View Full Version : Durability: rust in peace?
I don't think any of the items in the gameplay video had a durability rating.
If durability is indeed gone, I can't say I'd miss it much. I'm not sure that those trips back to town to repair whatever broke enhanced the game for me. I guess you could still do it for Charges on weapons (if that idea returns).
This would impact two other major weapon classes: throwing weapons and bows/crossbows. If an axe doesn't degrade, then a bow shouldn't run out of arrows, and knives/javelins/exploding gas potions should be unlimited. This doesn't mean the weapons would be unbalanced, on the contrary: they'd all be on equal grounds with the new system.
Melee classes were always in big disadvantage when it comes to killing and durabilty. First you needed to find that kickass weapon before you could kill a thing, then you also got the bigger repair bills the better weapon you had.
Casters hardly ever had to repair their items.
But perhaps the game demo just didn't have durability yet. The items were created just for the demo so they could easily make them whatever they want.
Neuuubeh
13-08-2008, 13:05
I would like to have Durability, thank you very much :).
CaptainDingo
14-08-2008, 00:16
If durability truly is gone, you can say bye-bye to any chance of gold being worth something. If they truly intended gold to be worth something, they'll keep as many gold sinks in the game as possible, not remove them.
I like durability, personally, but I feel it doesn't cause as much detriment as it should. How much defense armor provides should dwindle with its durability in my opinion, to give you more incentive to repair aside from "Oh, the little number thingy is 5/30." And since critical strikes seem to be a part of the game, durability could also decrease critical strike chance of weapons. I'm not saying as soon as you're at 29/30 it should start penalizing your armor rating, but once it starts getting really low, it should.
stillman
14-08-2008, 02:40
I don't see why the value of gold would go away just because durability goes away. There are dozens of ways to make gold valuable.
CaptainDingo
14-08-2008, 03:16
What I meant was it'd be a single step backwards if they intend to make gold worth something, because it was one of the only money sinks we had. Not saying it alone must be the entirety of our gold usage, just that it wouldn't help matters to remove it.
While I wouldn't miss it, I also wouldn't complain if durability returned, but I think there are more clever money sinks that keep the game moving forward.
Which would you enjoy more: paying to fix your polearm, or paying to go on some random mini-quest offered by a merchant in town?
I'd kind of like to see them keep durability just because if durability is gone wouldn't ethereal be gone also? Most of the stuff on my mercs are ethereal just because of the higher stats on them, not to mention runewords placed on an ethereal item.
Nimbostratus
21-08-2008, 08:34
I'd kind of like to see them keep durability just because if durability is gone wouldn't ethereal be gone also? Most of the stuff on my mercs are ethereal just because of the higher stats on them, not to mention runewords placed on an ethereal item.
I think the ethereal property was poorly thought out, exactly because of what you said. Any ethereal item that isn't used on a merc or isn't indestructible/self repair is automatically thought of as worthless by most players. And then there are the wands, staves, and things like that which don't get any useful bonus from ethereality. Not something I'd want to keep in the game.
Durability doesn't really add much to the game. If the super high end items had super high repair costs, then it would make sense to keep it though.
stillman
21-08-2008, 10:52
Good point about the worthlessness of some eth gear. And lets not forget eth gloves/belts. They are going to get damaged to 0 durability because you can't zod them or use on merc. The extra def is too little on eth gloves/belts to make a difference anyway.
That said, I'd like for eth items to return in d3, just with more thought and foresight like you mentioned.
Eth items add that slim possibility of squeezing in more damage on your favorite weapon.
strongdwarvenale
29-08-2008, 16:06
Durability is part of the game. Although it's annoying, I think it should be continued. I wouldn't really miss it, however. But I liked ethereal items...
I dont mind the weekly repair. Cant say it bothers me, to be honest
sirBeReN
05-09-2008, 17:20
I like durability, personally, but I feel it doesn't cause as much detriment as it should. How much defense armor provides should dwindle with its durability in my opinion, to give you more incentive to repair aside from "Oh, the little number thingy is 5/30." And since critical strikes seem to be a part of the game, durability could also decrease critical strike chance of weapons. I'm not saying as soon as you're at 29/30 it should start penalizing your armor rating, but once it starts getting really low, it should.
