Diablo III

Curse Fansite Exclusive Interview With Diablo 3 Lead Designer!

DoranM — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:43:45 GMT

DiabloFans.com has posted an exclusive interview with Jay Wilson, lead designer of Diablo 3! Our team put together some excellent questions from our community and other sources for Jay and got some juicy answers for one of the hottest upcoming Blizzard titles around!

Here's a look at a few of the questions:

DiabloFans: On the topic of the Monk, can you tell us if the skill trees have been named yet? So far they're listed as "Unnamed Skill Tree 1 - 3". Can we expect to see any more of his skills unveiled soon along with his female counterpart? Also, can tell me a little bit more about the new skill system?

Jay Wilson: In regards to the female counterpart, she'll be released soon. As far as exact dates go, I really can't talk much about them. A little news about the Skill Tree system should actually go up on our Twitter page pretty soon. About that, we've decided to remove the tree-type architecture and we are moving into a purely skill-based system. This new system is still in the development stages and if it does not work, we still have plenty of options to fall back on. Right now, we're just trying different things and getting a feel for the few ideas in regards to the skill system that we have going on right now. It differs from the World of Warcraft/Diablo II type hierarchical styles and is more of a skill pool/path than a tree per se.

DiabloFans: Will there be class specific quests in the game? If so, can you explain how they would work?

Jay Wilson: We are still discussing whether or not we would like to include class-specific quests in the game mainly because of the simple fact that it may not really fit in with the fast-paced play-style known to the Diablo series. While this is definitely something we would like to consider, we just haven't agreed on how just yet. However, we would like to do something in regards to character specificity. We are looking into having different dialogues and experiences for the same quest or interaction for each of the classes. Each character will react differently and have different responses for different scenarios. For example, the Barbarian may do or say one thing in response to what an NPC has to say, whereas a Witch Doctor will treat the encounter in a complete opposite manner.

For more of this interview and to post your thoughts visit the DiabloFans interviews Jay Wilson story over at DiabloFans.com!

DiabloFans.com Kicks-Off a Full Re-Design! And BlizzCon 2009 Fansite Summit Summary!

DoranM — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:15:05 GMT

We've totally re-vamped DiabloFans.com to coincide with the big news, and our excellent coverage, this week from BlizzCon 2009! The new Diablo Fans design it a testament to our dedication to Diablo players everywhere that Curse will be the #1 source for anything and everything relating to the Diablo universe! It's widely rumored we're going to see some Diablo 3 playtime this week, and rest assured our BlizzCon team will be all over it! That's right! DiabloFans.com is at ground-zero for BlizzCon 2009! They were at the fansite summit today and took time to write up all the important highlights of the event, and will be on hand during the event to constantly update the website with new Diablo information the second it's released!

Here's a look at a portion of the summary for the BlizzCon Fansite Summit:

I just arrived back at my hotel from Blizzard's 2009 Fansite Summit and thought I'd give you a recap of what went down today (well, what I'm allowed to divulge at least heheh). Hope you're comfortable, cuz this is gonna be a fairly lengthy post.

At 9:30am, myself and all of the other fan site representatives met up in the Anaheim Marriott lobby as we waited to hop on the bus which would take us to Blizzard's headquarters. Bashiok handed out our passes and we were soon on our way.

Once we arrived, we all stood outside for a bit to admire the amazing Warcraft statue created for Blizzard by the Weta Workshop. No matter how many times you see it, you just don't get tired of looking at that thing. (Don't worry, I took plenty of photos which I'll be sharing later on).
Next, we were brought inside for another look at Blizzard's many prestigious awards in their museum sections along with some concept art of their past games. Same stuff we saw last year basically, but still nice to see again. Then we headed into the small theater area for a brief orientation about what we'd be doing today. Also got to see the new Fan Site program logos which they worked up, so it's good to see Blizzard is bringing that whole thing back into focus. Looking forward to proudly displaying the Official Diablo Fan Site logo here on Diablofans in the near future!

Once that was done, Bashiok loaded up the latest Diablo 3 demo (apparently the same build from Gamescon that we've been discussing over the last few days) and we were treated to seeing the new desert areas on the large screen. It really does look fantastic and I absolutely love the particle effects going on as the window blows sand everywhere you travel. No new character classes were shown yet (doh!) so he loaded up the Wizard and started playing a quest where you had to follow the road to Alcarnus. Saw some Sand Wasps get decimated pretty quickly along with a big Lacuni Warrior with translucent blades. There were also some beast carcasses lying around on the ground which could be overturned to reveal some gold and/or potions.

