Diablo 3 - Miscellaneous Roundup

[jhwisner]

Mass Effect 3 might be a more fair basis for comparison. On that basis, D3 holds up quite well though Mass Effect 3's smoother implementation of online/offline modes, DRM, and other less-consumer-friendly aspects means that ME3+Origin might come off sounding like a better deal than Diablo 3 +BNet. That is at least for the time being considering Battle Net server issues during launch week.

Of course the snarky take away from that comparison would be "Diablo III makes EA's Origin look alright." I wouldn't go that far myself, but I have seen the comparison made by angry blizzard customers. Speaking of anger, you might want to check out the official forums for a good laugh/cry. The prevailing attitudes there are (as is often the case on official forums) rather disgusting. I am talking about the hostile reaction of some fans in attacking people complaining about connectivity issues.

 

[fadedc]

But that's the whole point. Movies aren't worth it to you because you don't enjoy them enough. But someone who really does enjoy them is happy to pay that $20 even for only two hours. Games are the same way...people don't necesarily view them in terms of cost per hour.

 

[Dhruin]

…people don't necesarily view them in terms of cost per hour.

Yep. I pay no attention whatsoever to dollars-per-hour - I have limited time, not money (that sounds arrogant - I'm an average working class slob like most people but $50 is trivial for my main entertainment) - I want to know if it is worth my time, regardless of the price.

 

[Thrasher]

Well, I'm not the one who was trying to push the time/dollar metric. Just goes to you show you how silly it is.

Enjoyment/dollar is much better metric. But it is maddening subjective.

I have to tell you that almost every single game I have played has provided more enjoyment that almost all movies I have watched. Can't say the same thing about books and games though.

Even the junkiest cheapo games rarely seem as much as a waste of time as some lowest on the rung movies.

 

[chamr]

@Count: Not hundreds, but very likely 100. 60 cents an hour! Can't beat that!

I answered "is it worth it" from a general entertainment value standpoint, not a purely video game only standpoint. Is it worth it compared to ME3? Compared to Skyrim? To me, that's completely subjective based on the gamer's taste. Again, sucky games aside (Dungeon Lords RULES, Dhruin! Accept it! ;-P ). My point is, while I'm in Dhruin's camp for the most part that time is my primary constraint rather than dollars, I don't understand the idea that a video game can be expensive. If you play it and enjoy it, you're getting the best entertainment value out there. If you buy it and it sucks, you just got ripped off like you would any product you spent that sucked and the argument about being worth it doesn't come into play. I guess the only grey area is if you just sort-of-enjoyed-parts-of-it-but-mostly-not, then perhaps the "is it worth it" argument could be had. However, I'd hazard a guess that grey area experiences are few and far between for most gamers.

 

[Pladio]

Well in reality, you should quantify your enjoyment in terms of average per game or in select way where there are 5 categories (more is too cumbersome, less not indicative enough IMO). These are:
1. The game is worth much more than any other activity I can think of. (put 100/hour)
2. The game is very good (10/hour)
3. the game is meh! (0/hour)
4. The game isn't good, but I'll waste my time with it anyway (-1/hour)
5. The game is bad (-10/hour)

You put whatever values you think you get out of games in general and add/remove categories.

Then you have to take into account what type of games you like, whether or not you've played a game by these developers., ...

Then you have to put probabilities to each of the 5 categories.

So if you always hate ARPGs, then you would assign a higher probability to it being bad, but then the reviews say it's good, so you give it more there. In the end you should multiply the probabilities by the time you are likely to play on the game for each of these. And then add them all up and you're going to get a number. If that number is higher than the price of the game, you buy it, otherwise you don't.

Simples, right ? :s

 

[jhwisner]

To me, that's completely subjective based on the gamer's taste.

Right - as is any anwer to the "is it worth it" question with or without other games used for comparison.

 

[Thrasher]

Well cost is important to me. Time not so much. In fact the games I like most, are usually the ones that take the most time to figure out. You can throw away your money if you want, though.

 

[CountChocula]

So far, the games I've purchased for $50-60 during the past few years have each provided at least a couple hundred hours of playing time, sometimes significantly more. (Civ 5, Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim, DA2, ME3)

I've purchased a number of other games as well, but only at a significant discount from sales at Steam, GOG, Amazon, Origin, etc., usually for $10-15 or less.

In the case of Diablo 3, I suppose it's difficult to grasp the appeal as I've never played any of the similar games like Torchlight, Diablo 2, etc.

I would be inclined to pick this one up on sale for $10 or so in a few years, or try a free demo version; however, judging solely by the gameplay videos (without having that hands on experience), it looks rather boring.

