Diablo 3!
- Thread starter xfool
- Start date
Ditto. to the "meh" thing
I'm not particularly excited about the classes. I will say that the Demon Hunter would probably be class of choice. Though I didn't see the cutscene. The Monk cutscene was bad enough to make me think twice about this game.
I'm not particularly excited about the classes. I will say that the Demon Hunter would probably be class of choice. Though I didn't see the cutscene. The Monk cutscene was bad enough to make me think twice about this game.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Eluvei said:
Ugh, the ruinous trend of cliche psychobabble in video games is becoming more pervasive. I mean, Diablo III? What's next, Duke Nukem Forever!? Note to video game writers: there's a reason you're not doing books, plays, movies, or television. Keep it simple and to the point so I can actually play these games instead of avoiding them because I don't want to sit through tons of useless dialogue.
Blizzard is one of the worst offenders of this. They make good games. But, whoever writes dialogue for their games exhibits a really dangerous sense of self-importance and infallibility. It's some really hokey, cliche trash. Unfortunately, their success in the gameplay department ends up invalidating any writing criticism that might get thrown their way.Griffith said:
Just read any of the "plots" in World of Warcraft or the dialogue in Warcraft 3 for a choice sampling.
I disagree with you all on the classes. They're pretty awesome. I especially like the Wizard's ability to slow down time and shoot out a laser beam that makes things explode.
When I see this footage I'm simply in awe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTRK6t8ZXn4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31VpcWV2R9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMjknAZtztQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvNopDJ3DoY
That being said, the demon hunter's trailer was poorly written as was the cinematic trailer. But from the gameplay footage I've seen, the talking is usually kept short and the Diablo developers seem to understand that most people are going to ignore it. Also, the trailers for the monk and wizard were really bad ass, so the writers do get some things right.
Other good news: Charms will be stored in a 'talisman' and will no longer consume your inventory. Rejoice!
I do have concerns, though. What if putting cool downs on potions just causes players to retreat from combat and wait a long time instead of killing for orbs. I would imagine that hardcore players would go through just about any inconvenience to not die. They should just remove potions completely.
When I see this footage I'm simply in awe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTRK6t8ZXn4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31VpcWV2R9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMjknAZtztQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvNopDJ3DoY
That being said, the demon hunter's trailer was poorly written as was the cinematic trailer. But from the gameplay footage I've seen, the talking is usually kept short and the Diablo developers seem to understand that most people are going to ignore it. Also, the trailers for the monk and wizard were really bad ass, so the writers do get some things right.
Other good news: Charms will be stored in a 'talisman' and will no longer consume your inventory. Rejoice!
I do have concerns, though. What if putting cool downs on potions just causes players to retreat from combat and wait a long time instead of killing for orbs. I would imagine that hardcore players would go through just about any inconvenience to not die. They should just remove potions completely.
Walter said:
I couldn't agree more. Their games play extremely well, but the quality of the dialogue is questionable at best.
None of Blizzard's characters, worlds, or plots (and the associated lore that goes with them) do anything for me...possibly because they're all highly derivative of more original sci-fi and fantasty stories that are far superior.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Ironically, Blizzard's lack of story creativity is what made the original Diablo so great, everything was archetypical as much as the player classes like Warrior, Rogue, and Sorcerer: the Elder, the Drunk, the Blacksmith, the Witch, etc. Their designs, personalities, and voices were perfect stereotypes (still love all the accents in that tiny village =), right down to the boss being EL DIABLO! 
Which was all fine, it was only after they tried to go beyond there that they've been exposed for not having the means to. Keep it simple Blizzard and our minds and hearts we'll fill in the rest.
Which was all fine, it was only after they tried to go beyond there that they've been exposed for not having the means to. Keep it simple Blizzard and our minds and hearts we'll fill in the rest.
