Ask Blizzard!

Leord

Diabloii.Net Member
Ask Blizzard!

I'm starting this thread as a way for everyone to ask questions about Diablo 3 to Blizzard, so that we can use these questions whenever we talk to them, get an Q&A session with them, or just sending in questions to things like the BlizzCast.

If we can answer the question (or if another Diii.net member can), you will naturally get an answer well before our next chat with Blizzard, but there ought to be plenty of questions to gather, regardless!
 

visom

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1. What kind of weapon will the wizard use? Will it be some type of special orbs that you can buy at a weapon store?
2. How will the wizard attack with the orb? What does the attack animation look like?
3. Can the witch doctor speak english?
4. Can you give us a better hint at a release date other than your classic "it'll be done when its done" or "we don't know". At least give us YOUR guess?
5. Will there be gears for different genders? Or they're all unisex?
 

Leord

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

Wow, nice start! =)

I can answer 4 for sure, and 3 and 5 half-sure:

3. Almost positively yes. He did some comments in English.
4. No. It'll be done when its done.
5. The armours will be slightly different to fit breasts etc, but otherwise the same. They might differ a bit between classes.
 

ZeroSkin

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

After seeing the movie "Bolt" over the weekend, I have noticed a growing trend to render animated movies so as to be enhanced by stereoscopic 3D. I wonder if Diablo 3 could be revolutionary in its use of a stereoscopic 3D setting and include high-quality 3-D glasses in the box. Watching debris fly up into my face while smashing through monsters in a FULLY three dimentional world would push the game to that next level of awesome IMO.
 
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DufresneXV

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

What sort of muling/ item storage system will we get in Diablo 3?

Instead of having 1 chest/ stash in town for each character, would it be possible to have a giant chest that is shared by all your characters on that account? Like combine the 8 individual chests into 1 big one?

The bane of every players existence in Diablo 2 was item transfers, as you had to drop items on the ground, leave the game and return with a different character, hoping the game doesn't drop or the item don't poof. We need a more efficient and safer way to transfer items in Diablo 3.
 

AkumaSlayer

Diablo: IncGamers Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

ZeroSkin, interesting question. :p More than likely no, but you can buy some 3D glasses separate if you like. Not sure if the game has to be made "3D glasses compatible" for the effect to work though.

DufresneXV, I think they may have mentioned that there will be a shared stash like in GW, but I'm not 100% certain on that.


Anyway, I have some of my own questions:


1. Can you release some more info regarding the Talisman concept?
2. How will the item requirements work? Will it be based entirely on character level, rather than attributes? Or something else, like skill levels?
3. Any clues on what the remaining two classes might be? :p
4. Will cube recipes and runewords be making a comeback?
5. Are you going to take a "Steam/Valve" policy on hackers and cheaters so offenders will be permanently banned from battlenet? Or will the new battlenet be hack-proof, making this unnecessary?


Forgive me if those questions have been asked already. :)
 

craezyjim

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1. Will there be a magic find stat?
1a. How will this stat be applied in a multiplayer drop? For instance, player A has 0% and B has 200%. Does only B see the better drop? Does it depend on who lands the killing blow or who does the most damage?
1b. If only B sees the better drop, is there anything that prevents someone with high magic find and poor killing power from receiving undue rewards via party play with a character with low magic find and superior killing power?

2. Will there be a gold find stat?

3. Based on previous interviews, there seems to be a desire to make gold a real currency used for trading. What is being done specifically to insure gold has innate value?

4. What happened to the attack rating stat? Do all attacks hit automatically? Is there a miss penalty when attacking higher level monsters?
 

konfeta

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

Small hint for would be question askers - read through this page and associated links, there is a good chance your answer is already in there:

http://www.diablowiki.net/Diablo_3_Basics


Q. What is the new planned system that determines hit/miss? Just dodging boost from dexterity, skills, and items? Or did the focus of damage mitigation is now rooted in damage reduction, removing the need for attack/defense rating stats?
 

stillman

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1. The gameplay video claims there will be "a near endless stream of items". Are there any new mods on items you can tell us about?

2. Where are all the fire spells? Will fire be dispersed to numerous classes or will there be one "fire specialist?"

3. Will there be more than normal, exceptional, elite item categoriazation?

4. Will etheral items return? And, will there be new item types on top of rare, crafted, unique, and sets in Diablo 3?

5. What is Blizzard's official stance on players rushing each other? Will this be reduced or eliminated in Diablo3?

6. Many fans are already envisioning their end game experience on bnet2 and are wondering what will be in store for them 10 years down the road. Are there any end game options/goals/activities in the works?

7. Two extra item slots (shoulder, pants) does not seem enough. Some fans (like me) would like to see more of everything: more damage forms and resistances (why not add acid damage and resist?), more active skills, more acts, more items, more quest rewards, more ladders, than what d2 had. For example: more monster types than animal/demon/undead (like golem class, energy class, etc). In what ways will Diablo 3 outdo and surpass d2 besides the graphics?

