Kevin's Watch

I came here looking for more info about D3. Sadly no release date. .. yet.

I just watched the Gameplay trailer. Looks nice. I had played the original Diablo (we used to play netgames at work in the 90's). As far as D3 goes, I'm really not expecting too much from it, since it was created by Blizzard (I haven't been able to respect Blizzard ever since they released World of Warcraft).

The pros are that it has a good, old-fashioned arcade feel to it. The graphics are decent, I love the way those goblins climbed the walls.

The cons are that it was made by Blizzard, and that it's just another dumb button-mashing game that is devoid of any skill whatsoever.... the dev in the trailer even said "the result is a game that is so easy to play that it can be played with just the mouse..." I'm sorry, but what happened to the days when your attacks were based on the correct sequence of buttons rather than clicking on an icon? What happened to the days when being good at a game actually meant that you had some skill?

Not holding my breath, nor am I planning on upgrading my computer to play it. I'll stick pwning noobs in Urban Terror, than you very much! =)

** no offense intended to anyone who likes WoW...to each their own**

sweetbread wrote:I just watched the Gameplay trailer. Looks nice. I had played the original Diablo (we used to play netgames at work in the 90's). As far as D3 goes, I'm really not expecting too much from it, since it was created by Blizzard (I haven't been able to respect Blizzard ever since they released World of Warcraft).

The pros are that it has a good, old-fashioned arcade feel to it. The graphics are decent, I love the way those goblins climbed the walls.

The cons are that it was made by Blizzard, and that it's just another dumb button-mashing game that is devoid of any skill whatsoever.... the dev in the trailer even said "the result is a game that is so easy to play that it can be played with just the mouse..." I'm sorry, but what happened to the days when your attacks were based on the correct sequence of buttons rather than clicking on an icon? What happened to the days when being good at a game actually meant that you had some skill?

Not holding my breath, nor am I planning on upgrading my computer to play it. I'll stick pwning noobs in Urban Terror, than you very much! =)

** no offense intended to anyone who likes WoW...to each their own**

Unfortunately as video games become more popular, they become more accessible and game developers want everyone to play, not just elite gamers. Which means more and more games will become, and are becoming, catered for the casual gamer.

Not really an excuse for Diablo since that IP was built on the point-and-click game-play extravaganza, but Blizzard has rarely deviated from its IP's. And honestly after the success of WoW, I don't think they care anymore.

For me, as long as the controls don't suck all of the life out of the game, I care if the game is fun or not. I couldn't give a wet slap about training myself to be skilled at a game as much as enjoying the experience. I think too many games got bogged down in their control scheme. But that's just my opinion.

sweetbread wrote:The cons are that it was made by Blizzard, and that it's just another dumb button-mashing game that is devoid of any skill whatsoever.... the dev in the trailer even said "the result is a game that is so easy to play that it can be played with just the mouse..." I'm sorry, but what happened to the days when your attacks were based on the correct sequence of buttons rather than clicking on an icon? What happened to the days when being good at a game actually meant that you had some skill?

Did you even play the original? It was all done with the mouse, and pretty much defined the button-mashing genre for the PC (previously, button mashers were only on consoles).

It was such a click-fest, I had friends that bought buckets full of $5 mice to use for it, since it wore out mice so fast!

Rigel wrote:
Did you even play the original? It was all done with the mouse, and pretty much defined the button-mashing genre for the PC (previously, button mashers were only on consoles).

It was such a click-fest, I had friends that bought buckets full of $5 mice to use for it, since it wore out mice so fast!

Ah. . . the good old days!

I dunno, on the higher difficulty levels, D2 is a serious frigging challenge (unless you make a silly imbalanced hammerdin) True, a blind monkey can beat the game on the initial difficulty setting, but the game gets really brutal as you approach higher levels of play. (I recently beat hell with an assassin relying on Blade Flurry for all of her damage, it was a lot of fun)

I also can't be the only one who approached a certain room on the 2nd level of the cathedral in the original Diablo with real and profound dread. The Butcher still haunts my nightmares.

Don't let simple controls deceive you, there is a lot of depth in the gameplay, it's just hidden underneath ludicrously simple controls. You also can't deny that WOW is far and away the best in it's genre. No other MMO has controls so tight and gameplay so balanced and dynamic. EQ and FFXI were a snoozefest by comparison. While some games have approached wow, (LOTR online was pretty awesome) it still hasn't been surpassed.

The Dreaming wrote:True, a blind monkey can beat the game on the initial difficulty setting

Can I speak to this blind monkey? I need some hints. Like how to defeat Diablo when you're a barbarian who never finds any gems anywhere.

You want gems? My stash is filled with perfect gems of all types.

It's been a while since I've played, but I have an amazon on Nightmare in the Flayer Jungle, and I've got a druid on normal somewhere close to finishing. I really should re-install Diablo2 and get to work on those characters. . .

wayfriend wrote:

The Dreaming wrote:True, a blind monkey can beat the game on the initial difficulty setting

Can I speak to this blind monkey? I need some hints. Like how to defeat Diablo when you're a barbarian who never finds any gems anywhere.

