231 replies to this topic

[Wumpus]

Getting my copy in tomorrow morning from Amazon!

[UmarOMC1]

Installing right now... *sweating*  

[UmarOMC1]

Diablo 3 Servers Status

North Americas still down...






UPDATE NOTE: So my wife says, about California; "...they're three hours ahead of us..." so I was convinced against my original judgment that I should be able to play this at 2100HRS EDT 05/14 instead of the actual 0300HRS EDT 05/15.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

So, how it is? No spoilers please.

[UmarOMC1]

Servers are busy as... ahem, Hell. Can't even sign in right now!  




EDIT: Seems Battle.net is down entirely as of this writing! The website has a message stating For updates, follow @BlizzardCS on Twitter.

[UmarOMC1]

FINALLY got through, just played for about a 1/2 hour... awwwwWWsome. Beautiful graphic style... not fluid gameplay–liquid! Gotta get up at 11AM, peace!

[Wumpus]

Thain Esh Kelch, on 15 May 2012 - 12:10 AM, said:

So, how it is? No spoilers please.

I did write a 3 page preview on D3 recently here: http://www.insidemac...view.php?ID=271 if you never read it

They changed a few things since I wrote it as it was the beta (skill runes) but not much else changed. Nothing significant enough to impact the preview anyway.

Also Franklin Pride is doing the review and I imagine that will be out in a week or two.

[Jeyl]

Ugh. I never thought I'd experience a single player game installed on my own machine to have lag issues. I was even DC'd from the game with my level progress gone, so now I have to re-clear the entire Cathedral area again. But what really killed the game for me was the "Server Restart" message. On my single player game. Screw that man, I don't play that crap. And the game was fun to. A little out of date in the graphics department, but fun. I just don't like the thought that a single player game that I purchased for at least $90 (Collector's Edition) is out of my control to play. And what happens when the servers go down? The game will be nothing but a 15 gig brick on my machine.

I want to play the game, but at the same time I don't want this always online mumbo jumbo.

[Omaha Sternberg]

Jeyl, on 17 May 2012 - 07:59 AM, said:

Ugh. I never thought I'd experience a single player game installed on my own machine to have lag issues...

I was wondering how many other's of you have experienced lag issues. The Diablo 3 Mac Technical Support forums are rife with lag issue complaints from Macs of all types and ages, so it doesn't seem to be a limited thing. I'm trying to keep track of it on my site (Diablo III Lag Issue for Macs?) if you're interested in reading it.

I wonder whether Blizzard will ever change their mind about always-on gameplay if enough complain after the game is out? The Metacritic score is 3.6 right now because nearly half the reviews are from negative comments about the server issues and always-on DRM.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Played yesterday, with only few lag issues. Today it was pretty bad, but I also had login issues, so no wonder.

Actually quite annoying that you have to force quit the game, if it doesn't login.. -.-

[cleansanchez]

Apart from the anticipated delay right on launch time and a mistake at my end by not having one of our computers preloaded with the software (once I manually deleted the beta folder it would correctly download) everything is good so far. But the first hour of "live" where I just couldn't log in was soooo painful

That said, Diablo III is all new and yet has the familiarity of old.

You'll love the new style desert area and Maggots Lair dungeons. Definitely a nod to how Diablo II was and what is possible with today's technology. Truly gorgeous.

The Cathedral was atmospheric in Diablo II but you should wait to see it in Diablo III. It is one helluva dark place to go lol.

The wide open areas in Diablo II, with their boxy rectangular shapes just seemed so grindy. Nothing like that in Diablo III. Plus we have maybe 20 random mini dungeons to contend with. Over time we'll become accustomed to their possible locations and go checking to see if they have spawned. They are optional and often have a chance of good loot and/or a random vendor. Nice.

And the achievement system. A nod to WoW for sure. But it works well in Diablo III. And account wide too, the way WoW should have been. Yeah hindsight can be a beast sometimes

And the plot surprises. It is just blowing me away. No risk of spoilers here but I am much saddened but also kinda accepting of the fact that Blizzard need to move the mythology of Diablo III forward.

The details of that meteor that descended to Sanctuary and punched a gaping hole in the Cathedral I liked very much. It appealed to my sentimentality as an old Diablo II player and seemed just "right". Plus Blizzard deliberately included a clue for us Diablo II players and that was very nice. New players would not have noticed the significance of those three pieces Deckard was tasked with piecing together. It was one for fans of Diablo II art that's for sure.

I'd like to pass comment on Leah and Deckard but I won't here. All I will say is that if you paid your $139 AUD hard earned on the Collector's edition then do NOT read the collectors edition text when you get to the lovely pictures of Leah and Deckard. Apart from that the whole of the Collectors Edition "Art of Diablo III" is a sumptuous read with amazing art. The book itself seems well bound and not at all cheaply made.

For lovers of Diablo lore there is lots to enjoy. Just soooo many recorded conversations. Integrated into the achievement system too.

