Diablo IV

[hello friend]

Diablo 2 is mechanically an improvement on the first game

how?
skill trees meant end of balance between martials and casters.
you being immune to your own spells meant the same and -tactics -verisimilitude
ability to outrun any monster means no monster is ever a real threat.
large open areas reduce your options as designer to make terrain a threat say you can always just run away from a trap effect.
merchants actually sold something you might want in D1, in D2 you can just live off the land indefinitely.
*lateedit: ye also forgot light level/darkness making monsters notice you more/less

in d2 it feels good to bash enemies but it's just because artists did solid job.

Ok so maybe I was wrong. Like I said, I prefer the skill books system of the first game and I agree concerning spell immunity, too.

I see where you're coming from with the running, but I disagree. Diablo 2 has a mix of large and cramped areas and although you often can retreat or route around obstacles this depends on the area. What it does permit, though, is the kind of strike->pull out of range dance for certain enemy types. Whether it's worth doing or not depends on if you're trading and what patch you're on and what your level is compared to area but at least on paper this is roughly equivalent to dodge rolling in souls games - which I despise, but I like it here. It would have been better if stamina wasn't trivialised within the first few level ups. And in general, diablo 2, having more options, more skills with their own mechanics that interact with enemies and the environment in different ways makes it possible to approach situations in different ways, there's a lot of ways to play the game that isn't looking up the most OP builds and getting the right gear for it and then just cruising through every encounter. More enemy types with different mechanics adds to this. In comparison, playing a warrior in diablo 1 gets dull and monotonous 2/3 of the way through, there's not much enemy variety and there's not much variety in your responses either. Depending on patch, merchants can be useful at some stages of the game - this kept changing. Potion popping is cancer. You're right about light/darkness too, it's there in diablo 2 as well but it doesn't make as much of a difference.

So yeah, they made a lot of mistakes. It's still more fun to play, and I think a lot of the people who disagree haven't played the first game to completion in a while. In a perfect world we would have gotten some hybrid of the two, but unfortunately all the successors and copycats only copied the worst aspects of the 2nd game and here we are.

 

[Lyric Suite]

There's a lot more than the monetization that indicates problems in the design philosophy. It's sad, because making a good sequel to Diablo 2 should be so simple. Better graphics, tighter controls, more item modifiers, smarter enemy behavior, etc. But every single Diablo-2-like has been a miserable failure with each developer trying to "differentiate" their product with unneeded changes and additions. The so-called educated class habitually engages with "deconstruction" but they never manage to construct anything worthwhile, let alone learn to reconstruct.

I don't think it's that simple.

Yes, mechanically it is very basic but what made Diablo so successful was the execution. I suspect the reason so many companies always try to differntiate themselves is that they know they can't measure up to the production values of the original games. Diablo is addicting because every aspect of it is refined to the extreme. From the visuals, the art style, the sounds, the way the game plays. Everything is just so damn perfect that even though you are just doing the same thing over and over it never seems to get boring. The last Diablo clone i played was Grim Dawn and while it is an interesting game, i was absolutely bored by the loot system because all the loot uses the same ugly graphics and the only thing that changes between items is stats. That is a far cry from Diablo where every inventory icon is a fucking work of art and unique weapons have unique graphics which always gives you a dopamine rush whenever one of them drops.

It's the same reason why Starcraft is so enduring. It's not so much that the game offers the best and most complex strategy, it's that the execution of everything is so perfect and refined, and that matters a great deal if you are to invest so much time mastering it for competitive play. The same applies to something like Quake and so on. Whether single player or online, any game that requires you to spend a lot of hours just doing the same thing over and over can only work if the production values and refinement of the mechanics are through the roof, and that is NOT something that is easy to do.

 

[J1M]

example of the kind of tactical combat you can expect to find in pillows of exile

Just needs some formations, bro.

 

[Lim-Dûl]

example of the kind of tactical combat you can expect to find in pillows of exile

Just needs some formations, bro.

PoE is a lost cause. Formations won't save it.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

God, what an offensively hideous game.

 

[Lim-Dûl]

New update where they pontificate about different ways to take your money and lightly touch on game mechanics.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

E T H I C A L

M I C R O T R A N S A C T I O N S

 

[Pink Eye]

Games as a Service was the worst thing to happen to video games.

 

[Perkel]

Diablo 4 monetization quarterly update


To sum it up. 60-70$ at start and then POE monetization model. No power to buy, cosmetics only. There are some kind of "dailies and season boost" but you can't spend money to get ahead of "free" player.

Season model as well from release. So season 1 starts with release.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

Firm reminder that justifying a cash shop or battle pass by advertising it as cosmetics only doesn't stop your full priced game feeling any less like a trashy whore that loves to open up five menus every time you decide to launch the game.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Fucking hate paid cosmetics in games. All non paid gear ends up looking like shit and half the players look like clowns riding in limousines.

 

[Hobknobling]

Fucking hate paid cosmetics in games. All non paid gear ends up looking like shit and half the players look like clowns riding in limousines.

And since when did "cosmetics" become so different from other things in a video game? Everything in a video game is artificial. Why is a number going up more sacred than what things look like? I can just barely tolerate microtransactions in a freemium game to cover running costs, but tacking that shit on to a full-price game is completely unacceptable.

Fucking redditors slurping this shit up since day one.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Usually those "cosmetics" include stuff like intentory or stash space which is actually gameplay stuff. Sneaky bastards.