Very nice idea. Blizzard should hear this. :thumbsup:
Soulstones
09-09-2008, 19:53
lack of durability does bring into question the status of ethereal items in d3
For the endless hours I played D2, I never remember not being able to afford a repair, or even having to TP back to town to repair. It was just one of those buttons I always clicked while shopping. Repair all my gear please, every single time, because I still have 500k+ gold in my chest.
I think the ethereal property was poorly thought out, exactly because of what you said. Any ethereal item that isn't used on a merc or isn't indestructible/self repair is automatically thought of as worthless by most players. And then there are the wands, staves, and things like that which don't get any useful bonus from ethereality. Not something I'd want to keep in the game.
Durability doesn't really add much to the game. If the super high end items had super high repair costs, then it would make sense to keep it though.
i think they should keep ethereal. they just need to give us some more viable options for using them. such as a cube recipe for repairing ethereal items or having a perfect Opal with the repair durability mod on it
What I meant was it'd be a single step backwards if they intend to make gold worth something, because it was one of the only money sinks we had. Not saying it alone must be the entirety of our gold usage, just that it wouldn't help matters to remove it.
I think in this case the "ends justify the means".. Durability was just an annoying aspect of the game that served to slow down the pace by adding just another button you had to hit every time you talked to blacksmith. Repair bills were basically insignificant anyway.
There are tons of ways to give value to gold far superior to some annoyance like item-repair. (i.e. Item upgrade)
Gigashadow
18-10-2008, 21:26
Indifferent. I kind of liked the realism of damaged items, but it wasn't too involving. You could always TP to repair, money was plentiful, weapons broke slowly, excluding, maybe, crystal swords. The only time durability mattered at all was with the ethereal items...
It's not like Nox where towns are scarce and you load up with 3-4 of your best swords, 2 shields, and maybe throw out a few armor sets because they totally broke while you were playing, lol...
jamesisbest
22-10-2008, 01:38
I wouldn't miss durability myself. Repairing items were one of the few gold sinks in Diablo 2 though I would consider gambling a bigger gold sink. However, repairs for most items (some runewords are different) were tiny gold sinks that really made a pretty negligible dent to your gold. Repairing does slow down the game, and can be an annoying interruption during combat. I think of repairing is gone then good riddance, repairing almost always ends up being one of two things. It either is so cheap that it isn't much of a gold sink or it is expensive enough to be noticable and then player complain about repair differences between classes and the overall amount of gold sunk into repairs. Repairing often times makes people enjoy the game less (even if it is only a minor distraction) and very few people would find that it adds to the overall enjoyment of the game. Sure repairs may not be a big thing to worry about, but if Blizzard gets rid of many of the small hassles apparent in Diablo 2 it will really make a big difference in the game quality of Diablo 3.
Apocalypse
22-10-2008, 17:26
i hope durability is gone and stays gone. as has been pointed out, it really only hurt melee classes anyway. i personally believe it will stay gone seeing as bliz wants to limit trips to town
I like durability, just not how it comes out in D2. I mean, think about it- it's far more realistic that after you fight with the same wep/shield/arm they'll get broken.
They should keep it, just change its effect. Maybe D3 will be hit much more than D2 and we'll also have to repair their items, maybe- if they want trip to town be less often- your gear will break completly and you'll have to fight with what you find until you get to town, maybe all gear will loose durability with time along with dmg taken, maybe casters wep will loose durability with use, even if not melee one.
It all seems like stupid ideas, but I just think durability has a part in the lore of the game. You fight- they break.
Sein Schatten
28-10-2008, 13:08
I hope it is gone and stays gone. :P
Durability is vital imo. What kind of game would it be if u can run around chopping up critters with ur axe forever without having to sharpen it? Katanas loose their godly sharpness after 10 or so cuts so why shouldnt all other weapons?
Make items more durable for sure so they last like an hour of hacking away but make it costly so that if they go to 0 they are broken forever no fixing.
Ethereals were lame though ditch them.
Progressive loss of damage for a weapon would be good, it means u cant just do something like cow runs over and over, u will have to pay for it, which is good
Gigashadow
03-11-2008, 21:17
What kind of game would it be if u can run around chopping up critters with ur axe forever without having to sharpen it?The same it was before. Durability has 0 viable effect on gameplay.
