re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

My initial impressions of Diablo 3:


So, the elephant in the room – Yes, you have to be online to play Diablo III even if you’re going solo. However, despite all the people who have complained about the launch issues in the first 24-48 hours of release, that stuff was to be expected and really, the way they have implemented the online functionality is genius.


I usually have terrible latency at my house in the evenings, and that really keeps me away from playing games like Counter-Strike, where having good latency is truly key. Such a game depends on information going back and forth continuously without any issue, and there’s usually multiple ‘hops’ from one location to the next, meaning there could be information lost along the way no matter how good your in-home connection might be anyway.


However, in Diablo III, you really don't have to wait for information to continuously come back to your end. Blizzard just monitors the information your PC sends them, no matter what the latency looks like… and as long as they don’t see anything bad that makes you appear to be hacking, your gameplay is uninterrupted. It’s just YOU sending information pretty much, and that’s it. It’s pretty awesome. Multiplayer isn’t something I’ve tried yet though, and I don’t intend to until I get a bit further in the game and build my character up, which is the Barbarian. Really though, during the hour and a half I spent playing solo last night, my game rarely had any hiccups at all. There were a couple of brief moments where my character had ‘rubber banded’ due to some lag, but Blizzard WAS experiencing a tough first day on their server end.


Anyway, I find this game to be superior to Diablo II in pretty much every way… but how you will feel depends on your own personal preferences. Me, I'm a gamer that doesn't like to be taken out of the action too much to micro-manage everything, and I don't have a ton of time. So...


Everything in this game has been streamlined – Meaning when I level up, I no longer have to assign attribute points to strength or stamina or health or the like… the game does that automatically for me so I don’t have to. I always hated having to do that… my time for games on a daily basis is rather limited, so nothing used to irk me more than to get halfway through a game and hit a brick wall, just because I didn’t use my attribute points correctly. No, the only thing I have to do along the way is choose the special skills I want my fella to use in order to cause serious damage to the bad guys, or to quickly get himself out of the middle of a mob of baddies.


No longer are outdoor areas big blocky generic looking fields that are easy to get lost in. That was my main complaint about the first Diablo – Everything looked the same, inside and out. Diablo II improved on this greatly, but it was still pretty generic on any given ‘level’. Diablo III on the other hand, has made many areas seem unique and more shapely. There’s still the element of exploration in any given part of the map, but it doesn’t feel as daunting or disorienting. It’s much easier to navigate. Also, the map system is drastically improved. Before, you’d have to hit the ‘Tab’ button to pull the map up, overlaying the entire screen while you play. Now, the map is in the corner of the screen at all times and isn’t obtrusive at all… although you can stil lpull up a map by pressing ‘M’ if you want to get a view that’s not as immediate. Anyway, I absolutely loved the atmosphere in any place I’ve visited thus far – The dimly, candlelit lower levels of a cathedral, the foggy moonlit cemeteries, the dank caves to explore… it’s all been a MUCH more rewarding experience than in prior games.


Of course, it’s the gameplay that’s the most important, and the pacing is designed this time around so you don’t have to spend half of your time messing around with item menus and whatnot. Before, you used to have to use health vials like crazy, and fighting vs maintaining your health really seemed to take away from the feeling that you were actually battling some bad little ghouls or demons. Now, health orbs are dropped rather liberally, meaning the more effective you are at destroying your foes, the better off your health will be. I like this ‘reward’ system for health, as well as for your magic/mana… it’s now ‘fury’, at least for the Barbarian, and with each hit on an enemy it increases. The attacks are ferocious – It’s very satisfying to see the bad guys fly across the screen, and with the changes mentioned, you always feel like you’re in the thick of it and not really distracted with micro-managing other aspects of the game. New enemies are introduced all the time to keep the game interesting and to keep you on your toes.


So far, Diablo III is a great game for casual gamers like myself that don’t have 6 hours a day to play. It’s easily accessible to anyone and for that, it’s WAY more fun. Well done Blizzard, well done.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Anyone have a guest pass they are not using? My daughter would like to try it out.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Pretty certain that isn't true. There are many times I've seen issues with rubber-banding, and lag can cause mobs to not move/attack. There is definitely a good deal of 2-way communication going on with Blizzard's servers.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Yeah, comparing it to an FPS is a little unfair, and a lot of rpgs these days have auto level options (just most people want to obsess over it themselves). But I'm glad that you can enjoy it as a casual fan, hopefully it appeals to both casual and hardcore, especially as you get further into the game. I'll find out tomorrow, when I finally have time to play again... :)