 

[morpheus0]

paid cosmetics in a game that should be about finding loot?

thats so fucking stupid, it defeats all purpose of grinding and hoping to find that good piece of equipment

I'm sure non paid stuff will also look like trash


if i pay 70€ for a game i dont want micro transactions, unless its a BIG dlc

 

[ADL]

Idiots can buy their $30 mounts with particle effects flying out the ass all they want but on principle a $70 game should not have them. What they've shown in game so far looks better than the MTX for anyone with an eye for grounded aesthetics but it does suck ass knowing that ten years ago you would've earned this as a reward for completing a raid on hard mode versus swiping your credit card.

I'll assume there will be a transmog feature and it'll be free which is a hell of a lot better than looking like ass unless you pay for loot boxes and $200-$300 "microtransactions" in Path of Exile meanwhile everyone sucks GGG's dick over how the game's monetized. Not sure when everyone came to the consensus that "it's just cosmetic" was okay but it's not. Cosmetics matter, especially in a role playing game. Looking like shit a thousand hours into Path of Exile while you're killing gods and eldritch horrors is retarded.

 

[Peachcurl]

The issue with PoE'S monetization is not cosmetics, that's fair, considering it is free otherwise. Stash tabs are the problem.

Cosmetic mtx are a problem when you already paid for the fucking game.

 

[ADL]

Even without stash tabs these prices are taking the piss. For anyone who actually sticks with the game, might as well consider stash tabs a mandatory $60 purchase. I know people say you only need a quad but they're full of shit. Then on top of stash tabs you have lootboxes, battlepasses and all sorts of cosmetic monetization.

This is the most MTX expensive set in the game and the cheapest I've ever seen on special comes out to $87.50. GGG is so fucking greedy that their transmog system is based on consumables. They don't even let you permanently unlock the skins you're buying skin transfers for. Without swiping your credit card or grinding league challenges, your character will look like absolute shit.

 

[Ismaul]

For anyone who actually sticks with the game, might as well consider stash tabs a mandatory $60 purchase.

Not required, and you don't need to spend as much for tabs. But if you do, it's because you played a lot for it to be worth it. Can't cry you spent 30$ on a game you've played for 500+ hours.

As for cosmetics, they're for people who want to support the game, or chumps who need shitty visual effects in a virtual world to compensate for their tiny dicks.

 

[Monk]

"Blizzard Entertainment Promises “You Will Not Be Able To Pay For Power” In ‘Diablo IV’"

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed that while the game does in fact feature a season pass and live-service content, Diablo IV will allegedly have no loot boxes or pay-to-win elements

 

[Shadenuat]

A statement equivalent of "we do not do crime in game design", something you shouldn't be doing ever, not boast about.

 

[Peachcurl]

"Blizzard Entertainment Promises “You Will Not Be Able To Pay For Power” In ‘Diablo IV’"

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed that while the game does in fact feature a season pass and live-service content, Diablo IV will allegedly have no loot boxes or pay-to-win elements

I'll wait. And doubt.

 

[Hobo Elf]

They said the exact same thing for Diablo Immortal.

 

[Perkel]

They said the exact same thing for Diablo Immortal.

? They didn't say anything in fact when people asked about it they naturally were silent and behaved like those questions never existed.

I mean D4 is 70$ game while Immortal was always created for souless phone users which expect their games being "free"*

 

[Hobo Elf]

They said the exact same thing for Diablo Immortal.

? They didn't say anything in fact when people asked about it they naturally were silent and behaved like those questions never existed.

I mean D4 is 70$ game while Immortal was always created for souless phone users which expect their games being "free"*

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulta...ause-legendary-gems-arent-gear-says-director/

 

[Kjaska]

Even without stash tabs these prices are taking the piss. For anyone who actually sticks with the game, might as well consider stash tabs a mandatory $60 purchase. I know people say you only need a quad but they're full of shit. Then on top of stash tabs you have lootboxes, battlepasses and all sorts of cosmetic monetization.

This is the most MTX expensive set in the game and the cheapest I've ever seen on special comes out to $87.50. GGG is so fucking greedy that their transmog system is based on consumables. They don't even let you permanently unlock the skins you're buying skin transfers for. Without swiping your credit card or grinding league challenges, your character will look like absolute shit.

Very disingenuous of you to include something like a cosmetic for your stash and the portal as part of the set, when most sets in the shop lack that component entirely and it's not something you are wearing on your character. Furthermore, you can't wear Wings and Cloak at the same time. It's one or the other and if you're buying both, then it's really your choice to get that extra. A set is just that = the armour pack. Everything else simply shares a theme with it.

It's also disingenuous of you to say that the least expensive set is 90bux, when you get a free set ON TOP of the points value with every 60bux+ supporter pack.

The particular mtx in the screenshot cost double of the usual price, because these are combo mtx. It's a discontinued system to provide value for duplicates, when buying the mystery box. GGG since has switched to a true "no duplicates" system which puts a hard cap on how much you can spend on the box until you get every mtx from it. Calling these gacha is a stretch, since most gacha feature only 1 single desirable prize which you can't obtain otherwise. Meanwhile the mystery box features multiple mtx which people want and all of them become available for individual purchase 3 months later.

Finally the Skin Transfer consumable which you mention is only 20bux for a bundle of 50. If you absolutely must transmog every visible piece of your equipment, it's 5-6 uses total on a character and in the Softcore Trade league people tend to upgrade each slot twice or thrice at most. So you get either 3 full characters to skin every league or one single character for 3 leagues in a row. If that is too much for you, then you're the stingy greedy faggot in this case, not GGG.

This type of post again comes up time and time again. You poorfags just can't let it go. You realize this is also your own greed showing for wanting more for spending less? You even deride the free "battle pass" that lets you earn mtx for simply playing the game. You just want shit to be shoved in your ass. And you post this in the D4 thread, which will have a much more aggressive monetization including pay2win with a 100% certainty at this point.