Katanas loose their godly sharpness after 10 or so cuts so why shouldnt all other weapons?People need water to live. (Don't bring realism and video games together, it isn't going to work)
Progressive loss of damage for a weapon would be good, it means u cant just do something like cow runs over and over, u will have to pay for it, which is goodProgressive loss of damage would be horrible in Diablo's system where you have some godly item that can only be replaced by the same exact godly item... >_<
wouldnt a potion have water in it? as do wells that heal u in D2.
Progressive loss of damage or armour would be good, it would make the game harder, it means u couldnt just storm through a whole act like what u can do in D2.
Think about it, u wouldnt be able to play for 2 hours bashing ppl to get to a boss and then just chop up the boss cos ur sword or whatever would be as blunt as a brick, it forces people to play the game more evenely so the die-hard 12 hour gamers dont get such of an edge on normal people because they are limited in the amount of time they can spend in the feild without having there armour in pieces.
Gigashadow
04-11-2008, 03:24
wouldnt a potion have water in it? as do wells that heal u in D2.You can play the whole game not using a single potion and drinking from a single well. By the rules of our world, you'd die. Just by standing around in town.
it would make the game harderIt would make the game slower. If that's "harder" for you... well, I can say we had plenty of slow in DII, and I want that gone.
it means u couldnt just storm through a whole act like what u can do in D2.I see nothing bad in storming through a whole act.
Think about it, u wouldnt be able to play for 2 hours bashing ppl to get to a boss and then just chop up the boss cos ur sword or whatever would be as blunt as a brick,I am thinking about it. I'm also thinking of how much DIII would fail if that was implemented. Diablo is a hack&slash. It's about bashing monsters and "ppl" as you put it. It's not about realism and "omg my sword dested and I need to protect my head better from critical hits to the head and I need more food for this trip and I'm running out of arrows" If you want that, there's Fallout, great games, but they are not Diablo.
Anything that ruins the pace is a nono unless there's a really good reason for it. This durability stuff will only slow down the game and be rebalanced against to make faster drops-easier monsters etc. etc.
it forces people to play the game more evenely so the die-hard 12 hour gamers dont get such of an edge on normal people because they are limited in the amount of time they can spend in the feild without having there armour in pieces.Incorrect. Die-hard 12 hour gamers will still be faster unless you implement a cooldown timer on repairs or something. Either way, 12-hour gamers will play more, and both groups will be subject to the penalty.
I need to protect my head better from critical hits to the head
lol?
It would make the game slower but it would make it harder also, as ur damage and defense is reduced over time... less damage and less defense makes it harder... or cant u see that?
cant the smith be able to give u metal plating or something...or some coating...?
Apocalypse
05-11-2008, 16:43
lol?
It would make the game slower but it would make it harder also, as ur damage and defense is reduced over time... less damage and less defense makes it harder... or cant u see that?
You can bring some levels of realism into games but then you reach a point where it is no longer fun. Fun > realism in games end of story. Sure you can say a real sword would wear out pretty quick but then you could also say that no one can raise zombie walls and hurl fireballs and stop time either. At what point did you think D3 should be more about realism than fun?
NoisemakerArrow
05-11-2008, 17:18
I didn't know katanas lost their sharpness so easily. If it is indeed so, it is because they were made from a softer iron.
I won't be missing durability. It doesn't add anything to the game and it was tedious to have to repair equipment constantly, especially when gold was/is so readily available.
Gigashadow
05-11-2008, 22:36
It would make the game slowerA nono for a Hack&Slash game.
but it would make it harder alsoWhen did that become an advantage??? You can always go Hardcore if you want a challenge... I personally prefer my games reasonable and fun. And I prefer my Hack&Slash games mindless and requiring relatively little attention.
as ur damage and defense is reduced over time... less damage and less defense makes it harder... or cant u see that?Um, can you please stop saying that? It's obvious that I "see" it. The thing is, I don't want this in this game.
