Ranger

Ranger

The classic range damage dealer class, a counter part of Amazon from Diablo 2 as one might say. Proficient with ranged weapons, these hunters ca either hunt alone or followed by their faithful beast companion . Living off in the forest, they hone their hunting skills and stalk their preys with silently till they strike it down with a precise shot. But this time, they will face the greatest hunt of all time. Armies of Evil are here and tracking down their leader are more perilous than any woodland.

I first thought about the ranger class because he would compensate the lack of a  physical range damage dealer in the game. I do expect bow and crossbows to drop in the game and who else is more fitting to use them other than the ranger. They would have the range capability of an Amazon with powerful companion like the Druid.

Clerics

Cleric

Do not let the name fool you. While some may practice a pacifist life of praying to their Gods, other are not afraid to stand up to protect their beliefs with their fist. Trained in combat, they can excel in fighting while at the same time provide support spells to themselves and their allies. Having one in the party would boost the party’s power tremendously. A Cleric know little spells that would harm a human but against undead or demons, is like putting a child against an orge. These demons would not stand a chance against the cleric’s holy might and blessed steels.

Try to imagine the Warrior Priest in the MMO, Warhammer and you will get the rough idea of what they are capable of. They are the paladin class of Diablo 3, filling in the role of buffer. Not to mention we will have a hybrid melee caster class with the Cleric around.

Rogue

Rogue

While Demons are spreading over the world, everyone will be affected by it. That even includes individuals that makes a living outside of the law. It is the perfect time to do some thieving with all the chaos that is risen by untold evils but their wealth will be for naught if they become underlings of Evils. With their livelihood threatened, they are not going to sit around and let the demons pocket their loot! And afterall, they may find some treasures during their adventure.

A rogue nicely fit in the overall class rooster. Having the Barbarians as the brute force melee, the Rogue will have a different side where they rely on taking oppurtunity and sneak attacks to win. No method is too dirty to ensure a victory.

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Development time

Diablo III UI

Developing games has always been a nightmare, especially for the PC. There is a multitude of hardware and software that the user has and the game must at least be working on most of them. Not only the developer need to make sure they get it working on the PC, users as well need to do some tweaking if they found out for some reason their installation is not working or their game is not working smooth enough.

As for consoles, it is a matter of within the construct of machine. The specifications are the same for all of them so what works for one will definitely works for all. This gives the developer less time to trying make the game work and more time optimizing it.

Patching

And the above point also lead to one disastrous thing, patching the game. Usually games require patch for 2 main reason, adding new content and fixing the game. While both PC and console need their fixes, console are easier to fix than their PC counterpart. The same reason would be the different configuration of the PC.

So the patch for PC might come later than the console as there are more things to fix and more testing to be done before it is released on the public. And most of the time patches always causes problems that the developer might not foresee. The consoles does that too but less. And not to mention they are easier to hot fix than the PC.

Online platform

The Xbox 360 have their Xbox live and PS3 got their PSN. Both online console have their online platform readily there. So there is no real need to develop an online platform for the game from scratch. This saves development time too.

But can Blizzard make use of these platform to integrate with their current Battle.net? The console online platform are made by others so Blizzard have limited control over them. Not to mention Blizzard came out with a new Battle.net(2.0) that lets them combine their Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft all into one online platform. So a new build of the game is almost neccessary needed to make sure it runs properly on the console’s online platform.

Game controller vs Keyboard and mouse

Controller vs Keyboard

That will be the biggest drawback. The first Diablo was develop with a console counterpart but Diablo 2 did not have it’s console port and it was popular to be one of those heavy clicking hack and slash games. And with the new Diablo 3 UI that was shown, it will be pretty hard for Diablo 3 to reconfigure itself to fit a game controller. I can’t imagine using the joystick to navigate while spamming the A button to attack then using a combination of D-Pad + buttons to cast my spells. The game controller also limits the readily function that you might be able to set.

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New Battle.net Login Page

It has been a week since the new Battle.net platform have been launched and here is my little review about it.

A few days after it’s release, I register myself early thinking that I need to reserve my login ID. It turns out that you will be using your email as your login ID so it will always be unique. Being concerned that I have to type my long email just to login, I simply registered myself using my gmail rather than my hotmail account. After filling in the forms, there was a little check box asking if I wanted to recieve mails about their news which is checked by default and another check box asking if you want to participate in any beta testing Blizzard might have. Gleefully I checked the tick box and thinking that it should also be checked by default.