Because I am a slow player the first run through, I am only up to the very start of Act 2. I want to take it all in. It is a game to be enjoyed. Rushing is pointless, there will always be somebody out there able to boast of a first kill before me so why bother rushing? I have several characters all up to Act 2 and I am not the only one in my house doing the same. Very little sleep. So tired. So happy.

[Wumpus]

Played 18 hours so far, and have had no lag issues. Even playing coop with a friend in Asia my ping stays around 130, which is good.

[cleansanchez]

The news snippet at IMG, pointing to an article elsewhere, gave the writer's opinion about the indoor and outdoor landscapes. That is just one voice and he is entitled to vent. The Diablo series is gothic. But the that doesn't mean that the landscapes need be lifeless and dull although many are eerie and heavily atmospheric and reek of death and decay. There are some sumptuous vistas but we never get to turn around and scan the panorama. Never has been Diablo's style.

When D3 was announced at Blizzcon and a trailer shown there was much rejoicing. But some also decided that Blizzard were moving to a WoW style of graphics. They decided that Blizzard were going to fill the game with rainbows and unicorns, renamed as ponies so that they could make a connection to My Little Pony. They created petitions and got quite agitated.

All I will say on this matter is that Blizzard have decided to have the last laugh. Those idiots who were getting all emotional that Diablo III wasn't Emo enough for them have been absolutely and totally trolled by Blizzard. Won't say more for fear of spoiling.

But...can you imagine their rage when they have to work really hard, enduring a massive grind, in order to enjoy one special, rare and much anticipated feature of the game only to discover that they have been trolled so badly.

[Wumpus]

Some good notes/thoughts here by various reviewers: http://www.gamesindu...nsus-diablo-iii

[clocknova]

I'll probably get around to playing this in five or six years when the always-on DRM is finally disabled and I can buy the game with all its nickel-and-diming-the-customer DLC packaged into one installer for around $30.

Yes, I hate this form of DRM over all others, and I detest the very idea of DLC (I'm looking at you, Civ 5).

[Cougar]

clocknova, on 20 May 2012 - 09:36 AM, said:

I'll probably get around to playing this in five or six years when the always-on DRM is finally disabled and I can buy the game with all its nickel-and-diming-the-customer DLC packaged into one installer for around $30.

Yes, I hate this form of DRM over all others, and I detest the very idea of DLC (I'm looking at you, Civ 5).

Since when has blizzard done DLC? They do expansions. If you want to wait until the inevitable Battle Chest, that's fine, but don't criticize Blizzard for something they don't do.

Anyway, I very much doubt Diablo III will ever receive an offline version. It was built from the ground up to be an online game. It would require a lot more work than simply "disabling" DRM. It's not the same thing as Ubisoft's online check--a lot of the game is given to the player server-side.

[clocknova]

Cougar, on 20 May 2012 - 10:46 AM, said:

Since when has blizzard done DLC? They do expansions. If you want to wait until the inevitable Battle Chest, that's fine, but don't criticize Blizzard for something they don't do.

Anyway, I very much doubt Diablo III will ever receive an offline version. It was built from the ground up to be an online game. It would require a lot more work than simply "disabling" DRM. It's not the same thing as Ubisoft's online check--a lot of the game is given to the player server-side.

You're right, but then Civilization always got expansions until 5.  My point is, almost all game companies seem to be transitioning from expansion packs to numerous, tiny DLCs which milk the customer of far, far more money.  Civ 5 is perhaps the worst offender.  I expect Blizzard will likely follow suit.

As for the rest, if Diablo 3 is never enabled for fully offline single-play, then I expect in a few years someone will figure out how to hack it offline.  Then I'll buy it.  Not before.

Now get offa my lawn!

[Matt Diamond]

clocknova, on 20 May 2012 - 11:11 AM, said:

I expect in a few years someone will figure out how to hack it offline.

Probably won't happen, sorry. There's a reason WoW gold farmers pay people to play the game instead of hacking the software to credit their account with free gold.

The only thing that might happen is that Blizzard might make an off-line version that doesn't have access to the auction house-- putting more logic on the client. But I don't see a lot of incentive for them to do that. Not only are they making money hand over fist, but when they want to patch the game some of those patches can probably be done server-side. (By comparison, for a while it seemed that every time I ran Starcraft II I had to wait for it to download the latest patch.)

A lot can happen over the years so Blizzard might end up making changes, but I wouldn't hold your breath for anything except a price drop (or Torchlight 2).

[teflon]

EU servers down for around 7 hours today was a hilarious show of why always active online internet connections are a fabulous idea. Add on top of this that lag can hit you even whilst playing single player, and cause you to judder around on screen, and it's simply a ringing endorsement of the system, and one that I'm sure all Diablo 3 players would heartily recommend other publishers and developers to implement.

What a delightful game release. If there's one company that really knows how to handle online, it's most certainly Blizzard!



(For the record, I don't have the game, but I find this quite acutely amusing)

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Matt Diamond, on 20 May 2012 - 11:55 AM, said:

Probably won't happen, sorry. There's a reason WoW gold farmers pay people to play the game instead of hacking the software to credit their account with free gold.

That really doesn't have anything to do with it.. It is possible now to play WOW offline, if you aren't afraid of running your own server.