It was nice seeing how effective the Wizard's mirror image spell really worked on distracting the enemies. They would all attack his mirror image, while the real wizard just stood back and picked them off with ease. There's no official answer about whether the mirror image itself could ever do damage to enemies, but it might be possible with certain augmentations. I guess time will tell on that one. He then went on a "Blood money" side quest and was given a wanted poster for somebody who needed to be captured, but he was really just trying to find the entrance to a dungeon, which apparently spawn in random places each time you play.

To read more visit the original BlizzCon Fansite Summary post, and checkout www.DiabloFans.com to see the new re-design for this Curse Network Fansite!

Diablo Community Manager On Bags and Findability in Diablo 3!

DoranM — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:08:01 GMT

In a recent response recorded via the Developer Tracker on DiabloFans, Bashiok responded to questions about bag useage and findability in Diablo 3.

First off, he starts with rationalization of the importance of inventory in the game as a viable concern for gameplay and game depth:

Originally Posted by Bashiok

Upgrading storage size is a great reward, and can be much better than any incremental weapon/armor upgrade. (Kills/min could easily calculate out to be much greater without having to stop to clear inventory as much with a bag upgrade as compared to a damage increase from a weapon upgrade.)

Building off the last point, it helps add the sense of your character becoming more powerful and gaining more from the time spent playing.

Increasing the storage size over time/play experience is a great way to scale the player's sense of the game's complexity.

Beginning with a small and limited amount of space teaches the player early on that inventory management is an important part of playing the game - and sometimes generating income.

Making and keeping the player aware of their limitations can also help keep a better sense of structure and focus. Being overwhelmed is sometimes as detrimental to a play experience as being bored.

Although many of us might not fully agree with everything he has said here, they are legitimate considerations, partly issues that we did not think about in Diablo II: LoD, where we were given a fixed inventory without any hope of upgrading it besides the Horadric Cube which was, in my opinion, somewhat inadequate for storage.

He followed up with something that might make more than a few Diablo fans happy about the prospect of increased inventory sizes for individual players:

Originally Posted by Bashiok

Also keep in mind that while we're obviously dropping bag upgrades off of monsters now, we could choose any number of alternative ways to get them to the player. Or maybe a combination of different ways. Whatever, I just wouldn't focus on the 'how' of them being delivered right now.

To read more on this topic and some of the community replies visit DiabloFans.com!

Diablo Community Manager On Keeping Players Playing Together!

DoranM — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:26:58 GMT

Diablofans.com has used their Diablo 3 Dev Tracker to pickup some of the latest Bashiok banter on the Battle.net forums! Bashiok talks about players playing together, and what Blizzard is, or isn't, doing to keep that alive and not hinder it. He also talks about friends running other friends through the game (Waypoints anyone? Yes!) and why Blizzard won't be putting a stop to that anytime soon.

Here's the post from Bashiok about Blizzard Encouraging People to Play Together:

Bashiok recently posted quite a few responses to some questions that were raised by members on the Battle.net forums in regards to Blizzard encouraging people to play games together rather than going off on single-player missions.

Quote by Bashiok:

"The distance limitation you're speaking of in being considered an active participant already exists in the game.

The item benefit of playing together is due partly to the per-player item drops, but also increase in items-per-minute ratio due to groups killing faster than a single player. The amount of items dropping with each additional player is slightly higher than if those players were to just play in their own games. Now, that's slightly deceiving because we're talking about the entire pool of drops, but actually each player sees and receives an equal portion, so in this case we're looking at the drops as if they were shared completely freely within the group. This may not be the case for all items or groups.

Still, if you have three friends and you're all buddy-buddy with each other and sharing everything, the benefit of playing together for item drops is noticeable. If you're all being very stingy and not sharing anything, or just throwing out the crap, you'll still see a slight increase just from killing speed.

But anyway, with all that in mind, there is already of course a distance limit in which you'll be considered an active participant in a monster kill to be able to receive a drop from it. If you're out of range and someone in your party kills something, you don't get a drop from it. It's a very obvious solution to deal with a very obvious issue. The range is fairly forgiving.

So instead our focus turns to helping groups help themselves through various mechanics to keep everyone together. But those are specifics for another time though."

He then went on to respond to more user questions:

"By the sounds of it, being an "active participant" simply means you have to be within a close proximately of the monsters on death, but that does not mean that you will actually need to help in any way, shape, or form in killing it."

Quote by Bashiok:

"If you did need to damage every enemy in order to get a drop from it we would essentially be requiring all players who wanted to play in groups build their characters for AoE damage. It would then be enforcing the exact opposite of teamwork. Everyone would be going crazy trying to do as much damage to as much as possible so they could try to get a drop off of it.

