Diablo III --Impressions start on page 36 --

[Blackjack]

While I liked Diablo II quite a bit, I never quite got as addicted to it as I did with Diablo. I would never argue Diablo was a better game, but I think the slower movement speed (you couldn't just run away from danger) gave it a different sort of pacing and feel than D2. And given how small Condor/Blizzard North was in 1996, it almost felt like I'd "discovered" an indy-developed game at the time (certainly not a feeling anyone associates with Blizzard today).

D2 also suffered from a pretty mediocre resolution limit for its day. The artwork was groovy as always, but it felt odd to be playing a fixed 640X480 rez game in 2000 (I know fans eventually modded the game to play at higher resolutions).

I'd had lots of affection for Darkstone, Divine Divinity, Sacred and Titan Quest /w Immortal Throne expansion installed (the original TQ alone, not so much). Even some screwed up attempts at Diablo clones like Silverfall and some bargain sci-fi clickfests I've played have been kinda fun. But history suggests Diablo clones are kind of a dead-end in the sales department for developers not named Blizzard.

[skystride]

D2 also suffered from a pretty mediocre resolution limit for its day. The artwork was groovy as always, but it felt odd to be playing a fixed 640X480 rez game in 2000 (I know fans eventually modded the game to play at higher resolutions).

I was also turned off by the pixelated graphics of Diablo 2 initially.  Even Diablo 1 pre-rendered character models looked better.  But it looks like D3 will have current-gen graphics so I'm pretty happy with that.  I noticed that SC2 has an in-game journal with unit description and tech trees.  I hope they expand on that and have a full fledged Tome (like in Warhammer Online) with beastiary, npc, location info etc.

[Lee]

Starcraft 2 can be hard to win, but the gameplay is incredibly simple, unoriginal and kind of boring. You can't get much more basic in a RTS.

I guess we are playing two different games. 

I am not really a RTS fan, and I really don't like SC2 much. Feels like 1 with better graphics.

Not sure why I bought an RTS where you can't pause and give orders. My own fault.

[Blackjack]

Some actual, perhaps disappointing Diablo III non-news news...

Gamescom D3 Demo (Apparently) Confirmed to be 2009 Repeat
http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/gamescom-d3-demo-confirmed-to-be-2009-repeat/
*The issue seems to be that Blizz isn't yet saying whether it will have a new Diablo III demo at the upcoming Gamescom event, or not. And fans are making decisions about whether to attend, based on if there'll be new footage or not.

If not, then the theory is that more likely Blizzcon in October will be focusing on Diablo III and maybe have a new demo at that point.

[jersoc]

Bring on all the D3 demo in blizzcon i say! 

[Blackjack]

I vote they shift Diablo's character over to SC2 and bring Kerrigan over to Diablo III...

Raynor: "Dammit! I'd sell my soul to find a way to save Kerrigan's soul!"
Diablo: "You rang?"

Meanwhile, in Tristram...

Caine: "What otherworldly evil defiles this place. " *sniff* "It smells like... Zerg."
Kerrigan: "Stay a while and listen... old man. AHAHAHAHAHA."

It works better with cinematics in place though.  

[Knightshade Dragon]

Caine: "What otherworldly evil defiles this place. " *sniff* "It smells like... Zerg."

I can't be the only one that read that in Caine's voice....

[jersoc]

according to blizzard's D3 twitter they are announcing a new feature tomorrow. I'm assuming something MP centric, maybe dealing with trading items? I don't really know just speculating.

[EddieA]

according to blizzard's D3 twitter they are announcing a new feature tomorrow. I'm assuming something MP centric, maybe dealing with trading items? I don't really know just speculating.

The new feature is artisans.  They're NPCs that you can recruit (by doing a quest) who follow you throughout the world and perform services for you.  The Gametrailers video shows the blacksmith, who can add sockets to items and craft new ones using the new item crafting feature.  Artisans can level up to enhance their abilities.  There are supposed to be several types of artisans, but the video only shows the blacksmith.

[CeeKay]

darn, I was hoping for more info on the Archivist.

[Isgrimnur]

darn, I was hoping for more info on the Archivist.

They won't announce that until 4/1/11.

