Jay Wilson interview

[Roland]

I thought we were friends!

We totally are! I love you, man!

What the devil?! I never said a single word about 1.10. I've never even played 1.10, and the only thing I said about D2 was that the stat system sucked. In fact, nobody in this thread said has anything positive about 1.10, or the D2 stat system.[/QUOTE]

This is what I get for reading multiple threads near 1 AM when I'm sick with bronchitis. I must have gotten my wires crossed with another thread, so pardon for that.

Also, unless you are a graphic artist or a programmer, you might not realize how much work implementing the rune system actually is. It is the farthest thing from a cop-out I can imagine. Stats are a set of four numbers. Runes are a system of graphical and functional changes to every skill and spell in the game. Instead of trying to balance four numbers, they are instead taking it upon themselves to design and balance six hundred skills (5 classes * 20 skills/class * 6 runes/skill).

It's a lot more effort and it sure as hell sounds more fun to me than invisible integers.

That's just it, though. They're not scrapping the Rune system because it's too difficult mechanically to implement (from the previews they've done a very nice job, although I think some of the animations could be a bit improved just to set them apart more). Going from memory (problem #1 right there) they're debating scrapping it because they can't decide what the effects should be. Honestly? Did you hear them talk about the Rune system (among other things)? It's like they don't know their own game half the time, nor the goals they actually want to achieve. They just throw out an idea and try to make it fit, and if it doesn't, oh well. I understand passing on things that are too complicated to implement, or just aren't feasible, or that looked good on paper but sucked in reality, but none of that seems to apply here. You should note that the Rune system is one of the things I'm most looking forward to in D3, before you think I'm condemning Blizzard over that. It's not always *what* they've chosen to implement or not implement, but also *why*.

At any rate, I digress. I am going to be buying the game, I am going to be as open-minded about it as possible, and really, so long as the story is on par with previous iterations I'm sure it will be enjoyable enough to suck me in like the old games. Nostalgia aside, I do expect to enjoy the game. I just have not been impressed with the direction ALL Blizzard titles have been taking, and although none of them have been so bad as to make me regret buying them, and playing them, none of them have been as good as I think they could have been - even forgoing the rose-colored glasses of hindsight.

Believe me, come launch day I'll be one of thousands of people cursing the long login queue, while reading the manual (do you think they'll still have one of those?) cover-to-cover in the meantime. Speaking of which, I sincerely hope they have a paper manual. I know it's not very "green", but I always loved taking the old manuals out of the boxes and just re-reading them on occasion. The amount of lore hidden throughout the old manuals was always a wonderful bonus for me - a guilty pleasure of mine to seek out. It always added such a nice extra touch to the overall experience within the game, something you rarely see in games (especially nowadays). Look at me now, though, babbling about something so trivial.

Anyway, sorry if I came across too harshly Zippyy. Friends?