DiabloFans

Quote from vinnehehe»

what a great word that is:

mobile massive online action role playing game.

I'm actually just left wondering what an MMO should look like. To me, Diablo in general is not an MMO.

I think Massive multiplayer online is where a lot of people are online in the same game at the same time. (not just a 4 man group) so MO ARPG.

so as to the mobile game, I'm taking a pass here for sure. I'm just sooo not interested in gaming on a mobile device. I'm not a die hard console or pc guy I play whichever suits me best for the specific game I want to play. (or which platform allows me to play it in general given pc is not high end)

But mobile just doesn't suit me at all. It feels like a waste of time to me.

I have never played a mobile game, and never have interested me. I have a game in my Nvidia Shield Tablet -- I think it's named Trine 2 or something like that. Heck, that tablet has an Nvidia Steam-like platform to play many games. Never played them.

I'll try Diablo Immortal for the lore, and obviously, website content & news. Other than that, I can't say I enjoy it until I play it.

I am hopeful to play Diablo IV, when it is ready. In the meantime, if my NVIDIA Shield tablet is optimized to be able to play Diablo Immortal, I'll hook it to my HDMI display to play it.

However, I am very concerned about the term MMOARPG.

The gameplay videos I have seen from Bahjeera/Jen, Pamela Horton, and Kraxell show an exact copy of how Diablo III's environment and maps look like.

I don't think it should be called a MMOARPG, or if the intention is to make one (which I am sure is the intent) make it a true MMOARPG.

I need to explain my point of view here.

This is a game outside Diablo III, which should feel like a Diablo game. However, being an MMO, it should be a true open world of Sanctuary. A fixed outdoor world that resembles something akin to Zuldazar or Stormsong Valley -- but from the point-of-view of the camera on the sky looking down (like we know from Diablo II and Diablo III).

I put together the Bilefen map in Adobe Photoshop by knitting together the mini-map pieces shown in the gameplay video (Kraxell's). This does not look like a MMO open world environment to me. This looks like a copy of Diablo II and Diablo III's environment with narrow paths that zig zag from point A to point B.

I submitted a tweet to @Diablo to let them know my concern. If I am going to travel from Westmarch to Bramwell, I want to explore full zones as I make my way there.

For example, if you are in Stormwind and wish to travel to Loch Modan on foot, you travel through Elwynn Forest, then Redridge Mountains. Head north toward Burning Steppes. Cross through Blackrock Mountain, then Searing Gorge, Badlands, then Loch Modan. Immense landscapes. A true open world.

Of course, it doesn't have to be first-person view. It would be the same, but the camera on the sky looking down in an angle (like in any Diablo game). But still a true open world.

Bilefen as shown in the map below.... as I candidly tweeted to the @Diablo team, looks like a narrow spagetti string, trying to mimic Diablo III's environment. It is in no way a vast open world.

I want an open world like this:

Quote from CherubDown»

Wonderful post, you're 100% right I think but the bottom line is, they're not even ready to announce the D4 project so it'll probably be like 4 or 5 years before we can play it. /sigh

I'm not so sure about 4-5 years from now. I wish to be more optimistic and think of 1-2 years away. I have posted about job openings for many years. There has been a lot of activity the past few years long before StarCraft: Remastered.

Diablo III was in development from 2001 - 2012. However, don't let that discourage you about Diablo IV's development timeline. A lot of things happened to force Diablo III development to last that long.

On June 30, 2003 -- several Blizzard North employees quit and formed Flagship Studios.

By 2004, more Blizzard North developers quit en mass. At least 30 employees. Some joined Castaway Entertainment.

By 2008, there was the Vivendi Games --> to Activision Blizzard transition and restructuring. I assume there was a bit of a shake up that delayed things.

The Diablo III that Blizzard North started was scrapped. Blizzard restarted it from scratch. Technology also grew from 2004-forward, so I assume some changes had to be made to benefit from new tools.

Diablo Immortal is a brand-new mobile game that started probably in 2016. Allen Adham was presented as returning to Blizzard at BlizzCon 2016 where he said:

Allen: So my name is Allen Adham, as Sean mentioned. I am recently returned. I have the best job at Blizzard. I am the senior VP and executive producer in charge of incubation and new products.

Nowadays we know that Diablo Immortal was one of the incubation unannounced games. So that was two years ago. Diablo Immortal beta testing is in 2019. That sounds like a very short development cycle.

