Thursday Next Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 This is just typical EA! Except it's not us for a change. Glad to see some worthy competition for worst company in America. Bring it Blizzard! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 So because I'm waiting for Connor's Monk to catch up, I've abandoned my Wizard for now and rolled a barbarian. There's no class that as effectively gets across what makes this game great. You click on something and the game makes you feel like a demigod immediately. Ha, I hadn't even thought about different classes accounting for speed, but that actually makes sense. I'm a demon hunter, so I'm constantly dodging and running from crowds of enemies. That probably slows down progression quite a bit when you add it all up. Yeah I tried the Demon Hunter and it just felt like I was slowly chipping away on the enemies' health. Didn't like it at all. And Johnny this isn't "Oh let's all hate on Blizzard now they're merged with Activision". People have the same issue with Sim City V and Ubisoft games too. Developer/publisher makes a bad call, folks call them out on it. Would sound more believable if it was just a part of the discussion like with Sim City V and Ubisoft games, and not the only fucking thing people are willing to discuss. We've had the conversation pages back and nothing has changed. Your opinion on it as well as mine has been very clearly documented. I'd rather not this thread becomes a retarded retreading of the same old arguments like the Piracy and US Politics threads. edit: You can't pause the game? lolwut. You can pause the game if you're not playing with other people. Might want to ask him what he's smoking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Actually apart from posting the initial news it'll be always-online I didn't join in the earlier discussion. And it is "part of the discussion", much like Sim City V n ubisoft stuff. If folks want to discuss other parts of the game that's cool too, discussing how the always-online elements have affected the game is pretty on-topic still and if you feel it's retreading elements then you're fine to sit it out, no one is forcing you to repeat yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Given that all the things people were saying about the reasons that always on DRM for single player is a bad idea are coming home to roost it seems like a perfect place and time to talk about the teething problems Diablo III is having. To be honest the connection issues may well be helping to hide some of the other problems people are having with Diablo III, I've seen others complain about flat textures, repetitive gameplay and an uninspiring story. I'm sure some of that is fuelled by the anti-DRM sentiment, but it seems like the game is not all that everyone hoped it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Not sure what those people could have been hoping it'd be. It completely outdid all my expectations, along with those of all my friends. And the game looks absolutely gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Johnny, the reason it came up again now is because the game launched and people were having trouble playing it because the servers were down. It's not the only thing people are willing to talk about, it's just something that we've suddenly all been reminded of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Well, you know opinions... I've seen plenty of complaints that graphics look washed out. That the skill tree has become a skill trunk. Almost everyone agrees that the actual gameplay is repetitive and that you are essentially playing a prettied up slot machine. I'm not saying that you or your friends are not allowed to like the game, or find it attractive, or whatever. Just that while the headline complaints are about the DRM, there are plenty of other issues that people have with the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I've seen a lot of complaints about the skill system as well. From people who haven't played the game. It's way better than a skill tree because it offers so much more flexibility and customization in how you play your character. And you're never locked into a decision, or forced to calculate the maximum DPS you can get with the optimal skill build. While with a skill tree, if you want the last skill in Fire, you're gonna have to pick up most of the other ones; it's very rigid. Diablo 3's system cuts out all the stupid spending of points and pitfalls while giving you many more actual choices (as opposed to calculations). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I am much in favor of choices between incomparables, rather than being able to calculate the optimal build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I couldn't tell you if the people making those statements have played the game or not. I wouldn't say that cutting out the calculation element is objectively better. You may well prefer it, personally I've always liked calculating the stats and working out the best combos. De-branching the skill tree was always going to be somewhat controversial. Streamlining vs Dumbing Down always is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I do like becoming an unstoppable algorithm of death, the problem is that it's really hard to balance systems like that and you end up with 2-3 "correct" builds, which gets boring (to me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 It's hardly dumbing down. The choices in Diablo III are much more about figuring out the right abilities for the moment, compared to the rest of the genre. It requires a lot of understanding of your