I don't think in the actual game she will be doing any flips though. But showing her do all that stuff kind of forces you to separate the Demon Hunter you see in the trailer from the Demon Hunter you'll see in the game.
If you jump on youtube you can check out some extended DH gameplay, and I hate to say it, but she does in-fact do cartwheels and somersaults as a movement skill. Not as ridiculous as the acrobatics in the trailer, but pretty silly none the less.
I was just kind of disappointed in her origin story because other origin stories weren't so focused on how awesome their killing power was, but they were giving more background information. The Witch Doctor's background story is one of my favorites so far.
I'm with you 100% on this one. The origin story video wasn't an origin story at all. It was just an action sequence, and a pretty silly one at that.
I guess we should take away all the magical aspects of the game though. I mean, a person can't really stomp on the ground and cause a shockwave that rips the earth in two. That's something physics alone would say you can't do. You can't have one and not have the other. It's a magical world after all, just ACCEPT that she can do cartwheels in plate.
Zoobi, you need to go back and read the previous posts before you respond to the most recent one. Your response suggests that you either didn't read the previous posts or that you disregarded them. In either case it makes your comment irrelevant, as your point was already addressed in the previous posts. We have already addressed the "it's all just magic" and "physics don't apply in fantasy worlds" explanation.
No, what's bullshit is you dismissing physics when it comes to pretty much every other class based purely on the fact that it's magic, and then when it comes to a "plate wearing ninja" you get all huffy and puffy.
Sionoq answered this one very well. And again, Zoobi, please read the previous posts. It's painful to retread back over ground we've already covered.
The developers went into detail about the magical abilities of the other classes and we have an understanding of what the other classes can and can't do. The developers didn't address magic AT ALL when it comes to the Demon Hunter. The assumption that "it's just magic, accept it" is going to make for a pretty shallow character. And on that note, accepting anything out of the ordinary in Diablo as "it's just magic" will make the Diablo world itself pretty shallow as well.
Can the developers just do anything they want and say "it's magic, just accept it"...? Yes, they can. Is that as interesting as coming up with a detailed backstory/explanation for events and actions? Not even close. THE MAIN POINT
If they want to explain the DH's skills as magic and how the DH's magic/skills/attacks work and what the "rules" are for her character, then I'm totally on-board. As of right now, we have no information from the developers as to what the DH is all about. Because of this, her current skills/attacks seem really random and without any parameters. It's hard to have any anticipation for what this character will have at her disposal or if one want's to play her, because we have no idea what to expect. The current Lore, origin/introduction video, gameplay videos, armor designs, etc. are all over the place, and all lacking any cohesion or details.
To tell a good story (which is what a game is) you need to ask as many questions as you possibly can, and then you need to answer them with as much detail as possible. THAT is how you create depth.
Again I'm just not entirely sure what you mean by rules of the world.
The use of "rules" is something used in filmmaking and writing. As a storyteller one has to establish rules for yourself as the writer/creator and for the world you are creating. Basically "rules" are the parameters of what CAN happen and what CANNOT happen in this created world, and why. As soon as you deviate from the rules of our natural world, the real world and our reality, you start to take the audience (in this case the player) into unknown territory. In order for the audience to understand what CAN happen and what CANNOT happen the writer/creator has to inform the audience.
In the world of Diablo we know that it is not uncommon to come across demons and mythological creatures. We know that the technology of Diablo is medieval and consists of swords and shields, etc. We know that magic exists in the Diablo world and that magic can be controlled by some characters (Wizard, etc.) and can be used as a weapon. We understand that characters are similar to human beings in our own reality (the real world) but that they can do incredible physical feats and use magic. The humans in the game can sustain massive physical damage. They can also heal faster than the humans in our real-world, using magic potions. Etc. Etc. The "rules" start with general broad-strokes (like establishing that the world has a "daytime" and a "nightime) and then the rules delve into very minute details, like the physical body-proportions of the characters, or how and why the Wizard's magic is different than the Which Doctor's magic.