In 2017, I posted news about a job opening for a Unannounced Project that was not part of the Incubation team. To my knowledge, we still do not know what that game is about.

FX Artist, Unannounced Game
We pride ourselves in forging amazing worlds and experiences for our players to dive into here at Blizzard. To accomplish these epic goals, we need smart, passionate, and creative people with kickass talents. We are looking for an exceptionally skilled Senior FX artist to join our team on an unannounced project. The ideal candidate has extensive experience working with 3D packages and real-time FX systems, and will help drive and develop the project’s art style. You’ll need to create a wide range of VFX, including explosions and ability, weapon, weather, and energy effects. A strong understanding of the communication between action and visual impact is required. You will be expected to have a highly developed technical skillset to assist in expanding the VFX tools pipeline.
We value a tightknit team that celebrates artistic passion and pushing the creative bounds. If you have the desire to push your talents to help us create the next awesome Blizzard experience, then join us!

This was under the "Unannounced Project" category at the same time there was a separate "Incubation" category (Which means it is not a mobile game), and at the same time there was a "Classic Games" category (which means it is not a Remastered game either).

Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm already existed in September 2017 when that "Unannounced Project" category was posted. So... let's take a wild guess. =)

The image below, I took the screenshot on Sept 2017.

Today: November 20, 2018 -- this is the Unannounced Game category sporting 68 new job openings.

My personal guess is that Diablo IV (or whatever name it evolves into) will be an MMO similar to Diablo Immortal, but for the PC/Consoles, where new major content patches can keep it growing.

Diablo Immortal is set 5 years after Lord of Destruction. If Diablo IV turns out to be a PC/Consoles MMO, it might be set at a different timeline than Diablo III. The question would be: Set in the past? Set in the future? Maybe some kind of Caverns of Time? I am very curious to hear the developer hint that in Diablo Immortal the Prime Evils are returning too soon post LoD. What did he mean by that? Is timetraveling involved?

We know that the Enchantress follower is from a different time era. Wizards have temporal spells that mess with time.

Eirena’s mastery of enchantments and steely bravery in battle belie her youth – but the truth of her origins reconciles these qualities.

Eirena hails from the distant era of the Mage Clan Wars, where she was part of a clandestine sisterhood of magic-users known as the Hand of the Prophet. When the leader of the sisterhood, the eponymous Prophet, foresaw a great disaster that would occur fifteen hundred years in the future, Eirena and her sisters pledged their lives to preventing the tragedy. The sisters’ pledges were far from mere words, and the Prophet placed the entire sisterhood in a magical slumber to preserve them until the appointed time.

Recently, Eirena awoke to find herself in a world of portents and turmoil, a land vastly changed from the one she remembers. Her sisters are dead, and the Prophet is nowhere to be found.

Despite the shock of her situation, Eirena’s purpose is clear: she has given herself over to a new age in the hopes that she will discover its salvation. Could her uncommon magic prove to be the key that will help you expel demonkind from Sanctuary?

How did the prophecy about the End Times with so much details came upon Deckard's hands? Did someone from the future went back in time and spread the End Times story in the past as a warning? Was the past changed then, creating an alternate future?

TRANSCRIPT from BlizzCon 2018 Diablo Immortal World and Q&A panel:

Fan #1: I wanted to ask about the most important Prime Evil: Mephisto. Can we expect to see him? In any form?

Wyatt: It’s too early to say, which is, I know is sort of a dodge; but it’s too early to say. I think one of the things that’s exciting is, we are exploring how some of the Prime Evils might be returning faster than they should. So, I will leave it at that for the moment.

Quote from FoxBatD2»

I'm a bit skeptical of D2 remaster because its going to be a huge asspain compared to say Starcraft.

Our interview with Brian Sousa at BlizzCon 2017:

Brian Sousa: Of course, we have talked about what's next for the Classic Games team. Those kinda things that bring back Warcraft 1, Warcraft II, Warcraft III, Diablo 1, Diab-- you know, anything that we have is technically open to doing so.
What we are focusing on now is actually the games that we know that are still being played and loved like Warcraft III and Diablo II. Getting those two up onto the modern Battle.net platform. Making sure that their experience with those games that are still being played work well with all of our other titles.

https://youtu.be/SvfLwvfzzr4?t=1250

Quote from Magistrate»

Thanks for putting all of that together. There's a ton of interesting stuff like this coming out recently, and going back for a while. It's hard to keep it all straight. (Seriously thank you. +1)

On the domain level, at least for 3, I don't think it was finalized until like... very shortly before they were going to announce it. Weren't we given like 30 days or something? So, just because it's sitting in limbo doesn't mean it's not in the works, which tbh we all know is absolutely the case.

