Post from Mike Morhaime

[smegged]

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/6080663481#1

Dear Diablo Players,

Now that Diablo III has been out for two months, I would like to take a step back and discuss the launch, the feedback from the community, and talk about what the future holds for the game.

We’ve had an enormous amount of feedback since the launch. I speak for everyone at Blizzard when I say that we appreciate the passion and affection many of you have for the Diablo series. We truly believe “Every Voice Matters,” so I want to thank you for sharing your experiences in an effort to help us improve the game. Your support makes it possible for us to continue doing what we do, and we never take that for granted.

The launch week of Diablo III was memorable for many reasons -- some positive, and some not so positive. We were thrilled that Diablo III had the biggest PC-game launch ever, surpassing the lifetime sales of Cataclysm (the previous record holder for biggest PC-game launch) in a matter of weeks. We’ve been floored by the response.

However, the launch had many challenges as well. It has always been difficult to forecast how many players we will have. With World of Warcraft, it was a challenge to handle the immediate demand when we launched back in 2004, and that was just in North America. We eventually expanded to other regions and reached nearly 5 million players by the end of the first year, and there were a lot of growing pains with that. However, we’ve never gone from 0 to more than 6 million players across multiple continents within a few days with a brand-new game. For Diablo III, we looked at historical sales for Blizzard games and other top-selling PC games and watched preorder numbers. We even upped our estimates to ensure we had additional capacity, or so we thought. In the end, it just wasn’t enough, and that is something we will work hard to conquer for future releases.

In response to the immediate and overwhelming demand for the game, the team worked around the clock to support all regions, increase capacity, ship additional hardware to our datacenters, and troubleshoot and fix bugs as they sprang up. While things have by and large been running smoothly for several weeks now, various game-related issues have come up that we have either already responded to or are continuing to investigate (such as the latency issue some of you are experiencing) and make adjustments for. Rather than address every subject individually, I’ll just say that even as we work to address or resolve current issues, it’s always possible that further issues will crop up. We hope that our actions in the past have demonstrated that above all else, we’re committed to delivering an awesome game experience, and we hope you’ll have faith that we will continue to keep that commitment and respond to any new or outstanding issues quickly.

We are not satisfied with breaking launch records; we want people to continue playing and enjoying Blizzard games for a very long time. The Diablo III team has made an epic, entertaining, and beautiful gaming experience. That being said, we know that it isn’t perfect. Our teams are working hard to improve the game balance, build on our design, and listen to what players are saying to make it the best game it can be.

You’ve seen some of that work already in patch 1.0.3, and you’ll see additional improvements with patch 1.0.4. On the game balance front, this update will contain changes designed to further deliver on the team’s goal of promoting “build diversity,” with buffs to many rarely used, underpowered class abilities. Another topic we’ve seen actively discussed is the fact that better, more distinct Legendary items are needed. We agree. Patch 1.0.4 will also include new and improved Legendary items that are more interesting, more powerful, and more epic in ways you probably won’t be expecting.

We’re also working on a number of interface updates, including social improvements that will allow players to more easily view their friends’ achievements, more quickly join games, and more efficiently communicate with each other. In addition, we’ll be making updates to the auction house in the future to provide players with better information through tooltips and notices, offer improved search functionality, and more.

Regarding the real-money auction house, our primary goal for including this in the game was to provide convenience and peace of mind for those players who might otherwise turn to third-party services to buy items. Black market trading sites can put accounts at risk and create many customer service challenges. We felt that the players themselves also deserved the opportunity to benefit from the extra loot they found, as opposed to having all of the benefit go to the black market/illegal trading organizations. We know the auction house isn’t perfect, but with your help and feedback, we’ll be able to continue making it a better experience for those who choose to use it. On the flipside, we are also committed to ensuring you have a great experience with Diablo III without feeling like the auction house is mandatory, which was never our intention. Thank you for all the feedback about that.

One other common topic we’ve seen in the forums is the always-connected experience, and the perception that the online requirement is nothing but an ineffective form of copy protection that has already been cracked. While we’ve never said that this requirement guarantees that there will be no cheating or game cracks, it does help us battle those problems (we have not found any fully functional cracks). More important to us is that the online requirement is critical for the long-term integrity of the game experience. I fully understand the desire to play Diablo III offline; however, Diablo III was designed from the beginning to be an online game that can be enjoyed with friends, and the always-online requirement is the best way for us to support that design. The effectiveness of the online elements -- including the friends list and cross-game communication; co-op matchmaking; persistent characters that you can use by yourself, with others, and in PvP; and some of our customer support, service, and security components -- is tied directly to the online nature of the game. These and other online-enabled features are essential to our design for Diablo III. That said, there are still improvements we believe we can make to expand the online experience and make co-op play even more rewarding, and this will remain one of our priorities moving forward. Overall, while there are some downsides to the online-only approach, I still believe this was the best long-term decision for the game.