8. Will the witchdoctor get godly looking armor like the barbarian in the gameplay video or will he wear only leaves, beads, masks etc?

9. Are there any plans for including differences in HC mode and SC mode like rewards, HC-only content, etc?

10. Why are there so many D&D spells in Diablo 3?

11. The wizard's teleport spell has been shown allowing the female wizard to skip monsters. Furthermore, it can cause damage to monsters, making it even more enticing for every last wizard player to use it. What is Blizzard's stance on players skiping game content?

12. A follow up question to the previous one: Does Blizzard intend to avoid one skill taking over an entire class (like battle orders and teleport from d2)? Are certain overpowered skills going to be placed in Diablo 3 intentionally to give players everything they desire, or will Blizzard try to prevent cookie cutter builds from emerging?

13. There wasn't enough to separate all the different types of axes in d2. There seemed to be dozens of names for weapons with only mild damage differences between each type of weapon. Will Diablo 3 make more of a noticable difference between the gaff and the next weapon? Will there be more differences between axes and swords?

14. Will the mods be more stackable than in d2? For instance, can increased attack speed make normal arrow shot look like strafe with enough IAS gear?

15. [removed AR question]

16. Some players don't like having to venture to websites outside of bnet to find essential information on basic definitions (like crushing blow, open wounds, etc) and game mechanics. Will Diablo 3 have all the core information in-game or in the instruction manual? Will diminishing return formulas and breakpoints go away, or at least be described in-game?
 

ewethestuff

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1) Towns in Diablo I and II were relatively small in size and population. Are there any plans to make towns larger and more explorable, or to increase the number of NCPs so that the gameworld feels more populated?

2) How will Fury work with Mana Globes, + Mana items and so on? Are classes and items going to be divided into Mana types and Fury types?

3) Elaborate on item drops in multiplayer - will players need to be within a few screens of a monster to get drops? Will they have to get a hit in?

4) Will there be a way to mule items between characters in Single Player?

5) Will characters in any way change in appearance as they gain levels or complete difficulties?
 

jesterlolz

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

(They probably won't answer this but hell, I'll just ask it)

Is Diablo going to be in Diablo III?
 

Galtrovan

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

Will there be any issues running Diablo3 under a 64-bit OS -- Vista x64? Some PC vendor's nowadays... you go to configure a package and your only choice is Vista x64. I'm not saying you can't pick a different package/model/vendor, or even build your own box to get a 32-bit OS, just that x64 is starting to be forced upon us (so pay attention when making a purchase)
 

TheReadMenace

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

ewethestuff already asked one of my questions, but I'll ask again. :crazyeyes:

This is a direct copy/paste of the email I sent for the BlizzCast. I don't care about content, I don't care about classes, I don't care about skills, formulae, art, release dates, classes, monsters... The only two questions that I'm concerned about, and the answers will ultimately be the major deciding factors as to whether I pick up DIII or not. So, wall of text: GO!

"Hi there, composers and creators of the BlizzCast! I'm checking diii.net nearly daily & constantly trying to keep up to date with any news that released. I love this podcast you've created; it actually helps us feel somewhat connected to the future of Diablo III, hopefully to a wonderful end (say, by Christmas '09? ^_^ ). Allow me to say thank you for going above and beyond just to keep us informed.

"The lead-up to my questions: There's been some veiled talk about a streamlined system of stashing and trading amongst battle.net characters. If I am to assume correctly, this is going to drastically (if not completely) eliminate muling, while also allowing for easier item transference between various players and a lone player's characters alike. That's all well and good; for my own reasons, however, ever since I picked up Diablo II in 2000 I have always been and will forever remain a Single Player campaigner. With the brief descriptions given concerning the new trade protocol, many Single Players believe that this system will limited to battle.net 2.0 and will NOT be functional for those who play offline.

"That said, can you confirm or deny the important ability to trade with others, or even with themself, with one's Single Player characters? Has there been any thought toward an inter- and intra-trading solution for those of us who choose to play offline, or will the Single Player community be forever forced to play untwinked characters?

"Furthermore:
Trading in SP in Diablo II was still possible with the LAN / TCP/IP protocol. However, the announcement that Diablo III will not implement LAN has made a large portion of of the SP community balk, both for the suspected inability to trade and to MP with other SP participants (at least, without 3rd party programs that are most likely not condoned by Blizzard). That said, there was a small report from a member of the media that said in an out-of-the-way, quiet area of the Blizzcon demonstration there were a few computers linked for LAN play with the new Diablo III demo (you may view that report by clicking here).

"Can this be confirmed? If true, was this a one-time deal that LAN was included, or is Blizzard now considering including LAN? And if it's certain that LAN / TCP/IP will not be present upon release, what is the reasoning behind that decision?

