I haven't been around here much since I stopped modding and then hung up my admin hat a year or two thereafter, but I've been fortunate to get access to the D3 beta.
I'm not breaking any rules sharing info with y'all. The beta only goes through roughly the first third of Act 1 (and apparently there won't be any public beta testing beyond that; everything else will be handled in-house), so there is no non-disclosure agreement binding us testers.
So, I'll start with several miscellaneous things, and then as I run across more stuff and/or remember something I forgot, I'll add new posts.
If you don't want any spoilers at all for D3 Act 1, leave now.
Oh, and I'll cover the characters in a separate thread.
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General Thoughts
The game looks beautiful. Really, the screenshots and videos I've seen online don't do it justice. The depth and textures are great and gameplay has been smooth for me. There is random chatter from NPCs you pass in town (whether you are able to actually interact with them or not), which is nice...though I wish they would have recorded a wider variety of comments so that you don't hear the same handful each time. The environment is largely interactive and you can not only destroy many objects in the game but also cause walls, chandeliers, etc. to drop onto monsters to kill them. You also get extra experience for large amounts of destruction, for killing numerous monsters in a very short span of time, and for killing several monsters in one shot.
Equipment (clothing, at least) looks different in the inventory and on your character depending on what kind of character you are playing. So, a leather jerkin for a female wizard looks like leather bikini top, whereas it looks more like a leather shirt on a male Wizard or Demon Hunter or something. Lest you worry that things are too sexist, the male Barbarian and male Monk seem to go shirtless or semi-barechested with some of their torso armor.
Town Portals
If you've heard rumors there are no town portals, it's all true.
However, early in the game you will receive a portal stone as a quest reward. This can be clicked to open a portal back to town, and there will be a portal to return to where you came from. Thing is, though, that you can't use it in certain areas (such as the fight with the Skeleton King, which is the biggest boss in the beta and the end of the beta), and you have to stand around for 10 seconds while you power up the portal before you are whisked away.
Identify Scrolls
There are ID scrolls, but I'm not sure what they're useful for, since all magic items are pre-identified. Maybe they're used for rares, sets and unique items...
Nephalem Cube
In D2, you got a Horadric Cube to combine items; in D3 one of your early quest rewards is a Nephalem Cube to break equipment up into basic scrap material, magic essence and special ingredients for crafting recipes and such.
...and speaking of crafting...
So, in Act 1 you are eventually able to "unlock" the blacksmith. He can not only repair items (though I'm not sure why...I haven't had any yet lose durability) but craft items. That's one reason for being able to break down items with the Nephalem Cube. The other reason is that you find Pages of Training as you go through the game. Combine five pages to make a book, and then you can give the artisan (in this case, New Tristram's blacksmith) experience by using up that book, some raw crafting ingredients, and a little bit of gold. Eventually, you can level him up to be able to craft better items.
Stash and gold
In the beta, at least...and I assume this will also be the case in the final release...all of the characters on your account will share the same pool of gold. This wasn't clear at first, and I didn't realize that as I was spending it, I was depleting gold available for other characters. Also, you all share the same stash. The stash starts off small, but for a couple thousand gold, you can get a couple more rows of storage. I've now opened up a full tab in my stash and there are four additional tabs. It will take 10,000 gold to open up the next tab, so I can't yet report to you if that unlocks any rows in the next tab or if additional gold is required for that...nor do I know how expensive more rows are in the second and subsequent tabs. Part of me suspects it will all get progressively more expensive to act as a gold sink.
Skills and spells
No longer do you spend skill points for skills, and no longer must you agonize over how to build your collection of skills an spells. This is good in one respect, though I suspect it will hurt what has traditionally kept Diablo interesting for players, and that is the chance to build whole new characters and see how a different set of skills works.
What we have in D3 is a system whereby you unlock skills and spells as you advance in levels. You also unlock more skill slots as you advance. So, you start with only one skill and skill slot, and then gain your first new slot and new skill/spell when you get to level two.
Ultimately, what you end up with by level 24 is six skill slots. You can distribute your skills/spells however you want, limited only by the number of slots open to you and whether you are near a Nephalem Shrine (the town has one, as does level one of the Old Tristram Cathedral. ONLY at those shrine may you change up your choice of skills/spells.