Based on all these rules (and the many, many others) we can recognize Diablo as "Diablo" and not AD&D or Lord of the Rings. From these rules we can then have expectations for what we want to achieve as players, and what might happen around the next corner. These expectations are what the writer/creator uses to tell the story, play with our expectations, create tension, etc.
We also know what will not happen in Diablo, based on the established rules. No one expects an Apache helicopter to appear in the Diablo world, because there is no rule setting that precedent. So we, as players, don't even consider that possibility. We know that a "Wizard" doesn't use a battle ax, a Barbarian isn't going to wear robes, and that none of our characters will have narcolepsy or athsma.
As far as the "rules" regarding the Demon Hunter: what CAN happen and what CANNOT happen, and why? We do not have any precedent for this character class. We know what the "rules" are for a Wizard or a Barbarian, or a Monk, so they can get away with a little less explanation, based on previously established precedents. But what are the "rules" for a Demon Hunter? Can she cartwheel in plate armor? Is this some special trait, because not all the characters can defy physics in plate armor? If she's an elusive and agile assassin, does plate armor fit the character design? Do her crossbows reload automatically because they are advanced technology? How far does this technology extend? If the crossbows are magic, how far does the Demon Hunter's magic extend? How does the Demon Hunter's magic differ from the Wizard's magic? Is the Demon Hunter a regular person using highly trained physical skills as an advantage to fight evil (like Legolas) or is the Demon Hunter a person endowed with magic powers (like Gandolf)? Are the grenades similar to those in the real world (chemical/mechanical explosives) or are the grenades some kind of magical weapon? Etc. etc.
These questions seem tedious, but as the writer/creator, they have to be answerable questions. These answers define what the Demon Hunter is and it's what makes the Demon Hunter different than the other characters. My concern is that we have very few rules for what makes the Demon Hunter. And on top of that, the few rules we do have conflict with each other.
Ask the Diablo community questions about any of the other character classes, and you will probably receive many versions of the same answer. Try to do the same with the Demon Hunter and I bet you'll get different answers from everyone. Why? Because they gave us a character that doesn't have any precedent, and they didn't explain the rules.
I agree with you, and I'm up for the technology additions as well. Even the grenades. But I think they failed to fully incorporate those details into the design of the character.
And I'm certainly not suggesting that they make the character "more realistic," or to have us wait while the Demon Hunter reloads. I AM saying that the designers shouldn't gloss over these kinds of details. It's a missed opportunity to add depth to the character.
I agree with you, customization will allow players to decide what skills/weapons they want to use, and disregard the ones they don't. My point is that the "tech stuff" is currently without any explanation. And "it's 20 years later" is not sufficient and does nothing to add to/develop the character. The current Demon Hunter skills/attacks suggest this fact, they feel totally one dimensional. Kind of like many different animations for the same three general attacks.
As for the second part of the quote - so youre saying we should settle for more realistic stuff like, simple fire arrow and standing back and taking the time to reload? How fun is that?
I think you misinterpreted this portion of my post. I was not suggesting that the developers add fire arrow, I was listing all of the current attacks, one of them being a fire arrow (Molten Arrow, I think?). The current skills/attacks are all dangerously similar to one another and largely based on the crossbow/bow. it is a little one dimensional, and suggesting a possible lack of character development (along with the unexplained details, like the tech stuff.)
Thanks for the well formatted and articulate reply. (I don't use forums very often, so please excuse any formatting mistakes. If there is a better way to use milti quotes in a reply, please let me know.)
I understand what you're saying to a point. I think your example of Trinity in LotR is a bit off the deep end, but I get your point.
The Trinity/Lord of the Rings example was meant to be a bit over-the-top. The whole point being that when you tell a story, in a movie, book, or video game, you have the responsibility to establish the rules of the world, and then stick to them. That's how you build the story, create expectations, tension, etc. Otherwise the audience is merely subject to random events at the whim of the storyteller, and in the end the audience is immediately disoriented and eventually doesn't care about the story.
