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 Paul Younger 

When asked about puzzles on levels, they are being kept simple to keep the action flowing. During the demo the Barbarian went to open a chest which spawned four ghouls instead of giving the character the loot from within the chest. Once the ghouls were taken care of, the loot was there for the taking. These simple traps are what players can expect throughout the game, they are puzzles butin a very basic form.

Diablo 3The other character on show was the Witch Doctor, a character class that utilises nature. The Witch Doctor can summon swarms of locusts which then hunt down the enemy. These swarms also spread moving from foe to foe making them highly effective on medium sized groups of mobs. The re's the Horrify skill which summons a spirit to spook the enemies and also the ability to summon pet mongrels; which can also have a swarm of locusts attached to each summoned pet. These make the Witch Doctor an interesting looking class to play if you like using summonables. One of the coolest looking skills for the Witch Doctor is the ability to summon a whole wall of zombies. Yes, a whole wall and it's pretty amusing to watch as the bedragled creatures rise from the ground. While we don't know which of the original classes will make it into the game, it's looking more like the Witch Doctor is a replacement for the Necromancer so we're betting the Necro is not one of the original classes not to make a come back.

Diablo 3As the two characters progressed through what can best be described as a jungle zone, it was time to take on some of the larger mobs. The monsters in the gameplay footage are not actual bosses, these are just larger mobs which take tactics and skill to vanquish. We were not shown any boss monsters, but if these guys were anything to go by, the boss monsters are going to be tough.

Right now Blizzard are experimenting with the level randomisation, nothing has been set in stone but they've looked at what worked in the previous games and want to improve on that so they're trying things out such as moving level entrances and exits. Some areas, like the previous games, will stay the same all the time but dungeon levels will be randomised as well as the mobs in those zones.

Gear will once again play an important part and players can expect a huge variety of loot types including highly coveted items that may well have played a part in Diablo lore. Picking up loot is also more streamlined, items you see are there for the taking, it won't be battle with other party members as to who gets the loot once it drops.

Diablo 3There has been some concern over the more vibrant look of the game, Diablo and Diablo II were dark worlds but that has not been forgotten by the development team. They have been doing their research which has involved watching horror movies and seeing how colour has been used to convey mood. Although the spell effects and some of the levels look more vibrant at first glance, Blizzard are looking to keep the game dark and moody, much like a horror movie. The word 'horror' has been used a lot during the discussions with the development team so we're confident they will find the right mood for the game, a mood that will not disappoint the players, even if some players are currently usnure of the art direction.

To demo the multiplayer. during the gameplay demo the two character classes joined forces for two player action and right now Blizzard has not set a group size limit but have said that it could possibly be set to eight players once the game hits the shop shelves. However, a lot depends on what is technically possible and they've said it currently plays best with less than a group of eight. Like the previous games Diablo III will utilise Battle.Net and Blizzard will be adding new features to the service leading up to the launch of StarCraft II. They are more than aware of the trolling on Battle.Net want to make Battle.Net a pleasant environment for all Diablo III players so they'll be adding tools to improve the overall social experience.

It's been a long time coming but the announcement of Diablo III is an exciting one, having played the Diablo games myself for many years, to see the series continue is simply fantastic and Blizzard will be onto a winner with the game, Diablo gamers have been crying out for Diablo III and it looks Blizzard will finally deliver, even if the majority of the development team did not play a part in the original games.

N4G : News for Gamers

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Diablo 3

User comments

(1) Posted: 20:45 on 30 Jun 2008
WirtsThirdLeg
I hope writing isn't a full time job for you, because this is one of the most inept efforts I've ever seen. Do you even know how to run the Spell Checker before publishing?
(2) Posted: 06:32 on 01 Jul 2008
jabbathehut
Aftern being spoiled, for the last 10 years, by flux's eloquence, reading this was kinda sad. I found at least 12 spelling mistakes. Thanx for the summary, but please, fix the mistakes:)
(3) Posted: 01:42 on 03 Jul 2008
Paul Younger
You guys are right, looks like the Ed added the draft copy. I'll smack him around the head when I see him next. I have amended it to the final copy.
(4) Posted: 12:41 on 11 Jul 2008
Asteria
Thanks for the preview and for not being too spoddy, not all of us are propellor heads. Leave that to the fansites:)

Roll on Diablo 3.
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