We could then rename the game to Antithesis of Fun."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the exact same thing that is happening in Diablo II baal runs, where there are 1 or 2 Hammerdins killing everything and the rest of the players is composed of leechers doing nothing more than picking up the drops?"

Quote by Bashiok:

"There's nothing wrong with the idea of friends running other friends through the game. Have a friend with a higher level character? Cool, have him help you through the game if you want. That doesn't mean we won't have some limitations or slight impedances, for instance we probably wouldn't want it to figure out to be the best way to level, but the general idea of friends helping friends is a positive aspect and something we want to retain as best as possible."

"The problem I personally have is just those that do nothing but leech, or the players that do absolutely nothing to contribute to the party but is shared equally in the rewards. Again, the example of baal runs in Diablo II comes to mind. In baal runs, we often see AFK naked characters wielding nothing but Ondal's Wisdom for the 5% to Experience Gained sitting in the corner or within that distance that you were talking about for Diablo III inorder to "earn" the rewards without actually doing anything. Sometimes they are not even AFK, so they run around and pick up the drops, and again, this sounds like it could be done in Diablo III, with or without bots. Maybe it's just me, but I have never thought that leeching or having leechers follow me around all day doing nothing but picking up the loot from my kills was a whole lot of fun."

Quote By Bashiok:

"Players joining your games that do something to annoy you will always be a problem as long as you allow them to. So really the simple solution here is to not play in publicly open games.

But, from a game feature side, it sounds like what you're actually asking for are game moderation options. Such as the ability for the game creator or game participants to kick, ban, squelch, etc. And maybe those are some possibilities, maybe, but they themselves could easily be turned around and used as griefing tools themselves.

There are solutions. I don't think it's a problem that warrants a lot of time at the moment though."

Diablo Community Manager On Dungeon Themes In Diablo 3!

DoranM — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:19:22 GMT

DiabloFans.com picked up more information today using their Diablo Dev Tracker! Bashiok gave some hints as to dungeons will vary aesthetically depending upon their level of importance to the storyline. Diablo 2 had an amazing combination of dungeons and themes based on where you were fighting or what quest you were working on completing, so if Diablo 3's going to expand on that we could be in for a real treat at Blizzcon 2009!

Here's a look at what Bashiok had to say about Diablo 3 Dungeons:

In what might be a hint of what we can expect to see at BlizzCon next month, Bashiok recently chimed in on the Battle.net forums to explain about how dungeons will vary aesthetically depending on how important they are:

Quote:

"I think there's a nice juxtaposition between the larger more epic dungeons and the others that may be less epic but have very specific tones and themes associated with them. When you step inside one of the more epic dungeons, like the Tristram cathedral (and considering its past, shouldn't it be epic?) you immediately know you're somewhere important. Somewhere that looks and feels magical in its presentation and lighting, as opposed to, say... a cave. Still cool! Caves are still awesome, but you probably don't want magical purple and green lighting in a cave, it's probably going to have a much different feel.

That type of theming adds a lot to keeping the scenery changing and interesting. If you're just fighting demons against a grey or brown backdrop for hours and hours, days and days, maybe years and years... it gets boring. Interesting, themed, and contrasting scenery all help ensure visual longevity.

I think before too long we'll have shown a nice cross section of the dungeon types and looks. It's been too long staring at the one dungeon. Each one has a very unique look and feel, so it's really cool going in to each one and having a total change of scenery. It's all very exciting."

Here's hoping we get to see that nice cross section of dungeon types at BlizzCon next month. Then again, all this really means is that the more epic a dungeon is, the more rainbows and unicorns we'll be seeing in them, right? ;)

Diablo Community Manager On Possible Battle.net Charges!

DoranM — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:32:58 GMT

DiabloFans.com picked up this information from their esteemed Diablo Dev Tracker! It looks like Bashiok was recently on the Battle.net forums talking about some of the paid-for options that might make it into Battle.net and the next release of Diablo. One example offered up is that players could pay to have a fallen hardcore character resurrected. We'll keep you updated as soon as any decision is made either way!

Here's the original post from Diablofans.com:

A member on the Battle.net forums recently inquired about whether or not people would have to pay fees in order to play Diablo 3 online. Bashiok responded with the following information:

Quote:

"Mike mentioned it in an Activision Blizzard investor meeting [paraphrased] "A player that buys Starcraft 2 at retail will have the ability to play on Battle.net with no additional fee."

I'll point out that this is a very carefully worded statement."

