Diablo III

Diablo III
Front cover
Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Designer(s)	Jay Wilson (lead) Leonard Boyarsky (world design)
Composer(s)	Russell Brower[1]
Series	Diablo
Engine	In-house engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X[2][3]
Release date(s)	Q1 2012[4]
Genre(s)	Action role-playing, hack and slash, dungeon crawl
Mode(s)	Single-player (over Battle.net) Online multiplayer (over Battle.net)
Rating(s)	BBFC: 15[5] ESRB: M[6]
Media/distribution	DVD, Digital Distribution[citation needed]

Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise. The game, which features elements of the hack and slash and dungeon crawl genres, was first announced on June 28, 2008, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France.^[2]

Plot

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II, heroes who, having survived the onslaught brought by the armies of the Burning Hells, have gone mad from their ordeals. It is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary.

Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.

The only confirmed NPCs are Deckard Cain,^[7] who has appeared in both of the previous games, and his stepdaughter, Leah, a new character who accompanies the hero in quests from time to time.The plot will revolve around two surviving Lesser Evils, Azmodan, Belial, and an artifact known as the Black Soulstone.^[8] Diablo's world map is composed primarily of two main continents with several small islands in the Northwest region.^[9]. The world of Sanctuary has been dramatically changed by the events of Diablo 2; Lord of Destruction, for the destruction of the World Stone underneath the Mount Arreat shaped the world geographically.

Gameplay

Diablo III's inventory and HUD will retain a feel similar to that found in earlier games in the series, including a viewpoint reminiscent of the isometric view of Diablo III's predecessors. The inventory has sixty slots for items. Armor and weaponry will each occupy two slots and all other items will each occupy one slot.^[10]

Diablo III is similar in style to its predecessor, Diablo II. The proprietary engine will incorporate Blizzard's custom in-house physics, a change from the original usage of Havok's physics engine,^[11] and feature destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers are aiming to make the game run on a wide range of systems, and have stated that DirectX 10 will not be required.^[12] Diablo III will use a custom 3D game engine^[13] in order to present an overhead view to the player, in a somewhat similar way to the isometric view used in previous games in the series.^[12] Enemies will utilize the 3D environment as well, in ways such as crawling up the side of a wall from the depths into the combat area.^[7]

As in Diablo II, multiplayer games will be possible using Blizzard's Battle.net service,^[14] with many of the new features developed for StarCraft II also available in Diablo III.^[12] Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others.^[15]

An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are slated for use in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed.^[2] Overall, the game will include both static and randomly generated levels.^[15] Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests.^[16] Blizzard originally planned to have in-game cutscenes,^[17] but decided these would divert from the gameplay and decided against them. Three new armor pieces will be available: shoulder plates, arm-guards and leggings.

Unlike previous iterations, gold can be picked up merely by touching it, rather than having to manually pick it up.^[17] One of the new features intended to speed gameplay is that health orbs drop from enemies, replacing the need to have a potion bar, which itself is replaced by a skill bar that allows a player to assign quick bar buttons to skills and spells; previously, players could only assign two skills (one for each mouse button) and had to swap skills with the keyboard or mousewheel. Players can still assign specific attacks to mouse buttons.^[17]

Skill runes, another new feature, are skill-modifying items that are randomly dropped by monsters and used across all classes. Rather than changing equippable items as in Diablo II, they are instead attached to skills, often completely changing the gameplay of each skill.^[18] Skill runes also have the ability to make one particular spell in each class more powerful, and give the player options as to how the rune will enhance a particular spell. For example, investing skill runes on the wizard's "lightning" can allow the players to make the lightning jump onto additional enemies, or, alternatively, adding the runes with explosion effect blows the enemy up and causes damage to the surrounding area.^[19]

Hardcore mode

Diablo III will give players the choice to make hardcore characters, similar to Diablo II.^[20] Hardcore characters cannot be resurrected and become permanently unplayable if they are killed, and they do not have access to the real-world money auction house.^[21]