I know many of you are also looking forward to patch 1.1, our PvP update, which will provide new experiences and give you a whole new way to apply the skills you’ve picked up while battling demons. This patch will also build on the social and auction house changes I mentioned above, and the team will continue to fix bugs and further tune game balance as well.

We’re also working on a gameplay system that will provide players who have max-level, high-powered characters new goals to strive for as an alternative to the “item hunt.” We’re not ready to get into specifics just yet, but I can say that we’re actively taking your feedback into account as we plan out the future of the game.

As always, we appreciate your candor and passion. Your constructive feedback and thoughts are valuable -- they will continue to help us be a better company. I just want to reiterate that while we can’t claim to have ever shipped a perfect game, we are committed to supporting our games relentlessly and making improvements where we can. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Mike Morhaime

Reading this post made me a sad panda. It screamed to me of Blizzard resting on its laurels, even though this was a damage control post. The part about the launch numbers should have been communicated around ten minutes after they realised that there were 6 million people trying to connect at once.

Furthermore,

One other common topic we’ve seen in the forums is the always-connected experience, and the perception that the online requirement is nothing but an ineffective form of copy protection that has already been cracked. While we’ve never said that this requirement guarantees that there will be no cheating or game cracks, it does help us battle those problems (we have not found any fully functional cracks). More important to us is that the online requirement is critical for the long-term integrity of the game experience. I fully understand the desire to play Diablo III offline; however, Diablo III was designed from the beginning to be an online game that can be enjoyed with friends, and the always-online requirement is the best way for us to support that design. The effectiveness of the online elements -- including the friends list and cross-game communication; co-op matchmaking; persistent characters that you can use by yourself, with others, and in PvP; and some of our customer support, service, and security components -- is tied directly to the online nature of the game. These and other online-enabled features are essential to our design for Diablo III. That said, there are still improvements we believe we can make to expand the online experience and make co-op play even more rewarding, and this will remain one of our priorities moving forward. Overall, while there are some downsides to the online-only approach, I still believe this was the best long-term decision for the game.

This is the biggest piece of hubris and self deception I think I've ever seen in a video game developer since John Romero claimed that Daikatana would be good. The *only* thing that being an online-only game protects is Blizzard profits. I, for the most part, don't care about co-op and achievements and all that other crap that they give as an excuse for locking me into their lame DRM scheme.

As an Australian I can safely say I won't be buying any more online only games at launch unless they come with Australian servers. It's a load of crap that we have to ping back and forth across the pacific to play what is effectively a single player game.

Blizzard really need to wake up to themselves or they will find themselves in a situation where they've hurt their reputation to a point that they can't recover.

[Jester]

Blizzard really need to wake up to themselves or they will find themselves in a situation where they've hurt their reputation to a point that they can't recover.

Blizzard just released the fastest-selling video game ever, a title they reaffirmed, having also been the previous record holders. Are we seriously talking about Blizzard's reputation being irreparably damaged, to the point where they "can't recover"? That would be quite the fall, from being the world's best-selling developer.

It's one thing to talk about making decisions we don't like, or critiquing the game on the merits. But I'm getting awfully sick of the doomsaying over the fate of the whole company, which is still phenomenally successful.

-Jester

[Bolty]

It's one thing to talk about making decisions we don't like, or critiquing the game on the merits. But I'm getting awfully sick of the doomsaying over the fate of the whole company, which is still phenomenally successful.

Aye, and this forum is also going into a bit of a spiral. Those who like the game are being driven out by those who don't but feel a continuous need to keep ragging on it.

If this continues, it'll just become a Diablo III hate forum with everyone telling each other how awesome they are for not liking the game. And yes, I realize I share a lot of fault for this. All I can do is ask those of you who are fed up and have stopped playing to move on. Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it.

[LochnarITB]

Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it.

Thank you.

[Kurosu]

Blizzard just released the fastest-selling video game ever, a title they reaffirmed, having also been the previous record holders. Are we seriously talking about Blizzard's reputation being irreparably damaged, to the point where they "can't recover"? That would be quite the fall, from being the world's best-selling developer.

It's one thing to talk about making decisions we don't like, or critiquing the game on the merits. But I'm getting awfully sick of the doomsaying over the fate of the whole company, which is still phenomenally successful.

-Jester

Long post warning.

