SPF's Thoughts on D3

[Kitteh]

Spoiler

Okay. No offense, mate, but I'd say that you're trying to tell people that they're wrong. This thread is here for people to share their opinions, and to tell someone that their opinion is incorrect is poor form. Folks are allowed to think what they think. What's more, we've all had a long time to contemplate what D3 means to them, and any effort to try and argue or convince someone to change their mind after four years of personally disappointing news post is probably wasted time.

Even if you're right that some people wanted D3 to simply be a form of expansion pack to D2, it doesn't change what they wanted; D3 simply isn't what they were hoping for, nor will it live up to their expectations. Again, trying to tell anyone that someone SHOULD like something despite their opinion is pointless.

In perspective, I like the first three Karate Kid movies a lot. However, I don't like either the new remake or the one with Hilary Swank. They're all movies about troubled youths finding balance and respect via and older karate master, they're all aimed at the same age group, and yet I don't enjoy them all. Even if you were to point out the fact that the last two don't have Ralph Macchio, the last one doesn't have Pat Morita, or to tell me every single good point about the movies I don't like... it won't matter. My mind's made up. I don't like 'em, no matter how flawed my opinion may be or if I'm too caught up in the glory days of the past.

All I'm saying is that people are entitled to their opinion.

OKAY. Here's my real response:

I'm trying really hard to look at D3 with an open mind. Yeah, there were a lot of announcements or game mechanics that I found controversial at one point. But... well, even writing what I did before, I'm attempting to look at D3 under its own merits. Action RPG, real-time battling, choice of character classes, random loot, multiple difficulties, you can play alone or with friends, and it's made by Blizzard. In my book, these are all good things.

Having been invited to the beta, I think the game feels fun. I've gotten all the classes up to the level cap of thirteen. Twice. And after doing so, even though the content is extremely limited, I keep going back to it because I just want to play it. That says volumes to me. If I'm determined to continue playing even if there's nothing substantial to accomplish, the game must be fun.

In comparison to D2, there are downsides. Many of which have been listed here. But I'll try and explain why I don't think any of them are personal deal breakers.

RMAH:

Spoiler

As DocClock says, people complain about the RMAH while the gold AH gets no love. ...I'd say that's because the RMAH can be easily criticized and hated by some while the gold AH is rather inoffensive. One seems like a money grab; the other seems like a vastly improved trading system within the confines of the game.

To me, I don't like the RMAH, so I simply won't use it. At the same time, I don't care if anyone else DOES use it because it's a mechanic that's been put into the game by the developers. It's not without its use for certain people. I'm just not one of them.

Always online:

Spoiler

I truly feel for the people that don't have a strong, steady Internet connection but would still like to play. I think it's terrible. As for me, I'd LIKE to be able to play offline, but it's simply not to be (and anyone who thinks it WILL eventually go offline legit within six or seven years is being all too hopeful). This isn't the first game that needs constant Internet to be played, nor is it the first game I've purchased that needs a constant connection. Granted, I'll be upset if the servers are down at a time when I want to play. I also don't have a stellar connection; it drops out from time to time. But similarly, my computer freezes from time to time. To me, a technical problem is a technical problem, no matter what the exact issue happens to be. The server may go down, but I know it'll be back. It'll never be the end of the world if I can't play D3 for a day. Or a week. No matter how long of a delay, it's always going to be temporary.

Skills & stats:

Spoiler

Okay, these are different. Very different. ...But still very similar in my mind. There's no more dropping twenty points into a single skill, but I don't think that's a bad change to make. In D2, if I wanted a skill I'd invest as many points as was necessary; max out attacks (Frozen Orb, Frenzy), one-point wonders for utilities (Teleport, curses), use a few to reach the desired effect (Natural Resists). It's the same with stats: strength for gear, dex for max block if I needed it, the rest goes to vitality. There was never any variation to the system. Why make things look complicated on the surface when, in reality, it was always extremely simple?

We lose a little something through stats, mainly "wacky" builds like titans or glass cannons. But as these disappear by the sole means of stat allocation, it's still there in some form through gear selection. You can still do it, but you have to approach the method in a different way.

