Blizzard Describles Diablo III Death Mechanic

Blizzard has revealed some of the changes it's making to the "death mechanic" in Diablo III to help keep players in the action and eliminate the drudgery of corpse retrieval.

In the first two Diablo games, death meant a restart in town, a possible loss of gold and/or experience points depending on the difficulty level, and most annoying of all, a long march back to your corpse to retrieve your equipment and money. It provided some occasionally intense moments, since another death before the corpse was reached could be catastrophic, but in a forum post on Battle.net, Diablo III community manager Bashiok says Blizzard realizes it was a hassle and has decided on a different approach to player death.

"Before I get into what we are doing let me go over some things we want to avoid with a death mechanic," he wrote. "We want to separate being in town and being out on a quest/adventure/dungeon as much as possible. Leaving the safety of a town should not be a decision you take lightly. We don't want to remove the sense of suspense and danger by making town something you're always going back to pretty much whenever you like. The intent is to create a greater separation from being in town, and not, and to make your time away from town a lot more tense."

"On that same note we also don't want to remove the player from the action. Throwing them back to town for every death really breaks up the action, and not in a fun, interesting or necessary way," he continued. "So, with these things in mind we've found that a checkpoint system works really well. Throughout your adventures, and generally at the ends of each 'floor' of a dungeon your character is saved to a checkpoint. When you die you're dropped back at the last checkpoint with a small amount of health, and the rest regenerates slowly."

Bashiok added that Blizzard is very happy with how the system is working, but that further changes to the system are likely as development progresses. "It's obviously a very forgiving system as it is. It's just too early to put a ton of thought into what penalties there should be, if any, added on top of it," he wrote. "Regardless, potential penalties aside, this is the death mechanic we're currently using and it's working really well so far."

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The intent is to create a greater separation from being in town, and not, and to make your time away from town a lot more tense."

Nerf to Scroll/Tome of Town Portal? :( Now how am I going to cart all my loot back and forth between town?

This sounds pretty fair to me, however I never played the other Diablo Games so I guess I couldn't possibly comment.

Sounds like a play test mechanic more then anything else, a mechanic that makes it easier to check content. I predict it will change drastically.

p.s. I am known to be very wrong on occasions :)

Amnestic:

The intent is to create a greater separation from being in town, and not, and to make your time away from town a lot more tense."

Nerf to Scroll/Tome of Town Portal? :( Now how am I going to cart all my loot back and forth between town?

It'll most likely end up as a spell that lets you teleport your loot to your trunk.

This sounds like the exact same system as Titan Quest. Titan Quest borrows from Diablo now Diablo borrows from Titan Quest. The circle is complete.

OMG Checkpoints!!!11
I understand that this is a big departure from previous Diablo games, but in virtually any other genre, checkpoints are what keep players coming back for more. While it's possible to be TOO forgiving (Bioshock), this is a big step in the right direction.

So what we're basically talking about is the old platformer notion of lives?

And sitting there waiting for your health to regenerate is going to be so much fun...but will keep you online that much longer.

In fact, if there's no real penalty for death other than that, you may as well just hole up on regeneration/heal and Zerg the area.

Aries_Split:

Amnestic:

The intent is to create a greater separation from being in town, and not, and to make your time away from town a lot more tense."

Nerf to Scroll/Tome of Town Portal? :( Now how am I going to cart all my loot back and forth between town?

It'll most likely end up as a spell that lets you teleport your loot to your trunk.

But at the same time, how do you get to town to empty your trunk when it is full. That thing wasn't very big and never auto organized well.

The_root_of_all_evil:
In fact, if there's no real penalty for death other than that, you may as well just hole up on regeneration/heal and Zerg the area.

Here's an idea; Blizzard goes back all the way to a real old-school death mechanic, and bills you $0.25 every time you die and restart. Be careful what you wish for...

-- Steve

As a Diablo diehard, I like this new direction. Nothing was more infuriating than trudging back to your corpse only to die again and again and again, and have all your money and item durability shot in the attempt.

All I can say is thank god.

I remember those 'corpse runs' in D2, they were the most annoying and frustrating aspect of the game! Specially when you were trying to lvl up! I'd often pile up 10 bodies before achieving one, and restarting, while gaining your body back, would still cuase you to lose some pretty signficant xp, that could be hours upon hours of work down the drain.

