Blizzard Quote [source]
In order to help address issues with players being able to connect and stay connected to the game, we have brought all Diablo III servers offline in the Americas for urgent maintenance. We currently anticipate that this maintenance period will last approximately 6 hours, concluding around 6:00 p.m. PDT. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this maintenance will cause, and will provide another update once all servers are back online.
A round up of news and community happenings from the past week
The internet has been chock full of Xbox vs. PlayStation discussion since the start of E3. Unfazed by these arguments, Blizzard has been neutral, with plans to release Diablo 3 on both platforms.
Topics of the Week:
- Will we ever see a ladder system?
- Is the drop rate of Demonic Essences in a good spot?
- PlayStation 3 Multiplayer Trailer
- Blizzard E3 highlights (photos)
- Explanation on how targeted skills will work on the console ports
- How Monster Power works on the console versions
- Console preorder bonuses and exclusives
Will we ever see a ladder system?
This has been a heated topic since day one, but Blizzard has only recently begun to really comment on it. Wyatt Cheng discussed it during his interview with Archon, where he clearly stated that they are looking into the possibility of adding a ladder, but they are undecided on how or even if they plan to implement it. This does not mean a ladder system is confirmed, only that it is on the table of possible additions. Lylirra responded to a thread this week with a mini-survey of sorts, inquiring about what players would want in a ladder system.
Blizzard Quote [source]
What exactly would you want from a ladder system? For example:
- How would you ideally like that system to work?
- How long would you like the resets to be?
- How many characters do you think players should be able to create for ladders? (Do you think they should take up the existing slots you have?)
- Should there be an auction house for ladder characters?
- Should there be any special items or perks for ladder-only characters? If so, what kind?
- What kind of restrictions, if any, should be placed on ladder characters?
- Do think players should be able to bring their ladder characters into "non-ladder" once a reset is complete?
- Is it necessary for ladders to be competitive, or is it enough for players to just see for themselves how far they can go on their own?
- Why would ladders improve your in-game experience?
Muertdogg's post is actually a great example of feedback that's great for me to pass on. I love the pro/con breakdown he provided for all the different types of ladder options out there, and why each option is meaningful (or not meaningful) for him as a player. Would love to see more discussion along those lines. :)
Join on in the discussion over on the battle.net forums!
Another popular topic this this week was the discussion whether Demonic Essences should drop more or less. Lylirra has been taking feedback on the topic and passing it along to the developers. With valid points being expressed on both sides of the argument, are you team #Dropless or @Dropmore? Posted by Battle.net user Frozen: -Right now it is a pain to farm demonic essences, their drop rate is just too low for an item that much needed by the players, -Considering the actual drop rate in mp10 is 38.9% it is just extremely low, considering most players have to craft in amounts of 100 or 200 at the same time, it just gets too annoying. -There are some upgrades that cannont be achieved without crafting at all, i'd like demonic essences to be guaranteed when killin every single elite monster in mp10. That'd be awesome Lylirra: Your post is pretty interesting, because most threads I've seen (both here and on other Diablo fan sites) typically say that Essences drop too frequently. I'm glad you created it, since it's generated a lot of great debate on the topic. Couple of questions for you so I can get a bit of context for where your feedback is coming from (anyone is welcome to chime in): - On what MP do you typically farm? - Do you usually just farm casually and pick up whatever Essences you acquire along the way, or do ever go out of your way to farm Essences specifically? - About how many Essences do you pick up in a session? - Do you use those Essences immediately, or are you a player that likes to stock up? - When it comes to crafting, is gold the limiting factor for you or are Essences? - How many Essences would you like to ideally see in a farming session, and why do you feel that amount would be better than what you see currently? Thanks! Posted by Battle.net user DKSMOOVE: I would like to see demonic essence drop rates a bit raised, but I can see validity of having it fairly low (due to ability to craft BIS). Lylirra: That's certainly one of the biggest influences on the drop rate. Even so, we're always open to making adjustments if they're what's best for the long term health of the game. And getting a better understanding for how players who would like to see the drop rate raised approach farming and crafting just informs that decision in a much more meaningful way. This new trailer gives a great look at the multiplayer action players will experience on their couch. The second video is a rather lengthy gameplay walk through by the developers.
Is the drop rate of Demonic Essences in a good spot?
Blizzard Quote [source]
Blizzard Quote [source]
PlayStation 3 Multiplayer Trailer & Gameplay Demonstration
Read more →
A round up of news and community happenings from the past week
The internet has been chock full of Xbox vs. PlayStation discussion since the start of E3. Unfazed by these arguments, Blizzard has been neutral, with plans to release Diablo 3 on both platforms.
Topics of the Week:
- Will we ever see a ladder system?
- Is the drop rate of Demonic Essences in a good spot?
- PlayStation 3 Multiplayer Trailer
- Blizzard E3 highlights (photos)
- Explanation on how targeted skills will work on the console ports
- How Monster Power works on the console versions
- Console preorder bonuses and exclusives
Will we ever see a ladder system?
This has been a heated topic since day one, but Blizzard has only recently begun to really comment on it. Wyatt Cheng discussed it during his interview with Archon, where he clearly stated that they are looking into the possibility of adding a ladder, but they are undecided on how or even if they plan to implement it. This does not mean a ladder system is confirmed, only that it is on the table of possible additions. Lylirra responded to a thread this week with a mini-survey of sorts, inquiring about what players would want in a ladder system.