I admit to sharing this feeling more often than not, but I still believe voice acting can add a lot to the immersion in a game. Our shared stigma comes from how we, for the most part, were bred on games that didn't have the budget or vision to create a truly good experience; a result of the industry being in its infancy. But the industry has grown up since those days. We're at least in the Terrible Twos now!Rhombaad said:
Look at what Naughty Dog has done with acting in Uncharted (Click for opening of Uncharted 2), and of course L.A. Noire. Games like these have proven that there's room for good performances in the medium. It just takes money and a director who knows what they want for their game. Voice acting is something where a developer should either give it their all, or don't even bother. Half-measures will fail.
All that being said, with all of Blizzard's money, I thought the performances in Starcraft 2 were laughably bad, for the most part. And as with their dialogue, I lay the blame on that squarely on their over-confident shoulders.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Rhombaad said:
Mass Effect is something else altogether.
Walter said:
To me the problem isn't quality but quantity, there's just too much damn talking and most of it is useless if not worthless. Even in text based games I can't stand meaningless conversations that can go on for a half hour, because I feel obliged to read/hear everything. The idea of a huge immersive game world and civilization was exciting, but now that we can do it it's become clear it doesn't mean we always should. Let's just take the hidden gems of dialogue in these games and lay them all on the table, and cut the filler.
Sure, but I think that goes directly back to the importance of having a director in charge who knows what he wants his world to be, and has the foresight to trim the fat for the good of the whole project. Kojima is a criminal in this regard. But RPGs are the worst offenders. Games of that genre tend to think verbosity is a plus, just because they have a lot to explain. But showing is always better than telling, particularly in a medium so finely tuned toward visuals.Griffith said:
Look at Super Metroid. The vast majority of the text in that game comes at the opening sequence. But the story grows and develops with no need for text. It's extremely effective at conveying information with visuals and action.
We're uh... kinda off topic at this point, aren't we? How about a new thread I can merge this recent stuff into?
turkitage
ターク
I'm excited about Diablo 3 as I really enjoyed the other ones. Honestly, I expect bad dialogs and voice acting because in general they make me cringe. Games like Diablo and starcraft I just care about gameplay and don't really care much for the story. Heck, even Devil May Cry since day one had horrible dialogs/voice acting but I didn't care because I enjoyed the gameplay and started just expecting crappy dialog. I haven't read much into Diablo 3 and I'm really heart broken that activision is part of blizzard because things like the xbox style GUI of b.net 2.0 just makes me sick. So I'll ignore the whole interface and dialogs and just play the mindless game of beating creatures up because that's all I expect that will be good.
Rhombaad said:
Not to dwell on this forever, but I think Walter's right for the most part, although I'd also blame a lot of your weariness simply on bad acting. As time goes by it'll keep getting better until most games have quality voice acting. I don't mind speech bubbles, but I can't deny that good voice acting can add a lot to a game.
Rhombaad
Video Game Time Traveler
Aazealh said:
You're absolutely right. Bad voice acting is my main gripe and I do hope it gets better with time.
As for Diablo 3, if it's fun to play, I'll pick it up. I'm used to Blizzard's abysmal dialogue, but I still really enjoy playing their games. World of Warcraft has been a favorite of mine for a long time and I'm confident they can still deliver a fun gaming experience. (Here's hoping StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is an improvement upon the original game, as well.)
While we're on the subject of voice acting, if Blizzard brings back Paul Eiding to do voices in Diablo 3, I'm going to puke.
It's not that I think Paul's not talented...I just think he's used ad nauseum in the video game industry. (he's the guy who voiced Colonel Campbell in all the Metal Gear Solid games, and he's been used in just about every game ever since).
Taking stock of the five character classes on the official website, it appears that all of the D2 classes are back with new coats of paint.
The barbarian has become the brawler, the monk is the assassin, the demon hunter is the amazon, the shaman is the necromancer and the wizard is the sorceress. Now all Blizzard has to do is release an expansion pack with a druid and paladin clone and we'll be all set.