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

you still need it? I have one if you want it still. Let me know.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

my buddy was all excited. he found someone that posted some zip file on the Blizzard forum to help fix his problem. he downloads it and it allows him to finally download all the files. he was all excited. but then he realized that it won't install anything for him. i keep giving him shit about it, which is only causing him more frustration. it's so awesome. rotfl

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

I think it has more to do with item randomization than anything. I've never rubber banded just walking around... only in battle. And that lag causing mobs not to move or attack only happened to me during the open beta when their servers were getting decimated, despite controlling how many concurrent users were able to be logged on at a single time.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Yes, if you still have it.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Apparently I have to ditch work to play this game, as the servers NEVER work after 5pm!

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Looks like I'll be back in Asia tonight. Last night Americans outnumbered Asians on that server 10:1. :lol:

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

fuck...down again...wtf

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

I must admit it. I am starting to enjoy this error 37 mini game they are giving us instead of Diablo 3.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

I got on, but I would not recommend playing it when your internet is tethered from your cell phone.

I guess, all things considered, it performed admirably, but I won't do it again until I can get an LTE signal at work.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

GRRR..I wake up to check my auction items and server is down again.

Anyone else use the auction house? There are a lot of overpriced items, but if you search you can get great gear. What I did was set the level of the items to my level, and the buy out price to 1000. I was able to find some items that would cost more to forge. In fact these items would run for 4000 bucks at merchants, but I was able to get them for 500-850 bucks.

On top of that I have been making a lot of money. You can only have 10 items up at a time, but they sell fast if you know how to list them. Those people asking 50000 bucks for items are stupid. If you sell a magical item to a merchant you might get 100-150 gold. If you put it up on the auction house you can put a buyout price of 850 or so, and because so many people are asking so much, it gets bought up quick. I was able to empty my 10 item limit twice in about an hour, giving me around 15,000 extra gold.

I know you need to break down magical items to build better stuff, but all the gear I can make right now is WAY higher level than me, so this seems to be the best way to make money and get good gear as long as you set that buyout limit to under 1500. Really if you keep refreshing I have found better items listed for 800 gold than those listed for 10000.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

i got somemore playtime in last night and I am loving the game. For some reason last night I was able to play the game at higher settings, it was very choppy the night before when I tried that. It must have been the server, I was running the game at almost the highest setting and it was smooth as butter. however, probably later in the game when things are more hectic and I am playing with 4 other players I will probably have to turn them down.

My main character is my Barbarian which is level 11 right now. I have finished the first act...I think...I beat the skeleton king and I have found the first piece of that sword.

I decided to start another character because I was interested in seeing how I liked a ranged fighter. I chose the witch doctor and he is cool as hell. I got him to level 4 I think before I went to bed. His attacks are very interesting and awesome to look at so far. Those hands coming out of the ground is awesome looking and the fire bats kick ass. He will be a good support player in MP I think.

The voice acting is absolutely incredible. Whoever acts for the witch doctor is superb. This is my first Diablo game so I am a little lost storywise, but so far I am impressed

Just when I think the game is dull graphically wise, I enter an area with some color and I am very impressed. The bottom line is the game kicks ass, I wish I had more time to play it. Please add me as a friend (GreyWolfSif#1556), I don't have a headset for my laptop right now, so i will have to text chat.

Also, since I got the boxed version -- i have 3 Diablo 3 guest passes and 1 guest pass for World of Warcraft. If anyone needs one PM me. I will try to send it to you tonight

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Wow, the version you're playing makes you pay 4000 dollars for items? I'm glad I didn't get that version. Mine only makes me pay gold :P

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

How long is the first act? I just started to find the pieces of the sword. Is the act over after I find all of them?

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

I thought I beat the first act when i took out the skeleton king. glad i am wrong, the more game the better

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

I am hoping this is different than the first 2 in that you dont have the 6 quests per Act, wash, rinse, repeat. Of course once I get up to Nightmare or Hell difficulty I may change my tune.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Secret Level

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

I'm not sure. I assumed there'd be some screen saying that you've started Act 2 but I didn't see anything like that.

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

lol

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

There is, there is also a cinema scene between acts. I got to act 2 before going to bed. Getting the sword is probably 60-70% through Act 1

re: Diablo III + Reaper of Souls (multi-platform)
 

Tried the auction house for the first time just now. Bought two rare daggers for my barbarian. Damage output went from 50 to over 100, and health went from 700 to 1000+. All for only 2000 gold! Screw the blacksmith!!