Did D3 get away from Blizzard at some point?

[ADest]

And by that I mean to say their initial 'vision' for the game may have been too ambitious? All the signs seem to point to yes when the game is delayed multiple times, ships with major, previously announced content features missing, and includes major, last minute features that were previously unannounced. And now they can't even patch the beta within 24 hours? Everything about this game seems to indicate a very lively development cycle at the least, and utter hell at worst. I'd really like to see the 'making of' dvd, but I'm pretty sure none of the truly juicy tidbits of info will actually be on there... Pretty sure it'll just be a montage trying to show how 'improved' D3 is over D1 and D2 mixed in with some in game lore...

[Crudesash68]

Maybe. I hardly think a beta problem is analogous to design iteration though.

[droppin]

I'm thinking it was more about being hampered by reality than being to ambitious. They probably had all these great ideas but then they had to wring it through the wash of piracy, bots, technical issues, legal issues, and other forms of red/black/blue/green/whatever other color tape. :'(

[TheDestructor]

It all comes down to what your opinion of the game is I guess. Personally, I think the core experience is very much there. Arguing that a few features are so important to the overall experience is like claiming that your Aston Martin isn't a good car unless it has cup holders and power windows. Nice to have sure, but it's still going to be a dream to drive. (And I'm not even sure Aston Martin's come with cup holders, as if anyone would allow a beverage in their Aston Martin. Ha!)

Then again, power windows might be standard on an Aston Martin.

[Kintara]

Maybe. I hardly think a beta problem is analogous to design iteration though.

Yeah, I think those are apples and oranges. That said, I think the broader point is quite fair.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I almost assume that, rather than them starting easy and adding ideas. It's easy to come up with ideas, and ideas need to be tested before they can be accepted or rejected, especially when in combination. I suppose the ideal situation is to model something perfectly in the abstract and then implement it in the perfect order with no unforeseen complications.

I prefer to just assume that complexity will inevitably be...complicated. So did it get away from them? I hope so, that means at least it's alive.

[Kblavkalash]

What exactly are "last minute features that were previously unannounced"?

Actually it's just how Blizzard is working. They always just change so much everything that in the end the game is completely different from what it was long ago. Watch Blizzcons '08-'10, half the stuff they are talking there no longer is true.

I think they just really trying to make best game possible.

[TheDestructor]

I think they just really trying to make best game possible.

And you certainly don't do that by tacking on as many half-assed features as possible. Mystic and Talisman can certainly show up at some point. Diablo 2 also ended up adding a lot of over the years, doesn't mean no one enjoyed the original game. Sacrifices must be made!

Edit: I think with any development of a game this massive, there's bound to be a fair bit of development hell.

[djxput]

I think they did a good job on their implementations ... even thou it sucks for alot of people; the always online thing, but in reality it will make it harder for bots - and IMO having a rmah will make blizz want to keep things more honest also (less bots/hacks/dupes) ...

[Ixnatifual]

Why would the always online thing make it harder for bots? And won't an RMAH encourage bots, hacks and dupes now that selling items for real money is made much easier and commonly accepted?

[Bandreus]

I actually think they managed to keep their development process as close to their originally stated vision as humanly possible.

Sure, they did iterate a lot, which means lots of stuff was changed, experimented with, reverted back a lot.

Also, when you have a product you've been working on for years, and you notice only a few systems are not on par with the rest of the game, postponing the release of the whole game doesn't really make much sense.

The game can easily ship with no PvP, talisman and enchantments, so that they can work those out while in the meantime the fans can start playing the game they've been waiting for for so long, and put those into the game at a later date. It's the right thing to do. Unless of course you think delaying the game even further was better (ie: NO!).

Problems with the beta patch: normal stuff really. They even said multiple times before beta started, the focus with the D3 beta was going to be more about infrastructure and the patching technology, rather than game balance or anything else. So yeah, the fact they've been having troubles with patch 15 is going to be good for Blizz. One more bad thing they will be able to fix before the game ships.