Bashiok then went on to discuss how some pay-for ideas could possibly work for the game.

Quote:

"One pay-for idea that specifically relates to Diablo that I thought was kind of interesting was the chance to resurrect a fallen hardcore character.

I think this was mentioned by a fan, as far as I know we're not even thinking about these types of pay-for options yet. But, I think it's kind of interesting. I'm not sure if I like the idea or not, which is probably why I like thinking about it. There are some obvious pros and some obvious cons, but I'm not sure there's a clear cut answer as to whether it would work well or not."

Obviously, none of us would like to have to pay additional fees in order to use Battle.net. If nothing else, I believe anybody who buys the inevitably pricier "Collector's Edition" of Diablo 3 when it comes out should never have to pay Battle.net fees to play the game.

However, this does raise the question: What special features would you pay Battle.net fees for with Diablo 3 other than the chance to resurrect a fallen hardcore character? Is there anything that you feel would be worth spending a little extra cash on to make the online gameplay more interesting?

Diablo 3 Diorama From Comic-Con 2008 Now Available as Collectors Item!

DoranM — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:54:35 GMT

Diablofans.com has posted a recent update about a Diablo Diorama that was originally unveiled at Comic-Con in 2008 but is now available as a collectible item! The diorama is due for a Fall 2009 release and is currently available for pre-order on the Sideshow Collectibles web site for $299.

Here's a look at the Diablo Diorama and the original story from Diablofans.com:

Back in July of last year, we posted about Sideshow Collectibles' impressive "Overthrown" Diorama that was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con 2008. All that was shown was a grey prototype at the time, but now they've unveiled the fully-painted version and it looks great!

(click the above images to enlarge)

Quote:

"Sideshow Collectibles and Blizzard Entertainment are proud to introduce the Diablo III Collectible series with this epic first release. The OVERTHROWN Diorama depicts the warrior class in fine form, wielding dual-axes in the heat of battle. Each piece is individually painted and finished to exacting standards, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. Don't miss this opportunity to begin your Diablo III collection with the limited edition OVERTHROWN Diorama."

The diorama is due for a Fall 2009 release and is currently available for pre-order on the Sideshow Collectibles web site for $299.

I should also mention that there's a nice new desktop wallpaper of the diorama on the Sideshow Collectibles web site, so be sure to check it out.

For more details on the Overthrown Diorama, visit:
http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&;sku=8023

Diablo 3 Development Tracker Picks Up The Scent of Blood and Bodies!

DoranM — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:31:22 GMT

Diablofans.com picked up some recent information using their Diablo Development Tracker about lingering graphics in Diablo 3. It starts out with Bashiok answering a few of the questions, and as the conversation intensifies he brings in Lead Artist Julian Love to help answer the questions about blood and bodies and just how long they'll stick around!

Here's what the Diablo Dev Tracker picked up:

A user from Battle.net recently inquired about whether or not blood from battles could be kept on the ground indefinitely in Diablo 3. Bashiok was quick to respond with an initial explanation:

Quote:

"Even decals, which are textures, impact performance. So there has to be some limit on how many of them are allowed to linger and for how long. We have to try to strike a balance somewhere. Also, a ground literally covered with corpses or blood becomes less and less interesting, more and more confusing, and can actually create some frustration.

Regarding visible markers, we put a lot of effort into building rooms and areas to ensure that the randomly generated dungeons are indeed random, but also not confusing and maze-like. We don't want everything to look the same. So in that respect a visual marker of a blood spot or corpse really shouldn't be necessary."

After some Battle.net users pushed for more details, Bashiok brought in Lead Tech Artist, Julian Love, to give a more detailed answer to their questions:

Quote:

"Every independent thing that we show in the game has to be put into a special package that we call a "draw call," which is then delivered to the 3D card to be rendered on screen. It's not too different from preparing xmas gifts in that everything you want your relatives to receive must be packaged up in some way and then driven across the country in order to arrive there on time. Your CPU does this packaging and delivery and it takes a lot of bandwidth, so it ends up being one of the most crucial expenses to manage. Now, the truly horrible thing is that from a draw call cost perspective, each individual splattering of blood on the floor is every bit as expensive as a character or a dead body: they both cost one draw call. Beyond that, the differences tend to be somewhat trivial.

So, that's a lot of words just to say that blood splats can be every bit as expensive as, and in some ways, more expensive than dead bodies. It's counter intuitive, but this is the way it actually works."

Hopefully that clears things up a bit in regards to the issue of having graphics lingering on the screen indefinitely.

Diablofans Blizzcon Ticket Contest Winners Announced!

