Diablo 3
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Screenshot confirms that Diablo III is "Hydra"
Reader Oleg was kind enough to send along this Diablo III screenshot, which he found over on Blizzard's main site about the new game they announced this weekend. As you can see up in the corner, the game's internal code name apparently was Hydra, so that answers the question we posted way back in September of last year about someone overhearing the name "Hydra" being bounced around the Austin GDC.And we also know now, of course, that Diablo III isn't an MMO, which means that Blizzard still has at least one secret project running: that next-gen MMO that we've been told about via job listings. Unfortunately, we probably won't hear much about it for a while -- unless Blizzard wants to ramp up their production, three titles at once is a lot for them to work on, and even at BlizzCon later this year, we don't really expect to see a new game announcement (although they might use the occasion, if Wrath really is released by then, to announce the next planned expansion).Still, that's one mystery solved. Maybe we'll overhear another codename this year in Anaheim, and the rumor wheel can start spinning up yet again.
WWI08: Lore and art in Diablo 3
At Blizzard's recent Worldwide Invitational, Diablo 3's World Designer Leonard Boyarsky and Art Director Brian Morrisroe got on stage in front of a crowd hungry for details on Blizzard's latest project to talk about combining art and lore to expand the world give the player a deeper and more engaging experience. Diablo is a unique fantasy universe in that instead of having Dwarves and Elves, it has Angels and Demons. The game's setting makes it a dark fantasy environment that the previous games had only scratched the surface of.%Gallery-26348%
WWI08: Lore and art in Diablo 3 (Part 2 - Q&A)
Q&A with Leo and Brian Q: In the end of Diablo 2 we went to hell, killed him, smashed his Soulstone and essence of him, Bael, Maphesto ... how do we justify him coming back? Leo: You don't know for sure that Diablo is coming back. [Ed: ... !] We don't want to divulge too much of the story, we just want to say that it will be entertaining when you come to it. Q: In previous game you had quests to achieve to get, say the Horadric Cube. Will there be similar quests? Will we be able to get the Horadric Cube again? Leo: The way the process works is we look into the story, look into the lore, and we want that to drive the gameplay and drive the quests. I can say there will be quests related to lore. In Diablo 2 they didn't just set out to say "let's make this great cube," it came out of the design process.%Gallery-26348%
WWI08: Diablo 3 design fundamentals
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Diablo_3_design_fundamentals'; At the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, Blizzard designers took to the stage to talk about the design goals and fundamentals behind their upcoming title, Diablo III. Jay Wilson, lead designer on the title, presented a rundown of the design philosophy behind the game, covering its origins, the game's approchability, and the design team's "better gameplay, less carpal tunnel" approach.%Gallery-26348%
Diablo 3 lead designer says it won't be on PS3
For those of you who haven't been online the last day or so, you are probably the only ones who doesn't know Diablo 3 has been announced. There's been rumors about the likelihood/unlikelihood of a console version, and now we can put those rumors to rest. In Joystiq's exclusive interview with lead designer Jay Wilson, he said they "don't have any plans" for a console version. This really is too bad though, as we geniunely felt if any console had the chance of a Diablo 3 port, it would be the PS3. And here we were, hoping we won't have to upgrade our computers when it comes out...
The Daily Grind: What's Blizzard's next big thing?
Now that Blizzard's finally announced Diablo 3, ending a feverish period of second guessing and rampant speculation, one thing is clear: Despite how you may feel about the big reveal, the specter of Diablo 3 can finally be laid to rest. Waiting in the wings, however, is ... what?Starcraft 2 is in process, so it's extremely unlikely that Blizzard would dilute that audience by announcing a Starcraft MMO. Ditto with a Diablo MMO, and we don't even know what its release date might be. World of Warcraft has Wrath of the Lich King coming (probably) next year. Can we assume that the next announcement will concern their "next-gen MMO"? Is that project the oft-mentioned "Hydra"? With two active fantasy titles and one science fiction game, what could the next big thing possibly be?
Poll: What classes would you like to see return in Diablo 3?
Along with finally confirming Diablo 3's existence, Blizzard also revealed two of the five (or perhaps more) classes, the Witch Doctor and the Barbarian. Although we imagine any returning characters would see a massive overhaul from their previous renditions -- that's assuming the remaining three aren't entirely original -- we want to know who you'd like to see make it into the third game.%Poll-16132%%Gallery-26348%(Note: All classes in the game have both male and female options, hence voting D1's sorcerer is the same as voting for D2's sorceress.)
Joystiq chats with Jay Wilson on Diablo 3
click to embiggen var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Diablo_3_s_Jay_Wilson_talks_Deckard_Cain_cows_co_op'; The buzz here at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is all about Diablo 3. When will we have a playable demo? When can we expect a release? Blizzard, of course, isn't willing to commit to a date other than their standard "when it's done" answer: What classes are going to be available? Blizzard's answer: we're not ready to talk about that. Will there be a cow level? Blizzard's answer... well, more on that later. Joystiq had a chance to catch up with Diablo 3's lead designer Jay Wilson (whom you may know from his work on a little game called Dawn of War) and pick his brain about how he got on the Diablo 3 project, what's in store for Battle.net, and the secret cow level.%Gallery-26348%
Has the splash screen mystery been solved?
