DiabloFans

Did you notice that the only playable characters with a beard in D3 are the male monk and the male barbarian?

Did you know that you can make over 9,000 characters, all with beards, in Skyrim?

Did you notice that Skyrim is, quite honestly, one of the games that I would actually compare to some sort of Viking setting? I mean, think about it; there is definitely a lot of things in this game that can be attributed to Vikings.

Nords = Norse

Let's talk about beards, shall we?

So, for the past six months or so, I have neglected my razor and cream for a much more fiscally sound and cooler alternative: growing out my beard.

Actually, no, it's just cause I don't really care about shaving anymore and beards are just awesome as fuck. I will post a picture tomorrow of my progress.

So, my fellow bros, do you partake in the luxury that is actually having a beard?

They shouldn't be in a rush. Blizzard has never been in a rush when it comes to anything. The only reason why WoW expansions come out so frequently is because it doesn't take a lot of effort to produce them. They already have the engine, they just need to make new gameplay elements, quests, and locations. Blizzard made an entirely new engine for D3, so it's going to take a while to actually produce it and make it work. If they didn't take their time, it'd probably have many bugs and the game wouldn't have the polished feel that almost all Blizzard games have. It takes a lot of work to create games. Blizzard's developers aren't wizards; they just can't make games appear out of thin air. Every game that they create has some substantial development behind it.

It's not like CoD where Activision can just shit one out every year and expect sales. Blizzard holds their quality of work and their fan base much higher than Activision does, in my opinion, simply because they take so long on their games and make sure that it meets their expectations.

They assume we expect a great game, they expect a game that will exceed our expectations. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that that is their ultimate goal as far as development goes. Blizzard has a legacy that they work hard to preserve, that they are determined to prove. They set their own personal bar, we just get to sit back and watch them meet it.

Just heard this quote while listening to a Youtube video of an interview with a Pro-marijuana advocate and I thought it was... amazing. Just on the money:

"Everybody knows somebody who smokes pot and they know that that person shouldn't be in prison and that it's not hurting anybody; the only harm that comes from it are the gangs that are fighting over turf and the drugs that aren't being controlled and monitored and regulated and the people whose lives are destroyed and their children taken, homes lost, simply because they used a plant that's safer than alcohol, so the damages done to society are just too much to afford and people do realize that after decades of prohibition and there's far too many lives and money lost. I think Americans are waking up. In fact, most polls show that Americans want to legalize marijuana and same with Canada; it's our government who's behind the times because police lobby them to continue these laws. Police and gangs are the main benefactors from prohibition; they both get a lot of money out of it and our government, unfortunately, likes listening to the cops so people need to get to their representatives and tell them that prohibition is a failed policy. It costs far too much. We need treatment and education and prevention, not punishment which doesn't change the drug rates at all."
- Jodie Emery, Green Party

The reason why Diablo 3 development has taken so long (for lack of a better term) is because Blizzard (aka. the D3 development team) knows:

- If they do not put time and effort into the game, it will be a poor game and not sell well.
- If they do not put time and effort into the game, they will have to continually patch things in, which requires extra effort. Why fix tomorrow what you could solve and perfect today?
- If they do not put time and effort into the game, bad ratings will reflect badly upon the company; ergo, a bad review will forever scar Blizzard as the "bad egg" in their lineup of games and make people skeptical of future releases.
- They want to give you a good gaming experience.
- They are trying to ensure the continuation of the Diablo Franchise by putting out a good sequel (refer back to point 3)

Patience is a virtue; trust me, I've been waiting for this game since I was about seven years old. I know patience. I'm not mad about the release date because I know that Diablo 3 will be an amazing game and the time and effort put into the game will surely reflect the passion and determination the development team put forth to give us what we deserve for our patience. Blizzard has been 100% loyal to all of their fans, a trend I don't expect them to break anytime soon.

So, dude, lighten up a little bit. Hopefully, the release date is planned for Winter 2011 or early 2012. Beta might be coming up in the near future also. What I would do is opt-in for the Beta (I already have) and hope that you get selected.

I hardly ever knock, mostly due to the fact that I never want to use public facilities. If I can tell that no one is in there, then I'll just go in. If there's someone in there, then I won't even bother.

"Someone's in there? Fuck it."

But that chick is obviously daft as all hell. I mean, can she not tell that it's locked and it's awkward for the person using the bathroom to be in the middle of their business and feeling like they're rushed or some shit. If someone was harassing me on the john, then I'd take longer, might even start flossing at the sink or something, I don't give a fuck.

Quote from Veloxlacus

Skeletons with shield blocking a bridge, check

... Okay, I guess if you're going to use extremely petty details (can you even call this a detail, this is an instance within the game) instead of, you know, details of a much more fundamental value, then that's cool. It's not, but if that's how you get your kicks, it's okay.

Warrior, barb, that uses a cleave attack with a red "swoosh", check

Again with these incredibly small details?

