05-08-2003, 12:57 AM
Quote:We really don't have time to test each item in proper context, so some things just depend on the intuition of whoever made the item.
That's probably the most honest and forward-coming statement I have ever seen from a game programmer, and that's very refreshing. :P Well, for a currently developed product anyway, since game programmers/designers are always happy to point at the flaws of the previous iterations of their games once a new one is in development ("Yeah, we knew the interface, the graphics, the AI, and the plot sucked big time in Revenge from Killer Time Zombies from Another Dimension 5, but trust us, we corrected all those little flaws in Revenge from Killer Time Zombies from Another Dimension 6, so you can buy it, trust us.")
Back to the matter at hand : I think D2, with its incredible variety, loads of equipments, and tons of skills, is a bit like Magic : the Gathering™©®, in that given enough time people will always find ways of getting around the system. For MtG, after the first few expansions, WotC got the message right, and started removing cards of the main game very quickly, as well as testing new cards a lot more, ie in degenerate and brutal ways (of course, they didn't succeed in balancing the game, but it was still a good move forward). Does Blizzard has the same "crash test" approach regarding items and skills in D2 ?
Regarding the point of "you don't need an item you can't equip for killing Hell Baal", I would respectfully disagree. I think one of the great points about D2 is its variety, both in methods/strategies and goals. You may want to play for PvP, or for killing Hell Baal at the lowest possible level, to build a pure-offense "glass cannon" character or an indestructible HC tank, you may want to collect all items or play untwinked... Having high-rlvl, powerful items gives some replay value to the collectors and a much-needed boost to those wanting to bring their character to the highest possible level, without removing options for the other players. As long as there are enough relatively easy to find items to make the game playable at lower levels (stuff like good crafting/cubing recipes, decent and doable runewords...), I certainly won't complain if Rlvl 85 stuff exists, unless it creates such a huge power increase that the game either has to be rebalanced to cope with said items, thus increasing the "gap", or becomes a pure click-fest for those lucky or rich enough to get the candies.