News

Female Character Conceptual Design Revealed: Monk

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:48:00 -0500

Regarding the Jace Hall Show: While the first episode left a bitter taste, everything was okay but there was really no significant revelation about Diablo III. However, the second episode had a strong message, that Jay Wilson was about to reveal the conceptual art design for the female version of the Monk Class!

Blizz: Bashiok

Yeah, didn't I just make that post yesterday?

Anyway, considering the level at which the artists control thelooks of the heroes and their progressive armor appearances I don'tthink there's any chance you'll be able to mistake one class foranother. Being able to easily read the heroes on screen is probably thefirst and biggest bullet point for our art design.

Her hair being a near-white blonde wasn't a random choice or simply for aesthetics.

You'll be able to identify any class out of the corner of your eye,or almost wholly obscured by effects/monsters. It's absolutelynecessary. The heroes are designed at every step of the way with thatin mind. Gameplay first.

Without further ado...enjoy this video and the screenshots captured.

Details on Lore and female Monk

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:56:00 -0500

Bashiok commented on Battle.net forums regarding some details.

To begin, he said that Sanctuary is a world inspired by us, but very different in many ways:

Blizz: Sanctuary

WUUUUT

Uhm, but yeah, it's not Earth. We like to mix it up a little, tryto do something interesting while keeping the same tone. It would likely be incorrect to say even a minority of people on Sanctuarybelieve in the great conflict as it really exists.
I think people also lose sight of the fact that angels aren'treally "the good guys". Humanity exists in a state of ...
well, humanity. And the absolute natures of good and evil in this world seemto have little or no patience and understanding for anythingin-between. The moral greys of humans (not to mention their mereexistence) is as intolerable as the opposite alignment. Humanity tothem is an abomination, but they've agreed to watch for a while and seewhat happens.

So in any case the game obviously pulls from a lot of influences,and it's certainly morphed and evolved through each of the games andnovels. As we've continued to build out the lore, layers are added, andit moves further and further from what essentially began as amedieval-era fight through a single gothic church battling the forcesof evil vaguely altered from real world monotheistic beliefs.

We're quite a bit past that now.

Besides that, Bashiok is also collecting the designs and personal piece of art from individual fans on the female Monk. According to him, it's because they're very close to revealing and wanted to see the ideas and visions of the fans.

Blizz: Fanart Contest

A couple days ago I was thinking "I sure could go for a breakfast sandwich." And then I thought "HEY! We're pretty close to revealing the female monk, let's see what people think she's going to look like." And since those crazy kids on the twitter love this kind of thing, what better place to post an art challenge. Following is the original twitter request and the responses to date.

"Art challenge! We're a bit closer to revealing the female monk, but what do you think she'll look like? Draw/paint it and we'll RT the best"

@tedknaz this is my interpretation http://yfrog.com/4euwup

@_Mjollnir_ This work? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/SilverFenrir/UF-Diablo-F-Monk.png

@Lytus My vision of the female Monk: http://twitpic.com/zqr72

@Pinuxette My monk girl !! http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinuxette/4304948168/

@redaction00 http://twitpic.com/zrmjb

@kasuturo i see female monks like this http://twitpic.com/zrlpa/full hope u like it! :D

@besonderheit Felt like joining in on the fun. Two versions: http://twitpic.com/zsx00

@_h8u Im not that good in drawing, but i hope she should look about that way: http://twitpic.com/ztsnl

@The_Dragon_King My take on the Female monk http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Hunter_Wolf/Female_Monk.jpg

@The_Dragon_King same female monk but this time with more gear on http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Hunter_Wolf/Female_Monk_2_v2-resized.jpg

@The_Dragon_King The last version http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Hunter_Wolf/Female_Monk_2_v3-resized.jpg

@Brettabra 3 different versions. If they're good take your pic http://twitpic.com/zxwmp http://twitpic.com/zxwvo http://twitpic.com/zxwyy

@zsersh this is my female monk P: http://sergiof.deviantart.com/art/monk-female-final-151915128 hope u like it ñ_ñ

@udany I colorized the concept made by @_Mjollnir_, check it out here: http://bit.ly/aWiXL2

@_Melkisedek_ Actually, I hope the female monk character is going to be like this ;) http://twitpic.com/zz9jm and... this http://twitpic.com/zz9qm