This game did sell many copies, but it's undeniable that it's also seeing a huge drop-off of players within several of months of launch (see here for example), many of which have a sour aftertaste from the game.
Perhaps many of them will be back once the game has advanced some more, but there are also many people who won't be back.
"Good riddance, a bunch of whiners less, no big deal", you might think. Granted, there are many unreasonable and immature people who are impossible to please, but there are also many fans of the series who want to enjoy the game but are deterred from doing so for various reasons.
And I feel those are the loss of an asset for Blizzard. Also, let's see how many times I can use the word "many" in a single paragraph.

I think it has a lot to do with how Blizzard has portrayed themselves on their forum and in statements. There are many people that feel actively griefed by them with the continuous sudden and drastic patch changes and hotfixes.
It follows the lines of: "I'm having fun and doing well in the game, why is Blizzard taking this away from me?".

Coupled with some of the now popular statements from Blizzard representatives that could be interpreted as condescending, or mocking the customer after taking away their "fun", it comes across as being tactless.
It really has a lot to do with the tone or approach you take in such matters.
Players are naturally not going to be happy if you take away things from them that they already possessed and took for granted, and people complained about it on their forum.

They could have replied along the lines of "the game is still in its initial stage, we did not anticipate <issue> and drastic measures had to be taken to remedy it, and we apologize for the inconvenience it might cause, and in the future....", and so on.
In short, to empathize with the player and to admit the oversight was on their end and not because they're looking to hurt the player for whatever reason.
But instead you have the "aren't you thankful?" debacle that will stick for a long time to come, such a message should have never been said at all, jokingly or not.

Another issue related to that is the RMAH, since so many people feel that Blizzard is just looking out for Blizzard to make the RMAH flourish as much as possible and is directing all these changes towards that.
So their opinion of Blizzard sinks even lower, as it goes from "Blizzard is taking my fun away for their own gain, and then they have the gall to mock me for it".


And there is the issue where people feel they cannot trust Blizzard, because what they say and what they do seems to be polar opposites.
I recall Bashiok mentioning "we don't want people to be afraid of nerfs", but with the rapid hotfixing of profitable actions in game, it just doesn't seem to add up.
Coupled with the various changes that are not mentioned at all, or denied when called out on, there is a layer of smoke between the Blizzard and the players, when this kind of thing should be very transparent, especially when real money transactions are involved.



Right now, I feel that Blizzard needs to show their intention in 'actions' rather than 'words', as their conduct leading up to this situation has made their word meaningless to many.
If they show inside the game that they truly wish to combat the myriad of issues that plague this game, people will take note.

[Archon_Wing]

Although the letter was indeed completely worthless and didn't tell us anything of substance, consisting of excuses, I wouldn't be too harsh on it. This is just a standard time buying announcement to the fans, in which hope to bring forth actual changes that may be surprising. Wait for the actual changes to pass judgement.

It may be better than the 1.03 announcement, for example, which promised the sky and collapsed on itself.

[kandrathe]

Right now, I feel that Blizzard needs to show their intention in 'actions' rather than 'words', as their conduct leading up to this situation has made their word meaningless to many.

Um, it's 60 days from roll out... I'm sure the development team needed to decompress from the pressure to get to roll out. It's summer here in North America, and many of us schedule weeks of vacation time with our families ( esp. for those with kids who are out of school).

I'm not making excuses for them... But seriously? Can we not give them a little time to assess, plan, and react in a measured manner? I feel they are being responsive, not overly so, but adequately responsive. In actions (patches, hotfixes) and words (releases, and forums).

[NuurAbSaal]

Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it.

Thank you.

x2

[Frag]

Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it.

Thank you.

x3 *



*...

[Wessonality]

Well, sure - the Meteor/Crit discussion I thought was very interesting, I hope there are more corners of D3 gameplay to explore other than "max out primary stat + vit".

[Mavfin]

Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it.

Thank you.

x4

I've stopped posting here for the same reason I don't post on official forums. If you say you like something, ten people will post calling you a sheep, saying you're kissing Blizzard's ass, or at least telling you ten reasons why no right-thinking person could like their products.

Sad when the Lounge turns into the official forums.

[Occhidiangela]

x5 on Bolty's observation.

I noted yesterday that Bolty had been off line less than a day, when I got a few minutes to play my Witch Doctor.

I noted that Roland had been off line 18 days. Months ago, we were mucking about in a DII game and had hoped to play together a bit.

I guess that's not to be.

At some point, the new rig will arrive and I can catch up.
Still having fun, on those rare occasions I get to play.
Got a Sager 9130 gaming laptop for about 1300 bucks. We have enough extra TV's and screens in the house that I don't need a large one with the PC. The puppy's vet bills also drove down the available discretionary income. Puppy still lives, he is not a zombie dog.

The Blizz gram is about as expected.

