Today (Feb 1st, 2009) is at least a year before the game is released, and two classes haven't been revealed. We have seen skelleton archers, and npc/assistant archers. I predict that one of the remaining two classes will wield a bow. It will be a ranged class that kills monsters from a distance, before they get close.
In order to deal ranged damage the bow wielder will want tools that slow down and impede the progress of enemies. Tools that keep the enemy at a distance, and enhance the ability to kill from far away.
Wading through the center of 100s of mobs is the job of a barbarian. A bow wielder kills from across the screen.
The actual killing of 100s of mobs is a design choice, implemented by balancing how many hit points monsters have vs how much damage players dish out. One-shot kills will probably be quite common in Diablo-3, and even multi-kill shots.
Dungeon Seige, Hellgate:Londong, and others like them had monsters with 50000+ hitpoints. Players fought by kicking them in the shins several dozen times, until they keeled over. Diablo-3 has shifted the power balance, giving players the strength to easily kill teaming hoards of monsters.
It is my guess that this is related to their advances in game engine technology, allowing them to have many monsters on screen at once. Which they probably did expressly for this purpose.
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In the videos, there's a scene where the barbarian picks up a pair of bow npc assistants. So they have modelled bows in the game.
How about a Hunter?
Tracking - monsters leave footprint trails visible to the Hunter. Skill upgrade makes the trails last longer. Might also put arrows at the edge of the screen and/or blips on the minimap. Monsters with walking/idle sounds could be heard from much farther away.
Trapping - can set up a covered pit (with spikes), a drop net, a pop-up net bag, a spring-loaded foot-noose, trip-wired fire bombs, trip-wired falling rocks. Might even use a hand-held net as a snare weapon.
Camoflage - can blend in with the scenery, making himself nearly undetectable. Advances include stealth walk and silent run, with smaller aggro rings.
Wilderness Survival - Extensive knowledge of outdoor plantlife, and how to get the most out of butchering game. Gets better food drops, herbs, ingredients, and bonuses on the health hearts. An upgrade could offer minor healing (first aid) skill.
Might be able to have or tame an animal pet.
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My five-point rating system: Yay, Kay, Meh, Erm, Gleh
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In order to deal ranged damage the bow wielder will want tools that slow down and impede the progress of enemies. Tools that keep the enemy at a distance, and enhance the ability to kill from far away.
Wading through the center of 100s of mobs is the job of a barbarian. A bow wielder kills from across the screen.
The actual killing of 100s of mobs is a design choice, implemented by balancing how many hit points monsters have vs how much damage players dish out. One-shot kills will probably be quite common in Diablo-3, and even multi-kill shots.
Dungeon Seige, Hellgate:Londong, and others like them had monsters with 50000+ hitpoints. Players fought by kicking them in the shins several dozen times, until they keeled over. Diablo-3 has shifted the power balance, giving players the strength to easily kill teaming hoards of monsters.
It is my guess that this is related to their advances in game engine technology, allowing them to have many monsters on screen at once. Which they probably did expressly for this purpose.
How about a Hunter?
Tracking - monsters leave footprint trails visible to the Hunter. Skill upgrade makes the trails last longer. Might also put arrows at the edge of the screen and/or blips on the minimap. Monsters with walking/idle sounds could be heard from much farther away.
Trapping - can set up a covered pit (with spikes), a drop net, a pop-up net bag, a spring-loaded foot-noose, trip-wired fire bombs, trip-wired falling rocks. Might even use a hand-held net as a snare weapon.
Camoflage - can blend in with the scenery, making himself nearly undetectable. Advances include stealth walk and silent run, with smaller aggro rings.
Wilderness Survival - Extensive knowledge of outdoor plantlife, and how to get the most out of butchering game. Gets better food drops, herbs, ingredients, and bonuses on the health hearts. An upgrade could offer minor healing (first aid) skill.
Might be able to have or tame an animal pet.