After the registration, I found myself in the landing page. For now it is particullary empty and simple. So I started to add my World of Warcraft account into it. The merging process was quite simple and easy as it only ask for your login details and after clicking of a few Next button, it is already done. So far I only got one game to be added as my past experiance with Diablo 2, Starcraft and Warcraft 3 are played solely in cyber cafes. So I never got to try the downloadable games that you owned and registered.

Then I straight away login into my warcraft account. I thought my login details would still be the same but it seems that I now have to use my Battle.net account to login rather than my current World of Warcraft account. But everything as smooth as there were no error occured on my or the server’s side after the account merging.

Blizzard have really made sure that everything is running well and the account transistion is perfect. Though I never got to try the game download, I never had any problems so far regarding the new Battle.net. I do however feel the need to secure my PC more as now that all your Blizzard games is under one roof, the risk of you losing it all is bigger. But that should not stop you from registering an account. You can head over to the Create an account page or head over to Battle.net FAQ for more enquiries.

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Ahh!! The light! My eyes!!

I actually think this is one of the biggest complaints most people had when initial screenshots and videos of the game were released. There were even fans who came up with how they thought Diablo 3 should look like, taking official screenshots and editing them to be a lot darker, similar to Diablo 2.

Fans argued that Diablo is all about not knowing what and where your enemies are coming from, forcing you to step cautiously within the extremely limited visibility during gameplay. ShadowJr will agree with this statement, I’m sure.

Now, I’ve only seen a few screenshots and very limited gameplay of Diablo 1, but I remember saying that Diablo 1 was a lot darker compared to Diablo 2. It made me wonder if fans had complained about the same thing back when Diablo 2 was in development.

It struck me as odd that people are bashing and ranting because they felt that Diablo 3 was too bright and colourful, and that it might as well have rainbows and ponies prancing along in the dungeons.

Yes, I agree that Diablo 3 should look a bit darker. But I also agreed that Red Alert 2 looks like a cartoon RTS when screenshots were first released due to its bright and vivid colors, which was totally different from the other Command & Conquer games before it.

Looking back, it gave the Red Alert series a whole new personality. Red Alert became the “fun” side to C&C, and everyone ended up loving it. Not to mention, when you actually start playing the game, you no longer feel that you’re playing a cartoon-ish RTS anymore.

Is the level of brightness and colour pallete used in the game really makes much of a difference? We don’t know how it will affect the gameplay yet, so other than player familiarity and preference, we can’t say whether it will make or ruin the game.

Since the environment can now be influenced by player actions, it might actually be a good thing. Unless of course, you prefer to run around the dark and gloomy dungeon trying to figure out if there’s a wall you can destroy on your left to slow down the advancing horde while you have your hands full defending against the attacking swarm of undeads on your right.

This is still pretty dark

Personally, the graphics looks good to me right now. I don’t have any real complaints about it. It’s still dark, just the colours are more vibrant and alive, showing more details which players can appreciate and adding a whole new dimension to the gameplay. I mean, if you really like it dark, go replay the first 2 Diablo games.

Whether Blizzard will make any final adjustments to the game’s brightness and contrast level or not, I trust that they know what they’re doing in making the game the best it can possibly be while staying true to Diablo’s roots. If not, there is still time to complain and whine later, when they’ve released the game and we have some actual proof and a more solid argument to go by.

But still, it would be nice if Blizzard would make the game a teeny bit darker

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Diablo: Warrior in Catacombs

Diablo: Deeper into the Catacombs

The levels are dark, I can’t see far, I cannot guess what might happen around the corner, my character is just too ego-ly brave to be able to run, the sounds that accompanies me through the levels… they all add up to give me the impression that I was really going on an adventure down this scary trail. I remembered being scared of the game (hey, I was only 13 then), yet something drives me to continue playing and move on. Each time I got scared to the brink, be it being chase by an army of skeletons, lava throwers, acid spitters, succubus, Death Knights, I kept on playing till the end. I think it was really the superb gaming environment Blizzard created that keeps drawing me back to finish it.

Diablo: The Caves

In Diablo 2, the environment was improved. It was brighter, clearer, but something about it is just missing. I’m not saying the environment’s bad, it’s actually very much better compared to Diablo. The environment looked more real, with much more details, and great designs of the dungeons that suit the level’s theme.

Diablo2: Valley of the Snakes

It was still a very fun and addictive game (esp. for item hunters like me), but for some reason, I just don’t get the spooky, creepy, dungeon feeling anymore.