This is nice, from the standpoint of being able to customize yourself for different battles, but it does take some getting used to.
Also, you begin to unlock passive skills/powers at level 10 and once again, you can distribute them and change them as you please at a Nephalem Shrine. There are three slots for passives, earned at levels, 10, 20 and 30.
Notes from the beta test: General D3 play mechanics, etc.
Notes from the beta test: General D3 play mechanics, etc.
-Jeff Bouley
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
Re: Notes from the beta test: General D3 play mechanics, etc.
MORE STUFF...
More about skills
Many skills have a cool-down. This can be annoying, but on the plus side, you have some fairly formidable spells early on, and it just makes you have to think strategically.
So far, it seems to me that all offensive spells are based on being a multiple of your weapon damage, so equipping yourself with a good weapons (or two good weapons) can be critical to your survival, even if you don't plan on using them much.
Healing
Healing potions are available, but you cannot chug them nonstop. There is a cool-down period before you can drink another one.
However, there is another way to heal (aside from regen or life leech on items). As you fight, sometimes health globes will appear in the air when you hit or kill an enemy. They can heal you to varying degrees, and you can use them one after another if you need to...no cool-down cycle for those.
When you use a health globe, your hireling (or temporary companion) and any summoned minions will also be healed along with you.
Health globes eventually disappear, but my experience has been that sometimes, they will stick around a long time and sometimes hardly any time at all. It can be good to leave some hanging around in case you need to retreat from an attack and heal, but don't count on them being there.
A disadvantage of the health globes is that you may end up using them when you don't want to, because they spawn at times right over the treasure you want to grab.
Hirelings/companions
At various points, people will join you on quests. So far, in Act 1, there are three individuals who do that. Two of them are only with you a short time and only for specific quests that are short. A third you meet during the course of adventuring and eventually after you help him out, he will offer to join you. He's a Templar, which is something like a Paladin from D2. You can give him any one-handed weapon, shield, amulet and two rings you want, but you don't get to choose his armor. You also get to choose what spell he will use. I don't know if you can change your decision with the spell later or if you're locked in, as I haven't felt any reason to change his spell yet.
More about skills
Many skills have a cool-down. This can be annoying, but on the plus side, you have some fairly formidable spells early on, and it just makes you have to think strategically.
So far, it seems to me that all offensive spells are based on being a multiple of your weapon damage, so equipping yourself with a good weapons (or two good weapons) can be critical to your survival, even if you don't plan on using them much.
Healing
Healing potions are available, but you cannot chug them nonstop. There is a cool-down period before you can drink another one.
However, there is another way to heal (aside from regen or life leech on items). As you fight, sometimes health globes will appear in the air when you hit or kill an enemy. They can heal you to varying degrees, and you can use them one after another if you need to...no cool-down cycle for those.
When you use a health globe, your hireling (or temporary companion) and any summoned minions will also be healed along with you.
Health globes eventually disappear, but my experience has been that sometimes, they will stick around a long time and sometimes hardly any time at all. It can be good to leave some hanging around in case you need to retreat from an attack and heal, but don't count on them being there.
A disadvantage of the health globes is that you may end up using them when you don't want to, because they spawn at times right over the treasure you want to grab.
Hirelings/companions
At various points, people will join you on quests. So far, in Act 1, there are three individuals who do that. Two of them are only with you a short time and only for specific quests that are short. A third you meet during the course of adventuring and eventually after you help him out, he will offer to join you. He's a Templar, which is something like a Paladin from D2. You can give him any one-handed weapon, shield, amulet and two rings you want, but you don't get to choose his armor. You also get to choose what spell he will use. I don't know if you can change your decision with the spell later or if you're locked in, as I haven't felt any reason to change his spell yet.
-Jeff Bouley
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
Re: Notes from the beta test: General D3 play mechanics, etc.
A few other things that I forgot to mention.