Freespecs:

Spoiler

Good for some, controversial to us old purists. As for me, I've used the "new" respec in D2 maybe twice. MAYBE. So to have it available at a moment's notice in D3 seems weird. ...But it doesn't mean I have to use it. Yes, I'm going to want to experiment with skills the first time I play each character so I'll likely muck around with everything. Once I get to understand all the skills, however, I plan on creating specific builds and sticking to them. And if a build doesn't happen to work for me, that's it. Deletion. I like starting from scratch, twinking new characters, seeing their power develop, building strategies before I encounter situations. That will never change.

10 characters:

Spoiler

Another bummer, but it won't ruin the time I have with the game. Those of us who have played D2 for years have likely had dozens of characters. And it'll be weird to have such a small collection of characters after playing D3 for a while. But I'll be able to cope. It just means I have to think ahead a little bit. Eventually I'll have five characters, one of each class, at max level. I'll probably use three more slots to work on whatever characters/builds I want, leaving two slots open for tournaments/random MP progression.

The limit on characters just means that I have to allow a certain flexibility. I'm now going to have to allow for freespecs once I beat the game with certain builds. I'll need to allow myself to respec into builds I've completed and then delete overlapping classes. In D2 terms, I beat Hell Baal with a Meteorber. Then I beat Hell again with a pure Blizzsorc. Now I'll just allow myself to respec one of those sorcs to either of those specs at the start of a session whenever I want, all after deleting the second sorc. It sucks getting rid of a build you like, but you'll always have the ability to play it again on a different character of the same class.

Larger, yet still limited stash size:

Spoiler

As a former super serious grailer, this sucks. Flat out, there won't be enough space to hold everything I'll want in the game. But once I realized that the gold AH will always be there, it eases the pain somewhat. Awww... I don't have enough space to hold onto this Rixot's Keen. What makes it okay is knowing that there's millions of other players out there all selling their items on the AH, too. I might not be able to buy back MY Rixot's that I found, but I'll be able to get A Rixot's back without any effort at all. Keep the hard to find stuff and the oddly curious, knowing that probably 85% of the sets/uniques (ugh, LEGENDARIES) will probably be easily reobtained via the gold AH.

What else am I missing? Dunno anymore. I'm tired; should have been in bed more than an hour ago.

While I understand many of the concerns and issues people have brought up, I don't take them nearly as seriously as some folks do. If you consider online only / no weapon switch / RMAH / to ruin the whole experience, I get it but for my own reasons I don't agree. To whoever wrote something along the lines of "Blizz is forcing us to play how they want us to play," it's no different than any other game or developer. Every game has its own enforced rules: Super Mario Bros has a timer, momentum, and no back scrolling; Half-Life is about ammo/health management and allows for immediate quick saves; PacMan is based on collection and avoidance.

I have no doubt that D3 will be a good game. That's why I ordered the CE a week after it was announced. I've spent four years drooling or ranting over every news post, and I've never been that devoted to something so intangible. I might not like every system or requirement Blizz has set upon the game, and maybe I'd prefer more of the D2 way in a spot or two. But overall there's nothing about the game that makes me think it'll ruin the experience.

In which case, I am also entitled to mine. I simply stated what I think people's problem is. They don't like the fact that D2 has changed, and are looking for any reasons to support it. I too used to think like that. That is all.

[TheReadMenace]

In which case, I am also entitled to mine. I simply stated what I think people's problem is. They don't like the fact that D2 has changed, and are looking for any reasons to support it. I too used to think like that. That is all.

Of course you're entitled to your opinion, and if I came across as someone who's trying to squelch your voice that wasn't my intent. My apologies. Everyone's opinion about the game is valid.

But that's kind of what I was getting at: The purpose of this thread is to share our opinions on D3, not necessarily to debate or criticize people's someone else's opinions or personal point of view. It's one thing to say, "I disagree because I see it this way." It's another entirely to say, "Your problem is..." or "You're wrong because..."

Again, my apologies. I'm not trying to make a big deal out of this, nor am I attempting to antagonize or troll you. Let's just try and retain focus on D3 instead of our varying viewpoints. If there's any criticism, it should be about the game.