I do think there is a balance between innovation and contrivance. The developers want to try something new, but not go too crazy with it that it just seems forced and impractical in its own world. I think if they did more of a standard ranger type with mainly a bow, people would've been just as angry saying it was unoriginal. They would've said maybe it was stale as the Rogue or a glorified Amazon or any other complaint they would've thought of.
I think your point about innovation vs. contrivance is perfectly stated, and it is my major concern with the Demon Hunter character. And I don't really care what they call the character (Archer, Amazon, Rogue, Demon Hunter, whatever), they need to establish what the character is and then commit to it. I definitely have concern that this lack of establishing "rules" and committing to them is going to be present in the other aspects of the game.
The devs also did seem a bit defensive of the dual crossbows in the Q&A where that one brave guy got up and asked what the deal was with dual crossbows cause they seemed kind of over the top. And Jay Wilson's response was that they thought they were cool and you either like them or you don't. I can react either way to this response. On one side I'm thinking it just confirms they're creating over the top stuff simply for the sake of being cool and thus appealing to the lowest common denominator. On the other side of the coin, I will acknowledge there were a few classes in D2 that just appealed to me in no way whatsoever. So some classes may inevitably be hit and miss for you because you ultimately have a preference for these kinds of things and you can't expect to be satisfied by every class. However, I can also sympathize for players who enjoy ranged combat more than casting and melee that the Demon Hunter was quite a risk in appealing to ranged players because she also has all the tech stuff with like the grenades and what not. So yeah it was a risk on the developer's part. They MUST'VE anticipated a lot of negative reaction to the class, but counted on enough people really enjoying the class. The fifth class also just suffers from being the last one announced. Expectations for the last class were probably higher than the rest and it seems so far to have suffered the most scrutiny next to say, the Witch Doctor.
This response from the developers is a little concerning... it's one thing to make a character that some people like and some people don't. That's the nature of a multi-character/class game. But to make a character that doesn't fit the established rules of the world, or the rules for the character itself, is an entirely different issue. Their answer, to me, says that they know the Demon Hunter is half-assed and has serious problems in the execution and they don't want anyone to point it out. Again, I hope this is not a common trait in the rest of the game.
The aesthetics of the new class don't really appeal to me either. I do kind of wish though I could just say that it's not really my preference, but some of the concepts of this class really do seem over-embellished as if they were just trying to deliver something as super cool as possible. But the idea of what's cool is subjective at best. Some might argue that fans of the Diablo franchise typically prefer a simpler style to things because while this is a fantasy fictional world, it's still never been as over the top as say, World of Warcraft.
The entire aesthetics of the game are different than the previous games. I get it: it's a different game. I have no issue with the new direction they took in visual style. And I totally agree, the over-embellishment with the Demon Hunter is to the point of silliness. Why have the Demon Hunter look like a Gothic version of the Barbarian? The "bigger is better" approach never results in a good game. I say, why not differentiate Diablo's style from World of Warcraft or similar games? What's next, the over-sized anime swords that are 3 times the size of the character? Pick a style and stick to it.
I'm trying not to get hung up on this point too much because the answer to everything you addressed here is: magic.
I think this is a valid answer ONLY with more explanation. The "it's magic" answer in and of itself is a total copout and a huge missed opportunity. If she has two semi automatic crossbow pistols, tell us why. That's important. Did she design them? Does her clan of Demon Hunters design and make their own weapons to fight the baddies? Maybe that backstory could inform the basis of her other skills, like making other weapons, traps, new inventions, weapon upgrades, etc. Make this part of the backstory. And THAT is my main issue with the Demon Hunter: it feels like there are no rules for her character and so the attacks/skills feel kind of random, and the character feels flat or one dimensional. Don't just give a character special qualities that stick out like a sore thumb and then not explain them, or just say "it's magic." Give us the rules that the character operates under and then capitalize on them. That's the reason we want to play a game like Diablo: we understand the world, we like it, and want to immerse in it.
All the other characters have a well thought out and designed cohesion between their backstory, visual design, and all of their attacks and skills. The Demon Hunter is just a random assortment of technology based attacks almost entirely focused on the dual crossbows.