DoranM — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:00:14 GMT

DiabloFans, one of the websites in our network, has concluded their Blizzcon Ticket contest and announced the winners for the various contests they've been running! The community really came together, posting nearly 200 entries, and added some great artwork, lore entries, and class skill entries! Links and artwork for the winning entries are displayed below!

Here's the official Diablofans Blizzcon Winners Announcement:

WOW! That's pretty much the only word myself and the rest of the Diablofans staff can use to describe seeing all of your entries. If you're wondering why it took a few days after the contest ended before I made this post, it's because it really did take a long time for all of us to decide on the winning entries. There were just so many great entries in the Class Art, Class Lore, and Class Skills contests, and we really wanted to take this opportunity to thank you guys for putting so much effort into them. We expected some truly great entries here since three BlizzCon tickets were up for grabs, so it was really nice to see so many of you putting in some truly ticket-worthy efforts!

If I had my say, I'd make sure every last one of you received tickets to BlizzCon. Alas, Blizzard supplied us with 3 tickets to the big convention, so we had to narrow it down to the top entries in each contest category. It was very hard to narrow down the winners and all three of the contests were extremely close! That being said, we'll also be sending out Diablofans.com t-shirts to the runner-ups of each category so they won't be going home empty-handed!

Without further adieu, I now present you with our BlizzCon ticket contest winners!

CLASS LORE CONTEST RESULTS:

WINNER: Monks of Sanctuary by Shibblicious

RUNNER-UP: Falconer by KQKyle

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (all of these received several votes)
-Dreamslayer by Voider
-Revenant by Deadlyhazard
-Inquisitor by Luckmann
-Gypsy by Roskvape

CLASS SKILLS CONTEST RESULTS:

WINNER: Gypsy by Roskvape

RUNNER-UP: Star Shooter by Palisade

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (all of these received several votes)
-Falconer by Moxjet200
-Warlock by Guasti
-Revenant by Deadlyhazerd
-Dreamslayer by Voider

CLASS ART CONTEST RESULTS:

WINNER: Eidolon by Shiramune

Shiramune submitted two other excellent entries that also received several votes a piece, so be sure to check them out as well - Ranger and Dread Knight:

RUNNER-UP: The Summoner by Odonthe1st

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (all of these received several votes)
-Bloodleech by Jig
-Parapsychologist by Troive
-Gypsy by Roskvape

And that does it for all our contest winners! Again, many thanks to all of you who entered one (or all) of our contests! We really enjoyed reading and viewing your entries and hope everybody will check out the three contest threads to see all of the quality work that was submitted! Also, thanks again to Blizzard for supplying us with some extra tickets to give away to the fans!

To those of you who won, please check your PM inboxes here on Diablofans.com soon, because we'll be sending you instructions that you'll need to respond to quickly!

Diablo 3 Barbarian Fury Updates From Bashiok!

DoranM — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:37:09 GMT

Diablofans.com has posted a large update regarding some recent posts by Diablo 3 community manager, Bashiok, on Barbarian Fury in Diablo 3. Be sure and discuss the below thread and all topics Diablo 3 on Diablofans.com!

Here's the official Barbarian Fury Update thread:

As seen in our blue tracker, Bashiok has responded to a variety of questions regarding Barbarian Fury in Diablo 3. Take a look:

Quote:
Okay. How much fury does each skill cost? As an example.

"They require fury in amounts of full fury globes. So the most one can cost is 3."

Quote:
Does each ability cost a full globe?

"Yes, currently abilities that do cost fury cost one or more full fury "globes". Don't get the term 'fury globe' too stuck in your brain though, there's going to be an official name for them and it may not be globe."

Quote:
Do abilities cost a portion of each globe?

"There aren't and probably won't be abilities that cost a portion of a fury ... ball. I'm going to call them fury balls. Wait ... no ... that's a terrible idea."

Quote:
Are the globes valued numerically, similar to rage, and the abilities cost a "number" of Fury?

"Right now they actually are, but that's because it's sort of mid-transition from an old fury system. They'll simply be shown and referred to in ability cost as full globes. At least that's the current thought.

As I said it's still a system and game in development, and any of this can change entirely. This is just a peek into the current workings."

Quote:
Does fury deteriorate over time?

"Yes."

Quote:
Is fury cost affected by skill growth (adding more points to a skill).

"I don't know of any abilities that do right now but it's always a possibility for balance later."

Quote:
When you use a fury skill, does the damage dealt serve to recharge your fury (meaning that you could theoretically have a net zero fury cost when attacking crowds)?

"It does, but of course it's subject to change."