1. It's a special effect. I'm pretty sure I saw the same thing in Dungeon Siege II, which came out in 2006 or something. And I'm also sure that the red swoosh that you mention was present in the 2008 gameplay trailer.
2. Blizzard was inspired by Torchlight's "cleave attack"? I'd like to hear the story behind that, must be a great fiction.
3. They're both warrior classes, they're going to cleave.

Shield that slows things around you, check

Slow Time, used by the wizard, isn't as much a shield as it is a strategic move. And it only slows things down within a given radius. And she can step out of it. But good try though.

Shared stash, check

Actually, a good amount of Diablo II players have wanted a shared stash since the game came out. Ever heard of "muling"?

Wandering vendors, check

Vendors are the basis of any in-game economy. You can't not have vendors, it's just not possible.

Prison in a molten sea of lava, check

That's a level. I saw the same thing in Dungeon Siege. The River of Flame from Diablo II is also the same concept.

My point being, Blizzard probably hasn't looked at Torchlight and said, "that would look really good in our game" because Torchlight is just a regurgitated Hack N' Slash. Can you ask yourself how Torchlight has reinvented the wheel in any way, made progressive movements within the Hack N' Slash genre, and defied the very boundaries of the genre itself? I can't. I look at Torchlight and think, "this just looks shitty. There's shit everywhere, this doesn't even look fun."

Quote from Zubin

I don't know. But it pretty much expresses all of my feelings.

I remember that phase. Then I turned 14.

UW is the University of Washington located in Seattle.

I guess that I'll just spill the beans and say that this is an epic adventure set in modern day Seattle. Every other character from the LotR series comes into play at one point or another and while some stay candid to their character (the Hobbits), the others have been corrupted, in some way, by modern day American society and its expectations. Some characters have much bigger roles than others, trust me. This is inspired by that other piece of shit fanfic, but it's not following it by any means. I'm taking this a lot more seriously, but I'm still having a bit of fun with it.

I may go back and edit some parts out though since, admittedly, most of them were incomplete thoughts that I had to make work because I felt that they were either vital or I thought I could make them work.

Quote from Sabvre

Quote from Akuma Seijin

I've actually been planning for the revolution for a while. This country is a corrupted by corporatism and I won't be caught off guard when the grocery stores are bare. If your a republican, you are a tool for the top 10%. Which, in my opinion, is really pathetic.

Dude... you are a tool. You are the exact reason I believe that there should be a manditory test in order to vote.

If you stupid communists would actually stop and think for a minute you would understand that corporations are actually good for everyone. They produce consumer goods at a cheaper rate due to wait... what... oh yeah.. CAPITALISM. They create jobs which happen to reward those that have better value to society, therefore creating incentive and ambition to succeed. When profitable they rewards those that are smart enough to actually invest instead of squander their money (owning shares in a company)...

Best of all... they allow the power to remain outside of the hands of the public sector. I'm sorry but social redistribution has nothing to do with equality rather than greed / envy / entitlement. Because your neighbor went to college... became a doctor... and now has a nice car you think you deserve one too.

Now lastly... I am not a republican... I am a CAPITALIST.

I could argue all those points. I could talk about gov subsidies. I could talk about the failure of the trickle down theory. But I'm not going to waste my breath on a person who defends people who take advantage of their own pawns. When the country falls under fire, I'll think of you and smile because I knew I had a mind of my own. Thanks for making me thankful of my free will.

Yeah torchlight 2 was just the devs looking at the D3 videos and copying them.

Torchlight 1 was a piece of shit ugly snore-o-thon, taking a step backward from D2 even. Torchlight 2 is them trying to rip of Diablo 3 and failing. The abilities look boring as shit, the graphical style is awful (WoW graphics without any sense of unity or purpose), and frankly, it's quite obvious why Blizzard fired all these people.



But if you're into that sort of thing, to each their own!

Blizzard has decided that they want the cooperative PvM experience to be the defining focus of this game. That's the game they want to make. It seems that they have a very clear vision of D3 as a co-op, rather than competitive, game.

And you can understand their decision. Diablo was never meant to be about PVP, though they have allowed it as a diversion.

But, I for one commend Blizzard for their clear vision and uncompromising stance on this game. Trying to make everyone happy often times makes no one happy.

TL;DR: Fuck PVP, if I want that I'll play a different game. I like where they're going with D3.

This is one of the most embarrassing economic slip ups. This was a self inflicted wound, unlike all the other debt crisis going on right now. Everyone still wants to lend the U.S money, and everyone still had faith that the U.S would not default. This credit rating change is not really due to the debt to GDP ratio, or any economic fundamentals, but rather the idiocy in the House &Senate causing an increase in moral hazard.

So yes, the U.S really just lost their perfect credit rating, but not because they couldn't pay their bills. It is because there are morons in the House & Senate, that are willing to cause a default if they don't get what they want.

Quote from LinkX

Standard & Poor - AA
Moody - AAA
Fitch - Under Review


Now, while I am happy we still have our triple A rating for Moody, the Standard & Poor double A rating is bound to hurt.