Artisans

Artisans are NPCs who sell, craft, and enhance equipment. Three types of artisans can be acquired by completing a quest for each: a blacksmith, a mystic, and a jeweler. Artisans create items using materials the player can gather by scrapping acquired items and reducing them to their component parts. Unlike Diablo II, rare and magic items can be enhanced, not just basic weaponry and armor. These materials are used to create items which will have random bonuses. Crafting can also be used to train and improve the skills of the artisans rather than create new items. When artisans gain new levels, their shop reflects their higher skill level. The process of salvaging items into materials also makes inventory management easier. Blizzard stated that this crafting system was designed so that it would not slow down the pace of the game.^[22][23]

Followers

Followers are NPC allies that can accompany the player throughout the game world. There are three types of followers in Diablo 3: the Templar, the Scoundrel and the Enchantress, each having their own skills and background.^[24] As followers fight alongside the player, they gain new skills, experience and equipment as they level up. Only one follower accompanies the player at a time, creating a gameplay strategy decision. Followers are only available in normal, single-player mode.^[25]

Auction house

The Diablo 3 auction house.

On 1 August 2011, it was reported that Diablo III will feature two types of auction houses; one where players spend in-game gold and another where players can buy or sell virtual items for real-world money.^[26] The real money auction house will not be available in Hardcore mode.^[27]

Blizzard has stated that nearly everything that drops on the ground, including gold, can be traded with other players directly or through the auction house system. Aside from certain quest items, there will be very few (if any) items that will be bound to a particular character and therefore un-tradable.^[27]

PvP combat

Player versus player has been implemented in Diablo III using unique arenas designed with differing amounts of terrain and cover. Players participate in PvP choosing from their existing characters, with access to all of the gear and skill they have gathered from playing the game in single player or cooperative mode. There will be both ranked and unranked gametypes. When participating in ranked games ('best of' match series), players will earn points for advancement based on how many kills they acquire throughout matches, accomplished objectives, victories. The points earned lead to multiplayer achievements, titles, and other rewards.^[28]

Character classes

The five character classes of Diablo III.
^L-R Wizard, witch doctor, demon hunter, barbarian and monk

There will be five available character classes.^[29][30] In the previous two games, each class had a fixed gender, but in Diablo III players may choose the gender they would like to play.^[7] Although Blizzard initially revealed only one gender per class, the alternate gender has been revealed slowly in the lead-up to the game's release.

• The witch doctor is a new character reminiscent of the Diablo II necromancer, but with skills more traditionally associated with voodoo culture. The witch doctor has the ability to summon monsters, cast curses, harvest souls, and hurl poisons and explosives at his enemies. Blizzard has stated^{[citation needed]} that the witch doctor is not another version of the necromancer and that they may incorporate the necromancer in a future expansion if they so desire. To power spells the witch doctor uses mana, which regenerates slowly.^[31]
• The barbarian will have a variety of revamped skills at their disposal based on the use of their incredible physical prowess. The barbarian is able to whirlwind through crowds, cleave through swarms, leap across crags, and crush opponents upon landing. The resource used by the barbarian is fury, which is generated through getting attacked by enemies, attacking enemies and through certain abilities. Fury is used for certain strong abilities and degenerates over time.^[32]
• The wizard is a version of the sorceress from Diablo II or the sorcerer from Diablo. The Wizard's abilities range from shooting lightning, fire and ice at their enemies to slowing time and teleporting around enemies and through walls. The wizard fuels their spells with arcane power, which is a fast regenerating power source.^[33]
• The monk is a melee attacker, using martial arts to cripple foes, resist damage, deflect projectiles, attack with blinding speed, and land explosive killing blows. It combines the melee elements of Diablo II's assassin class with the "holy warrior" role of the paladin. Blizzard has stated that the monk is not related in any way to the monk class from the Sierra Entertainment-made Diablo: Hellfire expansion.^[34] The monk is fueled by spirit, which has defensive purposes and is slowly generated through attacking, though it does not degenerate.^[35]
• The demon hunter combines elements of Diablo II's amazon and assassin classes. Demon hunters use crossbows as their main weapon and also throw small bombs at enemies. Some of their skills have been revealed and among them are arrow skills such as Chain Arrow. The demon hunter is fueled by discipline and hatred. Hatred is a fast regenerating resource that is used for attacks, while Discipline is a slow regenerating resource used for defensive abilities.^[36]

The archivist class was presented on April 1, 2009, following in Blizzard's April Fool's Day joke tradition.^[37]

Development

Deckard Cain speaking to a barbarian player in an in-engine cutscene.