@MonkHalel I didn't do this, a friend of mine did, and it ain't that bad: http://leugi.deviantart.com/art/Female-Monk-151938604

- -

@_Mjollnir_ Took a second shot at it, basically the same design - http://unshackledfenrir.deviantart.com/art/Diablo-F-Monk-Concept-151990114

@JRedmerski http://twitpic.com/103ojq - Here's how I envision the female monk :-)

@egregory25 Here is my monk girl http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab24/lordicem/01280001.jpg

@captain_vangore i hope she'll be similar to d2's assassin ;) http://el-pistolero.deviantart.com/art/Female-monk-152024507

@panaer this is my "vision" espero que os guste (desde España) http://panaer.deviantart.com/art/Female-Monk-152032497

@d3bn my female monk ~ ~ http://i50.tinypic.com/316q4js.jpg

@artdrawnbyjelly http://i47.tinypic.com/9kb5gg.jpg this is what i came up with

- -

@HolyMane my female monk! http://holymane.deviantart.com/art/diablo-s-female-monk-151762496

@Beonarri Here's my female monk. Quick and dirty, nothing really fancy. http://www.wolflog.com/2010/01/diablo-3-monk-fan-art-sketch.html

@pastuh how post pic? I have this: http://twitpic.com/10ber8

- -

@DynastyGraphics Figured I would give a one hour go at this "contest" http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n6/dynastygraphics/FemaleMonkConcept.jpg

@aehbon My version of the Female Monk #Diablo @Diablo http://twitpic.com/zynor I can't wait to see the real one!

@stevesavoy I worked hard on this. Let me know what you think. Thanks! http://stevesavoy.deviantart.com/art/Diablo-3-Female-Monk-152376866

@_k_z_ My vision of Female Monk http://www.lab.envirex.cz/other/temp/fmonk.jpg

@Raute88 Hi, I'd like to send my try of a female Monk: http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/2912/monkfemale.jpg

@Coldworm My female Monk didn't get finished till February 1st, but i'll post colored version as soon as possible http://twitpic.com/10ou7w

@MissGlori89 my female Monk : http://buhuohnek.bu.funpic.de/pics/female%20Monk.jpg

@Laloo617 I imagine the female monk like this http://twitpic.com/10uuya

@besonderheit Another picture of my female monk, facing the Lord of Terror. http://twitpic.com/10tslb

@Krazed89 gogo project monk female!. Here's my vision with a pencil, hope u like it: http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8139/skanuj0001oj.jpg

@Sezar1 My Female Monk concept -> http://twitpic.com/10h3qs

@Gladius333 This is my concept art of female monk: http://goliatgladius.deviantart.com/art/My-version-of-Female-Monk-D3-152569523

The designs are gathered until next Monday, possibly in the next few weeks, they will revealed the real images.

Why not have guns in Diablo 3?

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:28:00 -0500

Bashiok explained to us (fans), why there will be no guns in the Diablo World.

Blizzard Quote:

Larzuk Appearedto be on the Verge of Discovering gun powder, but shortly thereafter he was killed as the mountain on his head explode. Thus the secrets of gunpowder are lost forever and have no chance of being rediscovered.

Also Hot Air Balloons Now that we talk about it. He wanted to use those to scout over Baals forces. Are those lost forever too now? Malah gossip :

"Larzuk possesses a good soul, but at times his all seems quite unsound. He once asked me for twenty of my finest sheepskins. He once asked me for twenty of my finest sheepskins. He said he would fill them with hot air and float like a cloud above the battlefield to spy on Baal's legions. I worry the siege has driven him mad.”

Bashiok: Nice! Bashiok Nice! So then yeah, air travel, dead forever.

Well, introducing the problem with guns is that they dramatically change the feel of The Game. Even though you could balance them with long reload times or whatever it would just stand out too much. If creativity and constantly moving forward was the big reason forintroducing guns then I suppose we would have to see laser pistols in the expansion!?
" (Ok, so I exaggerated a little) "

Bashiok: Yeah a little bit of exaggeration but you got the general sentiment right. Bashiok: Yeah a little bit of exaggeration but you got the general sentiment right.