It's not that I think Paul's not talented...I just think he's used ad nauseum in the video game industry. (he's the guy who voiced Colonel Campbell in all the Metal Gear Solid games, and he's been used in just about every game ever since).
Taking stock of the five character classes on the official website, it appears that all of the D2 classes are back with new coats of paint.
The barbarian has become the brawler, the monk is the assassin, the demon hunter is the amazon, the shaman is the necromancer and the wizard is the sorceress. Now all Blizzard has to do is release an expansion pack with a druid and paladin clone and we'll be all set.
With SC2 they almost HAD to bring back the same old, same old.
But I wish they would have shown some creative muscle and introduced at least one new race like they did in Warcraft.
You take 10+ years to do a sequel and you couldn't think up one new race and a collection of units in that time?
But I wish they would have shown some creative muscle and introduced at least one new race like they did in Warcraft.
You take 10+ years to do a sequel and you couldn't think up one new race and a collection of units in that time?
I'm actually excited for this, and I don't even like Diablo, or even plan on playing this. 
The reason why is because I miss games like Baldur's Gate, which took a lot from Diablo's style and added DnD and party control. So, I'm hoping for a similar resurgence. Even if it is unlikely.
The reason why is because I miss games like Baldur's Gate, which took a lot from Diablo's style and added DnD and party control. So, I'm hoping for a similar resurgence. Even if it is unlikely.
I am sad to report that Diablo 3 will let players buy power. People will be able to auction their items for actual money in addition to gold and blizzard will charge a listing and transaction fee for each auction. Their justification is that 'well, so many people were cheating and currency swapping in Diablo 2 that we decided to incorporate people we used to call farmers and cheaters as the most active part of our economy. We also didn't want them to take on so much risk in these 3rd party websites, so now we're making it convenient for them.'
What really gets me is their reasoning for not putting these micro transactions in Hardcore mode:
And why would this not apply to regular mode? Don't regular players want an even playing field and sense of achievement too? Shouldn't any respectable game always be about your skills, luck, or persistence? And if currency swapping is an inevitability, especially when so much more is at stake in hardcore mode, why not let hardcore players buy power too if you care so much about the inconvenience and risk involved in 3rd party websites?
Blizzard used to ban accounts and sue websites for debasing the currency and taking the skill out of the game. Now they're making it as convenient as possible.
http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/events/diablo3-announcement/index.html#auction:auction-faq
What really gets me is their reasoning for not putting these micro transactions in Hardcore mode:
And why would this not apply to regular mode? Don't regular players want an even playing field and sense of achievement too? Shouldn't any respectable game always be about your skills, luck, or persistence? And if currency swapping is an inevitability, especially when so much more is at stake in hardcore mode, why not let hardcore players buy power too if you care so much about the inconvenience and risk involved in 3rd party websites?
Blizzard used to ban accounts and sue websites for debasing the currency and taking the skill out of the game. Now they're making it as convenient as possible.
http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/events/diablo3-announcement/index.html#auction:auction-faq
I don't quite understand your objection. Blizzard's delivering two ways to play the game -- Normal and Hardcore. In normal playthroughs, you'll have the option of buying weapons off the auction house. In Hardcore, you can't, so as to keep the equilibrium fair for those that care about such things. Sounds like they covered their bases pretty well, to me.
It's a business decision, nothing more. They know they can't control that group, so may as well incorporate it and levy a tax per transaction. That just makes business sense.John Smith said:
Because then it wouldn't really be hardcore, would it?
The difference being this is a market that's curated and controlled by them, not Chinese Gold Farmers.
Woland said:
Baldur's Gate rather took a lot from Fallout, which makes sense given that it was developed by Black Isle Studios.
John Smith said:
Like Walter said, it's all about making money. They clearly don't want to miss that opportunity. Not authorizing it in hardcore mode is just a way for them to try and look respectable. They want to have it both ways.