| (Pages: 1, 2) | |
Well, I'm all for innovation, but Blizzard have been taking a lot of risks lately. Only Tim(e) will show if they pay off. | |
Hell yes. The whole tech tree thing got on my nerves. Why not allow us to say dump exp points into whatever skill we want but it just starts off really weak so you have to dump way more points to level it up. Then not only does it get stronger but has additional side effects. And each skill costs different amount of points so you can get something right now or save up for a far more useful one later. | |
Kind of like in Fable? | |
Well, it's the first time I've seen a screenshot of the soon-to-be-trashed skill tree, and I'm sure I'm not the first to say the style and presentation looks directly imported from WOW. | |
probably was too hard for some people so now you will get suggestions instead of skills no I dont know what that means I just feel like being snotty to them | |
In all fairness, that screen seemed to be pretty old. It was actually a very nice setup at BlizzCon, with the style very gothic; it had an awesome stained-glass-window interface, and the icon art was DEFINITELY not WoW - a lot more brutal and bloody for one. | |
Man, I sincerely hope they don't screw this up. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. | |
I can't really bother to care anymore about this game. I'm sure Blizzard will deliver a spectacular game, but I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy it by the time it comes out. | |
Let's hope that the new system will be innovating enough to replace the skill tree system which so many people loathe in future games. | |
I'm all for them replacing it with something that will be easy enough for someone with a PhD in math to use (cursed optimization!). Nothing worse then making a few early choices then realizing you've wasted points in something that is pretty much useless. I'm curious what they are cooking up, though. | |
Pretty sure they said they were adding respeccing into D3 as well, so that was no longer the biggest issue in the world. No more rerolling due to missclicks or planning all 99 levels in advance from the very start :P | |
I actually really hated the skill tree system introduced in Diablo II. It just frustrated me more compared to the spell system in Diablo I. The thing I hated was that it felt like your character build had a variety of options, but the only way to get good in the game was to follow pre-defined "good" builds down the skill tree to make a successful character. I had to pretty much go on GameFaqs to figure out what skills to actually take or try out for my Necromancer and I just got this creeping feeling that if they just stuck to a linear skill tree system, it would be no different than a "You level up! You get this skill" Final Fantasy 4 did. Of course some way of resetting the points in the skills so the player could optimize the build would make the game easier to play--though it just frustrated me to no end to realize why my characters kept dying so much was because of an improper build that I would have to start all the way back to level one. Though I got "Torchlight" here so I'm in no hurry to be hyped up on "Diablo III". | |
It's still so far away that I can't seem to care right now... By the time we get to the release, they could reveal and subsequently thrash any number of features/ideas. | |
The proposed skill tree system for D3 was already different from WoW in that tier prerequisites counted across any tree. That small change looked as if it could bring all kinds of variety into the mix. (example: take Tier1 skills from one tree, Tier2 skills from a second tree, Tier3 skills from the third tree, etc...) I was actually a bit excited about it, but now I'm a little nervous. | |
Wow, I'm surprised by hearing this. It's a bit soon to start looking forward to it though. That I don't like. | |
This makes me ANGRY. | |
Yeah, it always seemed a bit harsh to punish the player for not having the clairvoyance to know how different skills would develop in later stages and difficulties. So this change may be a good thing, all the better if it doesn't require a clunky forgetfulness machine. "Sure I can make it like you were never a Sorceror at all! Just 10,000 gold. Ok turn around and gimme a moment to fill this sack with bricks. Now you may feel a sharp sensation at the back of the head..." | |
Haha, I brought this up yesterday in another article's comment section. First, blizzard says it will take longer than most people expected. Then, the skill tree is done away with. I hope they know what they are doing. But, they have a good track record of great and completely polished games... so, I am still expecting a game that will kick the dungeon crawler genre up a notch. | |
Outraged fanboy "boycott" in 3...2...1... | |
I think you'll find KotoR used the same feat system as Dungeons & Dragon 3rd Edition (give or take a little tweaking for sci-fi and jedi stuff.) | |
I like the tree system cause it works and is organized but I'm up for something new. | |
Do you know what other game it looks imported from? Diablo 2. | |
Yeah, wow just streamlined d2's skill tree and made it easier on the eyes... not to mention that wow used the same name and effect for quite a few of the skills. If it works, it works, right? | |
Skill tree will be replaced. | |
Hm. I'm all for innovation, but I'm forced to do a little chicken/egg speculation here: Was the decision to delay the game a result of them deciding to do this? Or did Blizzard tell the D3 team "Hey... uhm... yeah: it looks like you got a LOT more time to work on your game because of the way <cough>ACTIVISION<cough> excuse me, we want to stagger our releases... sooooo... Go hog wild!" Something about the "[t]his new system is still in the development stages and if it does not work, we still have plenty of options to fall back on" quote makes me think it's the latter. | |
Those are the exact same thing except one has a slight cosmetic upgrade.