abilities and how the combat flows. It's making the game more easy to approach while adding more depth to the combat. It's a win-win approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I've not played any Diablo so can't say if it's dumbed down. I just meant that when you make a system "more accessible" you will always have people waving the banner for Streamlined or Dumbed Down, depending on whether or not they approve of the changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomTervo Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Yeah he meant the dichotomy between changing a system to be more essential but possibly more simple, i.e. the dichotomy of steamlining something potentially making it 'dumbed down'. From what I heard the changes to Diablo III's systems sounded objectively good. That's actually a pretty big argument for the whole medium right now; what with high-roller AAA titles being super streamlined and selling well, with more complex titles not doing so great but being more meaningful and deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I like both. Why can't we have both? (In different games, I mean) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomTervo Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) Not saying they're exclusive, bro. I like both too. But I do believe a good mix between both is the best of both worlds. Things like MGS are good examples of that, I feel. MGS4 is streamlined like shit but OH SO DEEP Edited May 16, 2012 by kenshi_ryden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 John Walker of RPS is ill. So he figured out how to play PC games through his Android so he could play Diablo in bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Not saying they're exclusive, bro. I like both too. But I do believe a good mix between both is the best of both worlds. Things like MGS are good examples of that, I feel. MGS4 is streamlined like shit but OH SO DEEP Oh yeah, that wasn't really directed at you, more at the gaming public in general (read: vocal minority). It seems like every time a new action RPG comes out people lose their shit about how RPGs are getting so dumbed down. They have a much better argument when it happens to an established franchise (DA2, I'm looking at you). As an aside, one thing I think Bioware did very well with ME3 that kind of got overshadowed by the ending controversy was that they reworked the systems from ME2 to make them deeper. They actually listened to criticism about ME2 being dumbed down compared to the first (the first definitely needed its systems tweaked, it did not need them removed) and responded accordingly. For that I applaud them. Finally, this is getting kind of off-topic. Does anyone know a better thread we could move this discussion to? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 John Walker of RPS is ill. So he figured out how to play PC games through his Android so he could play Diablo in bed. That's fucking awesome, I've been wanting something like Onlive but to stream from my own PC. What program is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Finally, this is getting kind of off-topic. Does anyone know a better thread we could move this discussion to? A new? Seriously, I even added in a plug-in that puts a "make a new topic" tab on the front page. Why are you people so damn afraid to make new topics? In other news: Just found out why some youtube videos aren't embedding. Since when did Youtube start using HTTPS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vargras Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I do like becoming an unstoppable algorithm of death, the problem is that it's really hard to balance systems like that and you end up with 2-3 "correct" builds, which gets boring (to me). That's how Diablo 2 was, and that's why the skill system is the way it is in Diablo 3. They're trying to prevent people from only ever using 2-3 builds, because those are the only 'right' ones. It's more about player choice now. Yeah I tried the Demon Hunter and it just felt like I was slowly chipping away on the enemies' health. Didn't like it at all. Demon Hunter is a lot about kiting and resource management. I wouldn't call it an easy class to play (to me, Barbarian and Wizard are both pretty easy), but it's rewarding once you figure it out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I'm not afraid to make new topics, I just like to check first to make sure I'm not doubling up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Well I got a guest pass from a friend so I guess I'll be trying this game out. I'm one of the few people who never played the first two games as a kid so this entire franchise is going to be new territory for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorrrr Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Me and Johnny just completed the game together. Both of us agree that this game is incredible. I'm gonna be hopping into Nightmare mode any time now. I played the Monk and had a blast. He sort of feels like a quicker, more precise Barbarian. Less AOE and plain destruction than the barbarian but still a lot of damage to be done, especially with the right passive abilities (I made dexterity contribute to my armour rating and then just gemmed the fuck out of all my equipment, ended up with about 300+ damage rating just through all that) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) You beat it already? God damn. Unrelated, but it amused me. Edited May 17, 2012 by Mister Jack 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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