd almost never do.

When I first read that they were requiring server side character saves, that was enough to pass on D3, but the always online requirement seals it ~D3 is forever off the radar for me; same as a WoW.

** And I was really ~really looking forward to it; and Leonard Boyarski's work (being lead artist) was something I had wanted to see.

[Thels]

Actually, there are no TP scrolls in Diablo 3. It's now a free spell everyone learns early in act 1.

That's a shame. D3 gets worse the more I read about it.

Was Town Portal really that great in Diablo 1/2? It's a hack-n-slash action game, not an RPG, and the current Town Portal/Banner system makes the game flow a lot better than the old clunky town portal system.

However, eventually somewhere towards the end of this decennium everyone has stable internet everywhere, and then "always online" comes as zero annoyance to any user as they will be always online. Then it only makes sense for everyone to use it as a copy protection, as by then it no longer comes with a downside.

This will not happen for PC savvy users. I won't install a game that that saves offsite, or demands a network presence when I am not requesting multiplayer ~which I'd almost never do.

When I first read that they were requiring server side character saves, that was enough to pass on D3, but the always online requirement seals it ~D3 is forever off the radar for me; same as a WoW.

** And I was really ~really looking forward to it; and Leonard Boyarski's work (being lead artist) was something I had wanted to see.

"PC savvy users"? If you don't like it, sure, your good right not to buy the game, but don't assume that every PC savvy user thinks that way. As for saving files offsite, what really is the problem with that? I like it that when I'm at a friend's place, I can just continue to playing the game without having to bring stuff over.

But I seriously doubt you were really looking that forward to it, unless you have very crappy internet access. You're blowing this way bigger than it really is.

[Isaac]

Was Town Portal really that great in Diablo 1/2? It's a hack-n-slash action game, not an RPG, and the current Town Portal/Banner system makes the game flow a lot better than the old clunky town portal system.

Old and clunky? It was a magic scroll that if obtained, allowed you to cross a portal back to town and avoid the walk ~and it came at a price... or you walked. How is that clunky, and why is teaching every PC the magical town portal spell somehow better or even plausible in a world where the town portal spell exists... That would be a world without wagons.
It's a cheap tactic ~same as the recall stone in Neverwinter Nights. In essence it gives something that is absurdly useful for free when it's a convenience that should come at a cost.

and then "always online" comes as zero annoyance to any user as they will be always online.

This won't happen with users that do not want a game maintaining an active network connection for no point; do not want open ports that they aren't using. Unless I were running a dedicated server, I would never run a game that kept an always on connection while I played.

But I seriously doubt you were really looking that forward to it, unless you have very crappy internet access. You're blowing this way bigger than it really is.

Been waiting for years. Diablo 1 was great, D2 was ok. Both games had really fantastic music (which I usually listen to daily it would seem, as I have all the tracks on my car mp3 player). I would expect that Diablo 3 has even better music than the first two. If I ever see the sound track CD I'd buy it.

Diablo 3, Fallout 3, and Disciples 3 were my main anticipated upcoming titles a few years ago.

[Thels]

Was Town Portal really that great in Diablo 1/2? It's a hack-n-slash action game, not an RPG, and the current Town Portal/Banner system makes the game flow a lot better than the old clunky town portal system.

Old and clunky? It was a magic scroll that if obtained, allowed you to cross a portal back to town and avoid the walk ~and it came at a price... or you walked. How is that clunky, and why is teaching every PC the magical town portal spell somehow better or even plausible in a world where the town portal spell exists... That would be a world without wagons.
It's a cheap tactic ~same as the recall stone in Neverwinter Nights. In essence it gives something that is absurdly useful for free when it's a convenience that should come at a cost.

It's a hack and slash game, not an RPG. The current system keeps it fast-paced. The new Town Portal/Banner system is one way to improve the speed, and have your character focus more on the action and less on tedious walking around.

If you're looking for an RPG and "realism", don't play Diablo 3.

and then "always online" comes as zero annoyance to any user as they will be always online.

This won't happen with users that do not want a game maintaining an active network connection for no point; do not want open ports that they aren't using. Unless I were running a dedicated server, I would never run a game that kept an always on connection while I played.

Your loss, really.

[seebs]

But I seriously doubt you were really looking that forward to it, unless you have very crappy internet access. You're blowing this way bigger than it really is.

I play a lot of games on a laptop. The laptop goes places. Not all the places it goes have network connectivity. Heck, sometimes I just have a network outage, and since I can't work I wanna play video games.

The option of storing stuff online? Cool. A mandate that it must be online and you cannot play offline? Just one more reminder that the company called "Blizzard" today is not the company I used to be such a big fan of.