Diablo2: Durance of Hate

Maybe the way the dungeons are designed, the way the monster acted, and the music that comes with the dungeons just don’t match up perfectly. Maybe it’s also because my character have the ability to run now that allows me to run away from dangers. I rarely got scared, even if I’m surrounded by horde of monsters, saved for the big bosses themselves and when facing certain monster (the undead fetish, Baal’s Minnion). I’m not sure if you guys feels the same way, but something was just missing here.

LOD: Bloody Foothills

So what about Diablo 3? Let’s look at some of Diablo 3’s environment:

Diablo3: Dungeon

Diablo3: In the Open

I really just loved the way Blizzard somewhat have integrated both Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 environments and extra features into one superb masterpiece. Not only does the environment look awesome, detailed and realistic, it is now an interactive environment: one that the things you do can affect things in the environment (just like Half-life 2). Now check out the video below:

When I watched the Gameplay Trailer (those who haven’t watched it, go watch it here, under movies) , the dungeons are brighter and clearer, but something about it just gives me the dungeon’s creep.

I really can’t wait to see how other stages will look like…

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Personally, I rather have the game allow players to set up stalls to sell or offer trade like the vending in Ragnarok Online. Some people might find it annoying to have a sea of merchants hanging around but I believe it gives a sense of a busy and active community.

And, it’s always fun to hunt for a bargain

I’m not sure I understood all of what you said, sorry, it sort of read like stereo instructions written by the guy that scares people away from using the pay phone at the 7-11 down the street.

Just a couple of my own cents on the system. First off we really don’t have a solid plan for any sort of external trading system, that is anything beyond being in the same game with the person. We know we’d like something like that though if at all possible.

Foremost – spamming is bad. I think trade channels usually suck because of the requirement to spam. The amount of time and effort spent just to get your items noticed borders on brain-explosiony. Throw in the lack of easily gauged economy and you’re usually left out in the dark, laughed at, ripped off, etc. Your suggestion seems to mix the idea of an auction house and trade channel, in that you can use a channel in-game to spam, and then have some sort of UI to trade the item. That definitely solves one issue, which is needing to leave the game and just sit in a chat channel. What it doesn’t solve is needing to sit in a chat channel and spam. Sure, you could probably play and spam the channel every once in a while but it’s really not the cleanest approach. You’re still spamming a chat channel, you’re still limited to the people that want to see that spam (ie not many).

Since you brought it up let’s move on to the World of Warcraft’s auction house. World of Warcraft did not invent the auction house trading system. It may have certainly refined it, but an irrational hatred of the game that some of you seem to have really shouldn’t translate to game systems that aren’t original to it. There are some major advantages to an auction house similar to WoW’s. You don’t have to be present being the biggest and best. You can be playing with friends, PvPing, asleep, at school or work, and someone has the ability to see your items, and you have a greater chance to sell/trade them. You don’t have to spam a channel, you don’t have to even be online and playing. That’s HUGE, and really the main reason so many people use trading systems such as websites and forums for Diablo II. You want to focus on playing the game or not playing the game, not sitting around hoping someone wants your item.

It also helps form a visible and easily identified economy. I’m a new player, I got a sword I think it’s probably pretty nice, I can go on an auction house and search for it or similar swords and get an idea of how much it should sell for. In this case being in a trade channel is no better whether it’s in-game or out of game. What you’d probably end up with is people still going to forums and more static styles of trading found on websites, but even then any unified sense of economy is spread thin. Maybe that’s not such a bad system in itself, and an official trading site could work. Of course what you lose either way though, auction house or website, is in-game player interaction. Which is what I assume you’re striving to keep.

When it comes down to it, any change or addition or removal of any systems have to be weighed. Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning and state we don’t know what if any types of trading systems will be in the final game. Maybe there won’t be, it may be that eventually we settle on leaving it Diablo II style. We have some ideas of what would be cool, but at the end of the day we’re not going to do anything that isn’t far and away a more positive change for the game.

What’s your take?

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If you haven’t heard already, Diablo 3 will be introducing a new rune system as well as a respec. Both are apparently aimed for player flexibility. It used to be that runes and gems cannot be recovered once socketed, and that stats and skill points are unrecoverable once used up.

While it was generally not a bad thing to do for casual gamers who just wants to finish the game for its story, it’s absolutely irritating and frustrating for the more hardcore Diablo players. You had to plan and know what your final build will be before even starting the game, or you might end up regretting it when you’ve finally reached Hell level.

Personally, I don’t mind playing other classes for fun or even starting a new char of the same class. It’s always fun to start from scratch when you’re playing in groups during LAN parties and not to mention fair for everyone.

