The Moment Diablo Died

[JaredVannett]

So this was the moment Blizzard realised they'd messed up with the latest Diablo game on mobile only:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmkHAlhCvWg

Booing and questions from annoyed audience members towards the end

Diablo has hardcore following amongst the PC crowd, so with no PC version it's a slap in the face.



I know mobile games are 'where the money's at' .... but sometimes I can't understand how some companies can screw up like this, alienating their core customer base.

[chunder27]

I also think this is a result of several poor decision by the company over the recent years.

Fans will vote with their feet, endless DLC making games cost 120 quid instead of 50, loot boxes,

It's about time gamers started doing this kind of thing to make these greedy tossers realise they are not in control of the market, we are.

And it's about time gamers started realising they are being fleeced instead of limply handing over twice or three times as much money as they should for, GAMES.

[Hoofy]

Bizarre. For two reasons.
1) I don't think they have 24" mobile screens yet so Diablo won't be as good.
2) Who the hell is that much of a fan to go to a "con" like this??? To give you an idea of how much I enjoy Diablo, I was playing D2 last night for 2 hours as I build up another character. I still wouldn't go to such an event. Weird.

A comment made me go to check out the share price.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=EtzpW5OjBuyKgAb...

Oops.

Edited by Hoofy on Monday 12th November 20:02

[Mastodon2]

This is kind of old news now but yeah, what a disaster. What the games media are missing is that this is a double kick in the balls as D3 was a load of lightweight casual st that disappointed fans of the older games by stripping away everything that made the first two games good.

[Hoofy]

Mastodon2 said:

This is kind of old news now but yeah, what a disaster. What the games media are missing is that this is a double kick in the balls as D3 was a load of lightweight casual st that disappointed fans of the older games by stripping away everything that made the first two games good.

Really? I only played the demo which I thought was pretty good. What is lightweight then?

[Mastodon2]

Hoofy said:

Really? I only played the demo which I thought was pretty good. What is lightweight then?

I could go on all night and type an essay, but Diablo was a tough series, it was very dark and adult and the difficulty was scaled so it would feel tough, like you were always in danger as you pushed into the unknown.

Diablo 3 had really bright, cartoonish graphics and made the player way too powerful, giving you a load of superhero powers that can clear enemies by the bucket load without feeling any threat. The tone was nothing like the earlier games at all to the point where it didn't feel like a Diablo game. I appreciate that games change over time and D3 wasn't necessarily a bad game but it wasn't a Diablo game in anything other than name.

The big change in staff between D2 and D3 didn't help with the gameplay direction or tone, but the biggest issue was the outgoing Diablo director being replaced by a guy from the senior leadership of the World of Warcraft team, which explains the cartoony looks and tone and crazy abilities on short cool downs causing loads of explosions and magic missiles flying all over the screen all the time.

Oh, there was an abysmally implemented auction house with some devious tactics to give players loot they couldn't equip on their character class to encourage them to auction it for real money so they could buy gear for their class. Treating players like cash cows to be milked.

[Hoofy]

Mastodon2 said:

Hoofy said:

Really? I only played the demo which I thought was pretty good. What is lightweight then?

I could go on all night and type an essay, but Diablo was a tough series, it was very dark and adult and the difficulty was scaled so it would feel tough, like you were always in danger as you pushed into the unknown.

Diablo 3 had really bright, cartoonish graphics and made the player way too powerful, giving you a load of superhero powers that can clear enemies by the bucket load without feeling any threat. The tone was nothing like the earlier games at all to the point where it didn't feel like a Diablo game. I appreciate that games change over time and D3 wasn't necessarily a bad game but it wasn't a Diablo game in anything other than name.

The big change in staff between D2 and D3 didn't help with the gameplay direction or tone, but the biggest issue was the outgoing Diablo director being replaced by a guy from the senior leadership of the World of Warcraft team, which explains the cartoony looks and tone and crazy abilities on short cool downs causing loads of explosions and magic missiles flying all over the screen all the time.

Oh, there was an abysmally implemented auction house with some devious tactics to give players loot they couldn't equip on their character class to encourage them to auction it for real money so they could buy gear for their class. Treating players like cash cows to be milked.

Thanks. Yeah, I did notice the characters seemed more cartoon-like. Hate that with the oversized swords etc. Looks stupid. And you're right, it's never easy when you're pressing on.

