Diablo 3 - 1.05 Interview @ PC Gamer

Jay Wilson and Wyatt Cheng have spoken with PC Gamer about the changes to Diablo III in v1.05:

PC Gamer: You guys did a blog entry about the crowd control changes in 1.05 – what abilities that no one ever uses now are going to really shine the most after the patch?
Wyatt Cheng, Senior Technical Game Designer: I would say Blinding Flash would probably be a big one on the Monk. A lot of people use Blinding Flash, so I know I’m kind of cheating. But I think everyone uses Blinding Flash because there’s a secondary rune on it that adds to your damage. A lot of people don’t really use Blinding Flash for the CC so much as the damage, and that’s why I think it’s going to hit the most.
For [a counter-example], let’s take Ground Stomp. For a lot of people who took Ground Stomp off their bar, they’d have to go out of their way to try it out. But I think when the patch first goes live, all of the Monks who have Blinding Flash in their bar are going to hit it for the damage buff, then realize it’s actually doing a whole bunch of CC, too.

More information.

This is a shameless hijack… but wow how I just don't care. T2 is the game to play. D3 is like dealing with a government bureaucracy. T2 is addicting and fun. And single player. And LAN.

Yeah I have to agree.

Diablo 3 is not fun because of generic and meaningless gear progression. I don't know who told the devs they had to fix skills.

Actually, a WHOLE lot of people have been asking for that kind of no-limit skill system. The lesson is that people simply don't understand the genre that well, and when they're screaming for features - sometimes you should follow your own vision as a designer, rather than what the "iterative" short-term process tells you - and don't trust that the audience really knows what it wants for the long-term.

I must have been in a dozen debates about why I thought the D3 skill system would be very bad for replayability - months before launch. I can count on one hand how many people agreed with me, and we're talking at least 50 participants, including "core" gamers and self-proclaimed fans of Diablo.

Frankly, I'm quite pleased that so many responded so negatively to the key design differences between D2 and D3. Maybe after this, Bliz will finally start getting back on track. Their D3 itemization changes is the first postive sign I've seen from them in years.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
Frankly, I'm quite pleased that so many responded so negatively to the key design differences between D2 and D3. Maybe after this, Bliz will finally start getting back on track. Their D3 itemization changes is the first postive sign I've seen from them in years.

I don't cheerlead for the demise of D3. I'd hate to see the franchise die because perhaps future iterations could do better.

But for now, T2 is just a lot more fun in so many ways. For an action RPG of this type, the game world is in fact like a world that you can explore in a far less linear fashion compared with D3. I never made it passed Act II in D3 but I'm only L10 in T2 and so far T2 has far more (and far more interesting) side quests. Gear finds are fun, even early on. And you really ought to think about how you spend your skill points in T2. Just everything about T2 screams 'fun.' D3 fell flat with me before I could finish Act II with a 'meh.' And I finished D1 and D2 with expansions. D3 just doesn't seem very fun really.

TL2 has great core gameplay, but ultimately it's a bit hollow. It lacks the lore/world underpinning of a truly great action RPG.

Ultimately, that's just an opinion - but even when I'm having fun with my character and his build/loot - the senselessness of it all kinda shines through the cracks.

TL2 is like an old school shoot 'em up but with RPG influences, at least that's what it feels like with my Engineer (Shotgun is my weapon of choice). I Just wish i didnt need to control it with a mouse sitting at my desk. It's a game that should be enjoyed on the big screen from the bed or the sofa when you just want to relax and play something completely mindless.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
It lacks the lore/world underpinning of a truly great action RPG.

I can see your point. But when I think 'action RPG' I think of games like:

Diablo 1,2,3
Sacred 1&2
Titan Quest
Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 1&2

In my view, none of those games are 'heavy' with lore/world underpinnings and that isn't why I personally look for all that much in these kind of games.

Action RPGs in my mind are 'second class citizens' of CRPG offerings of which my expectations are mild RPG elements, lots and lots of killing, lots and lots of loot, and lots and lots of mindless clicking with perhaps brief moments of 'thinking' regulated to when I have attribute and/or skill points to spend (which was mind bogglingly removed from D3).