This it a totally fair point. Any guesses as to what the extent of the Demon Hunter character is all about is purely speculation. However, Blizzard chose to release the first introduction to the character. If the design/concept isn't complete, they should have withheld it until it was finished enough to release. My issues are not with the individual details of the character, rather my issue is that there is no cohesiveness between all the individual details.
Even the currently proposed armor doesn't match the design of the character. Why does a fast-moving gun-wielding assassin have armor like a six ton Juggernaut? (Ninjas in plate mail.)
This bothered me too and was something I wasn't willing to answer away with "magic". Even in a fictional world like this, there should be a general consensus of physics, including all that pesky gravity. And for that Demon Hunter to be clad in all that heavy looking armor, I don't see how she could be doing all those flips like that, especially in high heels. The answer to this is simply in my opinion: just don't make her do fucking flips and acrobatics. What's wrong with just running around and at the most, doing rolls? It's not like we'll be doing goddamn flips in the game, right? Well I hope not.
Again, your point is a good one, and I think further illustrates my point: we haven't been presented with a coherent concept for this character, so we start to extrapolate details that aren't even there. "It's all magic." "maybe she won't do flips in the game, or maybe she will..." "She won't be confined to only using a crossbow." Etc. Etc.
I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the designers over at Blizzard, that there is more to know about the Demon Hunter,. Hopefully we'll get some more information that will fill in the (huge) blanks and lack of depth. As of right now, the Demon Hunter is clearly the least dynamic character of the bunch.
Their background story lacks depth, true. But it's still not as bad as the Wizard's.
Maybe true, but that doesn't make the Demon Hunter any more appealing. Nor does it excuse or explain the (presently) half-assed execution of the Demon Hunter character concept. And it appears the only explanation for the Demon Hunter's lack of depth is answers like "she's very mysterious," and " she comes from such a far out place, that no one really knows anything about her." Again: copout.
P.S. Real-world physics don't apply to fantasy worlds.
Zoobi, this is a total non-answer. In other words complete "bullshit" as Sianoq put it. I'm pretty sure that the developers have some kind of physics programmed into the game. It may be "fantasy world" physics, but it's still physics. On a more fundamental level, the game's physics are part of the overall "rules" or "laws" of the game's world. The whole idea of crating a fantasy world is that you establish how it works and then build the story around that. But you have to stick to it the whole way through. Otherwise you lack the parameters within which you tell the story.
Sorry for the rediculously long post. And thanks for the food-for-thought.
I hate to admit that I'm pretty disappointed with the Demon Hunter. I've always played the range/archer character in past games, but this character does nothing for me. I was excited at first, but after seeing the Demon Hunter's gameplay I'm not impressed. She seems more like a SteamPunk character from another game, with the dual akimbo crossbow pistols and hand grenades. Too technology laden. Like putting Trinity (from The Matrix) in a Lord of The Rings movie: it just doesn't make sense. Why can't we just have a bow? Twin crossbows is "trying" way to hard. Is this a Diablo character or someone out of a mid '90s action movie?
Someone hit the nail on the head: Diablo version of Laura Croft. I might add that she seems like a female Diablo version of The Punisher (Frank Castle): a dark vigilante anti-hero, out for revenge against those that killed her family, using all manner of crossbows and explosives.
My problem with this is that it seems like all the other characters have a primary weapon/attack skill, which is supplemented with a vast array of other dynamic attacks that fit the character. The Demon Hunter has two crossbows (which in-and-of-itself is pretty silly, how do you reload two crossbows?) and with these two crossbows she can shoot single arrows, fiery arrows, explosive arrows, entangling arrows, a shotgun blast of... you got it, arrows, you can spin around and throw out lots of knives (which look like arrows), oh yeah and you can throw grenades and do cartwheels.
All the other characters have a well thought out and designed cohesion between their backstory, visual design, and all of their attacks and skills. The Demon Hunter is just a random assortment of technology based attacks almost entirely focused on the dual crossbows. Even the currently proposed armor doesn't match the design of the character. Why does a fast-moving gun-wielding assassin have armor like a six ton Juggernaut? (Ninjas in plate mail.)