[TommoAE86]

I stumbled across this from a WarOwl video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-beVX1S--Ks

This guy loves the sound of his own voice but he does give a good overview on what has been going on:

BlizzCon reaction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMDbAwBgfbU

Diablo2 producer opines on the issue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFfIbJPqf5U

Share price fall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi9dieP7y2E

Blizzard doubles down on pissing off fans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PefK3KubKKI

The whole game market is changing as studios look to develop more return for their shareholders, EA, Rockstar and Ubisoft are all cashing in on the act with lootboxes/pay-to-win popping up everywhere. The future is bleak imo and the only way to stop it imo is to change the challenge of creating/maintaining content on mainstream formats (consoles) and sectioning divisions within developers so that each fan set has a team that produces stuff they want.

[Hoofy]

Ah, it's this constant need to be even more profitable when you're already very profitable. Shareholders who bought the highs want a higher price.

[Guvernator]

I loved Diablo 3

Very disappointing that there won't be a Diablo 4 on PC.

[MattyB_]

Mastodon2 said:

Hoofy said:

Really? I only played the demo which I thought was pretty good. What is lightweight then?

I could go on all night and type an essay, but Diablo was a tough series, it was very dark and adult and the difficulty was scaled so it would feel tough, like you were always in danger as you pushed into the unknown.

Diablo 3 had really bright, cartoonish graphics and made the player way too powerful, giving you a load of superhero powers that can clear enemies by the bucket load without feeling any threat. The tone was nothing like the earlier games at all to the point where it didn't feel like a Diablo game. I appreciate that games change over time and D3 wasn't necessarily a bad game but it wasn't a Diablo game in anything other than name.

The big change in staff between D2 and D3 didn't help with the gameplay direction or tone, but the biggest issue was the outgoing Diablo director being replaced by a guy from the senior leadership of the World of Warcraft team, which explains the cartoony looks and tone and crazy abilities on short cool downs causing loads of explosions and magic missiles flying all over the screen all the time.

Oh, there was an abysmally implemented auction house with some devious tactics to give players loot they couldn't equip on their character class to encourage them to auction it for real money so they could buy gear for their class. Treating players like cash cows to be milked.

For me the big problem was the lack of replayability. In the first one, you had various builds, so you'd create multiple versions of the same class to try different setups: Hammerdin, Auradin etc. as there was no way to refund talent choices.

The new one allowed instant/free respec. So once you'd levelled any character once, there was no real reason to level another.

[Hoofy]

MattyB_ said:

For me the big problem was the lack of replayability. In the first one, you had various builds, so you'd create multiple versions of the same class to try different setups: Hammerdin, Auradin etc. as there was no way to refund talent choices.

The new one allowed instant/free respec. So once you'd levelled any character once, there was no real reason to level another.

Oh right. That's part of the fun!

[Guvernator]

I thought the different characters played quite differently. I never played D2 so I don't have anything to compare but I thought it was a very easy game to pick up and play. Me and a mate spent hours playing co-op smashing demons together.

It reminded me of my old Gauntlet days. It's a shame because there isn't really anything else like it and mobile games pretty much all suck after a few hours as they just don't have the depth or scope.

[Loyly]

The Diablo Immortal debacle is just a total farce. Blizzard just totally misjudged the whole thing, and treat the hardcore Diablo fans with utter contempt. I mean, people were paying for virtual tickets just to watch that stream! It's evident that there was no back room discussion beforehand to suggest that the announcement might bomb, which is what ked to Wyatt Cheng being so hopelessly unprepared on stage when the anger started to pour out. Yes, we all have phones but we've been waiting eighteen years for another proper Diablo game. Blizzard know they fked up, that's why they later released a statement saying that this mobile turd was being developed in tandem with the Diablo game we all really want (without actually naming D4). God, I hope Diablo 4 goes back to the dark art style of D2 rather than the goofy WoW-lite D3 style.

I don't dislike Diablo 3 much, but it's a dreadful Diablo game for many reasons, mainly because it dumped the hardcore edge off for casual friendly streamlining. That didn't make for a better game and it damaged the replay value. I've bought D3 twice and completed it about ten times. It's disappointingly shallow but fun.

For me, the news of Diablo Immortal sucks but I can take refuge in Path of Exile. People call PoE the true sequel to Diablo 2 but in fairness, it's so much better than Diablo ever was. It has the super hardcore appeal, massively layered builds with scores of mechanics to learn, fast and satisfying gameplay and oustanding production values. Even being free to play, it far outstrips pretty much every AAA release for content and quality and the league system keeps players coming back to try new content with new builds. It absolutely spanks Diablo and the build system has to be seen to be believed.

