Diablo III

[TheLastBaron]

So the pony level is pretty cool.

[Forbin]

I've been playing a bit with friends. It's a bit strange that other people can just join your game and skip dialog for you. The story seemed absolutely incoherent nonsense at first. As someone who hasn't played Diablo since the first game I just assumed that the D2 culture of MP crazyness was incompatible with story, so they just didn't give a shit. Were they resorting to clumsy plot devices and dialogue because they know nobody would get 2 seconds into it without skipping it, or be pulled along by a friend?

But then I finally spent some time playing it solo, and using the companions, and I noticed that they've got a bit of Mass Effect or dragon age in the party. They have a lot of dialogue for each companion, in each quest. The companions talk to each other, and have personal quests that you can explore. Even the blacksmith has backstory.

It goes without saying, it's not good. But oddly, I think the worst story telling is on the critical path of the game. It's almost as if they've abandoned any hope of players actually caring, so they've removed all barriers from play and just scattered their narrative on the outskirts.

And seriously, people don't care. The way people are playing this game is like an MMO. They clear trash mobs in dungeons moving towards the yellow indicator that is an object or NPC they need to interact with. Why do they want that sword bit? They don't know, they're moving on. And the main story beats need to be emoted with grand exaggeration so they're not missed as the players fly by at a million miles an hour.

Anyways, it's a fun game. And there's a wizard chat room.

[Wrestlevania]

I finished my first run on Normal last night, ably assisted along the way by dibs and PiratePoo. Thanks guys--much funs!

Thinking back to what I wrote earlier about "enjoyable pulpy nonsense", it would appear I was at a point with the story just before it goes all out for the bat-shit crazy and careens headlong up its own hell portal. What utter dross - narratively - the last two hours of the game are,

particularly that horny spider-queen rubbish. She's just so fucking pubescently written it's unbearable

.

By the end it's all camp and beyond ridiculous, consisting of hubris and empty posturing all round.

Act III and IV's enemy dialogue basically amounts to, "You'll never beat this guy..! Oh, you have... well, you'll never beat THIS guy!"

And you were so right about the "twists" being telegraphed a mile off. This is proper Budget Soap-Opera Plotting for Dummies, Chapter 1 and makes even the Kardashians seem deep and contemplative. Vile.

Conversely, I think I enjoyed the settings and gameplay for the last third of the game the most! Once I hit the late 20s my Witchdoctor was pretty damned formidable, working with dibs and PiratePoo to rip through huge groups of still-very-dangerous monsters in a matter of seconds. It felt much higher stakes, too, because if I wasn't careful I could be killed in just one or two hits.

What I guess I'm trying to articulate is that it felt skilful, that you deserved to be fighting enemies this tough with powers and equipment this good. And that's the feeling I bought this game for, and Blizzard have done it very well in my opinion.

So at least the end-game is well worth getting to, even if the dialogue isn't. Lots of tactical fighting and it's very fast and frenetic. And I definitely recommend playing with at least one other person, not least because helping each other out is really satisfying.

[Raff]

What's a story? Are you talking about the lore?

[colinp]

Shrink the damn pony picture! It's screwing up the size of the forum.

[Orv]

rote earlier about "enjoyable pulpy nonsense", it would appear I was at a point with the story just before it goes all out for the bat-shit crazy and careens headlong up its own hell portal. What utter dross - narratively - the last two hours of the game are,

particularly that horny spider-queen rubbish. She's just so fucking pubescently written it's unbearable

.

The worst part about

Cydenae

is that she's voiced by Claudia Black, whom I immensely enjoy as an actor, and that dropped that the tiniest of bearable notches for me. (Chloe from Uncharted if you're some kind of sci-fi agnostic jerk. And Morrigan from DA:O, and... oh here. )

[Brannigan]

Wait, there's a story? I skipped pretty much everything except cinematics

[Orv]

Wait, there's a story? I skipped pretty much everything except cinematics

Not one worth knowing. The cinematics serve all the cool you need. Especially the Act 2 one.

[Brannigan]

Oh yea, I went in knowing it was going to be grade A shlock, so I didn't pay attention much.

[dibs]

Are they going to integrate the eu and us friends lists at any point? I'm sad that I can see both at once.

The story is awesome, I have been this energised by a tale of betrayal and murder since the 1995 coronation street Christmas special.

Also, if anyone is on the eu side, poo and wrestlevania were awesome enough to furnish me with a legendary recipe! Not sure if I can make and trade it with other people, but it is a monk staff. Pewpewpew. Thanks again guys. I hit many things this morning before the emergency maintenance hammer struck.

[toblix]

So what are the rules for giving away shit? I always offer everything I find to the other players unless I can use it right away – is that dumb? I feel like I should be all strategic and think about my other characters and whatever. Anyway, here, have these sweet yellow pants.

[Wrestlevania]

The worst part about

Cydenae

is that she's voiced by Claudia Black, whom I immensely enjoy as an actor, and that dropped that the tiniest of bearable notches for me. (Chloe from Uncharted if you're some kind of sci-fi agnostic jerk. And Morrigan from DA:O, and... oh here. )

Yep, I recognised her from FarScape (loved (most of) that series) straight away. Mad me sadder that she'd been lumbered with such a puerile character if I'm honest - why couldn't she have been Adria (gag) or even Leah (gagception)?

