Blizzard gain a flash of insight?
#17
(07-04-2012, 02:56 PM)smegged Wrote: Yes and no. The difference between the two systems is the connection you feel with the character. You have to debate whether you get the extra 5 strength to be able to wear that item or not. In Diablo 3 there really isn't that choice. Sure, we can always instantly respec our build, but the primary currency is not stats and skills, but items. That's the fundamental difference.

I guess there seem to me to be three variables at play here. (See also, the thread about the Mass Effect 1 vs 2 item system...)

1) The number of choices ("lots of options")
2) The impact choices have on game play ("choices that matter")
3) The permanence of choices ("respeccing")

For the ME1/2 debate, I was arguing that 2 is more important than 1: I would rather have two interesting, differentiated skills that play differently, than 10 skills that play almost identically, or 9 broken skills and 1 clearly superior skill.

For D3, they seem to have done a great job of 1 and 2 - not an easy combination. The sheer number of combinations and builds possible with the various skills and runes boggles the mind, and at least most of them work - certainly a much larger share than D2 skills! Some are better than others, and some mix of defense and offence is (probably) necessary, but there are a great many ways to skin this cat for each class.

The only question then, is whether 3 matters. There are pros and cons to permanence. It does add something to the roleplaying flavour. But in this situation, I don't see why it is more fun to build a 2nd wizard to try disintegrate vs. arcane orb, or whatever. All that encourages is endless skill tree plotting, and a whole swack of grindy replaying of old areas. It isn't even the kind of fun permanence that makes hardcore so adrenalin-loaded. If you pick the wrong skill or build, then you feel kind of stupid, but you don't feel challenged, or excited.

Meanwhile, as it stands, you are encouraged to try a variety of skills and playstyles, to customize to your preference rather than to a cookie cutter build, to adapt your toolkit to particular challenges. That seems like an interesting challenge to me.

They could make the skills slightly less modular - maybe have a respec function back in town that costs nontrivial resources. But I for one am thankful that Blizzard went for the system they did.

-Jester
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Messages In This Thread
Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by MMAgCh - 07-03-2012, 10:21 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Ashock - 07-03-2012, 11:28 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Treesh - 07-04-2012, 01:29 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by FoxBat - 07-04-2012, 02:24 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Nystul - 07-04-2012, 09:55 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Bolty - 07-04-2012, 03:26 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Mavfin - 07-04-2012, 06:28 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Treesh - 07-05-2012, 01:22 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Mavfin - 07-08-2012, 01:06 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Mavfin - 07-08-2012, 08:12 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 10:05 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 02:23 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Mavfin - 07-04-2012, 04:56 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Yricyn - 07-05-2012, 01:57 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 05:10 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Lissa - 07-04-2012, 08:17 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 08:53 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Roland - 07-04-2012, 09:13 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 09:19 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Roland - 07-04-2012, 09:36 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 09:38 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 09:06 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Roland - 07-04-2012, 09:43 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Roland - 07-04-2012, 09:56 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-04-2012, 11:43 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Roland - 07-05-2012, 12:33 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Roland - 07-04-2012, 10:48 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by LavCat - 07-05-2012, 02:31 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by LavCat - 07-05-2012, 08:08 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Ashock - 07-05-2012, 04:51 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Jester - 07-05-2012, 05:52 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Ashock - 07-05-2012, 07:17 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Mavfin - 07-28-2012, 04:44 AM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by FoxBat - 09-05-2012, 12:36 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Kurosu - 08-09-2012, 04:14 PM
RE: Blizzard gain a flash of insight? - by Dozer - 09-05-2012, 03:15 AM

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