Blizzard Quote [source]
What exactly would you want from a ladder system? For example:
- How would you ideally like that system to work?
- How long would you like the resets to be?
- How many characters do you think players should be able to create for ladders? (Do you think they should take up the existing slots you have?)
- Should there be an auction house for ladder characters?
- Should there be any special items or perks for ladder-only characters? If so, what kind?
- What kind of restrictions, if any, should be placed on ladder characters?
- Do think players should be able to bring their ladder characters into "non-ladder" once a reset is complete?
- Is it necessary for ladders to be competitive, or is it enough for players to just see for themselves how far they can go on their own?
- Why would ladders improve your in-game experience?
Muertdogg's post is actually a great example of feedback that's great for me to pass on. I love the pro/con breakdown he provided for all the different types of ladder options out there, and why each option is meaningful (or not meaningful) for him as a player. Would love to see more discussion along those lines. :)
Join on in the discussion over on the battle.net forums!
Another popular topic this this week was the discussion whether Demonic Essences should drop more or less. Lylirra has been taking feedback on the topic and passing it along to the developers. With valid points being expressed on both sides of the argument, are you team #Dropless or @Dropmore? Posted by Battle.net user Frozen: -Right now it is a pain to farm demonic essences, their drop rate is just too low for an item that much needed by the players, -Considering the actual drop rate in mp10 is 38.9% it is just extremely low, considering most players have to craft in amounts of 100 or 200 at the same time, it just gets too annoying. -There are some upgrades that cannont be achieved without crafting at all, i'd like demonic essences to be guaranteed when killin every single elite monster in mp10. That'd be awesome Lylirra: Your post is pretty interesting, because most threads I've seen (both here and on other Diablo fan sites) typically say that Essences drop too frequently. I'm glad you created it, since it's generated a lot of great debate on the topic. Couple of questions for you so I can get a bit of context for where your feedback is coming from (anyone is welcome to chime in): - On what MP do you typically farm? - Do you usually just farm casually and pick up whatever Essences you acquire along the way, or do ever go out of your way to farm Essences specifically? - About how many Essences do you pick up in a session? - Do you use those Essences immediately, or are you a player that likes to stock up? - When it comes to crafting, is gold the limiting factor for you or are Essences? - How many Essences would you like to ideally see in a farming session, and why do you feel that amount would be better than what you see currently? Thanks! Posted by Battle.net user DKSMOOVE: I would like to see demonic essence drop rates a bit raised, but I can see validity of having it fairly low (due to ability to craft BIS). Lylirra: That's certainly one of the biggest influences on the drop rate. Even so, we're always open to making adjustments if they're what's best for the long term health of the game. And getting a better understanding for how players who would like to see the drop rate raised approach farming and crafting just informs that decision in a much more meaningful way. This new trailer gives a great look at the multiplayer action players will experience on their couch. The second video is a rather lengthy gameplay walk through by the developers.
Is the drop rate of Demonic Essences in a good spot?
Blizzard Quote [source]
Blizzard Quote [source]
PlayStation 3 Multiplayer Trailer & Gameplay Demonstration
Read more →
Blizzard Quote [source]
This week's Community Commentary shout out goes to Hound for an interesting thread he created over on diablo.incgamers.com that discusses the merits of using Rubies vs. Emeralds in your weapons.
Since patch 1.0.7 released, some of you may have noticed that more and more Nephalem are now using Rubies in their weapons (whereas Emeralds were the go-to choice for many players previously). Why is this the case? One of the big reasons is that Rubies received a buff to the bonus damage they provide in 1.0.7, but Hound breaks things down a little further in his in-depth analysis. He was a little surprised at the results when he experimented and swapped from an Emerald to a Ruby (however, he did point out that it’s not necessarily the best choice for everyone).
If you're interested in reading more about his findings and what might be right for your hero, then follow this link to his thread.
Source: Hound on diablo.incgamers.com
Which gems are you currently using in your weapons? Have you recently swapped to a ruby over an emerald, or are you considered doing so? Let us know what you think in the comment section below, or head on over to diablo.incgamers.com and join in the discussion over there!
Blizzard Quote [source]
Attendees who stop by the Activision and Sony booths at E3 this year to try out our multiplayer demo of Diablo III have the chance to walk away with a sweet PS3 skin bearing the D3 logo. (Pretty snazzy, huh?)
Rather than just let this be an E3-exclusive item, we want to give players at home the opportunity to score this loot, too! So, if you’d like to try your fate at earning a custom Diablo III-inspired skin for your PS3, here’s what you can do:
1) On Thursday, June 13, the Diablo III console developers will be taking the Sony Stage at E3 to give a special presentation of Diablo III on the PS3.
2) We'll be posting about this presentation on Twitter and Facebook – keep an eye on for these on Thursday!
3) Whenever you see a post related to the presentation on Thursday, either re-tweet it on Twitter or click "Share" on Facebook. Make sure to share the post publicly on Facebook so that you're eligible and so that we can contact you if you're a winner!
And it's that simple. We'll be randomly selecting 50 players who re-tweet and share our posts to receive the custom skin after the convention is over. Good luck, Nephalem!