Quote:
How many dots of fury (dots, yes) does the ground stomp cost? If three, I can see people holding it for when they need it, and not using any other skills to conserve fury.

"It doesn't cost any fury, but it does have a cooldown."

Quote:
On that note, is 3 the absolute maximum? Or can you go a little over 3, like 3.9 or something, so you'll get a full bubble soon after? If 3 is the hard max, then you'd have to use a 3 dot skill immediately before it decays to 2.999 or something.

"Fury decay doesn't happen that quickly. There's a grace period in there before it starts ticking down."

Quote:
Appreciate the info on the system as it stands bash, and if my deductive skills are working properly one could assume that there will be skills that dont use the fury system, such as ground stomp. Could you give us an idea of one that would use fury? how powerful will these skills be?

"Ground stomp is an exception mainly because of the nature of its use. A cooldown allows it to be used as an "oh crap I'm overwhelmed" ability without also requiring you to have fury built up. Most if not all straight attack abilities like cleave, leap attack, whirlwind, etc. have fury costs, in addition to most 'buff' abilities."

Quote:
So it looks like each fury ball has 5 ticks to charge up. So cleave, which seems to be the most basic attack will take 5 normal hits to charge up before it can be used assuming it takes one fury ball. And if Whirlwind required 3 fury balls, then there would potentially be 15 normal attacks in between each use? Ouch! Spamming normal attacks and using a special attack about 10% of the time doesn't seem very epic to me. It would also suck for PvP, because it will be hard enough to land a special attack in most situations let alone 15 normal attacks just to get to use a special attack.

"Fury is also built from incoming attacks. If you're in a moderate sized scuffle you can unleash abilities pretty regularly. The animation that was shown in BlizzCast was made in a test environment, using a single weapon and attacking stationary (and non-attacking) zombies. So it built up fairly slowly, but nice and consistent for the video, which was the point. In a normal game, and as the barbarian especially, you're quite often surrounded and the balance of normal attacks/fury gen/special ability use feels quite nice."

Bashiok also chimed in on somebody asking about the amount of gore that we can expect to see in Diablo 3. Here's what he had to say:

Quote:
"Heh, if people think there isn't enough gore... you ain't seen nothing yet. This is Sanctuary. Demons and evil cults still really like torture and putting bodies on pikes."

This doesn't really come as any surprise to those of us who've been paying attention to Blizzard's updates for a while now, but you'd be amazed at how many people think that what Blizzard has shown them so far is the extent of how far they'll be taking things in Diablo 3.

So what do you guys think about all this info on Barbarian Fury and the subject of gore in the game? Share your thoughts!

DiabloFans Dev Tracker: Bashiok Chimes In On Rune Swapping!

DoranM — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:04:15 GMT

Diablofans.com has picked up a juicy tidbit from the community manager for Diablo 3, Bashiok, about Rune Swapping and how it will work in Diablo 3. We're expecting big news this year at Blizzcon 2009 about Diablo 3, possibly a release date, and lots of juicy new details about gameplay and lore, and be assured Diablofans.com is going to be covering it! They'll have representatives on the floor at Blizzcon and will be posting live updates as the event happens!

Here's the official post on Rune Swapping in Diablo 3:

In a recent post found in our blue tracker, Bashiok responded to a user's questions regarding the rune system. Here's what he had to say:

Quote:

The intent isn't for runes to be hot-swappable or interchangeable at any time. The ability to change the rune is the point of any comments made about switching them around, not that we want to allow easy and free interchangeable runes. What we do intend is for people to be able to try different runes without fear of losing the rune, or permanently changing the way a skill works.

Early design thoughts on rune swapping are that there would be some sort of cost to remove them so a new one could be put in its place. Early in the character's life it would be inexpensive enough so it isn't prohibitive, as we want to encourage experimentation, but later on the cost would become more substantial.

In addition, the high end runes are intended to be very rare. So while you're looking for them we want you to be able to use the runes you have without fear of losing them or using them incorrectly. Being able to experiment with different runes along the way to creating your perfect character is more fun, and potentially enlightening to the different ways your character can be used.

He also went on to say that it hasn't yet been decided on if the "some sort of cost to remove them" will be entirely currency based or something else. I definitely like that they have it set up so you'll be able to experiment with the runes without worrying about using them improperly. What do you guys think?

Join other users in discussing Rune Swapping!

Blizzard Confirms the Fallen Ones Will Return For Diablo 3!

DoranM — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:46:07 GMT

Diablofans.com has posted some recent information about the Fallen Ones making their way back to Diablo III! the posted was picked up by Bashiok with the Diablo III Dev Tracker, and included a bestiary update and a confirmation that the Fallen Ones will be making an appearance in D3.

