Diablo 3 TBA today?

[nobbie]

According to a speculative "Breaking News" article on the German fansite WorldOfWar.de, Blizzard might blow up the bomb today and announce Diablo 3 as MMORPG for PC and Diablo for XBox 360, incl. guild housing! Also, rumors are that StarCraft 2 is under development. At the moment, it's all rumors and speculation, but stay tuned for more. In 24 hours, we'll certainly know more ;)


From WOWGuru.com:

The Burning Crusade, Starcraft 2, and DIABLO 3!

Chris Hartgraves from WasteLandsGaming.com, former employee of Blizzard Entertainment, has sent us word that Diablo 3 will be aired at Blizzcon.

From what we've heard Diablo 3 is going to be an MMO, as massive as World of Warcraft, with the concept of Hell invading Heaven. One rumor going around with Diablo 3 is that there will be Guild Housing included. The game is said to be looking brilliant and will be showcased at Blizzcon as their big suprise.

Word also has it that Starcraft 2 is already in development for the PC.

I will say this in what I saw in the expansion when I was let into the secret development side (to move furniture out and make room for new designers) - They had one of those white boards where you draw ideas and stuff on ... Guess what - They have big plans for you to be able to do fighting while you are on your mount. I saw a couple drawings of MOB with mounts that you will be fighting ... the notes "70-75+" pop out as well as these will be in the Outlands, which is the new area in the expansion.

Basically the way expansion is set up is you go through a portal ("The Dark Portal") to enter that section of the game. You buy expansion, you get to go through that portal...

Wanna know the huge leak that no one yet knows (except you Gator cause I told you a while ago)? It is about Diablo 3. Last week they had a thing called "Show N Tell" which they have every 6 months to all the full time employees - Anyways Diablo 3 takes place in heaven. Hell is trying to take it over and it is AWESOME looking ... I magine the brightness of heaven being taken over by the darkness of hell ... Imagine WoW but in a Diablo world in amount of size and playability ... Also, guild housing is available in this game for those of you who know about it. They should have a gameplay demo to show at BlizzCon.

That is not the huge leak though ... Wanna know the HUGE thing they are introducing at BlizzCon?? Diablo 3 - Hell is invading Heaven and that is the concept of the game ... It looks awesome - Darkness invading light and all ... They showed it to us at this thing Blizzard has twice a year called "Show n Tell" for all the regular employess.... All I have to say is Diablo 3 will be on epic preperation like WoW will be except they are going to have guild housing FINALLY! - There was a rumor that WoW was coming to 360 which is completely false. Blizzard tried to squash the rumor saying it was just going to preview new MS Vista software ( http://1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3145078) but Diablo is what they are really going to show coming to 360 ... Ghost is too late in development and a big #$%& up in Blizzards eyes and stuck on the PS2 - XBOX

In regarding the Alliance race, as it's currently unknown:

It will most likely be Pandaren. They have already planned those guys out for the most part ... But the reason there is no information of screens or anything is because they don't have anything honestly. Look at how #$%&ty the video is that they released today - It is mostly all concept art fused with very little actual footage - They have nothing to show us beyond what they are showing at BlizzCon, and trust me, they were struggling to finish that.

Pandarens are %80 gonna be the race although they are tossing around other ideas ... Hero classes will be in expansion as well

In regards to if there will be new class in the expansion:

No new class is currently planned as far as I know ... they are having a hard enough time as it is balancing the current ones =) -

In regards to Dark Portal and Ahn'Quiraj opening events:

The opening of the Dark Portal will be a big big event however I have no idea what it will be, and I am not even sure if the developers know what it will be. As far as Ahn'Quiraj, that will be released in 1.9 (looking like the first week of December) only a few people know how the wall will be opened exactly, but many say it has to do with gaining exalted status with Cenarion Circle. I have been past the wall and can say this for sure: There are way too many floating monolisks (you will understand when you go in there) - The main dungeon is connected by worm tunnels and it is really cool looking. I wish I could tell you more about it - But as with the expansion (or lack of) ... They just haven't made it yet.

