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Diablo III

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Diablo III
File:DiabloSplash.JPG
Diablo III website splash page
Developer(s)Blizzard Entertainment
Designer(s)Jay Wilson (lead)
Leonard Boyarsky (world design)
Composer(s)Russell Brower[1]
SeriesDiablo
Engine(Not announced)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X[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 in a hack and slash and "dungeon roaming" style, currently in development as 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]

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.

The only confirmed NPC is Deckard Cain,[3] 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.[4]

Gameplay

File:Diablo-III-gameplay.jpg
Diablo III will retain a feel similar to that found in earlier games in the series, including a viewpoint reminiscent of the old isometric view. At first there was a new inventory system, but it has recently been reverted back to the original "tetris inventory", as found in Diablo 2. The inventory is divided into two tabs, one for items that players find, and others for quest items that players will find through out the game.[5]

Diablo III is 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.[5] Diablo III will use a custom 3D game engine[6] 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; players may zoom in for a tighter shot of their character, though.[5] 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.[3] Every creature model will have around 35 unique death animations.[7]

As in Diablo II, multiplayer games will be possible using Blizzard's Battle.net service,[8] with many of the new features being developed for StarCraft II also available in Diablo III.[5] Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others. [9]

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.[9] Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests.[10] For the first time in the series, in-engine cutscenes will be employed during key moments.[11] Two new armor pieces will be available: the shoulder plate, and the leggings.[7]

Unlike previous iterations, gold can be picked up merely by touching it, rather than having to manually pick it up.[11] Sidekicks, unlike Diablo II, are now distinct NPCs who join the player, rather than randomly-generated and endlessly replaceable hires.[11] One of the new features intended to speed gameplay are health orbs that drop from enemies, replacing the need to have a potion bar, which itself is replaced by a skill bar that allows a player to assign quick bar buttons to skills and spells; previously, players could only assign two skills (one for each mouse button) and had to swap skills with the function keys. Players can still assign specific attacks to mouse buttons.[11]

Skill Runes, another new feature, are skill-modifying items that are randomly dropped by monsters and used across all classes. Similar to runes in diablo 2 but instead of changing equipable items, they can be attached to each skill like an item, often completely changing the gameplay of each skill.[12] They also have the ability to make one particular spell in each class more powerful, and give the player options as to how the rune will enhance a particular spell. For example, investing Skill Runes on the Wizard's "Lightning" can allow the players to make the lightning jump towards additional enemies, or, alternatively, adding the runes with explosion effect blows the enemy up and causes damage to the surrounding area. [13]

Character classes

As of August 2009, four of the five classes have been unveiled: the Barbarian, the Witch Doctor, the Wizard and the Monk.[2][14][15][16] Players may choose the gender of each class, a change from the fixed class genders in the previous two games.[3] The Barbarian, previously featured in Diablo II, is the only class that Blizzard is planning to bring back for the initial release. Blizzard has stated that the Monk was not related in any way to Diablo: Hellfire Monk class.[citation needed] The Archivist was presented on April 1, 2009 following Blizzard's April Fool's Day joke tradition.[17]

Development

File:DiabloIII cain.jpg
Deckard Cain speaking to a barbarian player in an in-engine cutscene.

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 comprised fifty people. Most of the game mechanics and physics are complete, and are undergoing minor revisions. Most of the current and remaining development will focus on adding game content.[18]

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.[19]

The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms. Blizzard has also announced it has "no plans" to make the game available on other platforms, but has recently been rumored to have begun talks with console manufacturers.[9][20] No official release date has been announced.

Reception

Art direction and design

Screenshots and gameplay footage were released on June 28, 2008. Three days later, several websites cited a petition that expressed concern with the art style used,[21] calling for a "darker, more realistic" look.[22] The petition criticized the game's apparent resemblance to World of Warcraft, the purported lack of the "light radius" from the previous games, "colorful and cartoon-like" visuals and "out-of-proportion" character figures and armor.[23][24] To illustrate what the proposed changes would look like in motion, on September 11, 2008 a fan filtered the original promotional video through use of After Effects.[25] However, while the proposed changes may be clear, the degree to which those changes reflect the original series is not; with developers arguing both for and againstthe current direction.[26][27][28][29]

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 "Diablo III 'Classes' Gameplay (video)". GameVideos.com. 2008-06-28.
  4. ^ "Deckard's Journal - Diablo III". Blizzard Entertainment. 2008-06-28.
  5. ^ a b c d Charles Onyett (2008-06-28). "Diablo III Gameplay Panel Live Blog". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  6. ^ "Diablo III - Frequently Asked Questions". Blizzard Entertainment.
  7. ^ a b "Command Prompt Podcast, Episode 41". IGN. IGN. 2009-03-31.
  8. ^ "Live From Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational 2008". IGN. 2008-06-28. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate 2008-26-08" ignored (help)
  9. ^ a b c Oli Welsh (2008-06-28). "Blizzard announces Diablo III". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  10. ^ Diablo III - Frequently Asked Questions, Blizzard Entertainment, retrieved 2009-04-19
  11. ^ a b c d Diablo III Developer Video, Official site
  12. ^ Breckon, Nick. "ShackNews 19 May 2009, retrieved on 2009-19-05". Shacknews.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  13. ^ http://www.gamephoton.com/diablo_3.htm Gamephoton 19 May 2009, retrieved on 2009-19-05
  14. ^ "FAQ Which characters will be in Diablo III?". Blizzard.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  15. ^ "Wizard's Information Page". Blizzard.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  16. ^ "Monk class".
  17. ^ http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/archivist.xml
  18. ^ "Interview with Blizzard Executive Vice-President of Game Design". IGN. 2008-06-28.
  19. ^ Chris Remo (2008-06-30). "Blizzard mines my 90s-era gaming memories". Remowned. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  20. ^ Kat Bailey (08/21/2009). "Diablo III Console Port Still Hasn't Been Ruled Out". 1up.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Fahey, Mike (2008-07-01). "Diablo Fans Petition Against Diablo III". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  22. ^ "Article about petition for "Renewed artistic direction for Diablo 3"". Dailygamesnews.com. 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  23. ^ "Diablo Fans Petition Against Diablo III". Gameplanet.co.nz. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  24. ^ "Article about petition for "Renewed artistic direction for Diablo 3"". Actiontrip.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  25. ^ Faylor, Chris. "Diablo 3 Color Controversy Revisited, See Diablo 3 Desaturated in Action". Shacknews.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  26. ^ Lees, Jennie (2008-06-30). "WWI08: Diablo 3 design fundamentals". Joystiq.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  27. ^ "'Diablo III' Producer Justifies Controversial Art Direction: 'Color Is Your Friend'". Multiplayerblog.mtv.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  28. ^ "Series' architect 'prefers dark and gritty', and reckons new art style 'D3 approached the Blizzard stance for visuals". Videogamer.com. 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  29. ^ "'Diablo III' Designer Turns the Tables". Multiplayerblog.mtv.com. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
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