So if you've been living under a rock here's the news: Blizzard announced Diablo 3 at the World Wide Invitational's opening address. This has brought much delight to many fans, and closure to the many who believed that the changing splash screen has pointed to this game. During the address the splash screen changed to a flash teaser of the latest in the demonic property. It a pretty exciting announcement, but I'm not convinced that this is the only thing there. The demon in the logo does match up with the eyes and brow of the central character, but the flash does not add to the existing chain of splash screens. This bit of news also fails to explain the interesting icy bit in the lower left hand corner of image 5.5.
WWI '08 Day 1 roundup
We had bloggers onsite for Day 1 at the Worldwide Invitational 2008 in Paris. Elizabeth Harper, Turpster, and Jennie Lees were all in France to provide in-depth coverage with liveblogging, pictures, and videos, and our entire staff was back here in the US to break out the analysis and coverage of the live streams. Here's a roundup of all the posts from Day 1.Liveblogging Opening ceremony Developer's panel Q&A with Developer's Panel Analysis by Class Death Knight Druid Hunter Mage Paladin Priest Rogue Shaman Warlock Warrior Analysis by Topic Diablo 3 Announcement Gear resets High expectations Linux Raid buffs Talent trees Media WoW Insider podcast Gallery: Diablo 3 Gallery: Splash screen speculation Gallery: A first look at the WWI digs Movie: Turpster talks to people waiting in line for WWI Movie: Turpster amok in Paris UPDATE: A round up of our entire weekend of coverage can be found here!%Gallery-26320%
The Best of Big Download; June 22-28, 2008
Wow. We have had tons of news, downloads and new content for Big Download this week . . .and that's just for Diablo III. Let's take a look at the highlights for the past week.Exclusive Features Games for Windows Press Conference: We attend Microsoft's press event where they give their views on the future of PC gaming. Guide to TF2 Pyro Achievements: Want a details look at all of the new achievements you can get while playing the Pyro in Team Fortress 2. Then check out the first five parts of our series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part 5. Shattered Suns Interview: We have an extensive interview with Chas. Cooper of Clear Crown Studios about their upcoming space based RTS game. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford: We chat with the head of the extremely busy game developer on Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway and their other projects. Alone In the Dark Interview: We chat with Atari US producer Todd Slepian about their just released survival horror game. Hands-On: Deer Hunter Tournament: We get hands-on with the newest entry in the hunting sim series from Atari. In-Depth: Armaggedon Empires: We take a detailed ook at this acclaimed indie strategy game. In-Depth: The Political Machine: We offer a look at the just released political strategy game from Stardock Big Ideas: Why do we play video games?: Our editorial takes a look at why we need playtime with games anyway. BigCast 001: Our debut podcast has three of our team members chatting about, what else, PC gaming Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free games has a look at Freeciv, a free tribute to the great Civilization games. Spore Creature Creator contest: You still have time to participate in our contest; make the best creatures and win some cool prizes
Blizzard Splash Screen Update for June 28 -- still inconclusive
This may be the final day where we bravely speculate on the still-hidden mysteries of Blizzard's splash page. The ice has completely melted overnight to reveal ... well ... we're still trying to decipher that one.The eye slits are definitely not star clusters anymore, perhaps it has something to do with candles. We also now have a cryptic letter puzzle to solve. O Blizzard, why do you tease us so!Update: In all seriousness, our friends at WoW Insider have made their case for why the splash page still holds some mysteries.