Here's the official Fallen Ones in Diablo 3 Post:

As first noted here on Diablofans by Pjanoo, the Fallen Ones of Diablo II (you can read more about them here in our Wiki) have returned for Diablo III! I'm sure many, if not all of you are familiar with the impish little devils - running away the instant one of their comrades have fallen. And I'm sure we can all recall fighting their leader in Act I, Rakanishu, whose name they chant incessantly, and probably having been slain, ourselves, at some point by his Lightning Enchantment.

Well, as per a post in our Dev Tracker, the creatures have made their official comeback:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bashiok

"The Diablo III bestiary has been updated with a demon family you may recognize - The Fallen Ones!

"When unleashed upon our realm by their master, Azmodan, these impish terrors display a tendency to swarm like flesh-hungry locusts, and they have been known to tear apart a sleeping village in minutes. Small of stature and simian in appearance, these creatures possess surprising strength and unnatural agility. Other than feasting on human flesh, the only act that gives these unspeakable horrors pleasure is breeding; hence the tendency to encounter them in large packs."

Visit http://www.Diablo3.com for the full bestiary update, including concept art, screen shots, and video!"

There are now 5 different kinds of Fallen Ones:

Imps - These are the commonest of the fallen family of demons. They are the stereotypical fallen ones in look and behavior: small, red, swarming, bloodthirsty, and cowardly.

Shaman - Fallen shaman priests lead camps of fallen. I have also heard it rumored that they possess the ability to raise imps from the dead!

Lunatic - These enraged, oversized fallen creatures are bloated seemingly to the point of bursting, an impression buttressed by the fact that these insane demons rush their intended victims and then stab themselves until they explode. A more fitting name could not be found for these maniacal beings.

Overseer - The fallen overseer drives his smaller impish charges into a frenzy with his ape-like leaping and growling. An overseer among a group of fallen is a dangerous thing, as the cowardice that usually characterizes them is overwhelmed by fear of their much larger brethren.

Hounds - These slobbering abominations are commonly found among groups of the fallen and are utilized as guard animals, beasts of burden, or even food by their demonic masters. These beasts are loyal to a fault, regardless of the abuse heaped upon them.

You can see their glorious new page on the official Diablo III site here: http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/worl.../thefallen.xml. There's tons of new artwork and lore crammed in there- I'd encourage everyone to check it out!

How does everyone feel about these things returning in the world of Diablo again? It does make sense since there were so many of them in Diablo II. I'd wager they'll probably multiply like bunnies. Thoughts? Comments?

(And I'd pass a rep point or two to Pjanoo for posting this first!)

To discuss this article with thousands of D3 Fans visit the Diablofans.com Forums!

DiabloFans.com Member Artwork Posted on Blizzard For Diablo 3!

DoranM — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:54:38 GMT

Diablofans.com member Yngvar has an extensive collection of fan art up in the Diablo 3 Art section of the website. Users have enjoyed his art for some time now but only recently has he been getting some attention from the online deities at Blizzard! They've posted 4 new pieces of artwork recently and included some work from Yngvar in a recent Diablo Fan Art update!

Here's a look at the story and artwork from the Blizzard Diablo-Themed Fan Art post:

Blizzard has just uploaded four new pieces of Diablo fanart! The first artwork is by our very own member, Yngvar. Congratulations!

Check them out!

I think they are great! Who's up for submitting some more artwork to add to the collection? I know I am.

Thanks Dauroth for noticing the update first.

Diablo Costumes From the China Cartoon Festival!

DoranM — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:03:39 GMT

Diablofans.com has alerted us to some pretty fantastic costumes recently on display at the West China International Cartoon Festival where several of the costumes were inspired by Blizzard games! Being a super-good Diablo fansite Diablofans.com picked out the Witch Doctor to display, and what an amazing costume it is!

Here's a screenshot and the official word about the Cartoon Culture Festival Diablo Costumes:

Whether you're into cosplay or not, there's no denying how impressive some of the costumes can be - particularly how much work goes into 'em. Well, Bashiok recently posted about some great costumes from the recent West China International Cartoon Culture Festival that were inspired by Blizzard's games. Just take a look at this Witch Doctor from Diablo 3 for example:

[click to enlarge]

Almost looks like a sculpted action figure rather than a real person, eh? Seriously impressive stuff. Be sure to head on over to China's Duowan site to see all of the other costumes in the gallery. The site is in Chinese, but you shouldn't have a problem navigating through all three pages of images. The Starcraft Terran and Protoss costumes are pretty amazing.

