Diablo 3!

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
http://us.media.blizzard.com/d3/media/wallpapers/wallpaper025/wallpaper025-1920x1200.jpg

This image is cooler than the game at this point, by far.
 
Griffith said:
http://us.media.blizzard.com/d3/media/wallpapers/wallpaper025/wallpaper025-1920x1200.jpg

This image is cooler than the game at this point, by far.

I recently got back to playing a few days ago and just finished Act I inferno last night. The game has its issues, but I'm still having a ton of fun.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Groovy Metal Fist said:
I recently got back to playing a few days ago and just finished Act I inferno last night. The game has its issues, but I'm still having a ton of fun.

We'll see how long it lasts. I'm at the end of Act II Inferno and I'm having fun... doing stuff besides trying to advance in the game (gold farming, jewel crafting!). What isn't fun is that Inferno is unplayable without using the auction house. You're not even allowed to be clever or use strategy to win fights you're otherwise underpowered for, you must have the gear (so decrees Blizzard with various rules and penalties). Everything is pretty much aimed toward using the auction house when you think about the rules and the viability, or lack thereof, of the drops and everything else (level limit, insane gold prices, lack of in-game sell value, boss/elite time limits). I wouldn't be shocked if Blizzard was creating their own items and selling them in the RMAH, I mean why make 15% of the profits when you can get 100? I don't know, when you didn't buy the game to play virtual ebay, and you've been trying to grind through Inferno as long as I have, it's not a game anymore, it's not fun, it's predatory. I feel like I'm being/have been scammed. Some of the things Blizzard is doing seem downright wrong, maybe not illegal, but certainly unsavory, and there's nothing fun about that.

Now if they want to prove me wrong, they just need to fix the drops in Inferno so the game is beatable with what you pick up as you go and the auction house is ancillary, as it should be. This would be simple to do, and they modify the game constantly, but when they ease one thing they always ramp up something else so you're stuck with the same problem for different reasons (it's why I suspect the inevitable expansion won't do anything but move the goal posts further down the field). I don't think they're going to do this even though the auction house economy is insanely broken in both gold and RM, because that insanity equals a continuing profit stream for them. I can't begrudge them making money, but I can hold it against them that I thought I was buying a game from a game company, not buying into a long con with a game wrapped around it from whatever Blizzard is now. I have no problem with the auction house being for suckers, everyone thought that, but they've made it so the whole damn game comes back to that. So, Diablo III is for suckers, and it's getting to the point that I'm embarrassed I play it. I just don't want to be a part of something like that.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go play... a game I'd rather not mention by name. :farnese:
 
Blizzard has grown fat and lazy off WoW. The Blizzard that released Warcraft 3 (which is one of my favorite games of all time) is not the same as the Blizzard today. When I look at Diablo 3, I really don't see a game that's been supposedly in development for 10+ years. It's hardly sustainable for the long term.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I haven't touched Diablo 3 in about a month. I feel completely done with the game, and I haven't even spent much time with alternate characters. I never had this problem with Diablo 2, and I think it comes down to the fact that my character doesn't feel unique. I can't spec for a Bone Necromancer or the equivalent. I didn't think that would bother me, but in the long term, I think it really did.
 
What's most important to me is that the fighting is still fun. When a waller puts me in a corner and all I can do is pop up clones of myself and hope my disguise works while I mark every second before teleport makes itself available I have fun. I like kiting a pack of mortar champions while dodging ice popcorn bombs and meteors raining down from the sky but trying not to kite too far and pull a pack of 30 more monsters. There is enough flexibility in combat that I can defeat the same enemy without being touched once or killed within 5 seconds depending on my load out and split second choices I make (for the most part). Unlike WoW, later levels are not just bigger numbers; the combat in Act II Normal is completely different from the combat in Act IV Hell. The bright spell effects and over-the-top death animations certainly help as well.

The combat, of course, is not without issues. The enrage timers and melee monsters being able to hit you outside of melee range seem like Blizzard's way of collapsing all their future games into a WOW inspired singularity. The enrage timers are nothing more than a gear check or a way to make sure that your cleverness and patience have been either accounted for or negated. I also miss the feeling of actually building a character. Instead, I'm just racking up experience points and then gold points. I don't have builds; I just have trivially easy to swap out load outs. Bosses have way too damn many hit points and co-op inferno makes even weak cultists capable of taking 10 hits. The weapon mods are much less interesting as well. Diablo II had all sorts of weapons mods, but in this game all I care about is +Life/sec, +Life/hit, +INT, and +VIT. Which weapon you prefer to use has been reduced to which has the biggest numbers.