[Blackjack]

according to blizzard's D3 twitter they are announcing a new feature tomorrow. I'm assuming something MP centric, maybe dealing with trading items? I don't really know just speculating.

The new feature is artisans.  They're NPCs that you can recruit (by doing a quest) who follow you throughout the world and perform services for you.  The Gametrailers video shows the blacksmith, who can add sockets to items and craft new ones using the new item crafting feature.  Artisans can level up to enhance their abilities.  There are supposed to be several types of artisans, but the video only shows the blacksmith.

Cool, but I really like Artisan sandwiches. Can they help me with that? 

[ANZAC]

Until D3 comes out you can always play D2 in a windowed mode with graphics set to 800x600 looks a lot better than all stretched to hell on the new monitors.

Don't think there are any patches that improve graphics. Game just too old.

[Reemul]

D2 multires will allow you toplay in any resolution. It only supports up to version 1.12 not 1.13.

My PC is knackered atm so am using a crappy laptop and just installed D2 and it works great at 1280 x 800, no issues so far.

http://www.moddb.com/games/diablo-2/downloads/d2multires-version-102

[CeeKay]

I'm thinking of trying D2 on my netbook. I figure it should be able to run.

[leo8877]

I liked the rainbows comment at the end of the Artisan video

[rittchard]

The new feature is artisans.  They're NPCs that you can recruit (by doing a quest) who follow you throughout the world and perform services for you. 

Sweet!!!  I wish I could get this in real life too 

[Isgrimnur]

For breeders, they're called children.  I was my father's remote control for years.

[EddieA]

Here's an artisan FAQ from Blizzard -

Diablo III Caravan FAQ
Q: What is the caravan?
A: The caravan is a persistent group that follows the heroes across Sanctuary, providing a centralized hub for players to find quest givers, crafters, and other important NPCs. As your character moves through the world so too will your loyal band, setting up in specific locations to remain close by should you need them.

Q: Who are the artisans?
A: In order to access the professions in Diablo III, you’ll need to gain the loyalty of various artisans through your travels in Sanctuary. The blacksmith, mystic, and jeweler will each provide unique services over the course of the game.

Q: What do the artisans offer?
A: Skilling up your artisans will unlock unique recipes, granting your character access to benefits that may not be found anywhere else in the world. The blacksmith crafts weapons and armor, and can add sockets to some items. The mystic creates scrolls, potions, magical weapons, spell runes, and charms, and can also enchant items. The jeweler crafts gems , amulets, and rings. The jeweler can also remove gems from socketed items and can combine gems to improve their quality.

Q: How do I find the artisans?
A: Finding the artisans will be part of the main quest. Each artisan has been fleshed out to include their own story and quest line.

Q: How do I use the artisans?
A: You’ll collect loot as a reward for slaughtering the forces of the Burning Hells. Unwanted items can be salvaged in your inventory, converting these goods into raw crafting materials—higher-level items are salvaged into higher-level materials. You’ll then take those raw materials and hand them over to the artisans, putting them to work crafting or enchanting for you. Upon returning to the caravan after a lengthy foray, you may also find that the artisans have been hard at work plying their trade for your benefit.

Q: How do I salvage my items?
A: Players will find an item while progressing through the main quest that will allow them to convert unwanted gear into crafting materials from the inventory. This item will not take up any inventory space. This should be a more satisfying option for offloading unwanted loot than the alternative—dropping things on the ground or making frequent trips to a vendor.

Q: Why are you including crafting professions in an action game?
A: Professions add depth to the item collection gameplay that drives the action of Diablo III. We want to provide players with an alternative way to acquire gear, potions, and other randomly found items. We also want to provide additional forms of customization for players—adding jewels, enchants, or sockets to existing gear allows players to further tailor their characters. Many rare crafting recipes and materials are only found as world drops, enhancing the item acquisition process by increasing the diversity of items dropped by monsters.

[jersoc]

Looks cool, I was way off lol. Figured with all this bnet stuff they've been doing they would announce something using that.

Only 2 more months til I can take this for a spin!

Torchlight 2 spring, diablo 3 winter would be the greatest year ever. too bad D3 is 2012 before the world gets destroyed

[Caine]

no console version is planned.  bummer.

