Diablo 3 - Systems Changes

Blizzard has revamped a number of Diablo 3 systems based on beta and internal feedback. The official site details the changes and the reasons, which include removing Scrolls of Indentification, some UI changes, removing the Mystic artisan, returning Town Portal and more. A sample:

So we've decided to remove the Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube. They were implemented to allow for salvaging and selling items when there was no quick and easy way to return to town. Now that the Stone of Recall exists, we found that keeping the Cauldron and Cube in the game detracted from the benefits of returning to town to sell items, salvage, craft, and interact with the townsfolk. It’s a good idea to break up combat so that players have a moment to evaluate their gear and crafting options before venturing back out. In addition, we've decided to just call it what it is and the Stone of Recall is now Town Portal, and is integrated directly onto the skill bar UI.

We're also looking at systems we’ve created and making sure that the rationale that brought us to these designs still makes sense. The Stone of Recall, for instance, has a short cast time and allows you to return to town. Early on we said we wouldn't have town portals, as they introduced too many combat exploits, but we were able to resolve them. Because we have the Stone of Recall, though, we began to evaluate systems that were originally implemented to deal with the exclusion of town portals.

More information.

you'd think that people would learn about not messing with things that work just fine, but F it right??

Removing some of the stats. Surprised?

One of the most design-safe staples of the genre is the respite from combat that ALL players enjoy, when they return to the hub to breathe, check out new abilities - and sell/craft stuff. I'm not sure if they still don't understand that identifying items in town is actually enhancing the fun. First a nice magical shiny drops - and delaying the identification process keeps it exciting for a longer time. It's not something to streamline.

Well, I would probably keep the identify scroll mechanic from D2 - but I'd limit it to green and blue items. Let the really good stuff be something to wait for.

The only reason it was sometimes annoying in the old Diablos - was the rigid limitation of the inventory. Just expand it and ensure that players can enjoy ~30-60 mins of combat before needing to get back. Making them go back every 15 minutes is a pain.

I'm glad they realised the first bit, but I'm worried it took them so long. They're eager to streamline it seems.

They're obviously confused without Blizzard North.

after reading this, i think it's safe to say that release is not imminent. I was under the impression that D3 was going to be a 1st quarter release, but now I bet it's been pushed back to this summer or even later. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that that it's now a 2013 game…

Originally Posted by Thrasher
Removing some of the stats. Surprised?

My impression from this is that the number of stats are not being reduced, they are just getting rid of some and adding others.

Originally Posted by fadedc
My impression from this is that the number of stats are not being reduced, they are just getting rid of some and adding others.

Where do you see any being added in that blog? The blog specifically says some are being removed, but nothing about adding any.

We're dropping Defense, Attack, and Precision as attributes, Armor is taking over for what Defense used to provide, +Physical Resist will take over for Armor, and +Chance to Crit will fill in for Precision.

I'm assuming physical resist, armor, and chance to crit were already present, since they are mainstays from D2.

You assume incorrectly. Crit chance used to be called precision. So when they removed precision and moved it to crit chance, they aren't removing a stat they are just changing a name to something more intuitive. Meanwhile armor used to provide resistance to physical attacks. Now the physical resistance stat does that.

So many of the mainstays of D2 have changed, it's a pretty bad assumption to assume that something is in D3 just because it was in D2.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
I'm assuming physical resist, armor, and chance to crit were already present, since they are mainstays from D2.

How do you know that? His choice of words indicate the opposite.

We're dropping Defense, Attack, and Precision as attributes

If they were just renaming them, he should have said so. Doesn't jive.

…interact with the townsfolk

So there are NPCs in this game?

How do you think I know it? I mean the betas been out for months and you can very easily read about the existing stat system on any number of diablo fan sites. It's not like this is secret or hard to find information. Precision is crit chance. Armor is physical resistance. It's been that way in beta for a long time.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
How do you know that? His choice of words indicate the opposite.



If they were just renaming them, he should have said so. Doesn't jive.

Well fan sites are just that. Not the developer word. Armor has always contributed to physical resistance, but it's not the whole physical resistance story.

Fan sites have actually played the game and categorized what the stats are and what they do. I can't believe your actually arguing about something that's been common knowledge for awhile without having ever played the game or done any research on it. And yes in D3 armor is currently the whole physical resistance story.

As for what armor "always" did, armor didn't even exist as a stat in D2, so I don't know what you are talking about. There was a defence stat, but no armor stat. And defence did not contribute to physical resistance at all in D2, it just reduced your chance of being hit. You seem to be very confused about both how Diablo worked in the past and how it works now.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
Well fan sites are just that. Not the developer word. Armor has always contributed to physical resistance, but it's not the whole physical resistance story.

I don't care what systems they use, I just want to be able to play Diablo 3 on my XBOX 360, preferably sometime this year. That is all.

What's with all the flip-flopping on key design decisions so late in the game? This isn't just tweaking and polishing, it smacks of something more foreboding, like design leadership that don't have a clear vision of what the hell they’re doing.

As a prime example, they've been working on this for how long, stating that being forced back to town is bad and disruptive so they're going to design in these great streamlining features (which were great, btw) to allow you to deal with junk-loot efficiently and now all of the sudden forcing you back to town is in your best interests? But wait! That’s not all! While we are at it flip-flopping, we'll flip mid flop and say you don't have to go back to town to identify items anymore because you're just that bad ass!

:-|

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Ah, I am confusing defense with armor.

There were a lot of hidden stats in D2. Are you saying that all of the stats are exposed to the player this time? If not how do the fan sites know what the full set of stats are?

Originally Posted by CountChocula
So there are NPCs in this game?

i call them traders and qeustgivers

Originally Posted by cptbarkey
you'd think that people would learn about not messing with things that work just fine, but F it right??

You can still buy Diablo if you want.

i call this dumbing down for console folk

Originally Posted by turian
i call this dumbing down for console folk

Oh dear - you better don your flame-proof "+3 Pantaloons of Fleeing" ;-)