I don't believe Jay Wilson for a second when he says that they balanced inferno to be entirely viable without the auction house and that they would really build the entire last quarter of the game so that only the absolutely elite can reach. I also have to laugh at all the forum trolls who were already complaining back in 2011 and early 2012 that inferno was too easy and going to be nerfed for casuals, as if dying for an hour on the same champion pack was actually fun (despite what the designers claimed).

For me, the prices have been extremely volatile. I had to pay 150k for a 350 dps weapon one day, 80k for a 734 dps weapon another day, and couldn't even sell the 350 dps weapon for even 30k on another day. It's hard for me to generalize how much of a grind it is so far. I haven't touched the RMAH and would never be one of those individuals who would actually pay $250 just so my character could have bigger numbers in a game I have already more than paid enough for. The auction house is definitely a necessity; I have been using it for all my weapons since Act I NORMAL. I can't remember the last time I was wearing an armor piece that I picked off the ground, and that takes away from most of the fun of seeing items drop in the game.

After playing Path of Exile and Diablo 3, Path of Exile's item based economy was by far the better choice. I hate all of these excessive repair costs have been ignoring the blacksmith since early normal difficulty because having gold leeched from me is not fun. Instead Path of Exile has all of these currency items that can customize your weapons and armor. Some improve damage, some re-roll the stats on your items, and some re-roll the number of sockets you have in an item and are designed to be traded and stored easily. An item based economy combined with a centralized/automated auction house or market place should be the standard for all future dungeon crawlers, and I hope one of these game developers has initiative and resources to make that model a reality.

In other words, I have mixed feelings about this game and the developers. At least Torchlight II will give all of us a pleasant chance to relive a more traditional dungeon crawling experience.
 

turkitage

ターク
Walter said:
I haven't touched Diablo 3 in about a month. I feel completely done with the game, and I haven't even spent much time with alternate characters. I never had this problem with Diablo 2, and I think it comes down to the fact that my character doesn't feel unique. I can't spec for a Bone Necromancer or the equivalent. I didn't think that would bother me, but in the long term, I think it really did.

I mimic this. Though, I also feel part of it's me and maybe I'm getting older and games like this are less interesting. Don't know.

Groovy Metal Fist said:
I can't remember the last time I was wearing an armor piece that I picked off the ground, and that takes away from most of the fun of seeing items drop in the game.

Sad, but true. :( You're right about Path of Exile's item economy being better. I actually think everything about that game is better than diablo 3. Well, other than the animations. If anyone has seen the crazy passive skill tree and items mods in that game it's just crazy. I feel much more accomplished having a unique character like Walter said then just one like everyone else.
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
Griffith nailed a lot of it on the head. I'm actually more geared than most people I know, but that's because I have experience with the "Auction House metagame" from my WoW days, so I did that for a couple of weeks in Diablo 3. The economist/statistician in me enjoys it, but once it's over and I step away from the game, I realize I'm not satisfied. The annoying story, quest based campaign; the lack of any real reason to make more than one of the same class; the fact that the whole game is balanced around the AH; it all adds up to a game that cannot and will not last.

I have a couple friends who hear me complain about the AH (though I'm efficient at using it), and they tell me "Well, duh, it's not fun. That's why I don't use it! See? Problem solved!" I just stare at them in disbelief. For me, trying to play Diablo 3 without the Auction House is like deliberating sawing off your dominant hand before a gunfight, and then showing up with a sword on top of that. Believe me, I wish I could find upgrades off the monsters I kill, but it just doesn't happen that often. I've had more fun playing Phantasy Star Online for PC/Dreamcast as recently as a year ago than this.

Blizzard has been doing a decent job of keeping the community informed with the game's direction, but I don't know. I feel like it's just flawed fundamentally. It's missing more of D2's strengths than people realize. It took them ten years to make this? Man.
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
From the sound of it, I guess I should feel fortunate that I didn't have the time or money to play this game. I was just going to buy it later and give it a go but now I'm not so sure.

Here's to Torchlight 2!
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
Well as long as someone else is gonna mention a Diablo-like game that isn't Diablo...
Check out Path of Exile. It's in closed beta right now, though if you donate 10 bucks you'll get automatic access. Most people I know who consider themselves hardcore D2 fans say they're enjoying PoE more than D3. I can't vouch for it myself, but I might go ahead and pay the ten dollars to try it myself. I like some of the features I've seen described, like randomized dungeons that are tied to "scrolls". In other words, high level dungeons are almost a commodity in and of themselves.
 