Checkpoints
At various points in the game, it will be announced that you have reached a checkpoint. This is important for two reasons:
First, if you die, you revive at the most recent checkpoint you reached. You will return to life with all of your equipment. Unlike D2, there is no need to grab everything off your corpse. Also, because any major quest- or boss-related situation is near a checkpoint (in the beta, and I assume in the final game), you won't go crazy trying to get back to a major event that killed you. No doubt this is intended to make up for the lack of ability to town portal in and out of boss battles.
Second, when you exit the game and re-enter it later, you will start at the most recent checkpoint you reached. (At least this has been my experience so far).
Treasure Goblins, etc.
There are these creatures of various types who will flee from you and scatter gold behind them, and will run at times at super-speed and while doing so seem immune to all harm. They are very difficult to kill early on, though as you gain levels, you may be able to kill them before they open a portal to escape, and so far they've always dropped gold and magic items for me.
What is interesting is that there is a recording of some lore about these creatures (periodically, you will get such lore popups as you encounter new things.) The narrator of the lore about these creatures explains how it is rumored that their portals lead to the Realm of Greed (or something like that). He then scoffs at this.
I suspect that somehow, at some point in the game, there will be a way to follow one of these creatures through their portal for something along the lines of the "Secret Cow Level" in D2. Just a theory...
Checkpoints
At various points in the game, it will be announced that you have reached a checkpoint. This is important for two reasons:
First, if you die, you revive at the most recent checkpoint you reached. You will return to life with all of your equipment. Unlike D2, there is no need to grab everything off your corpse. Also, because any major quest- or boss-related situation is near a checkpoint (in the beta, and I assume in the final game), you won't go crazy trying to get back to a major event that killed you. No doubt this is intended to make up for the lack of ability to town portal in and out of boss battles.
Second, when you exit the game and re-enter it later, you will start at the most recent checkpoint you reached. (At least this has been my experience so far).
Treasure Goblins, etc.
There are these creatures of various types who will flee from you and scatter gold behind them, and will run at times at super-speed and while doing so seem immune to all harm. They are very difficult to kill early on, though as you gain levels, you may be able to kill them before they open a portal to escape, and so far they've always dropped gold and magic items for me.
What is interesting is that there is a recording of some lore about these creatures (periodically, you will get such lore popups as you encounter new things.) The narrator of the lore about these creatures explains how it is rumored that their portals lead to the Realm of Greed (or something like that). He then scoffs at this.
I suspect that somehow, at some point in the game, there will be a way to follow one of these creatures through their portal for something along the lines of the "Secret Cow Level" in D2. Just a theory...
-Jeff Bouley
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
Re: Notes from the beta test: General D3 play mechanics, etc.
I've been pretty complimentary so far about the game. Now we get into more of a mix of feelings.
Side adventures
There are, of course, various places to explore outside of assigned quests, in the form of "dungeons." In the part of Act 1 in the beta, these are NOT extensive. Most are trips into cellars to fight a few creatures or maybe an elite monster and its minions. There is also a trip down into a mass grave (very small), a cave under a well (bigger, but still small) and the Den of the Fallen (which not only has monsters but also a lot of Fallen Shaman corpses (decayed down to their bones) that you can loot for a little treasure.
And interesting feature of these little side trips is that any time you enter the game with your character, they won't all spawn. Instead, a few will. This means you might pass by the mass grave one game and not be able to enter it, while another game it might have the blue glow of an area you can enter to explore.
I like the variety this offers, so that you don't always know where to go to get that little extra bit of experience and treasure.
...however, it's still a linear game...
Damn it, Blizzard, did you learn nothing from good games that had a similar vibe to yours, such as Sacred?
What I've seen in the Beta so far makes me think that the entire game will, like every Diablo game before it, require you to do the quests in a linear fashion.
I'm not against the concept entirely, as some things should be linear and handled in a certain order. But one of the things I loved about Sacred was that you might be juggling a number of quests at once, and could deal with them in whatever order you saw fit.
I really hope that later parts of the game will offer optional quests and/or a variety of quests that can be done in a non-linear fashion.
But I'm not holding my breath on that...
Side adventures
There are, of course, various places to explore outside of assigned quests, in the form of "dungeons." In the part of Act 1 in the beta, these are NOT extensive. Most are trips into cellars to fight a few creatures or maybe an elite monster and its minions. There is also a trip down into a mass grave (very small), a cave under a well (bigger, but still small) and the Den of the Fallen (which not only has monsters but also a lot of Fallen Shaman corpses (decayed down to their bones) that you can loot for a little treasure.