However, there will always be that one main char that you really want to work on. There is never a single perfect build, and as you continue playing you might feel that you would prefer a different build than the one you’re working on. It’s not only true with Diablo, but many other games as well, especially in MMORPGs.

Blizzard came up with an answer in Diablo 3.

The new rune system and the ability to respec would make it a lot more fun, not to mention a hell lot easier (no pun intended). It will encourage players to experiment with new and different builds and most importantly, it allows players to go crazy with them.

The rune system in Diablo 3 is different from the previous games. Runes in Diablo 2 were items that could be slotted into equipments with sockets in order to give it additional bonuses. When combined with other runes in the proper order, it was possible to create runewords.

Runewords gives weapons and armors high boosts and bonuses, and can be used to create some of the most powerful equipments in the game.  These high level runes are hard to obtain and can only be used once. Once you’ve socketed the rune, you can no longer remove it to use in a different set of equipment.

The runes in Diablo 3 are nothing like that.

Rather than giving a boost in stats for items, it actually imbues special abilities or change the nature of a skill. Using a Multistrike rune in a single target skill turns it into an AoE. It becomes possible for a non-offensive spell to dish out damage with the Striking rune. This new rune system allows players to be creative and come up with all sorts of custom build.

The best part of this new rune system?

If you don’t like what you get, change it! You can simply remove the rune from the skill to revert it back to its original form, or you can swap the runes to create a different skill.

Diablo 3 will also give allows you to respec your character, allowing you to reset your stats and skills. Not much is known about this at the moment, but you can expect that it’s not something that you can easily come by, else it will be severely abused. Abuses will always occur one way or another, but I believe the freedom it gives far outweigh the cons.

These updates to the game will allow players to have more fun then frust with their chars and is something I look forward to. After all, it’s more fun to mess around with a single character to find the build that suits you most rather than play a few different chars of the same class only to find that you’re getting sick of doing this over and over, finally ending up sticking to a build that might not really fit your taste.

Or do you perhaps find your enjoyment in that?

Check out this video for a short demonstration on the new rune system in Diablo 3:

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Wizard is a generic term for magic wielders or magicians. Maybe it’s how I’ve interpreted Wizard based on books and games that I’m familiar with, but Wizards are, by far, more suited towards those with magic powers based on tradition and of controls over the elements. They are poise, grand and elegant. They strive to do less for more.

Sorcerer, on the other hand, more often refers to a dark or fallen Wizard. They are not necessary evil, but they usually have commands over the element of darkness. Sorcerers are unorthodoxed, finding new strength within powers that are forbidden to conventional Wizards.

The term “Sorceress” was a good fit for the magician class in Diablo 2. However, calling the same class a “Wizard” because he or she has no regards for others is strange to say the least.

Wizards would have been an appropriate name if they had grown stronger based on pure effort and diligence. A Sorceror is more likely to make use of dangerous, forbidden magic than a Wizard.

A Warlock is probably a better term.

Warlocks are the male equivalent of Witches, and while not always true, are generally seen as being more eccentric, looks down those inferior to them and are always against those who are stronger. They can be schemers and loves to dabble in dark magic in order to gain more power.

Yes, all these titles are interchangeable, but generally, a Wizard is not a Sorceror with an attitude. Rather, a Warlock would be a more appropriate term for them.

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You should realize by now that there never were any happy endings in Diablo, only temporary reprieve. Sanctuary is doomed to face an eternity of hell and nightmares. If you’ve been paying attention to the storyline in Diablo, you will agree with me.

The first game ended with the hero shoving Diablo’s soulstone into his head with a scream. No one knew what would be his fate until years later when the second game revealed that the mighty hero was easily corrupted by Diablo, merely days after his victory over the Lord of Terror.

Diablo 2 ended with a sense of urgency as well, with the reluctant destruction of the Worldstone by the Archangel Tyrael. We won’t know the full consequences of Tyrael’s action, but we can safely assume that Sanctuary can now be freely accessed by forces from High Heaven and the legions from Hell. After all, one of the functions of the Worldstone was to hide Sanctuary from them. Unfortunately, it didn’t do its job quite as well as what the former Archangel Inarius hoped.

While Diablo 3 is still far from release, it is already made known that the heroes of Diablo 2 met ill fates as well. They all went mad. This time, however, the heroes won a greater victory compared to the first hero. They had bought 20 years of peace from the Prime Evils.

We can safely assume that Diablo 3 will end in a similar manner. The third generation of heroes would fight against the Prime Evils once more, and assuming they end up victorious, will not live long to enjoy the fruits of their hardwork. And the peace, as always, will merely be temporary…

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