[offers olive branch of peace to Kitteh. And some catnip & a warm saucer of milk]

[Kitteh]

*curls up and purrs*

[Grisu]

@TRM and Smips: You're reviews are very well thought through and a great read! Wanted to leave work early, but got captured by your posts Thank you! I guess there isn't more to add from me - still I wanted to have the last word

Be bnet friends when D3 comes out???

[Smips]

@TRM and Smips: You're reviews are very well thought through and a great read! Wanted to leave work early, but got captured by your posts Thank you! I guess there isn't more to add from me - still I wanted to have the last word

Thanks Grisu, glad you feel that way. Must admit that I was 5 beers in when I wrote it though!

Be bnet friends when D3 comes out???

Totally. Any SPFer is welcome to add me. Suppose I should update my battletag on here, eh?

[Jcakes]

BTW just for all your information there is a mumble server for incgamers that has been set-up and there are a fair few of us SPFers on there already.

http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/s...rs-Clan/page19

[OldManFourFour]

Would love to be able to play it, but the fact that it is only playable online is a game breaker for me. I only play single player & since my internet connection is not dependable enough I can't justify spending the $60 bucks. Tried to download the beta this past weekend, to try it out, several times & was unsuccessful. So I am not even sure I could install the darn thing. Funny thing is I didn't have any trouble downloading the LOD client (other than it took a long time), go figure.

-OldMan44

[Arkardo]

I've read through this thread, and I though I'd give my 2 cents. I personally really enjoyed playing the beta. I started with the barb and killed the SK. Then I proceeded in HC with the WD, monk, wizard and DH, in that order. The barb seemed the most powerful to me, while I had some problems with the DH. For the other classes, you can just slap on any weapon and increase your damage, but most of the DH's skills rely on ranged weapons, which didn't drop for me. I had to mule a rare one-handed crossbow, the only mule I had done.

Also, no deaths in the entire beta. My concern regarding HC and lag seemed unnecessary, as the only time I experienced lag was right after I started playing, while I only had around 40% downloaded. All the other times the game paused, and once I had 100% I rarely experienced any kind of delay. If this keeps up, I won't hesitate to keep on playing HC.

My only real concern with D3 is the early levels; as some people already pointed out, these might get very repetitive, as you always unlock the skills in the same order. Some other minor issues are the limited storage space and the character limit. For the former, I hope the achievement system at least keeps track of the sets/legendaries that you've found or owned. For the latter I simply hope they increase it to, say, 20.

Some tidbits:

• Enhanced damage/defense doesn't seem to exist, and +damage of any kind is rather limited. I think that's a good thing, as these tend to be mandatory for a weapon to be good.
• When killing the SK for the first time, it seems he always drops a rare weapon for the class you're playing.
• The game has a very grim atmosphere! Though it cannot match D1's, I still think they did a great job.
• Gold and the blacksmith are shared between characters. While very useful and convenient, it kinda ruins untwinked play. I hope you can create a character that is independent.

[TheReadMenace]

A quick response to a couple of your bullet points:

- + damage seems to be rather limited, but then again the beta covers very early areas and only a fraction of the entire game. There's a vendor that sells rings, and with some luck one or both will have + 2-4 damage mods on them. At one point, equipping two of those on a pretty well kitted out Barbarian added twenty points to his cumulative damage. It made a strong character an unstoppable killing machine. Once we get past the SK in the retail version, I expect to see + damage mods quite frequently. It's all about how large a modifier it'll be that matters most, though.

- I'd heard recently that the SK drops a class-specific rare, but I don't think it's 100%. I did a run last night with a Monk, and the only rare I got were some pants. I'd say there's a good chance, not necessarily a guarantee.

- A new character that's got an empty stash, zero gold available, and untrained artisans? ...Nope. The only one you'll ever have is your very first character. They're intrinsically linked, for good or ill. HC is independent of SC, naturally, but that's the only separation you'll get. If one is desperate, you can always create a new character on a different realm. You'll be fighting potential lag, though.

[spearv]

I think its really interesting/funny that people would LOVE a shared stash system in D2, but that one being implemented in D3 is often seen as a negative in this thread!

(I do understand that it is the tournament style play that throws a spanner in the works)