Sure, a more lax death penalty may make you 'masichists' out there weep alittle more, but those of us who used to play games 10+ hours daily, then got a life and thats down to 2-4 hours, spending 2 hours retriving a corpse out of 2 to 4 hours, is alot less apealing then 2 out of 10 hours. You Are going to find alot more games becoming 'casual' because the generations that were used to these types of games that you could sink incredible amounts of time in, are you know, growing up, and can't invest those same hours into the games. But damn it, we want our cake and want to eat it to! I've never figured out that phrase btw. I mean, Who buys a cake, and doesn't eat it? Do you just sit it in your window, or on your table and stare at it? I dunno about you, but if I buy a cake, I'm gunna damn well eat it! Well, thats assuming there IS any cake at all...

Anton P. Nym:

The_root_of_all_evil:
In fact, if there's no real penalty for death other than that, you may as well just hole up on regeneration/heal and Zerg the area.

Here's an idea; Blizzard goes back all the way to a real old-school death mechanic, and bills you $0.25 every time you die and restart. Be careful what you wish for...

-- Steve

You really think they haven't thought of that already? Wanna see how much gold I can get for a one shot ring of regeneration if they start selling them in Auction Houses?

It'd be EQ's spider silk all over again. (I.E. level 4 monster common drop that sells for up to 10 gold each)

...Dieing in d2 isn't that bad..you just leave the game and come back in to find it right next to you in town. you may lose a little more xp that way but not as much if trying to get back to your body. yeah you may take the risk of losing your body but I've never heard of that actually happening to anyone. what they do is try to get their body and don't have enough room and end up picking up some of the objects from their body instead of it all. thats their own fault lol

I'm not sure I like check points for d2...but I'll give it it's chance.

Oh, I thought "Death Mechanic" was that class that they said "You are gonna hate when we announce."

-but it's the death mechanic, not "Death mechanic"...I feel kinda stupid.

darthgoat:
This sounds like the exact same system as Titan Quest. Titan Quest borrows from Diablo now Diablo borrows from Titan Quest. The circle is complete.

I'd say it sounds like res shrines in Guild Wars. Unsurprising given who worked on Guild Wars...

-- Alex

Alex_P:

darthgoat:
This sounds like the exact same system as Titan Quest. Titan Quest borrows from Diablo now Diablo borrows from Titan Quest. The circle is complete.

I'd say it sounds like res shrines in Guild Wars. Unsurprising given who worked on Guild Wars...

-- Alex

Not the same people who are working on Diablo 3, that's for sure.

I think Blizzard would be smart to take a cue from Fate, which would be doubly fun since Fate is essentially a casualized Diablo ripoff. When death comes a-callin' in Fate, you're given three distinct choices as to how to proceed, each with its own benefits and costs. If you have the time and inclination to do a corpse run, you can do so; you can also choose to have the game essentially hand your stuff back to you, spank you for some XP and send you on your way almost immediately. It's elegant and flexible; the only downside is that it's a bit of a mood-killer for a "serious" game.

Now we just wait and see. Hopefully it get's better. Pretty much every Diablo-like game has had a bad death mechanic. Titan quest had at least decent one. You'd only lose X amount of EXP depending on your level and the amount you have died, and when you retrieved your corpse, you would get some back. The walk from the last rebirth fountain could be boring, but nothing compared to Diablo's walk from town.

I'm liking the way this sounds, although if you played a tele sorc it didn't rly matter, lol.
I'm so excited about Diablo 3, and the fact that it'll be Battle.net so it's free online and because it'll be free, Blizzard won't care if ppl whine about "broken classes".

(Goes off to plan diabolic(PUN ba-ZING!)return of Windy Druid)

The_root_of_all_evil:
So what we're basically talking about is the old platformer notion of lives?

And sitting there waiting for your health to regenerate is going to be so much fun...but will keep you online that much longer.

In fact, if there's no real penalty for death other than that, you may as well just hole up on regeneration/heal and Zerg the area.

if it is like WoW or any other MMO that is a bad idea. mobs regen fast when not being attacked so in the time it takes you to spawn, heal (depending on rez health) and start yelling leeroy jenkins again that mob is back to full hp and ready for the second course.

chuiu:

Alex_P:
Unsurprising given who worked on Guild Wars...

Not the same people who are working on Diablo 3, that's for sure.

Nope, but they probably sat around and helped brainstorm some of the ideas. Guild Wars is like half World of Warcraft and half Diablo, after all.

-- Alex

bulletproof12:

The_root_of_all_evil:
So what we're basically talking about is the old platformer notion of lives?

And sitting there waiting for your health to regenerate is going to be so much fun...but will keep you online that much longer.