Development on Diablo III began in 2001 when Blizzard North was still in operation. The original artistic design differed from that shown at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 demonstration, and had undergone three revisions before reaching the standards felt necessary by the team behind Diablo III.^{[citation needed]}

Diablo III's lead designer is Jay Wilson, a former Relic Entertainment designer credited with work on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes as well as Blood II: The Chosen for Monolith Productions. Its lead world designer is Leonard Boyarsky, one of the six co-creators of Fallout.^[38]

The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms.^[2] Blizzard is considering a concept design for consoles, reportedly even hiring staff for a console version,^[39][40] while stating this concept will not affect PC/Macintosh release dates.^[41] The project’s lead designer Josh Mosqueira said that Blizzard is "very, very serious about bringing the Diablo 3 experience to the console".^[42] It was also revealed that the game would require a constant internet connection to play, even for single-player mode.^[43]

Beta

On May 9, 2011 Mike Morhaime announced that Diablo III was then expected to be released for external beta testing in Q3 of 2011.^[44]. On September 7, 2011 Blizzard community manager Bashiok confirmed the start of the closed public beta test of the game with limited external testing by employees and their families. Testers were not restricted by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) i.e. every participant would be free to show, share, or talk about any portion of the beta content.^[45] On September 20th, 2011 Blizzard announced through their Diablo III site that the closed beta test portion of the game through invites, promotions and giveaways had begun. On October 22, 2011 at BlizzCon, Diablo 3 game director Jay Wilson announced during an open Q&A that a new wave of beta keys would be sent after an upcoming patch.

Free digital downloads for World of Warcraft players

Starting at BlizzCon in October 2011, Blizzard offered an "annual pass" for World of Warcraft, where players must maintain an active account in that game for one year from the day they sign up. Those who accepted the offer will receive Diablo III as a free digital download when the game is released, as well as guaranteed beta access for the next expansion to World of Warcraft (now known to be Mists of Pandaria) and a special mount in WoW called Tyrael's Charger, a winged horse inspired by the Archangel Tyrael, a major lore character of the Diablo series. The mount will be delivered via in-game mail upon the release of Patch 4.3.^[46]

Music

Russell Brower composed the music for Diablo III. When composing for the orchestra, he tried to respect the Wagnerian style from the expansion to the second game in the series, Lord of Destruction.^[47] The Overture is considered the main theme of the game and it has been performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra.^[48] A similar composition was used in the cinematic teaser trailer of the game. The Tristram theme from the first Diablo videogame, also used in the second game, is present in Diablo III with few changes.