I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the designers over at Blizzard, that there is more to know about the Demon Hunter,. Hopefully we'll get some more information that will fill in the (huge) blanks and lack of depth. As of right now, the Demon Hunter is clearly the least dynamic character of the bunch.
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Another dead-on post. I think we're on the same page.
A few comments:
If you jump on youtube you can check out some extended DH gameplay, and I hate to say it, but she does in-fact do cartwheels and somersaults as a movement skill. Not as ridiculous as the acrobatics in the trailer, but pretty silly none the less.
I'm with you 100% on this one. The origin story video wasn't an origin story at all. It was just an action sequence, and a pretty silly one at that.
Zoobi, you need to go back and read the previous posts before you respond to the most recent one. Your response suggests that you either didn't read the previous posts or that you disregarded them. In either case it makes your comment irrelevant, as your point was already addressed in the previous posts. We have already addressed the "it's all just magic" and "physics don't apply in fantasy worlds" explanation.
Sionoq answered this one very well. And again, Zoobi, please read the previous posts. It's painful to retread back over ground we've already covered.
The developers went into detail about the magical abilities of the other classes and we have an understanding of what the other classes can and can't do. The developers didn't address magic AT ALL when it comes to the Demon Hunter. The assumption that "it's just magic, accept it" is going to make for a pretty shallow character. And on that note, accepting anything out of the ordinary in Diablo as "it's just magic" will make the Diablo world itself pretty shallow as well.
Can the developers just do anything they want and say "it's magic, just accept it"...? Yes, they can. Is that as interesting as coming up with a detailed backstory/explanation for events and actions? Not even close.
THE MAIN POINT
If they want to explain the DH's skills as magic and how the DH's magic/skills/attacks work and what the "rules" are for her character, then I'm totally on-board. As of right now, we have no information from the developers as to what the DH is all about. Because of this, her current skills/attacks seem really random and without any parameters. It's hard to have any anticipation for what this character will have at her disposal or if one want's to play her, because we have no idea what to expect. The current Lore, origin/introduction video, gameplay videos, armor designs, etc. are all over the place, and all lacking any cohesion or details.
To tell a good story (which is what a game is) you need to ask as many questions as you possibly can, and then you need to answer them with as much detail as possible. THAT is how you create depth.
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Thanks for another good post.
The use of "rules" is something used in filmmaking and writing. As a storyteller one has to establish rules for yourself as the writer/creator and for the world you are creating. Basically "rules" are the parameters of what CAN happen and what CANNOT happen in this created world, and why. As soon as you deviate from the rules of our natural world, the real world and our reality, you start to take the audience (in this case the player) into unknown territory. In order for the audience to understand what CAN happen and what CANNOT happen the writer/creator has to inform the audience.
In the world of Diablo we know that it is not uncommon to come across demons and mythological creatures. We know that the technology of Diablo is medieval and consists of swords and shields, etc. We know that magic exists in the Diablo world and that magic can be controlled by some characters (Wizard, etc.) and can be used as a weapon. We understand that characters are similar to human beings in our own reality (the real world) but that they can do incredible physical feats and use magic. The humans in the game can sustain massive physical damage. They can also heal faster than the humans in our real-world, using magic potions. Etc. Etc. The "rules" start with general broad-strokes (like establishing that the world has a "daytime" and a "nightime) and then the rules delve into very minute details, like the physical body-proportions of the characters, or how and why the Wizard's magic is different than the Which Doctor's magic.
Based on all these rules (and the many, many others) we can recognize Diablo as "Diablo" and not AD&D or Lord of the Rings. From these rules we can then have expectations for what we want to achieve as players, and what might happen around the next corner. These expectations are what the writer/creator uses to tell the story, play with our expectations, create tension, etc.
We also know what will not happen in Diablo, based on the established rules. No one expects an Apache helicopter to appear in the Diablo world, because there is no rule setting that precedent. So we, as players, don't even consider that possibility. We know that a "Wizard" doesn't use a battle ax, a Barbarian isn't going to wear robes, and that none of our characters will have narcolepsy or athsma.