Player Housing:

As for player housing - Highly doubt that is coming since Guild housing (guilds in D3 will be able to invade another guilds town and destroy it) and is a big feature of D3 I wouldnt see why they would want to take away from that.

The main thing you will not notice after 1.9 but they will start testing out randomly is Battlegrounds with groups on other servers. This will make for really, really epic Battlegrounds between the mega-guilds when it is fully implemented. They will also implement a ladder system where Guilds / groups do BattleGrounds in a tournament fashion. There will be a ladder page and you can challenge other guilds to a BattleGround - You beat them and you move up in the ladder and they move down ... It will be huge.

And siege weaponry:

As for Siege Weaponary I have no answers for you there. Have not heard anything about it before I left...

Sources:

http://wow.gamona.de/
http://www.wowguru.com/forums/showthread.p...57&page=1&pp=20
http://www.gamestar.de/news/pc-spiele/ro...ele/29300/

[Occhidiangela]

Rumors and tidbits.
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I was under the impression that Diablo 3 went West when Blizzard North went away and became, in essense, Flagship Studios. So, Diablo 3 is really . . . Hellgate, London. :D

Would love to be shown wrong.

Occhi

[Raelynn]

Some of the quotes in there already had comments made about them by Blizzard. There was word that hero classes aren't guaranteed to be in the expansion because they want to get them perfect. In the IGN.com article (I believe) it was said that they would not add classes in the foreseeable future due to balancing issues (imagine having to balance a class across 70 levels and 10 other classes :blink: )

I also read somewhere that they want to do a big event for the portal opening, but it is not guaranteed to happen (most likely due to the same concerns that keep world events from happening in general...server stability).

I also read somewhere (I think one of the translations on wowguru.com) that they are trying to get housing in the game and if they can it'll be in before the expansion.

[DeeBye]

Blizzard might blow up the bomb today and announce Diablo 3 as MMORPG for PC
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I really don't see how this will happen, at least not in the current way MMORPGs work. If Blizzard made D3 into a classic MMORPG, they will be competing against themselves.

On the other hand, if Blizzard is taking a cue from Guild Wars and is planning to make Diablo 3 a MMORPG playable with no monthly fee on Battle.net I can see this happening. I think this would a huge hit, and wouldn't necessarly impact on their WoW subscriptions.

I guess what I am saying is that if Diablo 3 goes pay-for-play without even a hint of a singleplayer mode, I'll be mightily pissed off.

[nobbie]

Well, no official word about a Diablo 3 MMORPG so far, but I do think the info from the ex-Blizzard guy is legit :)

[Wyrm]

I guess what I am saying is that if Diablo 3 goes pay-for-play without even a hint of a singleplayer mode, I'll be mightily pissed off.
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Ditto.

I'm not really sure how they could make it a separate game from WoW anyway. The two games share a lot of things in common, from spells to transforming druids, so it would be hard for Diablo 3 to distinguish itself from WoW.

[Taem]

According to a speculative "Breaking News" article on the German fansite, Blizzard might blow up the bomb today and announce Diablo 3 as MMORPG for PC and Diablo for XBox 360, incl. guild housing! Also, rumors are that StarCraft 2 is under development. At the moment, it's all rumors and speculation, but stay tuned for more. In 24 hours, we'll certainly know more ;)
[right][snapback]93538[/snapback][/right]

I did a quick Google search and turned up thousands of pages of info. Curious, I searched Blizzard forums and found many threads, but none of the blizzard staff commented. I find it strange that whoever gave out this information about D3 knew so much about the upcomming Warcraft expansion and about Blizzard's move to console games (see the newest Game Informer with the interview of a Blizzard developer for info on that). If this person knew all this information before it was even announced, it seems possible - even probable - that his/her information is correct for Diablo 3. But why an MMO? Wouldn't Blizzard just be competing against itself in some regards? Or do they think there are enough people out there that will play D3 and/or WoW to support both? Interesting news, that’s for sure. If it pans out to be true, I'll be selling my soul to the devil ;) .