There is a game out there, Evil Islands. If you're hit in the head it's like a critical hit and you nearly die. If you hit in the arm you become slow in attack. If hit in the leg you can't run. Etc. Then there was another game, Silent Storm. Limited bullets, durability quality loss, line of sight, stealth, and all tons of other random things.
There is this concept: different video games are made for different people and for different situations and purposes. DII for me is a relax-kill-some-demons collect-some-items game. Durability adds nothing, nor detracts nothing, and it should stay so. Make it a gold sink, fine. But don't slow down my gameplay.
teh_Thrasher
06-11-2008, 05:19
i dont see it coming back. they said they want to keep the pace of the game fast. and frequent trips back to town to repair ur weapons is def not keeping with that ;)
dmg going down over time of use = worst idea ever.
durability and the lack thereof WAS just a goldsink in d2. i will not miss it.
Durability equals TEDIOUS gameplay and doesn't really add anything to the game. It was a mindless gold sink in D2. It'll be good riddance.
Because the PACE is important really. I don't want my fun interrupted just because I have to repair things.
Did you intend The thread title to be an amazing Thrash Metal album Title, Or Has Megadeth become such an awesome band, That is creeps into peoples lives without them knowing?
Gigashadow
09-11-2008, 17:43
I think he intended the thread title as a pun on durability, rust, and resting in peace, and you listen to too much Megadeath, whatever that is.
I think he intended the thread title as a pun on durability, rust, and resting in peace, and you listen to too much Megadeath, whatever that is.
I know what He meant, I just wanted to point out that "Rust In Peace" is the title of the Debut album of one the the biggest bands of the 80's
I'm indifferent like Gigashadow, but I agree with CaptainDingo that if durability is present there should be some incentive to repair things other than "if the lose all durability you can't use them anymore".
Perhaps there could be visual indicators that your gear is degrading? Ahh, I dunno... the toons are pretty small, I'm not sure if it'd work or be noticeable. But I do like the idea of having the effectiveness of your gear decrease as it's beaten up. Of course there's the straight defense rating, but maybe if your armor grants x_resists then your resists could decrease? That'd make sense, like if your imbued chain mail gets a patch of rings cut out, that spot might be more vulnerable to the aracane delights of Sanctuary's magic-wielding baddies. That'd certainly be an incentive to rep up.
But then you have the problem that instead of waiting to rep until just a few durability points are left, people will rep all the time right after their gear starts getting dinged up. They'd just have to balance it out, of course... but you see what I'm saying. It'd probably be a pretty delicate affair if they introduced durability-related item performance.
Blizzard has said much about how they want to focus on the action, and standing in town getting your crap worked on by the local smith isn't very action-tastic.
Nimbostratus
10-11-2008, 00:11
Just wondering, why is everyone acting like repairs involve a lot of standing around? Am I the only person that just clicks "repair all"?
True, true. However, it may only take 15 seconds to get from the "front lines" back to town and then to the repair shop, but that's still 15 seconds away from the "front lines". And I think with young characters or characters without well-developed movement skills, it'd probably take a little more than 15 seconds to get from where you are to the local smith and then back.
Bla
What he said, all of it. Durability needs to go, in my opinion. I think it was originally used in rogue type RPG's that are about surviving. Diablo has some similarities with rogue type RPG's, but it isn't one. Either Blizzard should implement long area's/quests where you can't go back to town (at least not by TP), or just leave it out. Otherwise it'll always be TP -> Repair All -> Back in TP.
Gigashadow
10-11-2008, 12:29
It's kinda part of the daily routine to me... TP, distribute stuff into stash, cube a bunch of gems/runes, check TP/IP supply, go to Charsi/insert blacksmith name here, click Repair All button, revive henchman, return to TP. Except ACT3, the blacksmith was far away so I sorta ignored him until my weapon broke. I have +70% faster speed on a starter Shock Zeal Pally (level 59).
I dunno about you guys, but when I used to play Standard, I had a Barb with a damn armor that had absurd cost to be repaired. I've suffered with money in there. I think durability can make gold more useful, but I won't complain if we don't have that in the sequel.