Poll results: 43% of Joystiq readers were right about Diablo 3
It turns out Joystiq readers are very smart soothsayers (not that the entire internet didn't see it coming, either through wishful thinking or horribly Photoshopped images "leaked from Blizzard's servers"). When the mysterious week-long splash page started, we asked you to predict the announcement expected at the Worldwide Invitational. Here were your top three answers: Diablo 3, and it's about time! (43.8%) Wrath of the Lich King release date (19.2%) Starcraft 2 release date (8.9%) Congratulations to everyone who guessed right. And as for everyone else ... hey, what are you complaining about? You still got Diablo 3!%Gallery-26348%
Diablo 3 information overload
After several days of conjecture, an evolving series of load screens, and more fanboy arguments than you can shake a mouse at, word has finally come down from on high that the newest Blizzard property will be Diablo III. With the announcement this morning, Blizzard has thrown open the floodgates with screen shots, concept art, video and more. If you're wondering about what this upcoming title has in store, check out coverage from around the network and beyond, or wander through the eye-candy goodness of the galleries! Liveblogging the Worldwide Invitational opening ceremony Splash page changes as WWI opening ceremony begins, announces Diablo 3 Watch Diablo 3 teaser and gameplay footage First Diablo 3 screenshots Highlights from the Diablo 3 FAQ Diablo 3 shipping simultaneously on Mac Who's Jay Wilson? WWI streaming reliability disappoints %Gallery-26340% %Gallery-26348%
Highlights from the Diablo 3 FAQ
If Blizzard's Diablo 3 FAQ page is still acting wonky, or if you're too impatient to read through everything here are the highlights: Return to Sanctuary, the same world as the previous 2 games. The game takes place 20 years after Diablo 2. There are 5 character classes in the game. We know two so far: a new Witch Doctor class, and a completely redone Barbarian class. Male and female options for all classes. Havok-powered physics Building on previous random environments, Blizzard promises "a host of new ways to create random scripted events throughout the game." Upgraded Battle.net Deckard Cain returns, but is noted as the "first victim" of the new horrors Plan is to release the game "simultaneously in as many regions as possible, and to localize the game in several languages." The game will ship for Mac and Windows simultaneously. %Gallery-26348%
Diablo 3 shipping simultaneously on Mac
The Diablo 3 FAQ is being hammered at the moment (we couldn't imagine why), but just in case you were worried, Blizzard assures us that the game will work on Apple computers. So sayeth the website: "As with all of Blizzard Entertainment's recent releases, Diablo 3 will ship for both Windows and Mac simultaneously." As for whether your Mac will be able to run the game, that's an as-of-yet unanswered query.%Gallery-26348%
Here are the first Diablo 3 screenshots
click to enter screenshot gallery After months (years?) of speculation, Diablo 3 was just announced by Blizzard at its Worldwide Invitational event in Paris. With an eight-year hiatus following Diablo 2's release, the first question on everyone's mind seems to be: how's it look? The answer – perhaps unsurprisingly given Blizzard's focus on their fans and reasonable system requirements – seems to be: "a lot like Diablo 2."Ah, but first impressions can be deceiving. The Diablo 3 FAQ says that the game "runs on a custom 3D game engine for rendering full-3D characters and environments" and even "uses a custom physics engine that allows for realistic object dynamics and cloth simulation." Seems to us that – like Blizzard's other recent update, Starcraft 2 – any resemblence to earlier Diablo titles is a design goal, not a technological limitation. %Gallery-26348%
Watch Diablo 3 teaser and gameplay footage
We've got a handful of Diablo 3 videos here for you to get your eyeballs all over. First up, above, is the cinematic teaser. What does that mean? Lots of CG, film-school approved camera angles, and dramatic voiceover work. Great for some folks but if what you really want is gameplay footage, we've got a nearly twenty minute clip of that after the break, which should help even things out. Still feel it's unbalanced? Well, there's also got a third video showing off some of the game's concept art, so it's not gameplay footage or CG! Something for everyone, that's what we always say.
Breakfast Topic: What Blizzard didn't announce at the opening ceremony
By now I'm assuming you've read the liveblog or seen the announcement post and heard: Diablo 3 is go. By now you have probably also heard that there really weren't any other announcements at the opening ceremony. Don't get me wrong, Diablo 3 is awesome. But as much as we're Blizzard fanboys (and fangirls) here, we're all about the WoW first, and we need some WoTLK news to sustain us too -- and we still don't know what that mysterious "next generation MMO" in development is either -- it seems most people are assuming it's Starcraft now though. Me, I'm not convinced. After all, there's a Starcraft game in development too, so it could presumably be either franchise, or simply an updated World of Warcraft 2. There's quite a few things that could come out about WotLK today and tomorrow, of course. I'm still hoping for an opening cinematic and an official release date to start. While we're at it, how about giving us a demo of the Dance Studio or Barbershop, or better yet, some other unannounced new major feature for the expansion? I might even settle for new skills, talent trees, or even a new battleground preview. What are your expectations and hopes for news from the World Wide Invitational as it soldiers on?
Who's Jay Wilson?
Jay Wilson is on stage at WWI right now, showing off Blizzard's new game, the very hot-looking Diablo 3. But just who is Jay Wilson, and why is he in charge of the new Diablo game? Wilson's worked with Blizzard on World of Warcraft, and he's even got a character named after him.Previously, he'd worked for a company called Relic Entertainment, and was the lead designer on Dawn of War, a Warhammer 40000 (Warhammer, but in the future, kind of like Starcraft to our Warcraft)-based RTS game. The good news is that the game was fairly well reviewed, but of course Diablo 3 isn't an RTS game, it's a hack-and-slash, so we're not sure how Wilson will do on that front yet.In this interview, Wilson was known to be at Blizzard and supposedly working on Starcraft II but of course now we know better. This new Diablo could be the chance for this developer new to Blizzard to claim his place in history.UPDATE: Our very own Joystiq caught up with Jay Wilson at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. Find out what Diablo 3's lead designer has to say about porting to consoles, the next Deckard Cain rap and the notorious dupe exploits of previous games.
