All good demons go to... um... sequel? - Diablo 3 Announced

Scotch_Lufkin · 2012-02-09T08:33:26.000Z

I was going to skip the D3 beta as well, even if I got in.

Then I got in and leveled two characters to level 10, two to level 13, and one to level 9. Happily, I could definately play that first two hours over and over again yet more, I’m having to restrain myself though and play other games, but I think it speaks well of the games quality (let alone replayability) that those first two hours are so endlessly playable. For what it’s worth, if you DO happen to get in at some point.

Lorini · 2012-02-09T09:02:36.000Z

For those who may want to hear the information live (assuming they really do announce a release date).

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ – Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI -0.44% intends to release its fourth quarter and calendar year 2011 results after the close of the market on Thursday, February 9, 2012. In conjunction with this release, Activision Blizzard will host a conference call that will be broadcast over the Internet.

Thursday, February 9, 20121:30 pm Pacific Time (4:30 pm Eastern Time)

To listen to the call, please log onto: http://ir.activisionblizzard.com/events.cfm

Or dial:U.S. and Canada: 888-481-2845International: 719-325-2122Passcode: 8472934

Anyone planning to dial in to the call should RSVP to Pam Beaver at:E-mail: PBeaver@activision.com

A presentation corresponding with the conference call will be available in Adobe Acrobat format at http://ir.activisionblizzard.com/events.cfm . A replay of the call will also be available approximately three hours after the call’s conclusion and archived for one year in the Investor Relations section at http://www.activisionblizzard.com .

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a worldwide online, PC, console, handheld and mobile game publisher with leading positions across the major categories of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry.

Activision Blizzard maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea and China. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company’s website, http://www.activisionblizzard.com .

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc

Ninyu · 2012-02-09T09:28:05.000Z

I wouldn’t listen. Just hang out in chat at diablo.incgamers.com. Most of the call will be about Activision/Blizzard financials with maybe only a sentence or two said about Diablo 3 from Mike Morhaime. If there is a release date announced it will be in the documents posted shortly before the call and every fansite in the world will pick up on it really quick.

rowe33 · 2012-02-09T09:34:35.000Z

I hope they’ll be announcing my beta key access during the call as well!

Scotch_Lufkin · 2012-02-09T14:15:14.000Z

Q2 is the target release date, announced on the conference call moments ago. No titles from Blizzard are releasing in Q1 2012.

Quaro · 2012-02-09T14:28:51.000Z

AaronSofaer:

shrug That’s probably what happened, but it could also be the case that the decision had been reversed and he simply wasn’t in the loop (unlikely, but possible, failures of communication do happen).

I think it’s a pretty reasonable decision (to remove the global channels), but hey, that’s just me.

If you just want random players in your game you don’t need them, but if you are looking to avoid speed runners in your casual RPG focused playthrough or whatever chat channels can help. Being able to name your game and browse them would help more though.

There’s been a lot of backlash against Battle.net 2.0 in Starcraft lately and player frustration seems to be coming to a head with Diablo 3 at the same time. The overall sentiment is that the streamlining and removing of community oriented features makes being on Battle.Net feel lonely and dead. People often contrast the bustling and vibrant WC3 battle.net with the clinical SC2, especially in the very beginning where Blizzard was like, “You guys really want chat? We have matchmaking…” and the players had to beat them over the head with it before they changed their mind.

An even bigger problem in Starcraft 2 Battlet.net is not having a list of open custom games – so you have no chance of playing a specific map that isn’t on the popular list without spamming chat channels to find people. And even for popular melee maps you end up with huge skill or expectation mismatches.

ArmandoPenblade · 2012-02-09T14:34:33.000Z

Quaro:

If you just want random players in your game you don’t need them, but if you are looking to avoid speed runners in your casual RPG focused playthrough, chat channels can help. Being able to name your game and browse them would help more though.

(Even bigger problem in Starcraft 2 now, where you can’t even play on a specific map that isn’t on the popular list without spamming chat channels to find someone since there’s no list of open games. And even for popular maps you just get random people who are huge mismatches…)

The custom map settings on Bnet2.0 immediately and completely killed the SC2 custom mapmaking scene. Enforced copyright and strict censorship of mature content (language and themes) then proceeded to rape the corpse.

When someone dreams up the next DotA, they won’t be dreaming it up in the SC2 map editor. And regardless of whether or not many Chinese DotA players use pirated WC3 installs, throwing away your game’s chance at hosting the next legendary mod is fucking retarded.

Sorry for the rage. It just astonishes me how hard Blizz is trying to shoot themselves in the foot with their online strategy this generation. The lack of LAN has already fucked up tournament results in major-money tournies a dozen times or more in SC2.

Then again, they put chat channels back in D3. Maybe there is a sane person tucked away somewhere in Blizzard HQ, terrified by the madness surrounding them, but still insistently trying to eke out good ideas when they can sneak 'em out.