Blizzard self publish. Blizzard work autonomously from Activision. Blizzard have always set their own How many more times must I iterate this? | |
Actualy the skill tree system only came in Diablo 2. The original Diablo skill levels were just another part of your gear progression. And since every other rpg&mmo have decided to copy on that system instead of inovating it. So if anyone, Blizzard are the guys that can move the genre forward. And for the love of everything that is sacred, don't do skill-up on use. Unless it is balanced to be fool proof (in which case it becomes unnecessary) it is just a grind fest and just drains the fun of playing. (If you've played WoW as melee you know what I'm on about) | |
Not to be confrontational, but what makes you an authority to claim this? I'm not saying you're wrong, just that Blizzard and Activision are a single business entity now, and a publicly-traded one at that. Rumors have been floating around about release conflicts between the companies since Activision Blizzard's chief financial officer, Thomas Tippl announced the revised schedule of releases for Blizzard. Regardless of how 'autonomous' you think Blizzard is from Activision, the fact that a Blizzard-Activision guy is the one who first mentioned it (and did so in the context of financial projections, no less) should at least hint that Blizzard is decidedly less than 'autonomous'. Again, not saying it's impossible that Blizzard still maintains a great deal of freedom and control, just that if you think nothing has changed from when they were an independent company... well, I think you're being a bit naive about how big business works. Blizzard is ultimately beholden to the shareholders of ATVI to protect their best interests, and that includes not self-competing... and thus, my speculation still stands in regards to the real reason Blizzard is making this change so late in the production cycle. | |
Blizzard wasn't an independent company before the merger, either. Blizzard was owned by Vivendi Universal. Vivendi's games division acquired Activision, whose name was changed to Activision-Blizzard to take advantage of the brand capital. There's a much better summary of what actually happened around the site somewhere, but that's the general gist of it. | |
I'm not sure I like this. I really, really like the skill tree and talent tree designs, as they really allow a fluid progression in character strength, and allow for quite a bit of customization. Their new system must be pretty great to nudge such a well-tested design to the side. | |
Good. I hate skill trees. Becuase usually the most awesome spell is on the shitty tree and you need to make crazy combos to make it work. Which means hours of learning all the spells and lot's of internet FaQ's and walthroughs. | |
The skill system needs rewamping. In Diablo 2 you had the issue of having to invest in early skills to survive, but those skillpoints would be lost, because later in the game you would only use the stronger skills. This created the incentive of not using skillpoints and playing a harder game early on in order to save them for the more powerful skills later. So what Diablo really needs is a skill system where the skills you invest in always remain useful and don't become obsolete by later skills. | |
Blizzard! Makin shit for casual gamers since Wrath of the Lich King | |
Why does everyone seem surprised? This game is set to launch next time Cthulu wakes, so just wait a few eons. | |
| (Pages: 1, 2) | |
Extra Punctuation
MovieBob: Intermission
Experienced Points
First Person
Exploding Barrels
Miracle of Sound: Encore
Loading Time
Special Attack
Backchat
Drinking Games
Escape to the Movies
Escapecraft
Escapist News Wrap - Premium
Escapist Podcast
Feed Dump
GinxTV
Jimquisition
LoadingReadyRun
Mahalo
Meatbag and Co
Media Sandwich
Miracle of Sound
No Right Answer
Pro-Gamer Gauntlet
Reviews
Space Janitors
Tales from the Table
The Big Picture
The Escapist Presents
The Retro Show
Trailers
Unskippable
Zero Punctuation
Max Payne 3 Review
Company of Heroes 2
XCOM Enemy Unknown
Black Ops 2
Diablo 3 Review
TERA Review
Firefall Beta Preview
Starhawk Review
Critical Miss
Name Game
Blizzard Trashing Diablo III Skill Tree System
Blizzard's skill tree system that we've come to know and love may be taking a hike when Diablo III is released sometime before the 22nd century.
It's been confirmed that Diablo III won't be released anytime soon, but now we have a hint as to why that might be: Blizzard is still developing the game. Recent tweets from Blizzard's Diablo Twitter account and a new interview with Diablo III lead designer Jay Wilson on DiabloFans have revealed that the game's skill system is still being nailed down, and the skill trees often used by Blizzard may not make the cut.
Two tweets hinted last week that the skill system could be changing: "The skill system revision is in full force. Trees begone! I think it might be a winner. Jay says hi," followed by "We're implementing and will be testing a new system that changes how skills are acquired. That's all I'll say." In the DiabloFans interview, Jay Wilson divulges:
For those unaware, the skill tree is a system through which a videogame character's capabilities are improved by advancing through singular or multiple branches of certain types of abilities. Unlocking an ability often provides access to another more powerful one. Skill trees were arguably popularized by Blizzard, and have become a mainstay of videogame design.
If Blizzard is trashing skill trees to use something different for Diablo III, it can only speak volumes for what this new concept may be. It could be something similar to the skill system used in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, where a skill improves as it is used. However, knowing Blizzard, I doubt the company's new idea would be something so simple. All we can do is wait and see.
(Via: Blue's News)
Permalink