Saephon said:
Well as long as someone else is gonna mention a Diablo-like game that isn't Diablo...
Check out Path of Exile. It's in closed beta right now, though if you donate 10 bucks you'll get automatic access. Most people I know who consider themselves hardcore D2 fans say they're enjoying PoE more than D3. I can't vouch for it myself, but I might go ahead and pay the ten dollars to try it myself. I like some of the features I've seen described, like randomized dungeons that are tied to "scrolls". In other words, high level dungeons are almost a commodity in and of themselves.

I'm planning to give POE another try some time after they've performed their last character wipe. I had fun with it for a while, but the huge level disparity between the monsters and my witch left me feeling bored. People complained about D3 being too easy on normal, but it was never too easy for me to the point of losing interest; POE got there. Hopefully they'll tackle that ASAP. However, I absolutely love the fact that you're not just leveling a character, you're building a character. These currency items double as an awesomely fun crafting system and in retrospect, I think it's nice that they have no centralized auction house.

I was going to complain that the game feels incomplete without the story put in yet, but after witnessing how Diablo 3 fucked it up, I'm not really in a rush for one anymore. I have to laugh at all of these interviews with Diablo 3's writers. They seem to actually think that they've crafted some sort of masterpiece. They may have even used the word 'mature' to describe their story at one point.

Oh, and Grim Dawn is also coming soon™
 

turkitage

ターク
I started playing this game again after the paragon levels patch. I doubt I'll play too much of it but I'm finally 60 now and working on gearing a bit to beat inferno.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I beat Inferno, so I don't need to mess around with some funky fake levels (a little retroactive EXP calculation for all the monsters we've killed since level 60 would have been nice too). I'm probably done for a while. Then again, famous last words, and I just ordered a new computer, so...
 
I've been playing since the release and enjoy it quite a bit. It's not close to how fun diablo 2 was in my opinion, but a lot of people forget that vanilla D2 before patches and the expansion wasn't very good either. I think they are going in the right direction with monster power, more events like the ubers and balance. I feel like the amount of time I've spent playing has justified it's price tag anyway. :p

If anyone wants to add me my tag is: Pokute#1675
 
I stopped playing months ago. After seeing how ridiculously long it would take me to increase my gold variable so I can increase my HP, DPS, L/S, and L/H variables, I lost interest. I'm most likely not going to buy the expansion pack. Chasing numbers will make any game get old for me really quickly.
 

Viral Harvest

Every Knee Bent Too Shall Break
I've been playing this since August. Even with the updates, this game is putrid dog shit compared to I and II. Blizzard has their work cut out for them if they want to dig themselves out of this hole. If it weren't for the RMAH, I wouldn't even bother booting it up, how sad is that? I've become the monster I've feared, and it's a pipedream to be honest. Gold farmers have seized control of this entire game.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I think enough time has passed for me to talk about this. A few weeks ago my level 60 (2) Hardcore character was killed... by AAZmodan! :mozgus:

It was so sudden and unexpected that it didn't even hit me, whereas on occasions I'd survived my heart was pounding and I was ready to yell at the screen if I'd succumbed. I thought I'd just casually dispatch him, between walking the dog and showering, on my march to inevitable Hardcore Inferno victory, but I forgot he basically has a one hit kill power if you linger too far from him, and I was playing it safe, ironically. Oh well, I'll correct next time... oh wait, there is no next time for the dead. :judo:

I started a new HC Barb with the same name as my D2 barbarian, Tarhcon, as opposed to my normal Tarchon (get it). Strangely, it drove me back to D2 hardcore for a while, and now regular Diablo PSX on my phone (lvl 32 Hell difficulty, gonna max out EVERYTHING).
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
I think enough time has passed for me to talk about this. A few weeks ago my level 60 (2) Hardcore character was killed... by AAZmodan! :mozgus:

It was so sudden and unexpected that it didn't even hit me, whereas on occasions I'd survived my heart was pounding and I was ready to yell at the screen if I'd succumbed. I thought I'd just casually dispatch him, between walking the dog and showering, on my march to inevitable Hardcore Inferno victory, but I forgot he basically has a one hit kill power if you linger too far from him, and I was playing it safe, ironically. Oh well, I'll correct next time... oh wait, there is no next time for the dead. :judo:

I started a new HC Barb with the same name as my D2 barbarian, Tarhcon, as opposed to my normal Tarchon (get it). Strangely, it drove me back to D2 hardcore for a while, and now regular Diablo PSX on my phone (lvl 32 Hell difficulty, gonna max out EVERYTHING).
Wow! I had no idea you had a Lv 60 hardcore... Why not, uh roll with a different character for a while?

And what'd you think of Path of Exile?
 
