Blizzard Games died yesterday!

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Avireyn wrote:

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Tagek wrote:

My point: Even though you don't like the next iteration of a series, it doesn't mean it's a bad game, and acting like it is quite frankly makes you an A**.

I approve of your general message. And you know me, now comes a however:

However,
for many people it's neither just about a game nor just any developer.

The game in question is Diablo. Which for many gamers was what for others was Santa Claus, TMHT or maybe even He-Man: A very important part of their growing up.
Noticed the outrage about Bale and TMHT? I think this case is similar.

And the same goes for Blizzard as a whole. For many of us, they were not just another game developer. They were "one of us", they were special. They were your favourite uncle that always not only gave you the best toys but made damn sure you enjoyed them. Which is what every company out there dreams of: Customers loyal to the point of worship.

And the way Diablo fans have been treated by "their" Blizzard for their criticism of the change in art style, just to take an example, was callous, to say the least.
For many it may have felt like their favourite uncle had suddenly kicked their favourite puppy.


I think if you demand that you demand to view it as "just a game" it's a bit short-sighted. To some (many, even?) the Diablo franchise was much more.

And being disenfranchised from that against your will tends to foster anger, resentment and maybe in extreme cases even hate.


I'm not saying that to justify that behaviour, but to offer an explanation as to why feelings over Diablo III tend to be more extreme.

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Tagek wrote:

I had exactly the same feeling with halo.

In fact, it was much worse there because they actually changed core gameplay mechanics heavily, and it completely changed the way you play the game.

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But I still didn't succumb to ignorancy.
I didn't go around telling people how bad the game was, or how bungie had 'sold it's soul'.

I just played it for what it was.
Perhaps Halo 4 will be better for me, perhaps not.
But in any case, I got over it.

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As for blizzard 'treating it's fans' in a certain way.
Those 'fans' have to understand that they are a minority.
For every one who feels let down by diablo 3 there are dozens who think it's an amazing game.
Just because you liked the previous parts doesn't mean your opinion suddenly holds more value, and that they should adapt the game to your likings.

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Avireyn wrote:

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Tagek wrote:

I had exactly the same feeling with halo.

In fact, it was much worse there because they actually changed core gameplay mechanics heavily, and it completely changed the way you play the game.

And some of us feel that way about Diablo III (though I'm not one of them).

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But I still didn't succumb to ignorancy.
I didn't go around telling people how bad the game was, or how bungie had 'sold it's soul'.

I just played it for what it was.
Perhaps Halo 4 will be better for me, perhaps not.
But in any case, I got over it.

Ever heard that you can't hold others to your standards? ;-)
Personally, I try to find out why exactly I feel so betrayed, why I dislike Diablo III.
And why would I pay for it? I took the opportunity to preview Diablo III with the Open Stress Test.
Nothing in it convinced me it was worth my time or money.

Why would I play it for what it is when what it is doesn't interest me?

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As for blizzard 'treating it's fans' in a certain way.
Those 'fans' have to understand that they are a minority.
For every one who feels let down by diablo 3 there are dozens who think it's an amazing game.
Just because you liked the previous parts doesn't mean your opinion suddenly holds more value, and that they should adapt the game to your likings.

Completely missing my point, sorry.
However much someone may be in the minority, does that mean they've lost their dignity and that it is okay to treat them with ridicule?

In my book: No.
That's one factor that separates douchebags from decent people.

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Disillusioned wrote:

Many people will begin their first Diablo game with the third installment. That'll be awesome for them and it is akin to my first foray into the series and ARPGs back in 1998. In my view, Diablo is a series everyone should play once in their lifetime if they're into gaming. It's a goddamn fun game, simply put.

But to many older fans, D3 has changed a little too much. It's a depressing sign of times changing, in a way. Where we once wandered narrow corridors with decapitated corpses and piked townspeople next to burning inverted crosses, we now have a nice, open, mostly well maintained cathedral that has a lot more bright blue mist than we remembered it.

You're right - we are the old ones that are slowly dying off. We're exactly like those people that turn their backs on a band they've listened to for years going commercial and changing their sound. We may buy the future albums for a few "old sounding" songs of theirs, but we reject them overall still.

So what can really be done for those of us? Well, look around here: we have a game in process that seeks to invoke what Diablo did years ago for us. Whether it accomplishes that or falls short in the end doesn't matter to me because there's a lot more heart put into these types of games because you need to impress that audience that know exactly what they want.

With Kickstarter, we may have one of the greatest blessings offered to us hardcore types. Shadowrun is returning, Wasteland is having a sequel, Grim Dawn is another ARPG entering the fold to offer more options for us.

We may be a dying breed, but I'll be arrogant and say that we have ten times the passion than any of those casual gamers do.

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Tagek wrote:

I'm not talking about how some people feel, I'm talking straight up about mechanics.
The changes made to halo reach (to hardcore players) would be like if diablo 3 only allowed you to walk using WASD, and you had to use a playstation move controller to click enemies. Perhaps even further than that.

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Also, I never said you should pay for diablo 3 if you don't like it. Even if you hate it, that's your right.
But what you simply should. not. do. is go around saying how bad the game is, or how terrible the developers are etc.

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And your final point, show me an example of where you think blizzard 'ridiculed' their 'fans'.

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Avireyn wrote:

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Tagek wrote:

I'm not talking about how some people feel, I'm talking straight up about mechanics.
The changes made to halo reach (to hardcore players) would be like if diablo 3 only allowed you to walk using WASD, and you had to use a playstation move controller to click enemies. Perhaps even further than that.

So it was basically a genre shift.
Which I might have found preferable for Diablo III (perhaps a 3D dungeon crawler?)

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Also, I never said you should pay for diablo 3 if you don't like it. Even if you hate it, that's your right.
But what you simply should. not. do. is go around saying how bad the game is, or how terrible the developers are etc.

Why should I not point out when I feel that a game has flaws? If you meant: You should not fling baseless accusations or false information, I agree.
But I see nothing wrong with pointing out and discussing (subjectively) bad design decisions.

Same goes for companies. If I feel a company doesn't treat me as valued customer any more, why would I keep my mouth shut?
It's called word of mouth for a reason. Good reputations come from it, and so do bad ones. I used to champion Blizzard because I felt they deserved it. They no longer do, so I voice that.

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And your final point, show me an example of where you think blizzard 'ridiculed' their 'fans'.

Erm. Unicorn.
It's debatable how far the fans (I would call them rabid) went. But it's never okay for a company to just mock the complainer. It's childish.