Musings (D2 versus D3/D4)

I have a broad theory on why Diablo games post D2 are not enjoyable and it's basically summarized as this. D2 is incredibly complex (not for players with 20 years experience) but certainly for any newcomer. Combine this inherent complexity with the fact that there isn't loads of tooltips or explanations to assist a player. The character sheet is laughed at as the 'lying cheat'. Many argue that the only way the player base even learned about the inner mechanics was years of data collection via botnets to reverse engineer the backend. Listen, a

Caduceus has a lower strength requirement versus its Exceptional counterpart, the

Divine Scepter. Mercenaries are equipable yet receive no durability penalty. Flat weapon damage is vastly superior versus +x%. Breakpoints are incredibly important yet 100% unknown (w/out outside research). This list continues.

So I think when Blizzard North collapsed and new teams took on the franchise they were super focused on creating a more curated experience, an 'easier' approach for players. The sad reality which I think we can all agree… is that the complexity of D2 is precisely why we love it. Of course a meta exists, but generally D2 is enjoyed by a player's free will. I never played D4 but I can with 100% certainty say D3 was played exactly how the developer intended. Zero sandbox...no theory crafting. The patch notes would literally tell you how to play. It was a brain-dead almost 'auto-pilot' of an experience. Of course this reeks of Boomer logic, old games were better than new etc. I'm just writing to point out that the steep learning curve may never come back to videogames, at least not games developed by AAA studios looking to cast as wide a net as possible.

it's also a form of gambling- with variable rewards ie the most addictive kind.

ghostpos wrote: 9 months ago

The patch notes would literally tell you how to play.

Yep... the Unique/Set bonus end up forcing you to always use a specific set of skills to get the most of them...
(and other specific related set of Uniques/Set...)

ghostpos wrote: 9 months ago

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I never played D4 but I can with 100% certainty say D3 was played exactly how the developer intended
[..]

Yeah, same thing really. Not that that's in any way surprising. After all, you're talking about a company that literally told their begging fanbase "No. And by the way, you don't want that/to do that either. You think you do, but you don't.". (Only to obviously be proven wrong thereafter)

D2 is/was a glorious game because the team that made it actually cared. And when people care about what they do, it shows. See the insane success that is BG3 as a more contemporary example. Doesn't just apply to gaming btw, this really goes for just about anything in life:
You genuinely care, it shows, people recognize it, outcome and reception are significantly more positive because of it.
You don't care and just force out whatever random turd you can rush through, it shows, people recognize it, outcome and reception are significantly worse because of it.

D2 remains one of my personal favorite games of all time. And for me, yes, part of that is the complexity that even after 20 years occasionally still surprises even me. But beyond that, if you actually view it in the context of when it was released, they cared to actually push things forward in terms of what a game can be and what a game can offer. And they cared enough to do so with an attention to detail that you didn't find in too many other places.
It was never a perfect game mind you. And even a decade-long fanboy like myself can recognize that and talk about the (sometimes massive) flaws it had, from duping over various griefing-bug-abuse options to blizz's customer service policy already being fairly shit even back then (albeit still massively better than today). But despite all that, as a whole, the game was just plain glorious because all of the good bits were indeed good to exceptional and you got to enjoy them largely how you wanted to.

Fast forward to D3/D4 (and for those who count it I guess immortal...lol) and all you get from blizz nowadays is shameless, rushed moneygrabs that offer little to nothing new and are effectively just a bunch of ripped-off components from other games, packaged into behind-the-times graphics and transitioned into an environment that is vaguely diablo-esque (and even that is being far too nice of a description imo). There's hardly any noteworthy level of detail. You immediately see that the only thing they "cared" about is getting it out the door as fast as humanly possible with the bare minimum of stacked turds in the box. And you get to then "enjoy" all of that in exactly the way they tell you to, all the while shelling out more and more money with every new season for a still-broken-and-incomplete-let-alone-polished piece of crap. Well woop di fucking doo.

krathkor wrote: 9 months ago

it's also a form of gambling- with variable rewards ie the most addictive kind.

This!

Also seems like D2 is an exercise in crypto currency!

D3: it’s the kinda game you play once, have fun, put it down and never think of it again…no staying power. And while i appreciated the cut scenes, the male voiced diablo/prime evil in an oddly feminine body, was … different

D4: didn’t play

D2’s in that sweet spot where a casual can pick-up and play and have fun, while at the same time a ‘hard-core’ gamer can take their gameplay to the next level

I played d4 at the release for a while and quit before the first season came out.

I cant shake the notion that I was in a playtesting session the entire time, and all of the dialogue and feedback I hear up to this point reinforces this for me.

I guess I dont like the idea that I'm not only paying to play the game but now I have to do your job too, like you bought a lumpen unformed mass and your going to shape it as you go..... no thanks have the guts to put out a finished product like they did in the past.

Yeah and damage on Tuesdays is a "big winner" item mechanic:

Xanhast70 wrote: 9 months ago

[..]

"+4% chance to increase 3% of your chances to chance by 6%"

While hilarious, it is just disturbing how accurately that actually sums up D4 affixes.