References

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2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Diablo III Unveiled" (Press release). Blizzard Entertainment. 2008-06-28. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822031256/http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
3. ^ "Diablo III Coming to Consoles" (Press release). Blizzard Entertainment. 20011-03-08. Archived from the original on 2011-03-08. http://thegamingliberty.com/index.php/2011/03/08/diablo-3-is-coming-to-consoles/. Retrieved 2011-03-08. 
4. ^ "Hell Freezes Over -- Diablo III To Ship In Early 2012". Blizzard Entertainment. 2011-09-23. http://eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/press/pressreleases.html?id=3008082. Retrieved 2011-09-23. 
5. ^ "Diablo III". British Board of Film Classification. 2011-10-03. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ADM283384/. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
6. ^ "Diablo III Rating Information". ESRB. http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=31460. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} "Diablo III 'Classes' Gameplay (video)". GameVideos.com. 2008-06-28. http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/19701. 
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9. ^ "Diablo III World Map". Diablo 3 Release. 2010-03-23. http://www.diablo3release.com/images/diabloworldmapmap-fullsize.png. 
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11. ^ "Battle.net - English Forums". http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27508586515&postId=276049610831&sid=3000#45. 
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17. ^ ^{a b c} Diablo III Developer Video, Official site
18. ^ Breckon, Nick. "ShackNews 19 May 2009, retrieved on 2009-19-05". Shacknews.com. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/55258. Retrieved 2009-05-21. 
19. ^ Gamephoton. "Gamephoton 19 May 2009, retrieved on 2009-19-05". Gamephoton.com. http://www.gamephoton.com/diablo_3.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-08. 
20. ^ "Hardcore mode is indeed back..." [1]
21. ^ "Jay Wilson, Diablo III’s game director, added that Hardcore – a mode that includes permadeath - players will only be allowed to access the in-game gold auction house..." [2]
22. ^ Nathan Schlotan (2010-08-21). "Travel With the Caravan in Diablo III". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q3-2010/082110a.html. Retrieved 2010-08-22. 
23. ^ Charles Onyett (2010-08-28). "Diablo III’s Artisan System Revealed". Diablo 3 Release News. http://diablo3releasenews.com/2010/diablo3releasenews/gamescom-diablo-iiis-artisan-system-revealed-pc-preview-at-ign. Retrieved 2010-09-12. 
24. ^ "Diablo III - Followers". http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/world/systems/followers.xml. 
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26. ^ Mead, Derek (31 July 2011). "Diablo III to offer cash auctions, can’t be played offline". Digital Trends. http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/diablo-iii-to-offer-cash-auctions-cant-be-played-offline/. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
27. ^ ^{a b} "Get Rich Playing Diablo III". IGN. 2011-08-01. http://pc.ign.com/articles/118/1185020p1.html. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
28. ^ Wilson, Jay. "Diablo III PvP Section". Blizzard Entertainment. http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/world/systems/pvp.xml. Retrieved 13 June 2011. 
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31. ^ "Diablo III - Witch Doctor Character Class Interview". IGN.com. http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/08/07/diablo-iii-witch-doctor-character-class-interview?objectid=714955. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
32. ^ "Diablo III - Barbarian Character Class Interview". IGN.com. http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/08/07/diablo-iii-barbarian-character-class-interview?objectid=714955. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
33. ^ "Diablo III - Wizard Character Class Interview". IGN.com. http://au.ign.com/videos/2011/08/07/diablo-iii-wizard-character-class-interview?objectid=714955&show=HD. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
34. ^ Bashiok (2009-08-24). "Lies about old classes? -Monk-". Blizzard Entertainment. http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=19381854055&pageNo=2#25. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 
35. ^ "Diablo III - Monk Character Class Interview". IGN.com. http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/08/07/diablo-iii-monk-character-class-interview?objectid=714955. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
36. ^ "Diablo III - Demon Hunter Character Class Interview". IGN.com. http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/08/07/diablo-iii-demon-hunter-character-class-interview?objectid=714955. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
37. ^ "Diablo III - Archivist". Blizzard.com. http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/archivist.xml. Retrieved 2011-05-08. 
38. ^ Chris Remo (2008-06-30). "Blizzard mines my 90s-era gaming memories". Remowned. http://chrisremo.com/bloggin/2008/06/30/blizzard-mines-my-90s-era-gaming-memories/. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
39. ^ "Console rumours". http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/710556/diablo-3-console-rumors-escalate-as-blizzard-posts-job-listing-for-senior-producer-console-diablo-3/. 
40. ^ "Blizzard job posting.". Blizzard Entertainment. 2011-08-28. http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/careers/posting.html?id=1100059. Retrieved 2011-08-28. 
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42. ^ Blizzard Wants Diablo 3 On Consoles
43. ^ "Diablo 3 cannot be played offline". PCGamer. 2011-01-08. http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/01/diablo-3-cannot-be-played-offline//. 
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45. ^ Bashiok (2011-09-07). "Friends And Family Test And NDA". us.battle.net. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/3123035242?page=1. 
46. ^ World of Warcraft Annual Pass Update - World of Warcraft
47. ^ Flux (2009-03-31). "Diablo III’s Composer Speaks". incgamers.com. http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-iiis-composer-speaks/. 
48. ^ Flux (2009). "Diablo III Overture - Single, Russell Brower & The Eminence Symphony Orchestra". itunes.com. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/diablo-iii-overture-single/id288860717. 

External links

• Official website Requires Adobe Flash Player
• Community Site
• Diablo III at the Open Directory Project