Spoiler Free - reaction to finishing Act 1 of D3.

[Ingmartin]

I got on around 4am, finally...after Blizzard essentially blew the first game in the World Series, and I have been playing up to now.

Just finished Act 1. Wow, the beta was just a taste of first Act. It's actually quite a bit longer than I expected. Taking a much needed break, so I am jotting down my first reactions, without spoilers. Besides, i need to eat and my partner needs to use the PC for something other than a game.

Initial reaction?

Well, I want to play more. That's always a good thing, right? It's a lot darker in tone than most have suspected it to be. Some later areas in Act 1 are actually pretty disturbing (and clearly designed by disturbed people). No spoilers here, considering many are probably not as far along as I am, and I don't want to spol any first Act plot points.

The difficulty does ramp up some as well, so for those who were concerned it was going to be way too easy, you are wrong. I am not saying its really challenging - but different classes are gonna be able to cope with certain monster types better than others. In later difficulties, I think it will get stupidly hard.

The final Act one boss? No spoilers, but it is a clever design for big boss battle. I can see it getting almost impossible in later difficulties as well, based on the design alone.

Art style is definitely contemporary Blizzard, not old school Diablo. There are several nice touches that are in homage to the previous games that help ground it in Sanctuary, but the gameplay is fluid and works well. No glitches to report, other than some occasional lag issues -I think this is more about my Internet connection than Blizzard's servers.

A lot of stink has been made about the skill system. Well, throughout the first act, choices in your skills didn't matter much for the first 10-15 levels, but toward the end of Act 1 the types of skill/rune combinations noticeably start to get more flexible. I can see the potential for nearly limitless build possibilities when you get even half way to 60.

Leveling slows way down...so I can see why getting to 60 will be a lengthy endeavor, including getting some of those higher level runes and passive skills to become available. to me, this is the best thing about the game. I was afraid it was going to be too short, and getting to 60 will be a breeze. Consider that fear rendered moot.

Got some new and fun events and side quests to experience, so who knows how deep that Event system gets down the road.
Overall, in spite of the initial "Blizzard, you suck in your hardware department" opinion, I am enjoying the game a ton.

While not "exactly" like The Diablo games before it, it does WHAT it does pretty much flawlessly, which is is exactly what I DID expect from Blizzard. No question, it is polished.

Further Reflection:

Items. Fun, fun, fun, fun! I don't really miss scrolls in this game. I thought I would, but I don't. This is really where Diablo 3 is gonna get the most traction. Finding something really cool and useful still feels like a sense of accomplishment, even if it is a common rare item. In later difficulties, and with the Jeweler being added into the mix (not saying when or where, or if I even know!) the itemization system design is top-notch, and will truly help players distinguish themselves from others in group-play. Maybe not initially...Act 1 is no question designed to be the tutorial Act, and characters are going to look and play almost identical at first. By Act 2, your armor and weapons become your character. No other way to put it.

[Meemo]

Just wait till you get to level 21+ .. A whole world of new builds open to you, infinite experimentation ! The game is dam good. The story starts out real slow, but picks up the pace after act 1.

[Ingmartin]

Just got to the starting location of Act 2 (trying to be careful with wording here!). Gonna start that part of the journey a little later. My partner is a college prof and grading takes a priority over Diablo 3 for now. But hey, not complaining.

By the end of Act 1, most people will have a whole new perspective on this game. Is it good?
Of course. So far, I would say its bordering on great. Can't wait to see what surprises they throw at us in Act 2!

[Dakiaris]

Me and Hawkn were playing till he had to get off for school in which case I took a nap.... The game has positive marks from me so far... People are qqing about how the launch was about as good as the challenger but hey.... it's Blizzard they can't launch a game without issues to save there lives...

But yea..... Love it so far.

[Zidders]

about as good as the challenger

Really dude, that was lame.

[Dakiaris]

What it's the most accurate description I can think of.... That's how almost all blizz games launch.

[Seer]

Disturbing stuff you say?


I like disturbing stuff


And with a game called Diablo, you can't go wrong with disturbing the audience

[TheLurker]

Thanks for your initial impressions, Ing. Sounds like some things aren't necessarily better or worse, just different.

Disturbing stuff you say?


I like disturbing stuff


And with a game called Diablo, you can't go wrong with disturbing the audience

I suppose they could call the game 'Happy Yet Disturbing Fun-Time' (HaYDiFT for short?), but I suppose that doesn't have quite the same cachet, does it?