[Wrestlevania]

So what are the rules for giving away shit? I always offer everything I find to the other players unless I can use it right away – is that dumb? I feel like I should be all strategic and think about my other characters and whatever. Anyway, here, have these sweet yellow pants.

If it's something interesting for a class I'm thinking of playing, I might put it in my stash.

Otherwise I'll give it to someone of that class I'm playing alongside at the time.

[toblix]

You gave me some sweet stuff, so thanks. Also, I hope everything went okay with the occurence what made you leave in such a hurry.

Oh, and whenever I log in I see these tempting quick join things, but I never dare click them lest I'm inadvertently an asshole and break up some well-planned raid, ruining it for everyone. Is it always okay to do them, or should I ask before, or what? Do I have to consider stuff like level and class and everything? I thought it was fun when Wrestle and dibs joined me, even though the sessions were short.

[gregbrown]

The narrative impact of act III is lessened somewhat when you notice the main demon dude essentially has the face of a pug, oversized smiley mouth and all.

[TheLastBaron]

The rune system over skill trees without respecs kills the replayability of this game, and without mods I see this game dying.

[Brannigan]

I'm lazy and don't like wasting more time than I already am, so I'm ok with runes

[Forbin]

The rune system over skill trees without respecs kills the replayability of this game, and without mods I see this game dying.

I haven't played much of diablo 2, but replaying the same class with a different skill tree does not sound like a legitimately good time. Were you not able to respec?

[Twig]

I have literally no issue with respeccing. It's stupid to have to completely reroll a character because you want to change one or two skillpoints. That is something I will never, ever miss from Diablo 2. But I miss a whole hell of a lot more ELSE. Companions that I can take with me always. More than four players. Being able to use more than six skills at a time (perfect for the 360 controller? nyeh heh heh). The Horadric cube. Also, while I sort of miss stat point customization, I also sort of don't. I never liked it. Leave that to the loot part of the game. It does sort of prohibit experimentation with nutso builtds, but not a whole lot.

In a way, I feel like a bit of an ass for complaining about all of the changes, as when SC2 came out, I was complaining about the complete LACK of changes... But these changes are terrible! Except they're not really completely terrible. Some of them are oversimplification bullshit, but there's more than enough good in the game that I can get used to said bullshit. I mean, I just spent all day playing hardcore witch doctor before calling it quits after beating NM Leoric. I may have a problem. I'm worried about Belial more than anything up to him, but Pudge might pose a problem.

I still don't see myself playing this much once TL2 comes out, though (assuming TL2 is actually good). ):

EDIT: New forum gives me a non-avatar! BURN IT WITH FIRE. (But yay working edit button!)

[dibs]

I think they brought in limited respect after a while in D2. It did suck that you had to pick a build before you started, and often had to hold off spending points until some level cap was reached. It did however force replayability. Specs could be quite different within a class like wearbear Druid v elemental Druid v summoner Druid. in the current system everyone can try every class skill on a character so once you have levelled on Mage you have levelled them all.

I'm currently holding off plaing a barb so that I have a class left to play when my friends finish moving country and get set up again.

Twig: I cry efery tim when they mention the horadrim too:( I think bliz had the whole companion cube thing going a long time before valve got in on the action.

[TheLastBaron]

I haven't played much of diablo 2, but replaying the same class with a different skill tree does not sound like a legitimately good time. Were you not able to respec?

Nope, in D1&2 you couldn't, but I liked it because it made it so I could always play the game again and try something new, and when I'd stop playing for many months and come back and reroll characters with friends. Respecs were patched into D2 like 1-2 years ago though.

[Gwardinen]

Oh, and whenever I log in I see these tempting quick join things, but I never dare click them lest I'm inadvertently an asshole and break up some well-planned raid, ruining it for everyone. Is it always okay to do them, or should I ask before, or what? Do I have to consider stuff like level and class and everything? I thought it was fun when Wrestle and dibs joined me, even though the sessions were short.

For my part I won't even play the game unless there's someone on my friends list playing at a level I want to play at. So you're always more than welcome to join a game I'm in. Sometimes you can hop in where it's clear everyone else is already on a voice chat system, which can be slightly awkward, but I doubt most people actually mind. Also regarding trading shit; I think it's good etiquette to keep an eye out for things that people you're playing with might want, and perhaps link them in chat, but since everyone has individual loot drops now it's not a big deal. Dibs showed up and gave me some sweet voodoo gear yesterday which was neat.

It'd be great to have an Idle Thumbs Mumble server to drop in and out of for games like this, or just as a hub for whenever we're doing multiplayer games of any stripe, but I hesitate to make too big a deal of it because I don't have the money to follow this sentence with "and I've just rented one! Woo!".

[Orv]

It'd be great to have an Idle Thumbs Mumble server to drop in and out of for games like this, or just as a hub for whenever we're doing multiplayer games of any stripe, but I hesitate to make too big a deal of it because I don't have the money to follow this sentence with "and I've just rented one! Woo!".

You should totally check out the OP of the ArmA thread.

[Gwardinen]

You should totally check out the OP of the ArmA thread.

Neat. Maybe I'll hang out there when I'm on Diablo, if anyone wants to dance in and out.

[dibs]

I have toons at several different levels now, so feel free to whisper me if i'm solo and i might be tempted to switch to another character.