Patch 1.07 was a pretty decent version of Diablo II, but it has holes that never really got closed. Patch 1.07 was pretty decent patch for Diablo I, but not all holes were closed.

Patch 1.04 for D III I don't expect to result in "it's perfect now!" but if things improve, good.

I have some months of gaming before I get to the point many of you reached a while back, or potentially so. Fun is where you find it.

Good hunting, and enjoy what you can.

If it gets too frustrating, leave the keyboard, have a pint, and snuggle a puppy.

[Bolty]

I noted yesterday that Bolty had been off line less than a day, when I got a few minutes to play my Witch Doctor.

I haven't been on Diablo III in about a month, maybe more. I play WoW every day. I guess it's counting that.

[Yricyn]

If this was the hate on WoW forum I could go on for months.... Pandas? Seriously.... Pandas?

[Tal]

I haven't been on Diablo III in about a month, maybe more. I play WoW every day. I guess it's counting that.

I can confirm.

[Roland]

I noted that Roland had been off line 18 days. Months ago, we were mucking about in a DII game and had hoped to play together a bit.

I guess that's not to be.

When you get that rig up and running you drop me a line. I'll log bag in for some time with you, regardless of the state of the game. At present, I have better things to play - at least until they come out with some more fixes. I got plenty of enjoyment out of D3, but the current state is not satisfying to me any longer. Rather than ruin any future chance at enjoyment I've signed off for awhile.

Also, I'm with Bolty and Mav on this one: if you don't like the game, fine - don't trash on others who do. The game isn't a cesspool. It was worth every penny I paid for it, regardless of whether it lived up to all the hype. My biggest regret is not getting to play with more of the old crowd, but so it goes. The game's not "dead" - the servers are still very much active. So long as they're online, I'll find a reason to come back every so often.

[Occhidiangela]

Thanks, Bolty and Roland. I have the new rig, and got to play with my son for a bit Wednesday night. We went a bit "go go!" in Act III, which I had just started with my lady wiz. I did the first few quests solo, and found immense fun in so doing. Visually and blow things up goodness abounded for me. The second half of the act, wherein we descend into the depths of Arreat, I didn't get to appreciate as much, thanks to how fast my son likes to play and how we had to kill Asmodan in enough time to get my tired old backside into bed to arise at 0500 to get to work.

But YAY! Fun. The look I really enjoyed. I am beginning to appreciate the decisions Blizz had to make in terms of "darkness" of the visuals. A fine line to walk. I am now in act 4 and had to mess with the skill choices a bit to get a satisfactory result in the vestibule.

This game is pure fun. I am grateful that I did not get into the beta, the 'discovery' part is still nice. I just don't get enough time to play. Too bad, RL is what it is. At the moment, the messing about, messing up, and switching between various skills is a hoot. Once I've run each class through Normal, I'll probably take a break, and decide which one I want to take through NM.

My son wants me to progress more in Starcraft II, since I just started that a few weeks ago, and Mass Effect I. I have to budget my gaming time, so Jimmy Raynor will have to drink a few more in the Cantina before I get back to him.

For all those burned out on D III, I envy you the amount of time you got to play that I didn't.

Kwitcherbitchen. Fun is where you find it.

[Archon_Wing]

I don't mind playing Starcraft II, Occhi. :p

However, they've also botched that game badly just recently, so maybe when the smoke clears. It'd be nice to have someone online in the friend's list.

[Ashock]

Blizzard really need to wake up to themselves or they will find themselves in a situation where they've hurt their reputation to a point that they can't recover.

Blizzard just released the fastest-selling video game ever, a title they reaffirmed, having also been the previous record holders. Are we seriously talking about Blizzard's reputation being irreparably damaged, to the point where they "can't recover"? That would be quite the fall, from being the world's best-selling developer.

It's one thing to talk about making decisions we don't like, or critiquing the game on the merits. But I'm getting awfully sick of the doomsaying over the fate of the whole company, which is still phenomenally successful.

-Jester

It's not doomsaying because they released a dissapointing title. It's where the company is going. All you need to know is their little tidbit about reserving the right to sell their own items in the RMAH, to know where their game design priorities lie.

[Jester]

It's not doomsaying because they released a dissapointing title. It's where the company is going. All you need to know is their little tidbit about reserving the right to sell their own items in the RMAH, to know where their game design priorities lie.

I really don't think that's fair to Blizzard. They had literally the largest game in history, with players surely willing to shell out hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands (... or more, disturbingly) for better-than-best gear, if they'd been willing to offer it. They haven't been, in 8 years.

Why would they do this with Diablo III, where the stakes are much lower? And, if not, why is this so ominous?

-Jester