Apocalypse
11-11-2008, 19:04
I dunno about you guys, but when I used to play Standard, I had a Barb with a damn armor that had absurd cost to be repaired. I've suffered with money in there. I think durability can make gold more useful, but I won't complain if we don't have that in the sequel.
usefull to tank characters maybe, ranged classes still would never worry about it
Farmrush
12-11-2008, 13:27
I would like to see durability as a goldsink and possible combat mechanic. It would be interesting if durability didn't necessarily 'break' your weapon or armor, rather decreased its effectiveness so that a broken item has its damage/defense reduced by a certain percentage of maximum. This would allow an additional goldsink without completely bringing gameplay to a hault. Just a thought.
tcpgeest
12-11-2008, 15:34
I believe it was confirmed TP's aren't coming back.
So the whole TP > Repair > Back to Front Lines routine isn't going to work.
If maps in DIII are as little as twice the size of DII maps.. it will take hours to return to the front lines without TP's. Assuming you are further along an act, which ofcourse has higher chances of broken EQ. Wich means you cannot repair until you complete a certain quest/area. Somebody came with an idea, about using what you find to replace damaged gear.
Do you really see that working against a boss? It is assumable you need better gear for that. All the things about defence or attack power decreasing over time, is way too complicated for a game like Diablo.
IMO anyway you look at it, Durability doesn't complement to the less trips to town strategy they're aiming for. Durability will probably be back, but with far less influence on the game compared to DII. And even in DII the only time I repaired was after doing Ubers.. Or maybe once per month, after doing alot of cow/baal runs.
Galtrovan
12-11-2008, 19:53
Indifferent. I kind of liked the realism of damaged items, but it wasn't too involving. You could always TP to repair, money was plentiful, weapons broke slowly, excluding, maybe, crystal swords.
Yes, but in D3 you won't always be able to TP back to town.
Galtrovan
12-11-2008, 20:46
Durability should be in D3, but changed from D2.
A dull blade should not do as much damage as a fully sharpened one. A beat up suit of armor should not protect you as well as when it was pristine. On the other hand, weapons and armor should also not degrade to utterly useless equipment in the field. What self-respecting Barbarian is going to let his weapon and armor degrade to the point of being broken and useless?
Fully repaired equipment should perform at 100% effectiveness. With use, equipment effectiveness should degrade, but not past, let's say, 75% effectiveness for Barbarians. The fact that the equipment doesn't degrade further is that the importance of weapon and armor upkeep was instilled into the Barbarian when he was a wee tot. Thus, without actively thinking about it, the Barbarian is always "blacksmithing" his weapons and armor in the field at every available opportunity -- to prevent the equipment from becoming utterly useless before he can get to a true blacksmith for a full and proper repair.
All classes should have some knowledge of maintaining their eqiupment -- to prevent complete failure. Different class could also have different degradation caps. For example, some other half-caster/half-melee class for example, may be able to prevent complete failure of his weapons and armor, but only may be able to keep the gear at 50% effectiveness in the field instead of 75% afforded to the Barbarian.
Anyway, I don't like D2's system, but also I don't want to see durability completely removed from D3 either. I'd like some middle ground that makes some sense.
Apocalypse
12-11-2008, 22:12
to me this sounds like nothing more than punishment for melee classes. your sword gets damage you do less damage while the wiz/WD next to you can keep going forward at full damage cause spells have no durability
stillman
13-11-2008, 01:52
Maybe some of the mods on gear grey out (can't use them) as the durability gets too low. So if there are 4 mods on your wizard armor, you lose one mod at 75% dur, another mod goes at 50%, and so on. But then agian, that might be too annyoing.
Actually, idk where I stand on this issue.
teh_Thrasher
13-11-2008, 06:50
Durability should be in D3, but changed from D2.
A dull blade should not do as much damage as a fully sharpened one. A beat up suit of armor should not protect you as well as when it was pristine. On the other hand, weapons and armor should also not degrade to utterly useless equipment in the field. What self-respecting Barbarian is going to let his weapon and armor degrade to the point of being broken and useless?
Fully repaired equipment should perform at 100% effectiveness. With use, equipment effectiveness should degrade, but not past, let's say, 75% effectiveness for Barbarians. The fact that the equipment doesn't degrade further is that the importance of weapon and armor upkeep was instilled into the Barbarian when he was a wee tot. Thus, without actively thinking about it, the Barbarian is always "blacksmithing" his weapons and armor in the field at every available opportunity -- to prevent the equipment from becoming utterly useless before he can get to a true blacksmith for a full and proper repair.
