Griselda,Oct 21 2005, 11:56 PM Wrote:For me, a good player was never about what they could accomplish, but about how they could go through the "little" parts of the game- if they used terrain well, were able to adapt to the monsters or layout of a level smoothly, and played cooperatively (also adapting to the characters they played with), then they were an excellent player. Those aren't really things you could measure or that make good reports on Diablo forums, though.
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The little things are what make the impossible possible, even if the reports rarely reflect it. The little things are why I've played like a thousand Ironman games, and only won the one game in which I was teamed with WildViking and Attika. They are why virtually anyone could finish 15 levels of a Barbarian King quest (in spite of it being incredibly tedious), but not many could do level 16. I often felt that some of the early variants and challenges (IM, BAR, ARC, VIK, IMH, etc.) were so keen in this regard. In simple terms, they removed the cheese factor from the game and forced the player to pay attention to positioning, enemy behavior, teamwork (when applicable) etc. Other variants, while fun in their own ways, missed the mark on this point, either by not being difficult at all or by relying soley on tedium to create difficulty. Who cares how many hours it takes to clear hell/hell if all you have to do is stonecurse each enemy? My goal with the Geezer was to create a mage equivalent to the ARC or VIK. While the variant actually played quite differently (and somewhat easier) than I expected, and turns out to be pretty unfriendly in coop situations, it still pretty much hit the mark on requiring attention to details rather than simple but slow play.
Of course, you can still see player skill with full powered characters doing a hell/hell clear, but it is purely a matter of style. Any one of the characters could easily clear the level in a short time by himself, and the cooperative tactics employed are less a matter of ideal teamwork and more a matter of not screwing each other up. The talent and experience shows, but the comfort level is high. An unusual combination of variants playing in an area over their heads makes for a much more dynamic experience. ;)