Quaro · 2012-02-09T14:46:58.000Z

Yeah, I don’t they understood or even understand now how a simple interface changes can have such a huge overall effect.

Letting players name games and browse the list is a ‘invitation for moderation and support disasters’ but removing it a disaster for any hopes of a thriving and innovate custom map scene. And even for people who just want to be like, “Diamond Zerg looking to practice against Zerg two base all ins on tournament map X” with normal starcraft.

Hanacker · 2012-02-09T15:03:47.000Z

Armando Penblade:

Sorry for the rage. It just astonishes me how hard Blizz is trying to shoot themselves in the foot with their online strategy this generation. The lack of LAN has already fucked up tournament results in major-money tournies a dozen times or more in SC2.

SC2 tournaments all have to go through regular old battlenet?

ArmandoPenblade · 2012-02-09T15:10:58.000Z

Hanacker:

SC2 tournaments all have to go through regular old battlenet?

If you’re going to give out over $5k, you have to register with Blizzard specifically (with some generally unspecified terms, but I’ve heard–unverified–rumors of cutting them in). You generally also want to advise them weeks ahead of time if you’re holding a live event so that they don’t ban your IP for too many logins. Of course, doing so doesn’t guarantee that won’t happen anyway, and it commonly does.

Yes, all tournaments must go through Battle.net. Players lag out and drop games, Bnet connectivity drops, the venue gets IP banned, etc. Hell, players have to manually set Busy mode to avoid fans PMing them what the opponent is doing, and casters need to do the same to avoid having people PM them inappropriate content while they’re broadcasting. To say nothing of the old hacks that could force a player to drop by PM-spamming them.

Considering how badly Blizz wanted a slice of the e-sports pie in SC2 so that organizations like KeSPa didn’t make all the money instead of them, it’s pretty astonishing that they’ve managed to utterly fuck the game up as an e-sport so badly. Don’t get me wrong–most of their inane practices are there to lock out the competition from using their game without explicit permission, but still. . . it’s hell on the players and the event organizers.

Quaro · 2012-02-09T15:15:52.000Z

Smaller tournaments have been IP banned from too many logins and had to cancel the whole thing. Larger tournaments have been delayed until they can get the right guy on the phone (this even happens at MLG which is advertised on the front page of Battle.Net…) Blizzard has tourney registration process to avoid this but they apparently don’t pay too much attention to it.

I’m willing to accept they’ll never back down on the LAN play. But if they can’t guarantee not making mistakes and/or Battle.net downtime they need another option. What they COULD offer a local BNet blackbox server for the really big tournaments – even if it means sending a blizzard employee to babysit it the whole time. A large tournament would love to pay 1000+ a day if it meant they didn’t have to deal with this crap.

SlyFrog · 2012-02-10T08:43:05.000Z

I’m surprised no one provided the updated release information.

Per the call, supposedly second quarter 2012 (i.e sometime April-June).

Scotch_Lufkin · 2012-02-10T08:50:36.000Z

SlyFrog:

I’m surprised no one provided the updated release information.

Per the call, supposedly second quarter 2012 (i.e sometime April-June).

Post 2989. I was actually surprised no one said anything after I posted that, there was some discussion about StarCraft or something instead. Mind blowing.

RobotPants · 2012-02-10T08:55:33.000Z

The Internet is for ranting, not giving out useful information, silly!

ArmandoPenblade · 2012-02-10T10:26:08.000Z

It’s also a Blizzard release date. Q2 2012, on Blizzard/Valve Standard Time, equates to sometime after the release of Duke Nukem Forever.

Wait.

OH MY GOD.

Hanacker · 2012-02-10T10:34:43.000Z

BleedTheFreak:

Post 2989. I was actually surprised no one said anything after I posted that, there was some discussion about StarCraft or something instead. Mind blowing.

What would you like someone to say about it? The Starcraft 2 tournament stuff actually had things worth discussing.

Lorini · 2012-02-10T10:37:44.000Z

<gnash teeth> Good enough?

Scotch_Lufkin · 2012-02-10T10:52:17.000Z

Hanacker:

What would you like someone to say about it? The Starcraft 2 tournament stuff actually had things worth discussing.

I suppose, though this might not be the right thread for that - and then to have someone post “wow, I’m surprised no one posted this” when I had but it got buried is why I bring anything up. Not that I really mind or anything, but since you asked.

Also, as pointed out, getting an official release window, if not an exact date, IS news worthy, I felt.

Hanacker · 2012-02-10T11:13:56.000Z

It is news-worthy, there just isn’t much to discuss about it.

Matthew_Bramblet · 2012-02-10T15:17:39.000Z

Supposedly more information will be provided “in the upcoming weeks”. If that is indeed a release date given by the end of February, then the traditional 8-10 week window before the actual release, puts the release date sometime in May.