Guns are decidedly scientific, and the Diablo world is decidedly magic (impaling with a lot of people at Pikes). Not that guns and magic can not mix, but when they do it becomes something entirely different. So I do not think it's an issue of guns not being fun or just not working, it's nothing like that. It's simply a setting and tone issue, and guns would very certainly change it.

Source:

Diablo.incgamers.com

New Design without Armor - Wizard (Updated)

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:57:00 -0500

Yesterday Bashiok, warned both via Twitter and Facebook about the design change in some aspects of reinforcement that is the female version of the Wizard.

Blizz: Design Without Armor

There is a big boost in armor sets on the horizon before the break, which includes new look of the Monk with armor. Sometimes we refer to this in a class look "naked." Not that they are really without any clothes, but is the design that shows a character when there is no piece of armor.

UPDATE: Bashiok also said something about the female monk:

Blizz: New look of the unreinforced Monk

It was not a total rework or anything, these things rarely are. It was essentially a color shift from red to a sort of muted mustard color (which doesn't sound great but it looks awesome), and then a texture cleanup removing some elements and just letting the whole thing read alot better. It looks a lot more like an unarmored look now, in my opinion. Before it was a bit busy and ... Before it was a bit busy and ... I think you also sort of have to have a very minimal naked look so that upgrades feel that much more "powerful" If you don't notice a visual change on the character with a new piece of armor then it's kind of like, what's the point? Now she looks like... Now she looks like ... haha, it kind of looks like she's about to go to the gym. To kill demons. To kill demons.

Also the female monk got a haircut not terribly long ago. She's looking good. She's looking good. Much closer match to the concepts now.

And yes you'll be able to see her soon. ish. ish

The Monk - Development Team Update

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:18:00 -0500

Despite having little news this week, Bashiok, the man who proved that 2 + 2 = 4, told us yesterday via Twitter two details about the stat of development of the Monk class.

Blizz: Monk Abilities

The monk skill trees are being fleshed out in high level design concepts and skill nitty-gritty specifics.

Something very positive when we consider that at Blizzcon last August, the Monk had only 8 skills. Given they guadually work on the classes, the fact of working in "high-level design" means they have almost the entire skill tree.

Blizz: On the female Monk

I think we already soft of promised we would. You'll see her before too long.

Given that there soon will be a Diablo BlizzCast content, you know something important. So we'll watch in the upcoming weeks.

Bashiok also answered in the Battle.net forums about how many people workin Diablo III.

Blizz: Workers in D3

I think we're closer to 70 now and still growing a little bit.

But really having a bigger or smaller number with no frame of reference asto the types and amounts of content being developed is sort of meaningless. But really having a bigger or smaller number with no frame of reference as to the types and amounts of content being developed is sort of meaningless. It's more important what's being worked on, who each person is, theirabilities, and the end result than just a sum of the bodies assigned toa team. It's more important what's being worked on, each person who is, their abilities, and the end result than just a sum of the bodies assigned to a team.

D3 Waypoints similar to Diablo II

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:31:00 -0500

Via Twitter Diablo, comments from Bashiok that Waypoints will work in Diablo III the same way they did in DIablo II:

Blizzard: Waypoints

Updated waypoint UI design and implemented. Waypoints will function similar to Diablo II.

Let's remember that Dialbo III also has the Checkpoints mode, which is very similar to other RPG-Action games like Titan Quest.

Waypoints were seen in the Blizzcon demo with a new look, where one of them led to a dungeon. It is foreseeable that it was implemented and we really will be able to move through the world of Sanctuary. It look something like this:

Interview with Jay Wilson 11.23.2009

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:09:00 -0500

Diablofans exclusive interview with Jay Wilson...

We have summarized the most interesting information:

new skill system is still in development
on class specific items is still being debated
depending on the class to the game experience differ in some quests
Status Points will be adjusted as far as possible on subjects such as elixirs for Diablo 1 are not planned
throughhigher levels of difficulty was not discussed much, but it should bechallenging and make better items available - not only on theproperties here, but also by the appearance
there are enemies with a single damage type immunity in order to make interesting characters with alternative ways to attack
rare and high-level objects should "look fantastic", but without being excessive or disproportionate
not an object type (legendary, rare, ...) should always be the best, but for example, a helmet and armor to another NPC
NPC merchant to fill gaps in the equipment, just in case for a while, nothing clever is found Ureh,
Ureh, a great city, which was already look at artwork, will not be integrated into Diablo 3, so that it will be completed faster
"Chat Gem" is working properly and has more than fulfilled expectations Blizzard

DiabloFans: On the topic of the Monk,can you tell us if the skill trees have been named yet? So far they'relisted as "Unnamed Skill Tree 1 - 3". Can we expect to see any more ofhis skills unveiled soon along with his female counterpart? Also, cantell me a little bit more about the new skill system?

