Diablo III

[Mogul]

The implication of saying there's more variety in builds in a game light Torchlight over D3 probably overstates the reality of the situation, even if it is literally true to some extent. Seems to me that the biggest differences are going to be stat point allocation -- a totally boring, barely noticeable (apart from extreme point allocation differentiation) difference. Jay "Fuck that guy" Wilson, lead designer on D3, explains this problem with D2/Torchlight in some video interview he did a few months prior to D3's launch.

Also, any game with a big enough community will produce cookie cutter builds. Even Torchlight has them -- just go to any class' forums on the Runic site, and you'll see. There aren't as many cookie cutter builds, I suspect, because the community is so fragmented and there doesn't seem to be a centralized forum where the most knowledgeable players are able to math out and debate what the best builds are (a la Elitist Jerks for WoW).

[Mogul]

Experimenting is a huge part of the fun. Not when each experiment might cost me 50 hours or whatever.

[xer0s]

But should you be forced to use a mod to have a good time? The game you pay for should be the full package...

[Mogul]

I intend to use the character hacking program you mentioned as I give the game a second chance, Memphis. I hope this information calms you down a little bit.

[xer0s]

I think I'll try Torchlight 2...

[xer0s]

I see your point...

[Deathshroud]

How are the drops in Torchlight 2? Torchlight 1 rarely dropped any good loot, which made character progression pretty difficult in the mid to later levels.

[mrd]

If you keep it up I'm going to personally knit-you a hair-shirt from what you're gonna cause me to lose and make you wear it going down the longest fibreglass slide in existence, whilst on fire

I might have to try this shit out

Did you ever try Hellgate: London? IIRC that was basically an FPS version of Diablo made by (I think) Max Schaefer (D2 dude) and perhaps one other D1/D2 guy. Is Torchlight from the same company? Hellgate pretty much fell flat on its face from what I recall, which is a shame because the notion is pretty cool.

[SoM]

i played some Hellgate London, it was shit, only descent thing were the CGI's

[U4EA]

I'm not playing Torchlight 2 because the combat engine pales next to D3's.

Also, Hellgate London was utter garbage.

[Mogul]

But should you be forced to use a mod to have a good time? The game you pay for should be the full package...

Well that's all well and good, except how do you define 'full package' to design decisions in game mechanics? I've explained how it's a legitimate route to have taken, to encourage re-rolling new characters and experimentation with a slow-burner approach to longevity. Those that do want to roll one character and tweak away on-the-fly and beat it one go, still can. However, that's not and never has been the point of playing pretty much any RPG ever, action or otherwise. It's a bitter pill for the insta-gratification crowd and those that don't want to invest serious time on a single game (which btw, includes me) - but then why even cater to this alone, when it would be detriment to the game's whole underlying foundation - to build a suitable character to progress through the content? They've kept the game in the game, not without merit - yet those that want it gone and have it their way, still can.

Ironically, I've spent something like 200 hours on Diablo 3 so far and would spend more if it had a legitimate endgame. I can barely stand 2 hours of Torchlight 2 lol.

[Don Carlos]

So having never played any of the Diablo games before, I tried the demo on PS3 and I am likely to purchase this when I get paid. Fucking hell it's addictive

[MKJ]

it's apparently 20 times better on console.
(i bought it, havent played it yet.)

[Don Carlos]

Really? I assume because there is such a big difference between the release dates that they fixed all the issues and listened to people bitch about how bad it was and fixed that as well?

[U4EA]

Probably because there's no AH [gold or real money] cheese factor.

[Mat Linnett]

As far as I know, the console version gets rid of the two major things that pissed off PC users: Online only and the Auction house.

It also goes further at waving its willy in the faces of PC users and adds LAN functionality, something that Blizzard started removing from their PC games with the advent of Starcraft 2.

And then they turn around and announce they have no intention of bringing the PC version in-line with the console one.

[Don Carlos]

Well I might be getting the PS3/360 version soon. I planned to have a quick 30 mins on it and I ended up being sat there for 3 hours. Excellent way of becoming a hermit

[MKJ]

Also more Legendary drops and a dodge move

[Don Carlos]

What I will do first, is wait til my copy of GTA5 gets here and see how that holds my attention.

[xer0s]

I was really pumped about the PC version (as you can tell from this thread), but it just couldn't hold my attention in the end. And that's exactly what I was looking for, something that I could play for many hours and months.

I might give the 360 demo a try, but honestly, next week when GTAV is released, I won't be doing anything else...

[Mogul]

The console version goes a long way toward remedying some of the worst problems of the PC version. Item drop rates (and the stats generated on the items when they spawn) were balanced around the fact that the auction house exists in the PC game. That means way more trash drops because actually useful items would flood the AH if they were easily obtainable, driving their value down. In other words, the chance of actually getting a great item to drop while farming is extremely low, so you feel compelled to buy them on the AH. That's a problem in a game where, at max level, the only reason to play is to become more powerful through gear. If you can just buy it on the AH, and there's not a realistic chance it will drop for you unless you farm like 500 hours (literally), that's a shitty endgame with zero incentive.

In the console version, the AH doesn't exist so everything changes. In fact, they probably over-corrected, but I'd say it's more fun than the PC version. There's no AH in the console game, so the drop rates have been adjusted. Legendary items drop WAY more often, and there's a system in place to give the items a better chance that their stats will be useful for your character. Thus, it's actually productive for you to go farm items by playing the fucking game instead of playing the AH interface.

The PC game will receive a drop system like this when 2.0 hits, shortly before the expansion. While the AH isn't going away, this item drop system is being adopted, negating the importance of the AH. They're also adding several new gameplay modes for the endgame, as well as ladders and clans (!) in the expansion. Oh and the new class and act. The future of Diablo 3 is pretty bright. It seems to me that nearly every problem with the current PC game is being addressed. I wish it didn't take them so long, but oh well.

[Eraser]

I wish it didn't take them so long, but oh well.

Keep wishing. It's Blizzard we're talking here.

[Psyche911]

It seems to me that nearly every problem with the current PC game is being addressed. I wish it didn't take them so long, but oh well.

I've given Blizzard so much money over the years, but in the last couple I have lost interest in their games. D3 was the last straw for me with the horrible story, and a loot system that was painful and nothing but a money-grab for them with the lure of the RMAH.

Now to hear the console version of D3 is actually better for the user... so long Blizzard.

[MKJ]

LOL
http://kotaku.com/blizzard-kills-diablo ... 1335035020

[SoM]

lol indeed