-TL

[TheView]

A review in progress from PC Gamer .
http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/15/diablo-3-review-as-it-happens/

And for those playing D3, could you please tell us about the gear progression and design?
I haven't heard much on that and I would like to know more since the loot is by far my favourite feature in ARPGs.

[cobaltseas]

Thanks for the review, I enjoyed it. I apprecieate the no spoiler, too. With the server problems, I have not finished act 1 yet, so not knowing exactly what is comming is good. It's also a welcome relief to see a topic not filled with hate and rants.

[Ingmartin]

Thanks for the review, I enjoyed it. I apprecieate the no spoiler, too. With the server problems, I have not finished act 1 yet, so not knowing exactly what is comming is good. It's also a welcome relief to see a topic not filled with hate and rants.

Yeah, I was very careful not to spoil anything for anyone. It was a reactionary editorial, not meant to ruin anything for anyone. I hate that when I am reading a forum and a spoiler shows up...intended or otherwise.

I also firmly believe in being as unbiased as I can possibly be. There is no question I dislike the online only thing. It's gonna cause them to lose any contention for GOTY. The online only aspect of D3 will ultimately be the tarnish on an otherwise stellar game. It's sad that Blizzard has decided to make top quality games for profit instead of top quality games for gamers, and are so afraid of hackers and intellectual property theft that they hide behind "well, D3 was always best when it became a spammer's financial resource for multiplayer gaming anyway", when really they are hiding behind their own greed for cash.

Fortunately when they hired Jay Wilson, they hired someone who knows how to make great games that can redefine a franchise instead of just repackaging it. His was clearly a labor of love, and it shows in the design and polish of the content.

The Alien movie franchise is a good analogy. Ridley Scott's original? Horrific and groundbreaking. Then James Cameron turns it into an balls-to-the-wall action flick, which does a great job acknowledging the source material and takes it in a different direction. Better? Worse? That's a matter of taste. Can't you find greatness in both? I certainly do. Well, this is how I am attempting to look at D3.

Original? Not exactly. But refined, multiplied and with a bigger budget gets you more, not less. To me, D2 is Alien and D3 is Aliens. (Diablo 1, IMO, is a different game than its sequels. It's more like a prequel really, with barebones concepts in place. Groundbreaking, yes. But not quite a full on ARPG yet).

[breadfan]

nice write up. considering to play it, but only when TL2 beta ends up.

[Zidders]

Diablo III's relationship to the previous two games is comparable to Sean Bean and his role in Game of Thrones in relation to his role in Lord of the Rings. Same guy, Same look, same delivery, slightly different yet similar setting.

Spoiler: show

Plus, he ERROR37's like Diablo III in both 8)

[Seer]

I think I'll get the game in a couple of weeks... the only thing that sparks a dilemma is the steep price. I'm somewhat stingy

[Ingmartin]

Diablo III's relationship to the previous two games is comparable to Sean Bean and his role in Game of Thrones in relation to his role in Lord of the Rings. Same guy, Same look, same delivery, slightly different yet similar setting.

Spoiler: show

Plus, he ERROR37's like Diablo III in both 8)

Yeah, that's perhaps a better analogy.

[breadfan]

I think I'll get the game in a couple of weeks... the only thing that sparks a dilemma is the steep price. I'm somewhat stingy

I guess, for that level of heavy load polishing and invested work it's an appropriate price. plus I heard there're uelmen's 12-string guitar snippets and takes in the soundtrack, that survived till release. and I have to say his music generates a decent 50% of the atmosphere if not moreover. i don't know, sooner or later gonna try it anyway. I'm just not so excited about it, as for TL2, that's all.

[Cameroo]

Been playing a better part of the night now that the servers are up. About a little more then halfway though act 2. I gotta say I'm really loving the gameplay so far. The skill synergies are tremoundously fun to fool around with and see what skills you can chain together for biggest effect. Then there's the runes which change the skills quite a bit more. So thats neat. Story is a bit predictable in some areas. But I think the game really shines through in the witty banter between you and your companions and some of the other NPC's. Really good moments here. Game also feels really long to if you really take the time to explore and enjoy the scenery. I think I've sunk like 13 hours into it so far.

If I did have a complaint that didn't involve the server issue, I'd say it was the use of an in-game cut-scene that they used for a very important plot point. Would of loved to see the animation team handle it a lot more here.