this is how D3 was supposed to be like

Lets see... graphics are a choice in aesthetics. Clearly Diablo 3 has a much more painterly and stylized look, essentially rejecting gritty realism that the previous Diablo games had. There are too main reasons for this. First, it allows them to reduce the system requirements for the game, and second it allows them to render many more actions on the screen. I'm not a computer scientists but those are the general reasons I've seen for the choice in graphics.

However, when it comes to Diablo 3, what I'm looking forward to more then anything is the game-play.

- No more potion spamming - Potions are things you use in a pinch though, health orbs heal you.

- No more pointless point allocations that reduce to Str, Dex, and rest in Stam. With the ability to wear any armor and the Talisman system, it will be possible to easily customize one's stats in a common sense way.

- No more corpse runs... thank god, oh and resurrections!

- Crafting expanded.

These are many of the reasons I can't wait to play Diablo 3. However, I'm also looking forward to Path of Exile, I really want GGG to make a quality product that can compete with Diablo 3. Even though it's a free game they still need to make money for their servers to stay up. So competition is inevitable even if getting involved in the game doesn't require any upfront costs.

Path of Exile has a lot of unique features also. The most obvious one being the ability to gem different spells and attacks.

Anyways, I think a great strategy for GGG would be to develop the game to be malleable to the player's desired way of playing. With options to play in more hardcore games or care-bear type games. The wider the range of gamers they can include into the options the game offers the more people will be satisfied with their play-experience and thus stick around to purchase some of their game-neutral items and graphics.

The worst strategy I think GGG could ever adopt would be to make life difficult for the player, this would drive away the more casual player-base until only the hardcore are left.

At any rate I'll be enjoying every ARPG coming out in 2011.

The last time I checked PoE's target audience was the hardcore players.

GGG aren't trying to take their share from casual player market. They are trying to attract all hardcore players. With your strategy they will only lose players.

He didn't really say anything wrong. Appealing to all gamers isnt a bad idea. Thats why they have leagues remember :P.So if you are a care bear or whatever you can join a pve league where you have to enter certain zones in order to pvp.Nothing wrong with that. The casuals get their leagues the hardcores get their own leagues also.

However I like skill point allocation and potions without cool downs.GGG have the perfect way of having manageable pots as well.With potions having multiple charges. Well from what it looks like anyway.

Yes there will be leaugues but they will only make the game harder and AFAIK even default league will be more harder than D1 and D2.

Wraeclast is not a welcoming place. Developers always talk about cut-throat feeling they are trying to accomplish with art, music-sound and gameplay.

So I really don't think there will be a care bear leaugue, nor there should be.

For care bear players there will be a Diablo 3 with shared loot, oversized gear, rainbows, automatic stats, dumbed-down gameplay etc.

I don't call cool-downs on potions "care-bear." Health orbs are also very strategic. Also, graphics have very little to do with the actual game-play, which in the end is what matters. I honestly feel like individual loot should now be in every single ARPG, or at least the option to have it. As much as you may want to deny it, ranged classes will always be at a disadvantage when gathering loot.

The problem is that if they only appeal to the most hardcore players they're missing out on an even larger player base. Casuals make up easily the largest percent of players for any community. I think a multi-faceted approach for GGG would be the best answer, not only where money is concerned but also for the game as a whole.

I really do not see how it's a bad thing to make a game that appeals to casuals and hardcore players alike, it's not like it interferes with the game-play in either space.

"

permaximum wrote:

For care bear players there will be a Diablo 3 with shared loot, oversized gear, rainbows, automatic stats, dumbed-down gameplay etc.

Uh, what the hell? You sound like Diablo 3 raped and killed your family or something.

Shared loot? Shared loot is great, it encourages players to play together and trade. Nothing wrong with that. Not shared loot? Makes players want to play by themselves... Is there any benefit it offers? The short rush of grabbing the best item dropped before somebody else gets it and the person who just sat right next to the boss not actually attacking them gets it leading up to you getting disappointed and pissed off and going back to playing by yourself? Gee that sounds like fun.

Oversized gear? The reason the gear is "oversized" is because it's on the BARBARIAN and the BARBARIAN is GIANT. If they had made it any smaller it'd be just a bit away from being skintight. The witch doctor's gear isn't oversized it's fluffy due to all the feathers and so on, if you look at the Wizard's gear you can tell they're just making the armor to fit the characters.

And I don't understand why some people are so upset by the automatic stats. Diablo 2, for pretty much EVERY CLASS, was enough strength to wear gear, enough dex to max block, and the rest in vitality. Nobody bothers to bitch about that? Ok whatever.

Really I just hope you're trolling me because your complaints are just ridiculous.

First and foremost this is an official forum for Path of Exile.

I was not complaining about Path of Exile. Maybe Septile. But definetely I wasn't.

I was not attacking Diablo 3 either. I just pointed out that D3 cares about casual players and care-bear players. If PoE would go that route it would lose it's charm. If somebody wants a simple, light-hearted game there is Diablo 3. No need for PoE to copy D3.

Shortly no offense to D3. Just PoE's and D3's target audiences are a little bit different.

Edit:

@Silver

The things you don't want are definetely the things which make Path of Exile different than D3 and along the lines of dark, gritty, serious RPGs. Those things are the major reasons why PoE attracts current player base and classic aRPG players who played D1 and D2 for a long time. That player base is enough for GGG i think. Don't you agree? The last time I checked Diablo series sold more than 25 million copies and I don't even count pirate numbers which are much more than 25 million.

"

Silver wrote:

I really do not see how it's a bad thing to make a game that appeals to casuals and hardcore players alike, it's not like it interferes with the game-play in either space.

You gotta be kidding.

"

permaximum wrote:

@Silver

The things you don't want are definetely the things which make Path of Exile different than D3 and along the lines of dark, gritty, serious RPGs. Those things are the major reasons why PoE attracts current player base and classic aRPG players who played D1 and D2 for a long time. That player base is enough for GGG i think. Don't you agree? The last time I checked Diablo series sold more than 25 million copies and I don't even count pirate numbers which are much more than 25 million.

Actually no, I don't agree, you really can't compare the player base of a non-released game to that of a well known and established game like Diablo. First of all they are completely different games with completely different stories and lore.

Also, how many of those 25 million (random number is random without a link/quote) are just casual players? Probably most of them. A higher percent then the hardcore players, that's for sure.

Unfortunately player basses don't translate that easily.

All I will say is that if GGG wants to focus on just hardcore players they may not be able to hold the casual player base (maybe not at all) and that is lost revenue which ever way you look at it.

Every argument I ever heard against accommodating both the casual and hardcore player basses has always been this -

"Us hardcore players deserve a hardcore game and that is all we'll play - by the way we're not saying we're entitled to it even though it sounds that way."

Give me a break. On top of this insult the people making this argument are among the lowest percent of people who would be playing the game.

If they accommodate both play styles the game will win in the long run.

Edit: Simply my 2 cents, but I support GGG which ever way they go.

"

permaximum wrote:

The last time I checked PoE's target audience was the hardcore players.

GGG aren't trying to take their share from casual player market. They are trying to attract all hardcore players. With your strategy they will only lose players.

Why wouldn't they try to attract a relatively larger audience? Hardcore gamers can still play the game ("only the hardcore are left"), and casual gamers may pay for something before leaving.