Jay Wilson: In regards to thefemale counterpart, she'll be released soon. As far as exact dates go,I really can't talk much about them. A little news about the Skill Treesystem should actually go up on our Twitterpage pretty soon. About that, we've decided to remove the tree-typearchitecture and we are moving into a purely skill-based system. Thisnew system is still in the development stages and if it does not work,we still have plenty of options to fall back on. Right now, we're justtrying different things and getting a feel for the few ideas in regardsto the skill system that we have going on right now. It differs fromthe World of Warcraft/Diablo II type hierarchical styles and is more ofa skill pool/path than a tree per se.

DiabloFans: Will there be class specific quests in the game? If so, can you explain how they would work?

Jay Wilson: We are still discussingwhether or not we would like to include class-specific quests in thegame mainly because of the simple fact that it may not really fit inwith the fast-paced play-style known to the Diablo series. While thisis definitely something we would like to consider, we just haven'tagreed on how just yet. However, we would like to do something inregards to character specificity. We are looking into having differentdialogues and experiences for the same quest or interaction for each ofthe classes. Each character will react differently and have differentresponses for different scenarios. For example, the Barbarian may do or say one thing in response to what an NPC has to say, whereas a Witch Doctor will treat the encounter in a complete opposite manner.

DiabloFans: Back in Diablo I a player could find Elixirs.If you drank one it gave you 1 stat point (ie: drink elixir ofstrength, you gain 1 strength point). Seeing how Diablo III's statpoints are non-customizable, by a leveling standpoint, could elixirs bean option to give stat points some player customization?

Jay Wilson: Well, if we didsomething like that, we would fall right back where we were in DiabloII. As far as stat point expenditure, we don't consider it to be a verystrong customization system. Now, there are ways within the game tocustomize stat points mainly through items. However, there are still alot of things and systems that we haven't even shown yet that are goingto be new ways to approach your items that will allow for new"customizations."

DiabloFans: What are the differences inthe difficulty levels in Diablo III other than just monsters doing moredamage? ie: What reason will people have to play through these modesafter having already beaten the main story of the game on an easierdifficulty setting?

Jay Wilson: We haven't reallygotten into the difficulty settings a lot; we're still just working onthe core content for the game at this point. The primary reason as towhy a player would want to progress through the game, through theseveral difficulties would be for more of a challenge. There will bealso better item customization, for example a Level 100 character in ahigher difficulty would see and wear items that a Level 30 characterwould not have a chance at seeing in the lower difficulty. Said itemswill also look and feel completely different whereas in Diablo II a lotof times you just had a remodel of the same old items with differentnames.

DiabloFans: Resistancesplayed a huge part in Diablo II, but if you were not lucky with geardrops you would get very quickly overwhelmed in Nightmare/Helldifficulties. Can you give us any details on how the system will bechanging? Will it replace the immunity system or will they go hand inhand, once again?

Jay Wilson: Well, the main reasonfor immunities in the game was to encourage party play. However, wehave seen that some players just want to play by themselves? And thatis fine, if a player wants to play single player, the player wants toplay single player, we're not going to strong arm them into playingwith others. Keeping this in mind, we aren't looking to have fullimmunities or anything of the sort; however we are considering keepingone-element immunities on enemies. Because of the way our skill systemworks it's almost impossible to build a character that won't have somealternate skill to attack an enemy. So then it becomes an interestinguse of a skill or skills that you may not be using all the time. Wethink that's interesting and fun gameplay, to have to adapt tosituations. The adaptation just shouldn't be realizing your characteror class is broken and you have to run away or you need to get in amultiplayer game. Those are things we intend to avoid forcing theplayer into.

DiabloFans: How will rare / high levelitems stand out when equipped on your character since you've statedthat you want all the items to have a more functional look rather thanbe too flashy or gaudy like they are in WoW?