Check it out!

So do we have anybody here who participates in the cosplay stuff that takes place at BlizzCon each year? If so, what are you planning on dressing up as?

Diablofans.com Exclusive Interview With Diablo 3 Writer Richard Knaak!

DoranM — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:29:36 GMT

Diablofans.com has posteed an exclusive interview with Richard Knaak, the man behind much of the background for Diablo! His writings will even reach Diablo 3 as the game will have several references and plot lines directly related to lore he has written. In the interview he talks about his current projects and inspiration for much of the Diablo writing he's done.

Here's the Richard Knaak interview from Diablofans.com:

For those who don't know, Richard Knaak is the man who wrote a lot of the books and background story for Diablo. His Diablo books include The Sin War trilogy, Legacy of Blood, The Moon of the Spider, and The Kingdom of Shadow. A lot of what he has wrote has become canon to Diablo lore and some will even be featured in Diablo 3.

Red will be my color, Mr. Knaaks response will be in the plain text to it's easier to differentiate.

Quote:
On behalf of Diablofans, Hello Mr. Knaak.

Hello to everyone! Thank you for having me.

--- Q&A ---

Q: As a writer are there any other parts of the Diablo lore that interest you? Such as the Dark Exile or the Binding of the Three?

A: The Binding of the Three, naturally. More on the Rathmians, of course. And, to be honest, I'm very interested in what material we've already seen coming for Diablo 3. King Leoric is a character I'd like to delve into. I think that there's a lot to work with there.

Q: The Diablo universe has grown and evolved significantly since the first Diablo game has come out. What has it been like for you to be an integral part of that process?

A: Fantastic! To be able to flesh out events, to flesh out the world and add to the mythos --- all as Blizzard approves and directs, naturally --- had been great fun! It's especially great now that the first images of Diablo 3 include a certain lost city...

Q: What were your inspirations for writing the Diablo novels? For example, the character of Uldyssian seems to be inspired by Odysseus (also known as Ulysses), who similarly went on a long journey and is said to be full of wrath.

A: Blizzard laid out a very fascinating and complex struggle between darkness and light and introduced some classes that blended well with the setup of the world. I chose to build stories around particular elements, which Blizzard very much liked. For Legacy of Blood, I liked the idea of enchanted armor that wasn't beneficial to the wearer and had a history of terror attached to it. For Kingdom of Shadow, Ureh's mysterious past enabled me to create something of an 'anti-Brigadoon', which worked to good effect. Moon of the Spider was a terrific chance to bring back Zayl and delve into the necromancers more, something Blizzard was very much interested in.

As for the Sin War, Blizzard needed that history adjusted to fit their notions of what D3 would be and between the company and myself, we worked out this one man's odyssey from human to what humanity has the potential to be. Homer's The Odyssey definitely inspired us and we're happy with the results.

Q: Is the character Karybdus from The Moon of the Spider loosely based off of the necromancer in Diablo II or are they in fact the same character?

A: Loosely.

Q: In Birthright, Uldyssian has an encounter with a Thorned Hulk and it kneels before him. Is there any significance to this?

A: The thorned hulk sensed what was developing in Uldyssian. It was a sign of what was to come for someone who was once a simple farmer and was now on the path to something amazing.

Q: Are there any non-Diablo writing projects you are currently working on that we may look forward to?

A: Most immediate are the WarCraft Legends anthologies. Volume 4 is coming along in mid-June and will conclude my four-part saga concerning Trag, the tauren from the Sunwell saga. September not only sees Volume 5 --- with a special story I can't yet speak about --- but the release of Legends of the Dragonrealm, a trade omnibus that features the first three novels of my own Dragonrealm series! With a 2-page map --- the first for the world --- and the novels FIREDRAKE, ICE DRAGON, & WOLFHELM, it is an astounding 680 pages.

December sees BEASTMASTER: MYTH an epic that brings the iconic character from the movie back to his roots while expanding his world in an entirely new direction. This will be out in trade paperback. At the same time, the third volume of my Ogre Titans trilogy for Dragonlance --- THE GARGOYLE KING --- will be released in mass market.

I'm also at work on SHADOW WING, the first volume of the next WarCraft manga trilogy.

Q: Thank you for taking time to answer a few questions for us. Is there anything else you'd like to say to the Diablofans community?

A: I'd like to thank the community for their support and hope that they continue to enjoy not only my contributions, but the upcoming game!

So there you have it. My short interview with Richard Knaak, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed conducting it.

To discuss this interview and other important D3 topics visit Diablofans.com!