And interesting feature of these little side trips is that any time you enter the game with your character, they won't all spawn. Instead, a few will. This means you might pass by the mass grave one game and not be able to enter it, while another game it might have the blue glow of an area you can enter to explore.
I like the variety this offers, so that you don't always know where to go to get that little extra bit of experience and treasure.
...however, it's still a linear game...
Damn it, Blizzard, did you learn nothing from good games that had a similar vibe to yours, such as Sacred?
What I've seen in the Beta so far makes me think that the entire game will, like every Diablo game before it, require you to do the quests in a linear fashion.
I'm not against the concept entirely, as some things should be linear and handled in a certain order. But one of the things I loved about Sacred was that you might be juggling a number of quests at once, and could deal with them in whatever order you saw fit.
I really hope that later parts of the game will offer optional quests and/or a variety of quests that can be done in a non-linear fashion.
But I'm not holding my breath on that...
-Jeff Bouley
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
A riddle wrapped within a mystery surrounded by an enigma -- served with a heaping side order of fried conundrum and a tall glass of puzzlement.
(Download my SiC mod [for 1.09] and other goodies) ---- (Read Phrozen Forums terms of service)
Re: Notes from the beta test: General D3 play mechanics, etc.
Also have the beta here.
My thought is that many, many of their decisions are oriented around public mulitplayer. And as one who suffered through D1's horrible public play and generally avoided it in D2, D3's public multi is refreshing, at least for the easy zones of the beta. I expect the entire game to be highly linear for exactly this same reason - when you search for a public game and pick a quest, then everyone is in the exact same place in the story with the exact same goals. The linearity helps ensure that players stick together and don't really have to decide about where to go next.
Another oddity is that waypoints don't seem to be saved at all. Instead avaliable waypoints are derived from whatever quest/checkpoint you are at. Again, a sign of very linear design for the rest of the game.
I am curious if and how this model might get switched up for Inerno, where all mobs are roughly equal in difficulty. Do you have all quests unlocked off the bat or instance, or do you have to unlock them again? Will we have to endure those story scenes again and again (like helping the templar out, watching leoric take ages to rise, listening to dialogues etc.) or will these be eliminated in inferno?
One thing I do like about the beta, and I'm probably in the minority here, is the ratio of smaller outdoors to large, random dungeons. I much prefer the more structured approach, the meaningful randomization of a maze vs kinda pointlessly filling in open space randomly between the boxlike borders of an outdoor zone. At the same time though the randomization of the cathedral is not exactly impressive, with way too distinct/recognizable room chunks connected by the same long corridors. It's not quite as bad as torchlight but I still get some of that vibe.
My thought is that many, many of their decisions are oriented around public mulitplayer. And as one who suffered through D1's horrible public play and generally avoided it in D2, D3's public multi is refreshing, at least for the easy zones of the beta. I expect the entire game to be highly linear for exactly this same reason - when you search for a public game and pick a quest, then everyone is in the exact same place in the story with the exact same goals. The linearity helps ensure that players stick together and don't really have to decide about where to go next.
Another oddity is that waypoints don't seem to be saved at all. Instead avaliable waypoints are derived from whatever quest/checkpoint you are at. Again, a sign of very linear design for the rest of the game.
I am curious if and how this model might get switched up for Inerno, where all mobs are roughly equal in difficulty. Do you have all quests unlocked off the bat or instance, or do you have to unlock them again? Will we have to endure those story scenes again and again (like helping the templar out, watching leoric take ages to rise, listening to dialogues etc.) or will these be eliminated in inferno?
One thing I do like about the beta, and I'm probably in the minority here, is the ratio of smaller outdoors to large, random dungeons. I much prefer the more structured approach, the meaningful randomization of a maze vs kinda pointlessly filling in open space randomly between the boxlike borders of an outdoor zone. At the same time though the randomization of the cathedral is not exactly impressive, with way too distinct/recognizable room chunks connected by the same long corridors. It's not quite as bad as torchlight but I still get some of that vibe.