Jay Wilson: There is a very fineline between the looks of WoW items and the looks of Diablo III items,and I'd like to call that Diablo II. Within Diablo II there were adecent amount of high-end items that were pretty fantastical looking.Obviously it's nowhere near what WoW does which works for WoW, theirstyle looks great and it works for that game but doesn't work forDiablo. So we're looking to make the armor and weapons very fantastic looking, but we're not going to have for instance a two handed swordthat's bigger than the character. We're keeping things proportional.One thing we do have that Diablo II didn't have is weapon effects,which was really more of a technical limitation back then.

DiabloFans: How will you balance the power of an item in comparison to its drop rate? In Diablo II runewords were extremely powerful, yet the required runeswere also extremely rare to come by, or at least were supposed to be.Will there be items as rare in Diablo III that are as powerful from thestart, or will players have to slowly improve the quality of theiritems, through crafting/runes/other systems?

Jay Wilson: Throughout the historyof patches on Diablo II, there were a lot of updates to runewords andthey really powerful from when they were introduced. At one time oranother though all of the different item types were the most powerful,like unique items were the best, or rare itemsat some point. Our general approach for Diablo III is to make sure thatevery type of item has a place to be useful. For example, maybe we'llhave a legendary item, which is the new name for our unique items, be the best helm, whereas rares will have the most powerful chest armor, and so on. Having a spread like that will allow for a more varied itemization system we hope.

DiabloFans: What types of items willmerchants sell in Diablo III? Are merchants going to play a bigger rollin leveling or are item drops going to be the major upgrades once again?

Jay Wilson: This kind of goes backto the luck factor with your drops. The cool thing was, in Diablo II,you may have found a powerful sash after killing some mobs, but had noluck finding a weapon. You run to town and talk to one of the vendorsand notice some items and a weapon that catches your eye, so you buy itand use that. So we want vendors to be there to assist in the gearingprocess, to fill in those gaps that may come just from playing with arandom loot drop system. You may play through an entire act and justnever find a great pair of boots, and so we want the vendor to be there to offer some ability to fill that gap.

DiabloFans: Can you tell us a bit more about how the PvP system will work?

Jay Wilson: I'm going to say no comment to save you some time.

DiabloFans: Will the published books be referenced during Diablo III's storyline? For example, will Zayl be an NPC? Will different places like Ureh be visited throughout the game?

Jay Wilson: We removed Urehfrom the game as a setting to try and get the game out sooner. However,we like including things from the books and from other sources. Nopromises, but it's definitely something we've discussed.

DiabloFans: The Veiled Prophet mentions beings similar to Trag'Oul who stop the dragon when he tries to enter Sanctuary. Will we see some development of them in Diablo III?

Jay Wilson: That's probably a better question for Leonard Boyarsky. I'm pretty familiar with lore, but you just hit my lore cap with that question.

DiabloFans: The games feature a very slim cast of angels considering the role the High Heavens plays in the story. Will Heaven be more prominent in Diablo III compared to previous installments?

Jay Wilson: I'm going to say... No comment.

DiabloFans: Can you tell me a little bit about the Chat Gem before we have to part ways?

Bashiok: The Chat Gem... It's working correctly and has more than exceeded our expectations. And nightmares.

Diablo 3: Indulge in Reminiscence

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:08:00 -0500

The Diablo series is one of the most revered in PC gaming. Taking influence from games like Nethack, they interpreted the complex mechanics of the rogue-like genre in a way that your average person could handle. It spawned an entire sub-genre of action-oriented RPGs, and it's still going strong with new releases such as Torchlight. However, Blizzard is working on the third game in the Diablo franchise, and while it's not being done by the original developers, there is still a lot of talk about it. The real question is whether or not Blizzard can live up to Blizzard North's vision of the franchise. There's a legacy here, after all.

Diablo 3's Background

Diablo III has a lot of elements pulled directly from the previous games in the series. Therefore, it would be more prudent to cover the background for the entire Diablo mythos rather than just Diablo III. After all, when everything is derived from the same set of characteristics, it matters not whether we are talking about Diablo II or III. It's all the same!