[nobbie]

If this person knew all this information before it was even announced, it seems possible - even probable - that his/her information is correct for Diablo 3. But why an MMO? Wouldn't Blizzard just be competing against itself in some regards?

Note that at the time when Diablo 3 could possibly be released, the time for WOW (plus expansions) is already running out (around 2008/2009).

[Taem]

Note that at the time when Diablo 3 could possibly be released, the time for WOW (plus expansions) is already running out (around 2008/2009).
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Interesting point. I supose that's why Sony made Everquest 2 any why Diablo 2 has lost steam. So how long does it take before the average MMO run's out of steam? Around 4-5 years?

I'm just so sick of all the MMO's that make you immortal (unable to really die). Sure, your character can suffer a temporary death usually resulting in minor attribute penalties, but you're character cannot really die like it does in Diablo Hardcore. That is what I'm waiting for. I can't believe the D&D MMO dosen't have permanent death. I'm a huge fan of pen-and-paper style D&D (although I haven't played in so many years, I think I forgot HOW-TO play) where your actions have real consequences, that anything short of permanent death is child's play for me. I simply cannot take current MMO's serious without a "hardcore" feature. And no, deleting your character when he dies is not the same thing. Why can't online worlds make one seperate server with this ability? Oh well, I guess current MMO's just aren't for me. Good thing too; I have other things to spend my money on.

[Assur]

I'm just so sick of all the MMO's that make you immortal (unable to really die). Sure, your character can suffer a temporary death usually resulting in minor attribute penalties, but you're character cannot really die like it does in Diablo Hardcore. That is what I'm waiting for. I can't believe the D&D MMO dosen't have permanent death. I'm a huge fan of pen-and-paper style D&D (although I haven't played in so many years, I think I forgot HOW-TO play) where your actions have real consequences, that anything short of permanent death is child's play for me. I simply cannot take current MMO's serious without a "hardcore" feature.

Getting capped in a HC/PvP MMO would be a real achievment. Are there any technical reasons that such an option isn't available or do the companies think that people wouldn't play on such a server?

I certainly would!

good karma

[Andrew the Legit Single-Player]

Getting capped in a HC/PvP MMO would be a real achievment. Are there any technical reasons that such an option isn't available or do the companies think that people wouldn't play on such a server?

I certainly would!

I think the problem here is that all current and past MMORPG's have
suffered from serious bugs and exploits that griefers have used to kill
legit players with impunity. I like the idea of a PvE server where the monsters
can permanently kill you if you aren't careful. I don't like the idea of a PvP server
where unethical players can use cheat hacks to insta-kill you without any chance
to defend yourself. Never mind the occasional Windows crashes, Internet lag,
etc. There are just too many ways to die that aren't the player's fault
to implement "permanent death" on a grand scale.


The publishers are probably also afraid that when characters permanently die,
the players will be so upset that they will cancel their monthly subscriptions...

[Assur]

Good arguments ^_^

Perhaps starting with a PvE, and only adding a PvP setting later would get around some of the grief? Internet connections will hopefully get better in the coming years, so lag should not be a problem (one could also view it as a random event, like earthquakes in RealLife). An other idea would be to roll out a HC-version with a delay on the SC-version, one or two patches behind the SC-version so that the HC-version would profit from the bugfixing and the patches.

I'm not to sure about customers cancelling their accounts. They knew what they were getting into and would always have their SC chars to get back to.

Perhaps somebody should start a poll? :whistling:

good karma

[Taem]

...all current and past MMORPG's have suffered from serious bugs and exploits that griefers have used to kill legit players with impunity.