Yea, it was finalized in a very short span before the announcement, but Umaro shared it with the staff some time before the official announcement in Paris. I probably don't remember much of the details. It's been 10 years.

Quote from Fight»

One simple question, who is the domain for Diablo 4 if it is in development? Or maybe they still have not kept it?

All domains of Blizzard games(without starcraft) are registered at the domain registrar godaddy.com

source: whois.com

To date:

the domain Diablo4.com (was not registered at godaddy.com) and is for sale;

the domain playdiablo4.com (was registered at godaddy.com), but redirected to pathofexile.com

Who is the domain for Diablo 4?
Another "100%" fact?

Well, as you candidly coin it, another "100%" fact for you.

In 2008, the very forum you typed in was formerly Diablo3.com

I was a volunteer news writer for it, back then. Internally, the former owner, had informed the staff (myself included) that he was about to hand over the Diablo3.com domain name to Blizzard Entertainment. We suspected that Diablo 3 was definitely in development. I was invited by Blizzard and they brought me to the 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals in Paris for the announcement.

After the Diablo3.com domain name was transferred to Blizzard Entertainment, this forum became Diablofans.com

In short, it doesn't matter who owns the domain names: Diablo4.com and PlayDiablo4.com right now. Blizzard's Legal Team can reach out to the current owners and reach a deal to transfer the ownership when Blizzard is ready.

Update: Checked some of my 2007 forum posts for nostalgia. I just laughed. I didn't remember that my website Blizzplanet was hosted by Umaro in the former Diablo3.com hosting server.

https://www.diablofans.com/forums/diablo-iii-general-forums/diablo-iii-general-discussion/14924-questions-about-this-particular-forum-website#c11

Quote from lordnazgul1984»

Quote from Medievaldragon»

If they released a Necromancer pack, there is potential for more class packs:

• Amazon
• Assassin
• Druid
• Sorceress
• Paladin

However, I have to agree that class packs with no new zones or new content are not worthwhile for those who choose not to level up a new class. Keeps the game stagnant instead of moving forward.

How can someone still dont know that in Diablo 3 Assassin = Monk

Sorceress = Wizard

Paladin = Crusader

One new zone is clearly not enought, i nearly never go to these new zones in d3. Only if i do bountys or next season starts and i need that cube again.

The Diablo III heroes (except for the Barbarian) were redesigned based on some aspects of the Diablo II heroes you mentioned. But they are not one and the same. Lorewise, they are not the same. Gameplay-wise, they have enough unique abilities and skills to be a separate class, or at least a hybrid.

Just because Diablo III has a Wizard doesn't mean the Sorceress can't be added as a new Diablo III class. Just because Diablo III has a Monk doesn't mean the Assassin can't be brought in into Diablo III. They have similarities, but differences as well.

I recently posted the Diablo Immortal panel transcripts. Here is an interesting exchange from the developers concerning Diablo Immortal additional new classes post-launch. This was said during the Q&A:

Fan #1: You guys skipped Druids at Diablo III, and you skipped it in Diablo Immortal.

Wyatt: Well, we are planning on adding additional classes over time. So, you know, Matthew got a vote, Chris got a vote, you have a vote. It’s kind of a three-way tie. We’ll see what happens next.

This one was said in the Diablo Immortal: What's Next panel when discussing classes:

Wyatt: Alright, so those are the six classes we’ll have at launch for Diablo Immortal. But Diablo Immortal is a game that we hope to expand over time through live content patches. So we hope to add additional classes over time.

Matthew: And since I actually have the stage, I get a vote. So I would like to see in our future, I would like to see the
Assassin. She was my favorite in Diablo II. I want to play the Assassin again.

Wyatt: My favorite.

Matthew: Alright? Assassin! THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!!!

I have seen all the panels, and a handful of interviews. They are desperately wanting to confirm it, but won't say the words. It is like playing a card game. Sometimes you can't tell when someone is bluffing. Sometimes their face gestures are like an open book. When they are saying:

We know what many of you are hoping for and we can only say that “good things come to those who wait,” but evil things often take longer.

What are many of us waiting for? Diablo IV.

The Diablo team has been mega-slow making new content for Diablo III, but if we take a look at StarCraft 2 -- an old game launched in 2010, they are still adding new Co-op commanders.