Diablo's story is a mixture of myths and gothic fantasy, and deserves recounting, starting with the first game. Possessing the body of the local king's son, Diablo twisted and manipulated the kingdom into weakening itself for his invasion. With an army of demons below the cathedral located in the destitute capital of Tristram, Diablo started to consolidate his power for an attack on the mortal realm. However, a hero managed to traverse the entirety of Diablo's vast underground lair and defeat him, shoving the stone that held the demon's soul into his forehead. Driven mad by the twisting corruption of Diablo, the hero set out tothe east, gradually becoming more and more lost to the powers of hell as he went. Following in his wake were a collection of heroes from every walk- from necromancers to amazons - intent on destroying his evil once andfor all. Diablo's journey turned out to be a quest to give the three Prime Evils of hell physical form in this world, and the heroes defeated all three: Mephisto, Lord of Hatred; Diablo, Lord of Terror; and finally Baal, Lord of Destruction. Diablo III takes place 20 years after the destruction of the Prime Evils, with evil once again seeping out into the world.

The most obvious parallel in the Diablo series is that of the War in Heaven present in Judeo-christian mythology. In this story, Lucifer is cast from heaven for attempting to usurp god's rule with a cadre of loyal angels. Upon his removal from heaven, he and his angels formed the core of Hell's armies, with Lucifer going by many different names, including Satan. In the apocalypse, Lucifer/Satan will supposedly rise up and lead his armies against heaven once more, forcing humans to choose a side: heaven or hell. In Diablo, this translates to the Prime Evils, who were trapped by the arch angels of the High Heavens into three soulstones and cast down to earth. There the soulstone's power to contain Diablo gradually weakened, ending with him escaping his imprisonment and allowing him to free his brothers to corrupt this mortal world and bring about the apocalypse.

The three Prime Evils in Diablo are named after three representations of demonic figures in Judeo-christian mythology. The first, Diablo, is the Spanish word for devil, which makes the reference there very simple and straight forward. Baal is a term used throughout the Old Testament to refer to any god that was not Yahweh. It was used in a derogatory manner, and its connotation with evil, destruction, and falsehood has led it to be used in several settings to refer to an evil deity or demon. Mephisto is more recent, with origins in the classic myth of Faustus,a man whose interactions with devils put his soul on the line. Baal (as Bhaal) is notable in that it is the name of a deity in the Forgotten Realms setting, which spawned the classic Baldur's Gate RPGs (they revolve around his influence).

Along with the many references to demons and devils, the Diablo series pulls from the gothic style of literature and architecture to craft a dark and foreboding setting. The cathedral and the monastery in the first and second game both have very distinctive resemblances tothe gothic architecture during medieval times. The story itself is insidious in its implication of evil, mysterious story, and overarching plot. It's greatly reminiscent of gothic classics, and the influence there is unmistakable.

The gameplay influence on the Diablo series is much more simple than the complex stylistic background. Diablo pulls the rogue-like formula and changes it so that it is much more approachable for your average Joe. Rather than being turn-based, having an ASCII interface, and forcing players to permanently die quite a bit, Diablo is action-packed, good-looking and simple to understand. However, leftovers from the transition, such as randomization of levels, shrines, unidentified equipment, and procedurally-generated equipment all make an appearance here. In a way, Diablo is the gateway drug into games like Nethack, Dwarf Fortress, or Crawl.

While Diablo III is greatly anticipated (much like all Blizzard games), it is the continuation of a series that the current Blizzard had little involvement with. All of the old Diablo team has left to work on other games, including the brilliant composer Matt Uelman. It's not invalid to wonder if the current Blizzard can live up to Blizzard North's legendary legacy. After all, Diablo isthe measure by which almost every action-oriented RPG is judged over adecade after its initial release. Saying that Blizzard has a lot ofhistory to fit into the game is a massive under statement.

The most controversial decision of Diablo III was the change in art style. Rather than the gloomy art of the first game and most of the second game, Blizzard is taking a more cartoony, colorful approach to the visuals. This reflects their work on World of Warcraft, and while other games have taken a similar route and been successful (such as Fate or Titan Quest), fans argue that Diablo's uniqueness comes from the art style as well as the gameplay. Dark, disturbing architecture and visuals are essential for a Diablo game. Whether or not this is true or not will be apparent once the game is released, but it is certainly a point of concern.

