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Diablo III

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Diablo III
File:DiabloSplash.JPG
Diablo III splash screen
Developer(s)Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)Activision Blizzard
Designer(s)Jay Wilson (lead designer)
Composer(s)Russell Brower [1]
SeriesDiablo
Platform(s)Mac OS X, Windows[2]
ReleaseTBA
Genre(s)Action role-playing (hack and slash)
Mode(s)Single-player, online multiplayer (over Battle.net)

Diablo III is an action role-playing game currently in development and the third installment of Blizzard's Diablo franchise. It was unveiled on June 28, 2008 at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France.[2]

Gameplay

Diablo III is an action role-playing game similar in style to its predecessor, Diablo II. The proprietary engine will incorporate Havok physics and feature destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers are aiming to make the game run on a wide range of systems, and have stated that DirectX 10 will not be required.[3] Diablo III will use a custom 3D game engine[4] in order to present an overhead view to the player, in a somewhat similar way to the isometric view used in previous games in the series.[3] Enemies will utilize the 3D environment as well, in ways such as crawling up the side of a wall from the depths into the combat area.[5]

File:Diablo-III-gameplay.jpg
Diablo III will retain a feel similar to that found in earlier games in the series, including the familiar Isometric Projection style camera.[3]

As in Diablo II, multiplayer games will be possible using Blizzard's Battle.net service,[6] with many of the new features being developed for StarCraft II also available in Diablo III.[3] Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others. Blizzard has stated that Diablo III is first and foremost a multi-player game, implying that players may still play solo, but will be better off playing with others in group situations.[7]

An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are slated for use in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed.[2] Overall, the game will include both static and randomly generated levels.[7] Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests.

Story

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II. Warriors that survived the onslaught of the armies of the Burning Hells have gone mad from their ordeals, and it is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary. Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.[4]

The only confirmed NPC is Deckard Cain,[5] who has appeared in both of the previous games. Cain's journal on the official site brings players up to speed on the events of the first two games.[8]

Development

Development on Diablo III began some time in 2005 when Blizzard North was still in operation. The original artistic design differed from that shown at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 demonstration, and had undergone three revisions before reaching the standards felt necessary by the team behind Diablo III. The development teams comprise fifty people. Most of the game mechanics and physics are complete and undergoing minor revisions. Most of the current and remaining development will focus on adding game content.[9]

Diablo III's lead designer is Jay Wilson, a former Relic Entertainment designer credited with work on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Its lead world designer is Leonard Boyarsky, one of the six co-creators of Fallout.[10]

The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms, with no current plans for release on video game consoles.[7]

Character classes

Two of five classes have been unveiled so far: Barbarian and Witch Doctor.[2][11] Players may choose gender for each class, a change from the fixed class genders in the previous two games.[5] The Barbarian is the only class that Blizzard is planning to bring back for the initial release, but former classes may appear in future expansions.[12]

Art direction and design

Screenshots and gameplay footage were released on June 28, 2008. As of July 1, 2008 websites have reported a petition was created expressing concern with the art style used,[13] calling for a "darker, more realistic" look.[14] The petition criticized the game's apparent resemblance to the World of Warcraft series, the purported lack of the "light radius" from the previous games, and "colorful and cartoon-like" visuals and "out-of-proportion" character figures and armor.[15][16]

Lead producer Keith Lee has stated:

"One of the things that we considered when we were working on the visuals for ‘Diablo III’ is the fact that color is your friend. We feel that color actually helps to create a lot of highlights in the game so that there is contrast. A great analogy is like in ‘Lord of the Rings’ — not everything is dark. It allows you to see what a creepy dungeon can be like but if everything is dark it doesn’t allow you to have a lot of contrast. ‘Diablo I’ and ‘Diablo II’ are darker, and I think that [sic] the one of the main reasons why is the fact that...you’re basically in a dungeon the whole time. And in...‘Diablo III,’ you’ll be exploring outdoors, you’ll be in dungeons, you’ll be experiencing so many different areas. We want to bring as much variety as we can when you’re playing the game so that you’re excited to check out new environments. We don’t want everything to look the same..."[17]

Lead designer Jay Wilson was critical of the art direction proposed in the petition and later commented on examples of fan altered screen shots:

Though it looks really cool, it’s almost impossible to do in a 3D engine because you can’t have lighting that smart and run on systems that are reasonable. If we could do that, we probably would in a few of the dungeons. Now in terms of the actual texturing, this texturing, where they grayed out everything and it’s very flat and the monsters are all kind of a similar tone — that does not play well. It’s very boring to run through more than a couple of times, and it’s very difficult to tell creatures apart and pop them out of the environment. So those things don’t really work for us.[18]

Art director Brian Morrisroe said at Blizzard's Worldwide Invitation "Our memory of what Diablo and Diablo 2 were was a bit different than the actuality of it. Visually we were remembering it as more of a dark, colorless game, but there was a lot of vibrance." He also explained that they wanted characters to have a strong silhouette, so that the characters were easily seen even when there was a lot of action.[19][20]

Production status

As of August 7, 2008, most of Act I is complete in terms of art and design, and Act II is underway. Four of the five classes are operational and at various levels of playability.[21]

References

  1. ^ PC Gamer US (2008-08-01). "Diablo III Preview". GamesRadar. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  2. ^ a b c d "Diablo III Unveiled" (Press release). Blizzard Entertainment. 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  3. ^ a b c d Charles Onyett (2008-06-28). "Diablo III Gameplay Panel Live Blog". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  4. ^ a b "Diablo III - Frequently Asked Questions". Blizzard Entertainment.
  5. ^ a b c "Diablo III 'Classes' Gameplay (video)". GameVideos.com. 2008-06-28.
  6. ^ "Live From Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational 2008". IGN. 2008-06-28. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate 2008-26-08" ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b c Oli Welsh (2008-06-28). "Blizzard announces Diablo III". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  8. ^ "Deckard's Journal - Diablo III". Blizzard Entertainment. 2008-06-28.
  9. ^ "Interview with Blizzard Executive Vice-President of Game Design". IGN. 2008-06-28.
  10. ^ Chris Remo (2008-06-30). "Blizzard mines my 90s-era gaming memories". Remowned. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  11. ^ FAQ How many character classes are included in Diablo III? What are they?
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ Diablo Fans Petition Against Diablo III
  14. ^ Article about petition for "Renewed artistic direction for Diablo 3"
  15. ^ Diablo Fans Petition Against Diablo III
  16. ^ Article about petition for "Renewed artistic direction for Diablo 3"
  17. ^ ‘Diablo III’ Producer Justifies Controversial Art Direction: ‘Color Is Your Friend’
  18. ^ 'Diablo III' Designer Turns the Tables
  19. ^ WWI08: Diablo 3 design fundamentals
  20. ^ ‘Diablo III’ Producer Justifies Controversial Art Direction: ‘Color Is Your Friend’
  21. ^ Trinity Divine (2008-08-07). "Vault Exclusive: Interview With Diablo III's Jay Wilson". IGN. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
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