In fact, if there's no real penalty for death other than that, you may as well just hole up on regeneration/heal and Zerg the area.

if it is like WoW or any other MMO that is a bad idea. mobs regen fast when not being attacked so in the time it takes you to spawn, heal (depending on rez health) and start yelling leeroy jenkins again that mob is back to full hp and ready for the second course.

I guess it's a good thing it not an MMO and that it'll be on Battle.net
(I LOVE BATTLE.NET!!!)

And I guess it's also a good thing potions are never in short supply eh?

I quite liked the old system, at least from II. It gave you a good motivation to not die and also to track down the waypoints and use Town Portals intelligently.

If it ain't broke, leave it the fuck alone.

WHAT
THE
FUCK?

So, it's not enough for you to add a subscription fee, remove hostility altogether, fuck up the graphics, now you have to tamper with the mechanics?

No way I'm buying this piece of shit.

Hold up a sec.

Diablo 3 is going to be subscription-based?

H.R.Shovenstuff:
This sounds pretty fair to me, however I never played the other Diablo Games so I guess I couldn't possibly comment.

Do yourself a massive favour, and buy Diablo 2 and it's expansion. Kept me entertained for 6 years :)

Khell_Sennet:
Hold up a sec.

Diablo 3 is going to be subscription-based?

Buh-wah? Why on earth....

Indigo_Dingo:

Khell_Sennet:
Hold up a sec.

Diablo 3 is going to be subscription-based?

Buh-wah? Why on earth....

?

Not sure it is, Pyronox's comment is the first I heard about Diablo being subscription based. It wouldn't surprise me... Anger, yes, it would anger me, but not surprise.

Bottom line for me is I pay for a game once, not monthly. If they go this route, I'm out.

Khell_Sennet:

Indigo_Dingo:

Khell_Sennet:
Hold up a sec.

Diablo 3 is going to be subscription-based?

Buh-wah? Why on earth....

?

Not sure it is, Pyronox's comment is the first I heard about Diablo being subscription based. It wouldn't surprise me... Anger, yes, it would anger me, but not surprise.

Bottom line for me is I pay for a game once, not monthly. If they go this route, I'm out.

After a quick dive (literally ten minutes) into the ol' Google search, I've found nothing that says that it definitevly will have monthly payments. Most of it is people asking: Will it have monthly payments? or Will you play it if it has monthly payments?

Considering D3 is a Battlenet thing and SC, WC3 and D2 (along with others, though those spring to the front of my mind) have been free for BNet thus far, I don't see why they'd change it now.

Pyronox:
WHAT
THE
FUCK?

So, it's not enough for you to add a subscription fee, remove hostility altogether, fuck up the graphics, now you have to tamper with the mechanics?

No way I'm buying this piece of shit.

Then I think this game may suit your tastes more.

Nobody has a right to get angry at a developer for designing the game differently than "the way it should be," especially early in the development process. If in 10 years Valve made Half Life 3, and turned it into Gears of War, complete with a sweaty, manly, talking Gordon Freeman, I would be surprised, sure, but I still wouldn't get mad at them because they're "doing it the wrong way." It's their game, let them do whatever the heck they want with it. If it turns out good, I will buy it. If it's crap, then I won't buy it. End of story.

Pyronox:
WHAT
THE
FUCK?

So, it's not enough for you to add a subscription fee, remove hostility altogether, fuck up the graphics, now you have to tamper with the mechanics?

No way I'm buying this piece of shit.

Umm, if you're not going to "tamper with the mechanics," why bother releasing a new game?

(If anyone mentions Madden I'll punch you.)

-- Alex

Pyronox:
WHAT
THE
FUCK?

So, it's not enough for you to add a subscription fee, remove hostility altogether, fuck up the graphics, now you have to tamper with the mechanics?

No way I'm buying this piece of shit.

Wow. I was going to say something along the lines of "In b4 someone says this ruins the game", but damn...

Also, judge it when it's a few months from release, not a few years. Things change, and if I had to say which game company I trust most, it would be Blizzard.

Malygris:
I think Blizzard would be smart to take a cue from Fate, which would be doubly fun since Fate is essentially a casualized Diablo ripoff. When death comes a-callin' in Fate, you're given three distinct choices as to how to proceed, each with its own benefits and costs. If you have the time and inclination to do a corpse run, you can do so; you can also choose to have the game essentially hand your stuff back to you, spank you for some XP and send you on your way almost immediately. It's elegant and flexible; the only downside is that it's a bit of a mood-killer for a "serious" game.

What's the third option?