Griffith said:
I started a new HC Barb with the same name as my D2 barbarian, Tarhcon, as opposed to my normal Tarchon (get it). Strangely, it drove me back to D2 hardcore for a while, and now regular Diablo PSX on my phone (lvl 32 Hell difficulty, gonna max out EVERYTHING).
I know that feeling, i really enjoy D2 SP, i always quit but after a while i end up thinking of a strange build that i want to try out so i starrt farming for items/runes or leveling characters.
What kind of build are you trying Griff ?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
I think enough time has passed for me to talk about this. A few weeks ago my level 60 (2) Hardcore character was killed... by AAZmodan! :mozgus:

Your soul is miiiiiiine. :iva:

Sorry to hear about that though.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Wow! I had no idea you had a Lv 60 hardcore... Why not, uh roll with a different character for a while?

That's why I went back to D2 and my hardcore guy there (my lvl 70 softcore guy I only play with a bud). Anyway, he was only in Act II and I got him to III and lost interest again (fucking Kurast and the jungle, Christ). So I'm on my D1 guy now.

As for other classes, logged 0 hours 0 minutes on them in D3, and I don't plan on screwing up the ratio. =)

Walter said:
And what'd you think of Path of Exile?

The name "Tarchon" was not available, so I didn't get off the beach... :farnese:

BUT, I named my account Tarchon, so the lingering question, "Did using that as my account name bar me from using it as a character name because it was "already taken?" left me bitterly wondering if they were that stupid (it's not a common character name that's usually taken, but more so now...). Maybe I'll fire it up again. It looked pretty cool.

BTW, I may be a lost cause, but you'll be glad to know I persuded my dad to pick up Dark Souls and he's already got an NG+ level 100-something character.

Joe Chip said:
I know that feeling, i really enjoy D2 SP, i always quit but after a while i end up thinking of a strange build that i want to try out so i starrt farming for items/runes or leveling characters.
What kind of build are you trying Griff ?

Totally boring ones out of D2 101, a softcore IK WW barb and an extra defensive conc barb in HC. I'm trying these because I never played any dedicaded archtype builds back in the day, just stuck points wherever on my starting character and whatever he turned into, he was my guy. I could melt mobs in solo Hell though thanks to my elite lance (I'm fond of recounting that I was offered $20 for it irl =). That character got nerfed sometime after the expansion came out and it became literal and figurative trench warefare for my whirly lancer. My dream is to basically recreate that old barb, but first I'm building the IK one, trying to get the set for fun, and of course placing the points as efficiently as possible. Later I may try to rune up a super lance and totally make him over, but it'll be harder being non-ladder at this point.

Anyway, other than my initial build-as-I-went barb, the only off the wall build I had was a melee bonemancer named Skull_Knight. =)

Aazealh said:
Your soul is miiiiiiine. :iva:

Sorry to hear about that though.

The coincidence was not lost on me. And thanks, like I said I was so dumbstruck it's like it didn't even happen. I didn't recognize the death screen and such. I have new respect for Azmodan though, should have known not to underestimate that phonetic prefix! :SK:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
As for other classes, logged 0 hours 0 minutes on them in D3, and I don't plan on screwing up the ratio. =)
I had a ton of fun experimenting with the different classes in short bursts during the beta. Then the game came out and... welp. I made a boring Barb.

The name "Tarchon" was not available, so I didn't get off the beach... :farnese:

BUT, I named my account Tarchon, so the lingering question, "Did using that as my account name bar me from using it as a character name because it was "already taken?" left me bitterly wondering if they were that stupid (it's not a common character name that's usually taken, but more so now...). Maybe I'll fire it up again. It looked pretty cool.
Too bad. It's a fun little game. It didn't get its hooks in me too deep though. I spent maybe 2-3 days playing it in my spare time, but totally forgot about it until recently. "Oh yeah, that!"

BTW, I may be a lost cause, but you'll be glad to know I persuded my dad to pick up Dark Souls and he's already got an NG+ level 100-something character.
This is FANTASTIC news. I knew it'd be a game he'd enjoy if he gave it a shot, him being a fan of old school stuff. Made my day.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
I had a ton of fun experimenting with the different classes in short bursts during the beta. Then the game came out and... welp. I made a boring Barb.

Haha, well I can't even play it anymore it seems. My launcher stopped working, delateing and reinstalling the agent didn't fix it, and now I can't even reinstall the game after taking the whole thing off. BLIZZARD, everybody!

Walter said:
Too bad. It's a fun little game. It didn't get its hooks in me too deep though. I spent maybe 2-3 days playing it in my spare time, but totally forgot about it until recently. "Oh yeah, that!"