Everybody just remember, when elections come along, John Boehner caused this.

If we would've put revenue increases in the debt ceiling bill this probably wouldn't have happened. The Tea Party I feel is also to blame. I don't see why they pander to the top 10% of earners, oh wait "Job Creators", when they are just hoarding the money. I've hated the gov for a long time and I feel the Tea Party is trying to steal my thunder for all of the wrong reasons lol. And I know this is unimportant, but the rating is AA+, not AA. Or at least that's what I read last night.

Standard & Poor - AA+
Moody - AAA
Fitch - Under Review


Now, while I am happy we still have our triple A rating for Moody, the Standard & Poor double A rating is bound to hurt.


Everybody just remember, when elections come along, John Boehner caused this.

I don't get why people are so hung up over this point.

You are on the internet complaining about this, you clearly have an internet connection. It's such a minor hypothetical inconvenience for most people. Maybe my internet will go out at some point and I will feel like playing Diablo single player during that time. OH NO. NOT WORTH FIFTY DARRAH.

Read a book.

Quote from ErU

1- I'm not talking about regular, normal gear, i'm talking about legendaries, these are rare end game drops that most people will never see(even in D2, if it weren't for dupes, most people would never have access to WF, GF, runewords, etc), chinese farmers will be farming the same elite boss 24/7, other players will be leveling, dueling, talking with friends, so yes, they are the ones making a real profit of it.

It doesn't matter if it's super-rare or super-common, they're still having to compete with everyone. But now, those of people that don't have 20 hours a day to play can supplement their time with real money, if they want.

The thing is once you have the item, you can turn around and sell it yourself to get the money back out of it, depending on the market value of the item at the time.

Quote from ErU

2- I have no problem with people acquiring godly gear throught conventional means(aka as trading, item for item) this means that i can't just jump on the game, drop a thousand and instantly dominate pvp. Secondly, that is just you assuming that people would rather keep that ''super sexy sword of doom'' instead of selling it for $600+, it's a pretty clear choice for me.

Yep, just like it's you assuming that people would rather buy items then try and find them for themselves.

3- This is quickly turning into another AH topic...

Yep.

Quote from okrane

Two cents:

a ) The overall expected longevity of the game from the perspective of the player will heavily influenced by the RMAH.

Diablo 3's end game will most likely be centered around item hunting in one form or another. The main difference between a gold based AH and a dollar based one is the fact that at the start of the game the player starts with 0 gold, whereas he can potentially start with an infinite amount of dollars.

Gold intake and item rarity can help control the pace at which players gain gear and ultimately the number of (estimated) hours a player must spend in game in order to obtain everything there is to obtain. Dollars circumvent this issue. In fact, nothing is stopping the player to level up to level 60, put in a great amount of money to fully gear up his character and then be done with the game.

It is actually in the detriment of the player to invest amounts of money into the game as it will limit his game time and his overall enjoyability of the game. Let's keep in mind that this game won't be like wow: it is the process of gaining the gear that must be the fun part; once all gear aquired there is simply nothing left to do.

Basically this dollar AH will function like a big "Cheat" button on the game's screen. I dont know how many players would play a game with an "I cheat" button attach to it. Personally, when I start cheating at a game I know that quitting will come soon after.

Mostly agreed. But this is no way a "Cheat". What would be a cheat is if this item wasn't coming from inside the game and was artificially injected into the economy (like a dupe). Trading for items with money is no more a cheat then trading items for items or gold. They all have a cost and all of their costs are relative to each other. The item still had to be acquired by someone, and that investment in time by someone is real and was paid for by the buyer.

Quote from okrane

b ) Because Blizzard will make money out of every transaction, the game's design will be altered to encourage players to use the service.

< Let's make a quick parallel with wow : blizzard makes money from players paying sub fees for months: so they will release a shitty content and make sure you have to grind at it for months before finishing it. Dont tell me dailies are fun gameplay >

We will see in the close future the same effects on Diablo's gameplay: item resets, item nerfs, new recipes, and other arbitrary stuff in order to force the economy to flourish and the players to echange more and more items on the AH so that the cash goes into their pockets.

The design of the game already catered to the nature of the auction house well before it was in place. So to assume that the design will some how be altered is simply a theory, and it reflects your lack of faith in a company that has a responsibility to maintain a good image with both it's players and it's investors.

Additionally the auction house was designed to minimize the profit they'd actually be receiving to make it more profitable for players. Sure, they'll make money, but they're not maximizing their potential. There is also the overhead of the infrastructure (servers, software) and employees to consider. I'm fine paying a nominal fee to use the new system if it means blizzard will be around to enhance this and make more great games. Especially when it's easy for me to cover that fee simply by playing a game I was going to anyway.

Obviously a typo. IIII is not a roman numeral...

Did you not read the interview?

They wanted D3 to be different. D2 was just a bunch of cookie cutter builds. They specifically created this game with the intention of having numerous viable builds. While I have no proof of this, I seriously doubt Jay would say this without evidence to back it up from internal testing.