All classes should have some knowledge of maintaining their eqiupment -- to prevent complete failure. Different class could also have different degradation caps. For example, some other half-caster/half-melee class for example, may be able to prevent complete failure of his weapons and armor, but only may be able to keep the gear at 50% effectiveness in the field instead of 75% afforded to the Barbarian.
Anyway, I don't like D2's system, but also I don't want to see durability completely removed from D3 either. I'd like some middle ground that makes some sense.
i kind of liked this idea. if durability has to be in the game this is what i would want... but im all for it not being in there at all. its just a gold sink for melee classes. not like it adds anything. maybe if theres a bonus for having it at 100% then it could be viable... like uh 10% max dmg idk. and then after uve worn off that max durability it goes back to normal...
yeah i like my idea better. lol
Galtrovan
14-11-2008, 01:12
to me this sounds like nothing more than punishment for melee classes. your sword gets damage you do less damage while the wiz/WD next to you can keep going forward at full damage cause spells have no durability
Not at all. Let me continue. My desire for D3 is that Wizard weapons also degrade with use, including spell casting. To me, a Wizard should be required to always have at least one orb equipped to cast "active" spells. And the effectiveness of the orb should degrade with use. Why shouldn't channeling energy through an orb be destructive to the orb? A sword becomes duller with every swing.
jamesisbest
16-11-2008, 05:56
I think making items lose effectiveness with durability would be frustrating. It could be a reason to not replay the game in all seriousness. The game is all about being in the thick of the action and if spells and/or items get less effective as you progress in battle I would lose faith in the game. There are plenty of other alternative gold sinks than repairs that don't force you to get out of the action. If you think about durability is just a way to force you to waste time and money periodically.
Galtrovan
16-11-2008, 20:30
I think making items lose effectiveness with durability would be frustrating. It could be a reason to not replay the game in all seriousness. The game is all about being in the thick of the action and if spells and/or items get less effective as you progress in battle I would lose faith in the game. There are plenty of other alternative gold sinks than repairs that don't force you to get out of the action. If you think about durability is just a way to force you to waste time and money periodically.
What I propose keeps everyone in the action as the items never, ever break. And the system applies to everyone. Also, a damage penalty is something everyone will want to repair. My example numbers were arbitrary, though probably on the steep side. Would you have a problem if damage output only degraded 10% max, and going from 100% to 90% damage took 2 hours of actual game play?
The game should also provide for reducing or eliminating the effect. I'm all for the "Indestructible" affix appearing on items. With this, your weapon or armor should be immune to degradation. Also, what about item quality? Normal, Exceptional, Elite -- elite items should either degrade slower or not as much, or both. For example, an elite sword may take 3 hours to go from 100% to 93% damage output -- takes longer to fully degrade, and leaves you doing 93% damage instead of 90% for a normal sword.
Ursairus
17-11-2008, 02:38
I know what He meant, I just wanted to point out that "Rust In Peace" is the title of the Debut album of one the the biggest bands of the 80's
Sorry, but Rust In Peace is most definitely NOT Megadeth's debut album.
GoBigRed
17-11-2008, 15:20
Perhaps they will make it so eventually, you will lose the item you use even tho it may take weeks to lose it but it will not deteriorate throughout the process. That way it will make items more valuable and will make people use numerous items rather than the 1 and done approach that d2 had(being that items no longer have requirements, shouldnt be that big of an issue), could be an interesting way to balance out drops being that you will no longer have to mass click to get them. Another interesting thought is, perhaps most items dropped will be tiered towards that particular class which would keep you from having to use completely worthless items if your godly weapon breaks after weeks of play.
GoBigRed
17-11-2008, 15:53
Another thing I just thought of, watching alot of the gameplay videos, it looks like you are going to be flanked and such much more in d3, so perhaps casters/ranged characters will be wearing less durable items and still be hit more than they are used to in d2. The hope is that all characters wont be wearing mostly the same gear this time around ie stormshield/shaft/shako/wartravs/enigma etc, that in mind, could make durability much more involved for nonmelee.