...I don't like the idea of a PvP server where unethical players can use cheat hacks to insta-kill you without any chance to defend yourself.
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I agree with you on this aspect of your argument. PvP in a "hardcore" environment should be of mutual consent with both parties accepting the tournament.

I like the idea of a PvE server where the monsters can permanently kill you if you aren't careful... Never mind the occasional Windows crashes, Internet lag, etc... There are just too many ways to die that aren't the player's fault to implement "permanent death" on a grand scale.
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On this, I wholeheartedly disagree! I've died many a death in Diablo 2 when the servers are unstable or my system hangs and every time, there are blatantly obvious signs to warn the aware hardcore player to be more cautious: time-outs, high pings, desynch, etc. Death due to lag is the player's fault!

       
The publishers are probably also afraid that when characters permanently die,
the players will be so upset that they will cancel their monthly subscriptions...
[right][snapback]94292[/snapback][/right]

I've had friends literally pick up their computer and drop-kick it when their hardcore characters died, but that didn't stop them from playing the game! Once you’re hooked on a game, you’re hooked! From the people I know who played Diablo 2 Softcore, only those unable to accept change well couldn't stand the loss of their character's and couldn't logically fathom a reason to loose something you've invested so much time in. I tried explaining to them my logic and about consequences but these individuals are so displaced from my concept of artificial realism, we really don't relate on the issue. They can stick to their "softcore" for all I care.

So why can't all MMO's set up an option for "permanent death" next to each character upon creation? Alternatively, they can set up a "hardcore" only server. Would it really cost these gaming companies that much more? What if people :oh-my-god: actually liked it :gasp: ? I've written every MMO out there and none are willing to implement a feature like this, perhaps for the reasons you listed, however those reasons aren't valid excuses IMO. Oh well, I'm yelling in the wind. The sad fact is the majority of gamers prefer softcore :( .

[Taem]

Perhaps somebody should start a poll? :whistling:

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Hum, I wonder why I never thought of this before :blink: . Is it possible to add a poll to topics here at the LL? I thought that option was disabled. I will have to checkup on that after I pick up my kids from school and make dinner.

[Concillian]

Getting capped in a HC/PvP MMO would be a real achievment. Are there any technical reasons that such an option isn't available or do the companies think that people wouldn't play on such a server?

I certainly would!

good karma
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It would be an incredible achievement, but it would open the door to significant griefing.

Even PvE MMOs would require significant re-strucuring, as the world events or large scale encounters typically require trial and error to learn how to defeat certain encounters.

Diablo II requires a play through on softcore to learn the tricks of each of the bosses before being able to play hardcore. How do you allow players to develop strategies for encounters large enough to be considered 'massively multiplayer' (say 20-100 players working co-operatively) and not trivialize the content for softcore, or make the content virtually insurmountable in hardcore? Do you implement scaling based on number of players as in Diablo II? That seems kind of odd given the whole concept of MMO.

I mean, take Diablo II as an example. If you played hardcore and never saw Duriel before, how would you survive? The content before Duriel is completely trivial compared to Duriel, especially for a ranged attacker. How many tries would it take to establish a strategy. Now imagine that's scaled up to a 20 person encounter. You need 19 other people who know what they're doing so you can survive. One of them screws up and you're dead. Then same thing at Diablo (Mephisto is a bit easier, but diablo with the lightning beammight take a few tries)

It's not impossible, but it requires significant innovation. That's probably quite the hurdle for game designers that no have more than twice as many people doing modeling, textures and graphics as doing gameplay development.

I just see quite a pull in opposite directions between MMO and a hardcore style of play. I think it might be pretty difficult to find a customerbase in todays 'ADHD world' without a softcore playstyle and I also see it being difficult to implement both styles of play well, while still retaining the 'massive multiplayer' aspect.

It's very interesting to think about how you might make it work. Unfortunately that's probably also why we might not see something like it.