As far as the "rules" regarding the Demon Hunter: what CAN happen and what CANNOT happen, and why? We do not have any precedent for this character class. We know what the "rules" are for a Wizard or a Barbarian, or a Monk, so they can get away with a little less explanation, based on previously established precedents. But what are the "rules" for a Demon Hunter? Can she cartwheel in plate armor? Is this some special trait, because not all the characters can defy physics in plate armor? If she's an elusive and agile assassin, does plate armor fit the character design? Do her crossbows reload automatically because they are advanced technology? How far does this technology extend? If the crossbows are magic, how far does the Demon Hunter's magic extend? How does the Demon Hunter's magic differ from the Wizard's magic? Is the Demon Hunter a regular person using highly trained physical skills as an advantage to fight evil (like Legolas) or is the Demon Hunter a person endowed with magic powers (like Gandolf)? Are the grenades similar to those in the real world (chemical/mechanical explosives) or are the grenades some kind of magical weapon? Etc. etc.
These questions seem tedious, but as the writer/creator, they have to be answerable questions. These answers define what the Demon Hunter is and it's what makes the Demon Hunter different than the other characters. My concern is that we have very few rules for what makes the Demon Hunter. And on top of that, the few rules we do have conflict with each other.
Ask the Diablo community questions about any of the other character classes, and you will probably receive many versions of the same answer. Try to do the same with the Demon Hunter and I bet you'll get different answers from everyone. Why? Because they gave us a character that doesn't have any precedent, and they didn't explain the rules.
0
I agree with you, and I'm up for the technology additions as well. Even the grenades. But I think they failed to fully incorporate those details into the design of the character.
And I'm certainly not suggesting that they make the character "more realistic," or to have us wait while the Demon Hunter reloads. I AM saying that the designers shouldn't gloss over these kinds of details. It's a missed opportunity to add depth to the character.
I agree with you, customization will allow players to decide what skills/weapons they want to use, and disregard the ones they don't. My point is that the "tech stuff" is currently without any explanation. And "it's 20 years later" is not sufficient and does nothing to add to/develop the character. The current Demon Hunter skills/attacks suggest this fact, they feel totally one dimensional. Kind of like many different animations for the same three general attacks.
I think you misinterpreted this portion of my post. I was not suggesting that the developers add fire arrow, I was listing all of the current attacks, one of them being a fire arrow (Molten Arrow, I think?). The current skills/attacks are all dangerously similar to one another and largely based on the crossbow/bow. it is a little one dimensional, and suggesting a possible lack of character development (along with the unexplained details, like the tech stuff.)
Anyway, thanks for the comment.
1
Thanks for the well formatted and articulate reply. (I don't use forums very often, so please excuse any formatting mistakes. If there is a better way to use milti quotes in a reply, please let me know.)
The Trinity/Lord of the Rings example was meant to be a bit over-the-top. The whole point being that when you tell a story, in a movie, book, or video game, you have the responsibility to establish the rules of the world, and then stick to them. That's how you build the story, create expectations, tension, etc. Otherwise the audience is merely subject to random events at the whim of the storyteller, and in the end the audience is immediately disoriented and eventually doesn't care about the story.
I think your point about innovation vs. contrivance is perfectly stated, and it is my major concern with the Demon Hunter character. And I don't really care what they call the character (Archer, Amazon, Rogue, Demon Hunter, whatever), they need to establish what the character is and then commit to it. I definitely have concern that this lack of establishing "rules" and committing to them is going to be present in the other aspects of the game.
This response from the developers is a little concerning... it's one thing to make a character that some people like and some people don't. That's the nature of a multi-character/class game. But to make a character that doesn't fit the established rules of the world, or the rules for the character itself, is an entirely different issue. Their answer, to me, says that they know the Demon Hunter is half-assed and has serious problems in the execution and they don't want anyone to point it out. Again, I hope this is not a common trait in the rest of the game.