FireCrack
24-11-2008, 00:23
I was thinking along the same lines as you Galtrovan, but if critical hits are to take a big role in Diablo III, I think the best option for durability might be to reduce those.
Leaving the weapon alone until it hits zero durability; at which point it will hit as normal but never do a critical strike; might work.
Or alternatively the amount of critical hits could slowly be attenuated as the weapon degrades.
Extending this to degradation of wizard staves/orbs is a good idea too. Perhaps also apply the same thing to ammunition for ranged physical classes? (Ammo in d2 was "Their durability")
Extending this to degradation of wizard staves/orbs is a good idea too. Perhaps also apply the same thing to ammunition for ranged physical classes? (Ammo in d2 was "Their durability")
Extending on this idea... If wizards could NOT crit will they were unequipped with a staff/orb...that might work. Maybe a stave's durability might signify a Wizards relative ability to crit.
self biased
30-11-2008, 15:00
For the endless hours I played D2, I never remember not being able to afford a repair, or even having to TP back to town to repair. It was just one of those buttons I always clicked while shopping. Repair all my gear please, every single time, because I still have 500k+ gold in my chest.
what the problem is, it's that the durability mechanic is poorly implemented in diablo 2. as kevink says it's become rote to repair all when we're in town. there's always gold available for it, so it doesn't really add much of anything to the game, does it? if mindless gold sinks are what you're after, gambling is always a good way to go, but also wouldn't it be awesome if one could just buy that 3 os archon plate? or that berzerker axe you've been grinding for hours upon end to find?
i'd be just as happy to see durability as it is trip over a buffalo head nickel. i wouldn't be opposed to some other mechanic or group of mechanics used in it's place, especially if it actually enhanced gameplay rather than becoming some tedious non-entity.
callsignapollo
13-01-2009, 17:30
going off the first page, what if they just made ethereal items give different bonuses to all items and fixed that problem
like, an eth orb or staff would be SUPER strong, problem is, it's ethereal so once it loses durability it's gone
i thought that they should've made eth items more godly since they're gonna disappear
Durability: rust in peace?
i c wut u did thar ;)
I like Durability. I guess it made the game feel a little more real without detracting anything. And agreed, clever name.
Here's an idea. Keep ethereal items, but make them significantly more powerful than equivalent regular items, and also make them deteriorate faster. When players find ethereal items, they will be inclined to wear them and enjoy the bonuses for a while. And hey, perhaps an expensive recipe could turn them solid.
skyjuice
14-01-2009, 07:19
I agree with having Durability out. But some small diablo nostalgic in me would scream "what's diablo with no durability?! D1 and 2 has em, no reason for 3 to leave it out yar?" I guess i got sucked into the focused gameplay concept in D3 they keep raving about.
I don't see any plus points and it doesn't add to the game other than being a mindless gold sink...2 points taken into contrast:
pt 1- If they take it out, then that virtually means all items have the Indestructible mod, by default =) Of course, them blizz folks may have to brainstorm in another solution to counter-balance this, somehow.
Pt 2 -Someone mentioned weapon/armor effectiveness after prolong use? Perhaps that would work, in the guise of a small durability bar i.e exp bar in D2. As the time increases between your last "repair" job, the bar progressively loses points. You don't know how many, but the % can be gauged from the UI. Once it's in the 'red', you know your defence and attack ratings arn't as efficient as 100%.
IMO, pt 2 actually adds the notion of some form of durability in the game -not just a set of numbers against numbers- but actually adds to the overall effectiveness of the player. On the other hand, this could be detrimental to the "focused" concept by allowing players to keep TPing to do "100%" repairs.
jakotaco
17-01-2009, 11:50
some good points, as I see it the current system isn't all that good. Having weapons constantly break for your melee chars is not really that fun. I for one wouldn't miss durability one bit if it was removed.
If durability is to be kept in the game I'd rather see items "declining" if not properly maintained, maybe down to something like 50% defence/damage for a poorly repaired weapon instead of the 100% of a shiny, brand new, sharpened and polished one.
It would sure be noticeable, but wouldn't stop you dead in your tracks if your weapon breaks and you are out of money.
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.