Nice to see some D2 players in here. I had it years ago (still installed on my laptop). I preferred a Druid with thorned vines to poison and slow mobs that I could then crush with a bear transformation melee flurry!

[Hoofy]

Loyly said:

Nice to see some D2 players in here. I had it years ago (still installed on my laptop). I preferred a Druid with thorned vines to poison and slow mobs that I could then crush with a bear transformation melee flurry!

Only just started playing with poison druid. Normally, I ditch poison ivy quickly for wolves and then bear but this time I've put lots into poison (15 points) and the aura thing.

[Guvernator]

I've heard Path of Exile mentioned in quite a few places for people looking for their next Diablo like fix. Unfortunately I've also read just as many bad things as good which has put me off somewhat. Clunky controls, barter system, graphics which aren't that good and it all being a bit dull and too grindy seem to be the main gripes.

[Hoofy]

Guvernator said:

I've heard Path of Exile mentioned in quite a few places for people looking for their next Diablo like fix. Unfortunately I've also read just as many bad things as good which has put me off somewhat. Clunky controls, barter system, graphics which aren't that good and it all being a bit dull and too grindy seem to be the main gripes.

Just had a google. Looks ok to me.

Any of the classes apart from Necro allow you to have minions? I like playing classes with minions.

[deckster]

Guvernator said:

I've heard Path of Exile mentioned in quite a few places for people looking for their next Diablo like fix. Unfortunately I've also read just as many bad things as good which has put me off somewhat. Clunky controls, barter system, graphics which aren't that good and it all being a bit dull and too grindy seem to be the main gripes.

All true, but that doesn't stop it being a great way to turn back the years and play the game that Diablo could have become. And for the price, it's definitely worth a few hours of anybody's time if they're a fan.

[Loyly]

Guvernator said:

I've heard Path of Exile mentioned in quite a few places for people looking for their next Diablo like fix. Unfortunately I've also read just as many bad things as good which has put me off somewhat. Clunky controls, barter system, graphics which aren't that good and it all being a bit dull and too grindy seem to be the main gripes.

Well, it's pretty deep. If you're after something lightweight maybe give Fortnite a go?

On the matter of controls, it's incredibly sleek and fast. The gameplay is very fast, it's really fast and action orientated so you do have to be quick at the keys or pad in the high pressure battles. The graphics are excellent though it's not worth playing if your PC is crap (some users can't fight certain bosses or certain maps because their PC's lock up when the boss attacks trigger massive graphical effects, Uber Atziri and the Pale Council being notable for this).

I think the graphics are excellent. The game has a unique look, blending Roman Empire-esque aesthetic with a Maori look. It's dark and violent, but the colour palette is extensive and the spell and attack effects are impressive, particularly on an endgame build with multi-cast. I'd recommend turning enemy life bars on so you can revel in the sheer numbers being crunched when you melt a massive mob.

The currency system was something I initially disliked. This ties in with the barter system. Loot can be sold to vendors in game for low value (shards of low tier orbs). To realise the true value of an item, you need to list it for sale in your stash, and other players will send you offers for it. You click to sell and they get the item, you get the currency. It works well enough and the PC version is supported by external trade tools. I think the developers will eventually add more trade tools into the game.

The benefit of their being no single currency is that you can't just mindlessly grind for gold like in WoW or Diablo. You never know when an exalted orb will drop, and every currency item in the game, from armourer's scrap up to a Mirror of Kalandra can be traded for or dropped in game. I usually buy up currency after the midpoint in a league.

All of the currency has a specific function in the game world. You can treat them as simple denominations in a tiered system or use them to craft. Essentially, this gives the currency purpose outside of just being money and means they retain an intrinsic value. There can be no Stone of Jordan economy due to this. Similarly, there are no potions in the game. Flasks function as potions and their charges are replenished through combat. This saves you endlessly pickup up dropped potions or having to return to town to play more. The whole game is full of streamlining like this designed to push you towards aggressive play and smashing map after map.

It's not dull or grindy because the next delicioud upgrade is always just within reach and the game really hits it's stride when you start 'mapping' (endgame content). There is ten chapter story which is excellently written which you must play through at the start of each league. For an experienced player, this isn't a long grind but it's the grindiest bit of the game if you've done it before. But it's still fun and engaging.

I've only played about 300 odd hours with aboht 540,000 kills but I absolutely love it. It's up there with Bloodborne as my joint favourite game of all time.

[Hoofy]

PoE kept crashing on my PC. I don't think it's powerful enough. Felt like I was playing an alpha test with the number of weird errors eg exception this and that popping up.