3641

Really? Damn. You have put things into perspective.

Even if they do release a Xbox port by Xmas they will still charge $59 for it… so maybe I should just buy it now for the PC

3642

I got the impression it’s not going to be a straight port, it’ll be changed up to some degree (how much I don’t know). I wouldn’t expect the 360 version out anytime soon, though. Blizzard at their best does a ton of things right, but fast certainly isn’t one of them. :)

3643

I wish I could transfer my beta to one of the many desperate and enthusiastic types in here. I’ve played the monk, voodoo guy, and sorceress each to level 6 or so, and the game is about as disappointing as I expected it to be. I won’t rehash all of the complaints we’ve already expressed in this thread, though I’ll say the absence of meaningful, long-term choice makes the experience of playing Diablo 3 as hollow as I expected.

One complaint I haven’t seen expressed in this thread yet—probably because I haven’t scoured every post—is how ridiculous it looks to wield melee weapons while casting spells or pounding away at mobs with your fists. I understand that weapons affect the damage of your non-weapon attacks (don’t they?), but how Blizzard has chosen to communicate that graphically is a great example of a discrepancy between gameplay and theme. Graphically, the current implementation seems to suggests that you’re either casting spells through or smacking mobs around with the butts of your weapons. This runs counter to everything we’ve ever learned about how medieval weapons work in games, movies, and books, and, in a setting that relies so strongly on medieval fantasy tropes, just doesn’t work. It’s a minor issue compared to my other complaints, but when I’m already this down on the game, it’s hard to ignore.

3644

Sorry to hear you don’t like it, but you will make many, many meaningful choices in Diablo III, they’re simply not permanent. I can see how some people would balk at non-permanent choices, but the reality of game design in 2012 is that respecs are a necessity. You would piss off far more people than you would make happy by not having them. Once you have respecs, you need to take a hard look at the barriers you put in front of them. Blizzard realized that making respecs prohibitive would hurt the game, so they made them easy. Thus, experimentation rules the day.

It will be incredibly important to design a solid build once you get to Inferno. There will be bonuses for sticking with that build. The only difference from Diablo 2 is that, due to the ease of experimentation Diablo III allows, there will be far, far more viable inferno builds.

3645

Vincent, not to be dismissive, but we’ve covered this topic extensively in this thread, so I’m not going to engage with you beyond clarifying that I want choices that are both meaningful and long-term, which is more than just meaningful. Whether Blizzard was conceding to demands of their business model or hoi polloi or achieving exactly what they set out to do when designing D3 doesn’t matter to me. Experimentation that is largely free of consequences doesn’t appeal to me in this game. And I’m sorry I don’t like it, too :(

But on to the meat of my last post. Nobody else is moved by how stupid it looks to cast spells out of the tips of swords and axes, or go all Neo on mobs with the handles of said weapons?

3646

Hehe, hoi polloi. Oh, your tears taste so delicious and salty. :)

3647

That’s usually an issue for me, especially considering how great the animations were in World of Warcraft with just about any weapon type that you used. I made similar comments in this thread that I wished the game looked smoother like some other games where action takes place from that view, most notably Dungeon Siege 3 and League of Legends.

Then again, Titan Quest had some issues with its weapon animations for some attacks and abilities.

3648

Does ‘hoi polloi’ have a condescending connotation? I didn’t mean to insult everyone that digs Diablo 3’s new systems, but it is, frustratingly, not for me, based on what I’ve played of the beta.

3649

Very much so. Hoi polloi is basically the unwashed masses, people with neither taste nor sensibility, implicitly in contrast to the speaker, who has both.

3650

Not really, no. I realized it was a stat stick and got over it.

3651

My mistake. I was trying to build on Vincent’s line about far more people being in favor of “respecs” than against. I acknowledge that everyone in favor of Diablo 3’s new character progression system can possess both taste and sensibility, while still believing they’re wrong. :)

Is anyone willing to join me on the weapons-do-damage-via-the-pointy-end side of the fence?

3652

I haven’t seen any in-game footage of Diablo III, but the idea of unarmed combat using the blunt end of weapons for damage does seem a little… Equilibrium.

3653

I don’t remember people whining about Necromancers and Sorceress casting spells with swords in Diablo 2, and the damage wasn’t even tied to your weapon in that one!

The only one i have seen that looks really weird is the Monk, which clearly is supossed to use the fist and staff weapons only so it doesnt look weird.

3654

I haven’t seen what the current animations for D3 spells are, but philosophically since you’re getting your spell damage from the weapons I am totally ok with animations channelling the spells through the weapon.

If the monk is hitting people with weapon hilts now it does sound hilariously like a kung-fu movie. I can’t decided if that’s good or bad until there’s more videos.

3655

I don’t remember playing any of D2’s casters with non-class weapons ever, so I have no memory of that. Was there any reason to do so? If you’re right, then that’s silly, but there’s so much to love about D2 that I can hardly hold that against it. And those lower detail graphics make such animation wonkiness more bearable, too.

I just booted up my Monk, and it turns out he keeps his weapons out and ready to strike at all times except for the very moments when he strikes with his fists or feet. Mea Culpa. I think my experiences with D3’s caster animations jumped ship in my head. Still goofy, but not as bad as casting spells with melee weapons you’ll never get to use.

3656

They definitely messed up with the Monk. I’d rather they just forced him to use hands/knuckles or something. I know many would consider it a minor issue, but to me it’s enough to make me want to pick another class. I was going for Monk as main, but I really dislike the disappearing weapons thing.

3657

Disappearing-and-then-instantly-reappearing weapons are much more goofy than casting spells with a spear instead of a short length of wood (NO NOT LIKE THAT SHUT UP). The spells thing, AFAICT (and correct me if I’m wrong), bothers you for two reasons. The first being that spells should be cast through wands, not spears. But there’s no reason that should be the case other than “That’s how it’s usually done in generic cliched fantasy”.

The second reason being that if you have a melee weapon you want to hit things with it. But your spells are better, so why would you hit things with them? Because setting off magic explosions two feet from your face seems like it should be unhealthy? Well, probably, but if you start going down that rabbit hole I think every Blizzard title is going to fall apart.

3658

I’ve played through with the barb, monk and witch doctor an am currently working on a sorc. I can’t say I’ve noticed any of the animation issues that have been brought up. So doesn’t bother me in the least. I’m also quite happy with the way the skills are set up, I really like being able to try everything out and switch around to the skills I like most.

For me at least, I’m really looking forward to May 15th.

3659

Witch Doctor’s Spider Vase Throwing skill is the best thing in the game.

3660

I disagree. It’s a tossup between disintegrate and FIREBATS. FIREBATS is awesome.

Judging by the caps, I guess I’d have to go with FIREBATS.