They launched the Nova Covert Ops pack:

• Pack 1: March 29, 2016
• Pack 2: August 2, 2016
• Pack 3: November 22, 2016

They keep making War Chests, and other content. StarCraft II hasn't been abandoned content-wise.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls content has been s--l--o--w as heck, but looking back, compared with the Reaper of Souls launch on March 25, 2014 there has been new content here and there:

• Ruins of Sescheron in Act III (patch 2.3) --- August 25, 2015
• Greyhollow Island in Act V (patch 2.4) --- 5 months later: January 12, 2016
• Armory and Crafting Mat Storage (patch 2.5) --- kinda lame-o for 13 months later: March 21, 2017
• Challenge Rifts, Shrouded Moors and the Temple of the Firstborn (Act II). Realms of Fate (Act IV), new Bounties: Realms of Fate, and the Rise of the Necromancer pack (patch 2.6) --- 3 months later: June 27, 2017

If they released a Necromancer pack, there is potential for more class packs:

• Amazon
• Assassin
• Druid
• Sorceress
• Paladin

However, I have to agree that class packs with no new zones or new content are not worthwhile for those who choose not to level up a new class. Keeps the game stagnant instead of moving forward.

In this thread, I won't mention what was announced at BlizzCon, or the community reaction.

I will focus on what is 100% fact based on info Blizzard developers have hinted.

Wyatt and Allen Adham's smiles when asked about what they have in development for PC, and their comment that "we know what you want, and we have multiple projects developed by multiple teams" is definitely a hint that Diablo IV is in development.

StarCraft: Remastered shipped last year, and Warcraft III: Reforged was announced for 2019. I have posted news about job openings for Diablo remastered positions. It is 100% factual that Diablo II: Remastered (including Lord of Destruction) is the next game coming from the Classic Games team.

Brian Sousa told us at BlizzCon 2017 that StarCraft: Remastered took 1 year to develop. That's a sprite 2D engine, not a 3D engine. Diablo II is built in a 2D engine. Seeing as Blizzard didn't make a 3D engine for StarCraft: Remastered, then it is logical that Diablo II: Remastered will remain a 2D engine. That means Diablo II: Remastered is coming in 2019. 2020 as the very latest (and I doubt that).

A perfect platform to announce Diablo IV is GamesCom, giving fans a cinematic and maybe a demo. Enough hype to build up toward BlizzCon 2019.

However, Blizzard did hint that the forges at Blizzard are burning hot, and that evil things take time.

Being there multiple projects, I wouldn't be surprised if Diablo IV is not announced in 2019, but instead a new DLC pack similar to the Necromancer, but adding another class. My bet is on Druid.

(((Update: The Rise of the Necromancer pack was actually announced at PAX East. I was invited by Blizzard to the press event and played the demo there on March 2017. Maybe a second pack gets announced at PAX East too?)))

If you listen to the panel, Kris Zierhut said he likes to play as a druid main in World of Warcraft.

Wyatt: Well, we are planning on adding additional classes over time. So, you know, Matthew got a vote, Chris got a vote, you have a vote. It’s kind of a three way tie. We’ll see what happens next.

Kris: My World of Warcraft's main is a Druid. So...

Wyatt: Oh! I see, I see why.

They were talking about Immortal, though. They will release new classes over time to that game.

For Diablo III, if they released a Druid pack, think adding a new class and nothing else is not enough. There should be at least a new zone, new dungeons, new loot and content. No one wants to start a new class from level 1 for the same content in Reaper of Souls. A full expansion isn't particularly needed. Blizzard has added new zones in the past.

Adding new zones with new lore (i.e. Scosglen) to Diablo III: Reaper of Souls as a Druid pack could tie in with Diablo Immortal (set 5 years after LoD). However, lorewise, we can't forget that Tyrael sent Horadrim to Skovos Isles in Reaper of Souls. It's an odd comment to make in-game if it is not going to be featured in upcoming content to follow up.

So if there is a upcoming Class pack with Skovos Isles content, what could make sense is to launch a Amazon class pack + Skovos zone.

Why do I think a DLC pack is coming? In Rhykker's BlizzCon interview with Allen Adham, he mentioned Blizzard hasn’t forgotten the Diablo franchise’s PC and Console audience.