 

[Pladio]

@CC: If I may suggest, buy Diablo II, Torchlight I or any of the previous ARPGs out there.... They're all pretty similar in my opinion. you should be able to find DII for quite cheap now and try your hand at it. If you find the game to be too boring, then you most likely won't enjoy D3 in my opinion.

 

[fadedc]

Well I don't know, I loved D2 at the time, but I doubt that it has aged well. There were a lot of things about the game which were really cool and new at the time (I remember how excited I was about their skill trees), which are kind of old hat now.

 

[chamr]

Right - as is any anwer to the "is it worth it" question with or without other games used for comparison.

Not exactly. Guess I'm not making my point clearly. If someone enjoys a video game, I can't imagine them saying it wasn't worth it whether it's $20 or it's $60 because, as far as entertainment goes, video games give you a lot of bang for your buck. So I think the relevant question is NOT "is it worth it" but rather "will I enjoy it".

 

[CountChocula]

Not exactly. Guess I'm not making my point clearly. If someone enjoys a video game, I can't imagine them saying it wasn't worth it whether it's $20 or it's $60 because, as far as entertainment goes, video games give you a lot of bang for your buck. So I think the relevant question is NOT "is it worth it" but rather "will I enjoy it".

There are many games I'm happy to purchase for $5 - $10 during a Steam sale, but very few that I'm willing to purchase at the full initial MSRP ($50-60).

You don't feel the same way?

 

[mudsling3]

if D3 were a chick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I43GUnZN_s4

enjoy while it last, haha.

 

[Couchpotato]

$20 dollars for a movie people are crazy. Though people are probably watching 3D which somehow adds $10 to ticket price. Lets not forget the overpriced candy and food.

I don't want to connect to the internet to play a single player game. It could become GOTY and I still wouldn't play it. I've voted with my wallet and got Max Payne 3 instead.

I did find a hilarious blog article though-http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-diablo-iii-represents-gamings-annoying-future/

 

[Dhruin]

Well cost is important to me. Time not so much. In fact the games I like most, are usually the ones that take the most time to figure out. You can throw away your money if you want, though.

And you can throw away your time. More money comes every paycheck - time inexorably gets shorter.

There are many games I'm happy to purchase for $5 - $10 during a Steam sale, but very few that I'm willing to purchase at the full initial MSRP ($50-60).

You don't feel the same way?

I think I'm on the same page as chamr. If I am going to enjoy a game, it's worth the $50. If I'm not going to enjoy it, the price doesn't matter - it's a waste of time. Obviously, there are times I am unsure and a lower price helps but I don't find it that hard to do my research and choose appropriate games.

 

[kalniel]

Last night we (wife and I) encountered our first trap that spawns waves of increasing numbers of monsters at us. It was hilarious and we were both laughing by the end of it (only moments before we'd activated an experience shrine and had said 'right, we need more monsters').

It was carnage and safely answered the question of whether D3's engine could handle as much action as D2's. Just like D2, it was a little hard to see what was going on, but the physics and effects made it even more satisfying. Classic spam clicking with area of effect skills and monster slow-ups - nothing tactical really at all, just an exhilarating "how can there be even *more* of them?" which turned into mild anxiety at surviving, and of course, just when you think you've had it, the last one drops dead and you're showered in loot.

It's carnal anticipation-fear-exhiliration-stress-relief-reward.

 

[chamr]

There are many games I'm happy to purchase for $5 - $10 during a Steam sale, but very few that I'm willing to purchase at the full initial MSRP ($50-60).

You don't feel the same way?

I like a good deal, sure. And, yes, low prices can induce me to buy lots of stuff i don't need and probably will never use. but that's not relevant to what i'm arguing. like dhruin said, if i enjoy it, it doesn't much matter to me if it was $60 or it was $20. considering how many hours of enjoyment i get out of video games, it was worth it regardless of price. dithering over whether i got my enjoyment at $3 an hour or at $1 an hour seems like splitting hairs to me. i guess if it was on the cheap side, instead of just saying to my friends "you've got to try this game", i might say, "you've got to try this game. and it's only twenty bucks!".

@kalniel: speaking of traps, the non-event kind hurt in D3! unlike in D2 where avoiding traps was really just to see if you could do it because avoiding them for the damage they did was a waste of time, i've gotten some significant owies so far.

 

[Elwro]

And everyone knows that the real reason is to kill piracy.
Its Always on DRM, plain and simple.

Isn't the real reason the online item shop? Which Blizzard wants always to be available to the player?

 

[xSamhainx]

i forgot about that, i need to still check out this auction house thing.. bbl