Yeah, any of these Diablo-style dungeon crawlers are a double-edged sword. They're all fun, but they're all fleeting. Also, I go back and play Diablo II and I admire it not only for what it has but for some of the modern "advancements" it DOESN'T. It's still one of the best of its kind, which is a good feat for a game almost 15 years old, but also a pretty sad fact for the genre.

Walter said:
This is FANTASTIC news. I knew it'd be a game he'd enjoy if he gave it a shot, him being a fan of old school stuff. Made my day.

Happy to make it, speaking of which he's still playing it every day I think. I just don't have the time commitment for such an endeaver right now, especially a game you actually have to sit down and get good at rather than just *click click click click click* when you can. I don't have time to die. =)
 
Griffith said:
That's why I went back to D2 and my hardcore guy there (my lvl 70 softcore guy I only play with a bud). Anyway, he was only in Act II and I got him to III and lost interest again (fucking Kurast and the jungle, Christ). So I'm on my D1 guy now.
Man, i really hate the third Act... I really like Act 2 and 4

Griffith said:
Maybe I'll fire it up again. It looked pretty cool.
It's a really good game, give it another try. A buddy of mine is having a great time. I tried playing it but my Laptop can't really handle it, it gets really hot after a while. I am currently looking to buy a new Desktop PC.

Griffith said:
BTW, I may be a lost cause, but you'll be glad to know I persuded my dad to pick up Dark Souls and he's already got an NG+ level 100-something character.
Your Dad is really cool, my dad recently went into retirement and he is bored out of his mind. I wish i could get him into gaming, i am constantly trying to keep him occupied =).

Griffith said:
Totally boring ones out of D2 101, a softcore IK WW barb and an extra defensive conc barb in HC. I'm trying these because I never played any dedicaded archtype builds back in the day, just stuck points wherever on my starting character and whatever he turned into, he was my guy. I could melt mobs in solo Hell though thanks to my elite lance (I'm fond of recounting that I was offered $20 for it irl =). That character got nerfed sometime after the expansion came out and it became literal and figurative trench warefare for my whirly lancer. My dream is to basically recreate that old barb, but first I'm building the IK one, trying to get the set for fun, and of course placing the points as efficiently as possible. Later I may try to rune up a super lance and totally make him over, but it'll be harder being non-ladder at this point.
Sounds like fun ! I like barbarian builds, the WW barb was my fastest killing build. I have to admit that my favorite character is the melee Paladin, Zeal is just ridiculous. Oh yeah, sry to hear about the death of your char, it has happened to me a few times as well, i hate the feeling :schnoz:

Griffith said:
Yeah, any of these Diablo-style dungeon crawlers are a double-edged sword. They're all fun, but they're all fleeting. Also, I go back and play Diablo II and I admire it not only for what it has but for some of the modern "advancements" it DOESN'T. It's still one of the best of its kind, which is a good feat for a game almost 15 years old, but also a pretty sad fact for the genre.
Have you tried Torchlight 2 ? It's a really good game, i had lots of fun playing it.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Joe Chip said:
Man, i really hate the third Act... I really like Act 2 and 4

Act III is hell, but then it's supposed to be a hellish jungle, so... well done? I don't know, but I love the style and locales of Diablo II; Howard-esque dark fantasy. And Diablo III didn't have a single original location.

Joe Chip said:
It's a really good game, give it another try. A buddy of mine is having a great time. I tried playing it but my Laptop can't really handle it, it gets really hot after a while. I am currently looking to buy a new Desktop PC.

Joe Chip said:
Your Dad is really cool, my dad recently went into retirement and he is bored out of his mind. I wish i could get him into gaming, i am constantly trying to keep him occupied =).

Yeah, he's been into gaming longer than me, ever since he threw me out of my own room to beat Blaster Master on what was supposed to be MY Nintendo! When he retired, it was because he wanted to game full time. :ganishka:

Joe Chip said:
Sounds like fun ! I like barbarian builds, the WW barb was my fastest killing build. I have to admit that my favorite character is the melee Paladin, Zeal is just ridiculous. Oh yeah, sry to hear about the death of your char, it has happened to me a few times as well, i hate the feeling :schnoz:

Yeah, well, too bad Blizzard servers and my computer stopped getting along only AFTER my character was dead. I can't even begin again. Oh well.

Joe Chip said:
Have you tried Torchlight 2 ? It's a really good game, i had lots of fun playing it.

Again, you've got the wrong Jones, but I'm bugged that D3 didn't bother to incorporate any of the advancements of it's competitors like Torchlight or even freaking Darkstone. Were they trying to make the best game possible or just a tribute to the old ones?
 
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