The entire aesthetics of the game are different than the previous games. I get it: it's a different game. I have no issue with the new direction they took in visual style. And I totally agree, the over-embellishment with the Demon Hunter is to the point of silliness. Why have the Demon Hunter look like a Gothic version of the Barbarian? The "bigger is better" approach never results in a good game. I say, why not differentiate Diablo's style from World of Warcraft or similar games? What's next, the over-sized anime swords that are 3 times the size of the character? Pick a style and stick to it.
I think this is a valid answer ONLY with more explanation. The "it's magic" answer in and of itself is a total copout and a huge missed opportunity. If she has two semi automatic crossbow pistols, tell us why. That's important. Did she design them? Does her clan of Demon Hunters design and make their own weapons to fight the baddies? Maybe that backstory could inform the basis of her other skills, like making other weapons, traps, new inventions, weapon upgrades, etc. Make this part of the backstory. And THAT is my main issue with the Demon Hunter: it feels like there are no rules for her character and so the attacks/skills feel kind of random, and the character feels flat or one dimensional. Don't just give a character special qualities that stick out like a sore thumb and then not explain them, or just say "it's magic." Give us the rules that the character operates under and then capitalize on them. That's the reason we want to play a game like Diablo: we understand the world, we like it, and want to immerse in it.
This it a totally fair point. Any guesses as to what the extent of the Demon Hunter character is all about is purely speculation. However, Blizzard chose to release the first introduction to the character. If the design/concept isn't complete, they should have withheld it until it was finished enough to release. My issues are not with the individual details of the character, rather my issue is that there is no cohesiveness between all the individual details.
Again, your point is a good one, and I think further illustrates my point: we haven't been presented with a coherent concept for this character, so we start to extrapolate details that aren't even there. "It's all magic." "maybe she won't do flips in the game, or maybe she will..." "She won't be confined to only using a crossbow." Etc. Etc.
Maybe true, but that doesn't make the Demon Hunter any more appealing. Nor does it excuse or explain the (presently) half-assed execution of the Demon Hunter character concept. And it appears the only explanation for the Demon Hunter's lack of depth is answers like "she's very mysterious," and " she comes from such a far out place, that no one really knows anything about her." Again: copout.
Zoobi, this is a total non-answer. In other words complete "bullshit" as Sianoq put it. I'm pretty sure that the developers have some kind of physics programmed into the game. It may be "fantasy world" physics, but it's still physics. On a more fundamental level, the game's physics are part of the overall "rules" or "laws" of the game's world. The whole idea of crating a fantasy world is that you establish how it works and then build the story around that. But you have to stick to it the whole way through. Otherwise you lack the parameters within which you tell the story.
Sorry for the rediculously long post. And thanks for the food-for-thought.
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Someone hit the nail on the head: Diablo version of Laura Croft. I might add that she seems like a female Diablo version of The Punisher (Frank Castle): a dark vigilante anti-hero, out for revenge against those that killed her family, using all manner of crossbows and explosives.
My problem with this is that it seems like all the other characters have a primary weapon/attack skill, which is supplemented with a vast array of other dynamic attacks that fit the character. The Demon Hunter has two crossbows (which in-and-of-itself is pretty silly, how do you reload two crossbows?) and with these two crossbows she can shoot single arrows, fiery arrows, explosive arrows, entangling arrows, a shotgun blast of... you got it, arrows, you can spin around and throw out lots of knives (which look like arrows), oh yeah and you can throw grenades and do cartwheels.
All the other characters have a well thought out and designed cohesion between their backstory, visual design, and all of their attacks and skills. The Demon Hunter is just a random assortment of technology based attacks almost entirely focused on the dual crossbows. Even the currently proposed armor doesn't match the design of the character. Why does a fast-moving gun-wielding assassin have armor like a six ton Juggernaut? (Ninjas in plate mail.)
I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the designers over at Blizzard, that there is more to know about the Demon Hunter,. Hopefully we'll get some more information that will fill in the (huge) blanks and lack of depth. As of right now, the Demon Hunter is clearly the least dynamic character of the bunch.
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Just a heads up.
http://www.amazon.com/Diablo-III-Pc/dp/B00178630A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1273182716&sr=8-1
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