[Daehawk]

Per the front page.....

Artisan crafting at the caravan video

OMG! That looks wonderful!

[CeeKay]

no console version is planned.  bummer.

they say it's possible though.

[Farscry]

Diablo 1 was ported over to the original Playstation, so it wouldn't be unprecedented.

[Blackjack]

Diablo 1 was ported over to the original Playstation, so it wouldn't be unprecedented.

Anything's possible and anything can be "precedented,"   but if Diablo III sells the way SC2 has on PC (or the way D2 did), there's really no compelling reason for Blizz to bash its head against the console market again. And that's fine by me.  

I guess the Champions of Norrath guys (Snowblind Studios) are doing War in the North rather than bringing CoN to PS3, which is something I might've signed up for.

[skystride]

if Diablo III sells the way SC2 has on PC (or the way D2 did), there's really no compelling reason for Blizz to bash its head against the console market again.

Why?  Blizzard hates making even more money?

Besides, modern day console can support multiplayer much better.  Also I'm sure Blizzard has a little bit more money than they used to back then.  So they could do a much better job than say Sacred 2 or Divinity 2.

[Farscry]

Oh, PC is honestly the only way to go for me for Diablo III. It just wouldn't feel right playing it without a mouse & keyboard (or without the modding potential! There are some awesome D2 mods on the pc). However, yeah, I could see it working on the console market too.

[Blackjack]

if Diablo III sells the way SC2 has on PC (or the way D2 did), there's really no compelling reason for Blizz to bash its head against the console market again.

Why?  Blizzard hates making even more money?

No, because I'm a selfish SOB PC player who doesn't want one of the few remaining big-time PC-game-only developers to sell out to consoles and start making PC game ports that are screwed up and forget people have mouses. As I said, that's good enough for me, but maybe not for everyone.  

That said, I don't ever see Blizzard just dump-porting a Diablo game to current consoles. I could have seen them working with someone like Snowblind (Champions of Norrath etc.) to do a Diablo game designed from the ground up for consoles. WoW is already their "license to print money." Bringing a Blizz game in good form to consoles might be worth the trouble, but I doubt they need more money at this point.

The fact they tabbed Nihilistic and then Swinging Ape for SC: Ghost before "suspending" it suggests they realize console games aren't their bailiwick, but that they haven't yet found a console development partner that meets their standards/goals for bringing Blizzard back to consoles.

[Butterknife]

Blizzard doesn't really like to let other studios work on their stuff.  I used to work for Saffire, the company that made the Brood Wars expansion pack for Starcraft.  Long story short, Blizzard had a bad experience with them and scuttlebutt around the office was that Blizzard had vowed never to make another game with a third party. 

From what I understand Blizzard wanted to go back over the expansion tweaking things for as long as it took to make it "good", and Saffire needed their paycheck and was convinced that the expansion was "done".  The companies had a falling out, and Blizzard released the expansion pack after about 1 additional month of tweaking (by themselves).  This was many many years ago, but it explains a lot in hindsight.

[SkyLander]

I look forward to playing this game in 2015.

[Caine]

I look forward to playing this game in 2015.

quiet you!

it will be 2016 for sure

[CeeKay]

I look forward to playing this game in 2015.

quiet you!

it will be 2016 for sure

bah, we'll all be dead before the closed beta starts.

[CeeKay]

on health.

[jersoc]

hey, didnt someone play this at pax? let's hear some impressions.

5 more weeks for me!

[MaxSteele]

hey, didnt someone play this at pax? let's hear some impressions.

5 more weeks for me!

Blizzard wasn't at PAX this year.

[CeeKay]

the female barbarian looks like Conan in drag.

[Alefroth]

the female barbarian looks like Conan in drag.

What drag?

[CeeKay]

it doesn't look like Diablo 3 is getting much love at Blizzcon 2010.  unless I'm missing something they're only giving 3 hours of presentations on it aside from the demo

[leo8877]

it doesn't look like Diablo 3 is getting much love at Blizzcon 2010.  unless I'm missing something they're only giving 3 hours of presentations on it aside from the demo

All about Cata this year then?  Since there's no SC2 Heart of the Swarm love, either.

[jersoc]

i'll be at the D3 gameplay one.