Another reveal is that most of the player classes from Diablo II will not return in the sequel. This caused significant uproar in the community, which slowly died down as time went past. The only confirmed returning class is the Barbarian, which acts as the warrior of the group. The two new classes are the Witch Doctor and Wizard, which roughly correspond with the Necromancer and Sorceress from the second game. It's also interesting that a non-canon class, the Monk (from Diablo: Hellfire), is a confirmed addition to Diablo III as well. It's worth noting that the class and skills system changed incredibly between the first and second games, so these new classes are less of a drastic change and more of a gradual evolution. Much like theart style, this is something that can really only be judged when in action.

The story for Diablo III expands greatly upon the mythos of the previous games, which arguably kills the gothic mood. Rather than having only what is directly relevant explained to the player, the world has been expanded into a planet called Sanctuary, with many of the details about races and history being revealed. While it's always cool to know more back story, it's also directly opposing to the mysterious mood of the previous games. After all, when you know the entire history, a lot of the drama and tension is taken out of the story. It transforms the story from one of forboding darkness to one of epic conflict. Turning Diablo into Lord of the Rings. A neat backstory is always cool, but sometimes you should not reveal it to maintain the element of surprise about the story.

There is no question that Diablo III will be a stellar game. After all, the basics of the sub-genre it created have been gradually refined over the years into some truly incredible games. The real concern is if Blizzard can finish what Blizzard North started. Will Diablo III end up more like Warcraft, or will it stay faithful to its roots? It's a hard judgement to make, as the Wrath of the Lich King shows that Blizzard can do dark and foreboding, but other titles show that cartoony and epic are their forte.

THE END

Source: written by James Murff

Blizzard's Game Lineup - Diablo 3 in 2011

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:39:00 -0500

Activision-Blizz's chief financial officer Thomas Tippl a briefing yesterday in New York, demonstrated the powerful works of the company's future lineup:

From the picture we can see that the arrangements for...

2009 - World of Warcraft

……presented on the middle slide is: (2010), the company began with "World of Warcraft": Cataclysm which proceed with "the deployment of major disaster" that occurs within the game, a major shift to the continent of the horde & alliance. WoW, an MMORPG, still to this day continues to wrangle in the Mainland market. Next in line is "StarCraft II", the beta soon to be released in the early 2010, and launching in mid-2010. Battle.net 2 is planned to be upgarded within the time period; it's official launch will start the new decade as a contender to rival competitor Valve's Steam Platform! ... ...

The next line is _________(Fill in the black) Cataclysm

To end 2010, their goal is to continue their aggressive expansion into the Chinese's Online Market with WoW: Cataclysm & Starcraft II at full force, hopefully, China's General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) stand down to this one....Nah.. Screw that..Round 2

2011, continued to maintain the "World of Warcraft", announced a new online games and "StarCraft II" expansion pack, "Diablo III" market!

These past few days, Blizzard has been very busy. World of Warcraft is now a part of the new Battle.net, so as of today all WoW accounts have to be merged with a Battle.net account in order to log into the game. If you need help with the whole Battle.net meal deal, you can check out their FAQ.

In the meantime, you'll just have to make do with Torchlight...

Blizzard X-Mas Holiday Card Contest

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:43:00 -0500

Blizzard has posted details of their first annual Holiday Card Contest. It sounds like a fun contest and there are some nice prizes. Here are the details, and you’ll need to grab the template as well, if you wish to enter.

Every holiday season, Blizzard Entertainment creates a special holiday card to spread some seasonal cheer to little murlocs, zerglings, and imps everywhere. This year, we’re inviting you to catch the spirit by creating a Blizzard-ly holiday card of your own featuring the Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo series. We’ll provide the template—all you need to do is add your personal touch.

In order to increase your chances of being picked as one of the winners, please keep the following items in mind:

Holiday cards must be based on the Diablo, StarCraft, or Warcraft universes.
Judging criteria will be based on originality, design, and humor/sentiment.
Don’t compress your submission too much. Although the file you submit must be less than 5MB, beware of sacrificing quality by over-compressing it.

Submit your entries here by 12 p.m. Pacific Time on December 7, 2009.

Three lucky winners will win a Razer prize package including a DeathAdder gaming mouse, Lycosa gaming keyboard, Sphex mouse pad, and Carcharias headset, along with this year’s official Blizzard Entertainment holiday card signed by the artist, Samwise Didier. Check out the official rules for more information.