The only thing currently in Console is Diablo III: Eternal Collection (which includes the base-game, Reaper of Souls, and Rise of the Necromancer pack). If we take Allen's words literally, then we should expect a Diablo III DLC pack or expansion for PC that will also be released on Consoles.

StarCraft II: Remastered was announced on 25 Mar 2017. Shipped on August 14, 2017. It took a year to develop from scratch.

Warcraft III: Reforged was announced November 2, 2018. However, it's been in development for a while, and it has some degrees of difficulty making it compatible with old custom maps while upgrading some systems. It might take longer to ship. However, seeing there are multiple teams, I wouldn't be surprised if we get an announcement around the time StarCraft: Remastered did. Diablo II: Remastered shouldn't take more than a year to develop.

It is frustrating that we didn't hear anything new for the PC, but hearing the assurance that multiple projects are in the works, at least we know we can expect several Diablo PC projects. Hopefully, Diablo II: Remastered ships this Summer so that at least people have something for PC to spend time on until Diablo IV comes out.

Very welcome. Glad to provide one to a Diablofans member.

Quote from BenAlpha

Why is the D3-CE not available for pre-order on amazon?
They do offer a pre-order on a "normal" D3 copy.

Diablo CE was available for several months. Sorry you missed the train =/

I received two important updates and edited the original post:

- The event starts at 2:00 PM (instead of 3:00). Come early for a brief panel discussing the book content.
- You must purchase Diablo III: Book of Cain onsite at Book Soup in order to join the line for the book signing. The receipt functions as an admission ticket.

Insight Editions will release interior artwork pages of Diablo III: Book of Cain over the next couple of weeks in their new #12daysofbookofcain via twitter.

Day 1:

“My dear Leah.

In the Inevitable event of my death, may I precede you by many decades to the grave.
Do not mourn me, Leah. Despite all I have been through, I have had a long and amazing life. I have died doing exactly what I was meant to do. I have lived and loved freely these long years — and have known only joy at seeing the bright, beautiful woman you’ve become. I believe that I now go on to a place beyond imagining. Though, I have no name for it, nor real understanding of where it lies, save beyond the broken bounds of this world.

I long for this paradise, Leah — and the peace and rest I might find there on the other side of this mortal existence. I want you to know this, dear one, above all other things I could have taught you that there is hope beyond this reality. Beyond the realms of Heaven and Hell and all the shadowed spaces that lie between. Hold fast to that hope in the face of the dark times ahead, and you will find the truest meaning of your life.
Though I know that you do not believe me when I speak of dread omens. I think you are beginning to respect that my words ring of truth. I was a non-believer as well. I remember, even as a child, reading the Horadric tales and thinking that while they were wonderful stories, they were only that — wonderful stories. Tales such as those of Anu and the Dragon, the Mage Clan Wars, the Sin War, and the Hunt for the Three merely were told to embrace imagination. I now see, much to my regret that even within these legends there lives a deeper and more profound truth. For, as I have come to discover, truth is hidden in unexpected places.

If events are as I believe them to be, some truths will be revealed very shortly which will make you a believer — perhaps even upon the day of my death. For I believe that if our world is to be saved, you have a pivotal role to play in the salvation, though I know not — nor do I begin to speculate — what that role might be.”

Quote from Daemaro

Oh man if only I lived anywhere remotely close. I'd love to get mine signed.

I wish they had one in New York to take video/photos.

This signing event has potential to be one of the most crowdy. Flint Dille and Chris Metzen are also co-authors of the upcoming 2012 Online Comic Transformers: Autocracy. So I'll bet Transfomers fans would love the chance to bring their merchandise too, and to meet them.

Insight Editions sent me heads up that Chris Metzen, Micky Neilson, Flint Dille (The Transformers) and Mark Gibbons (Red Knuckle) will be attending Book Soup in Los Angeles to sign copies of Diablo III: Book of Cain.

Note: You must purchase Diablo III: Book of Cain onsite at Book Soup. The receipt will act as your pass ticket to step in line for the book signing.

Date: Saturday-January 7th, 2012
Time: 2:00 PM

Location

Book Soup (Google Map)
8818 Sunset Blvd.
W. Hollywood CA 90069

Free parking behind the store via Nellas St.
telephone: 310.659.3110

Quote from maela

Congrats ghostload and thankyou medievaldragon for the opportunity.

No problem. I still have about six more to giveaway, but not here.

I'm not sure who to contact at Diablofans now that Sixen departed. Maybe Diablofans can hook up with IE to giveaway some Book of Cain.