"I truly do not want to sound preachy in any sense, but these two issues alone are causing a lot of turmoil within the Single Player ranks. It is widely believed that by not including trading and MP features within the Single Player experience, Blizzard is actively attempting to coerce people to join the ranks on battle.net. Allow me to give a biased warning: regardless of the reasons why SP trading and MP may not be included, many Diablo II Single Players are outright against the exclusion of these basic elements, and instead of adding to the battle.net population players are ALREADY announcing they won't purchase Diablo III (never mind individuals buying multiple copies if LAN-based play were included).

"Although I speak for no one but myself, I feel I represent the Single Player community when I say that "nerfing" the SP experience has angered most everyone in the past (i.e., the exclusion of certain runewords from Diablo II's 1.10 patch, and the inclusion the Keys of Terror dropping when they have zero use for the SP experience; I'm certain it wasn't the intent, but at the time it felt almost like Blizzard was saying, "Although you paid the same box price for this game, you SPers are going to miss out on these features because you don't use our servers!"). SPers have been chomping at the bit, ferverently awaiting the answers to the above questions, and if someone were to expand upon any of the above it may persuade some of us to keep hope alive for the maximum enjoyable game we all expected at the announcement of Diablo III. Even if these topics are not addressed with the upcoming BlizzCast, I want to hammer home the importance of these issues for such a large group of dedicated fans and some answers would be extremely appreciated by countless people.

"I thank you very much for your time and consideration. Please forvige the wall of text above, but again these are the key features the Single Player community has been discussing for quite some time; casting some light of knowledge into the fog of uncertainty that envelops us could salvage some of those who have already abandoned the ship named Diablo III. ...Okay, so maybe it was a little TOO verbose...


Take care,"
 

KillaMike

Banned
Re: Ask Blizzard!

there is not much things that i would like to know, becuasse the only class that i would like to play with is .......... soso, sry, wizzy :whistling: because i love them too much and i dont really like any other class. so i just wounder: difference in sex, would it make male have more vita and str, but less mana and dex compare to female soso (-_-) wizzy?
 

Mackan

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

System requirements for the game? Basically, how much more demanding than WoW does it seem to be, if at all? This should be something they can answer without breaking any guarantees.
 

Kalara

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1) What are the specifics, or at least what direction are you leaning, in regards to a death penalty/ mechanic. What incentives do you plan to give the player for staying alive and what "sting" do you give for failing to do so.

2) What is the hierarchy of items looking like at this point. Will we see something like late LOD where a specific item (be it unique or runeword) is desired by every end game player or will there be more variation given in a D2 Classic model where rare items are of use.

3) How different will the visual looks of the same items be from class to class. Will armor have a class flavor such as plate mail with tribal scrawling and hanging feathers for a witchdoctor or will a plate mail drop completely change into something unrecognizable as plate. Will all helms appear as a mask of varying complexity on a witchdoctor.
 

DrImp

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

I'd like to know:
1) are there plans to include many group skills (character skills that buff multiple allied characters/NPCs)?
2) if so, how are they going to be balanced?

On a seperate line of questioning I'd like to know:
3) will the game be dynamically balanced (ie. will number and/or level of monsters be determined on the fly)?
4) if so, what factors will be taken into account? It would seem to make sense to include some or all of: number of players; player levels; player skills; number party members effected by group skills (harder if more group skills are present in the party); and finally the rate at which players are killing opponents.

Finally, I'd like Blizzard to answer three questions that many others would:
5) Are there only two classes left to reveal?
6) If so, can you please give us a hint about one or both of the remaining classes, either where it comes from, a core mechanic it might exploit, or its combat role (melee, deception, denial, ranged physical, ranged magical, melee physical, pet, transformation of self, transformation of others, controll of others, etc.)?
7) and finally, what year is DIII likely to be released in?

And I'd just like to finish by thanking Blizzard for reviving this franchise. I think it's safe to say we're all very grateful.
 

poroboszcz

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1) Is Attack Ratting gone in D3 or is it just the current state of the game and it's going to be implemented later on?

2) How are you going to deal with Barbarian's Fury PvP wise? With the current system he seems to be at the great disadvantage against mana using characters, because he has to charge his fury before being able to use some skills.

3) Can you reveal any new information regarding PvP and hostility system?

4) Is there going to be durability in D3 and will there be ethereal items?

5) Game engine: Is D3 going to support directx 10/10.1 and/or multiple cores? Will players with powerfull hardware be able to benefit from it?
 

captain

Diabloii.Net Member
Re: Ask Blizzard!

1) is there anyway you can bring LAN play back, or is it gone and lost forever?
2) what other environments are you considering? I thing under ground caves and tunnels are a good way to bring some suspense back into the game.
3)will merc's be able to use the items you pick up as in D2? Do they get an inventory?
4)I've bought a 64bit os. will the game run, or do I have to go and buy another pc.
5)when would you guys like to release the game? If everthing went accordingly throughout development. You must have some sort of time frame in mind.
 
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