Yeah, Diablo is still a beast. Act 5 is actually a lot easier than 4 until you make it to NM. As melee, just stack some health leech and some lightning resist (that huge beam of red crap is actually lightning, and its what murders you) and you should be ok. Ive played the games so damn much I just intrinsically know what the useful mods to hold on to are. Lighting resist is actually pretty vital. Those lightning enchanted mobs become brutal later on.

You can probably do it without the if if your smart and just dodge the red crap. It might take a while, but you should be able to do it.

Some little tips to remember

*Crushing blow! (this rules! Crushflange [unq. mace] is is common as dirt, and rules because CB deals damage based on a percentage of total life. You will murder act bosses with it)

*Enough Str for equipment, if building shields, enough dex to keep your block equal to the shields intrinsic, otherwise enough dex for equip, ZERO energy. Mana is easy as hell to gear for, even as a sorc, your better off avoiding it. You need to dump all the points you can into VIT. There are only a couple of builds that get away without doing a huge vit dump, and they are expert only builds. (Strafezons can get away with it if they are smart about their valk and decoys, energy shield sorcs can too, but it takes very specialized items)

*Some skills are 1 point wonders. Static field is one. Almost every curse is one. Know which skills are worth investment and which aren't. Usually, if a skill synergizes, it's a good call to invest. A lot of the classic builds got nerfed pretty hard in 110. Whirlwind is still pretty cool, but its not the god killing pwnination it used to be. (As a barb, berserk is vital to being viable in higher difficulties. You only need 1 point )

*Resists help. Lightning resist especially. Fire resist somewhat. If you have to pick one, lightning is definitely the most useful. If you can get your hand on some absorb equipment, that's pretty killer. (good luck though, their generally pretty rare and super valuable. Stormshield + Lightsaber makes you nearly immune to lightning, I have nightmares about those black souls, as will anyone who uses teleport heavily)

*Gambling rules. It's by far the wisest way to dump some gold. Its not really worth it to keep massive amounts of gold around. It's pretty much valueless. D2 is, unfortunately, a barter economy. Your way better off trying to get a rare amulet or circlet with some sexy affixes. Rare Amulets, Rings, and gloves can actually be better than high end uniques, you just have to be insanely lucky. Not to mention you actually can occasionally get an uber rare unique amulet or ring gambling. I once got a rising sun gambling. Just know that its level based, so funnel your gold to your highest level character if you are going for some actually uber stuff, and have them gamble for you.

READ THIS PAGE! www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/runewords.shtml

Runewords are a great way to obtain some insanely useful gear without much investment. True, most of the best ones require insanely rare runes to make, but some are easy as hell and probably a hell of a lot better than you can get as a low level. Nightmare countess runs are a great way to get your hands on a lot of the lower end runes, and a few of the mid level ones too.

Honestly, its more of a pain to find items with the proper number of sockets than it is to find the runes in a lot of cases. (4 socketed shields can be a nightmare)

This kinda ended up being a pretty hefty strategy guide didn't it? I have wasted So much time on this game, you have no idea.

The Dreaming wrote: I also can't be the only one who approached a certain room on the 2nd level of the cathedral in the original Diablo with real and profound dread. The Butcher still haunts my nightmares.

Heh. Just put Diablo on my laptop (had to switch the video to 16 bit). "Ahhh. Fresh meat!"

I'm surprised, too. The only time it's going to be an issue is if you're a) on an airplane, or b) camping.

Rigel wrote:I'm surprised, too. The only time it's going to be an issue is if you're a) on an airplane, or b) camping.

Not really. What if your internet is down for whatever reason and you want to play some Diablo 3? The internet at my old place was awful and never stayed connected for more than a day. Also, the cash-for-items thing sounds good until you actually start playing it. Unfortunately, it gets expensive fast and with the $60 that I'll already have to shell out for the game, it might not be worth it.

I've had a growing distaste for Blizzard over the years, and this just might be the nail in the coffin.

JazFusion wrote:

Rigel wrote:I'm surprised, too. The only time it's going to be an issue is if you're a) on an airplane, or b) camping.

Not really. What if your internet is down for whatever reason and you want to play some Diablo 3?

Considering their other two cash cows are a) Starcraft and b) WoW, it's understandable that Blizzard would make being online a requirement for the game. Considering the design decision to make every character an online character, the online requirement makes sense.

JazFusion wrote: Also, the cash-for-items thing sounds good until you actually start playing it. Unfortunately, it gets expensive fast and with the $60 that I'll already have to shell out for the game, it might not be worth it.

AFAIK, they're not going the Zynga route and requiring real money to purchase items; it'll be more like paying real money is an option if you don't want to farm gold.

Still, we'll see when it comes out how well it works. Or someone will see... I have fond memories of the first game, but I never could seem to get into the second. Considering how much I play games these days, I'm not sure I'll be buying it.

I just finished playing through Diablo 3 normal mode.

What a long, dull slog that game is. I have no interest in repeating the entire thing again three times just to get through the harder versions, nevermind getting into the endless farming for gear which is the game's only endgame once you've finished it.

A friend of mine bought the game for me, but I can't play it. As I tried to tell him beforehand, my video card simply can't support it.

Beat it in less than a week after it came out. Meh. That's about all I can say.