For all classes created basically three common types of skills, and then a handful of
specific skills for each. All classes have abilities that could fall into the
categories of primary attack, attack and defensive secondary. The primary attack
skills generally are those that are used often and usually generate resources. Side
attacks are those attacks more powerful than limit use through reuse resources or
time. The defensive skills are used to escape or control the flow of combat. Other
than that, the classes have unique categories such as armor spells for the wizard or
mantras to the monk. We use this methodology as a guide to the design of the classes
and their abilities, but they are not the player we showed that despite these
categories you could offer, as was the case with our own team, a better understanding
of how classes .
In August last year we conducted a tour of Diablo III for the press, and it was with
a small group of fan sites when I first revealed that the rune system still suffer
significant changes. Since then we have been working hard on the rune and skill
systems, and today we would like to share some details about the changes you will see
in the beta patch 13. We believe that these changes will make a better game Diablo
III, and to help explain why we believe it, I’ll start from the panoramic perspective
on our goals for these systems at the same time I discuss the comments and reactions
that have made us make these changes.
Start with the skill system. Our goal for this system has always been to give the
player as much power as possible to customize their character. And we think we got it
right from the start, eliminating the skill trees and opt for an open system in which
skills, variants of the runes and passive skills the player will choose a flexible
customization system.
That goal and the system has been a great success, but the amount of customization
available means nothing if it is not useful in combat situations. The depth of the
combat is another of our objectives; Diablo III is designed to be a modern action
game is supported by the mantra of “easy to learn, hard to master”. Regarding the
player, that translates to choose a set of skills and powers that work together and
then implement them to achieve success: the total annihilation of the demon invasion.
With that goal in fighting deep in our minds, we’ve been categorizing skills
internally since the creation of the system. Many of you probably recognize these
categories you could if you were to ask, and some players have unraveled what more
than successful.
Another goal is to ensure that the game’s controls and interface are simple to use,
so that players invest their time trying to master the game mechanics instead of
having to fiddle with the interface. Giving players complete freedom to choose
“Diablo 3 PowerLeveling” without any direction on how our systems supposed to work
was a flaw in our design. Moreover, the relationship between the lower bar of the
user interface and the skill system was very poor. We have six boxes of skills and
six locations in which to place them, but the two interfaces are not really
interacting, and store interface skills was strange.
To correct these problems, we focus on making two fundamental changes: 1) show the
purpose that underlies the design of skills, organizing them by category, and 2) the
selection of skills linked directly to the bottom bar of the user interface to
facilitate the process of assigning them. In reviewing the skill screen, you will see
your six skills checkboxes, each of them has its direct equivalent in your bottom
bar, and each provides a specific list of skills from which to choose. We have
covered the first half of the mantra, “easy to learn”, to provide clear guidance on
how to maximize your potential for creating characters.
(A monk level skills and runes nightmare choosing from the categories specified)
If you are the type of people more inclined to the part of “difficult to master”
maybe ye fuming right now, but before you throw to the forums, let me say that I’ve
also thought of you. In the game options, we have added an “optional mode” to the
skill system. When this box is checked, you can put any skill in any box, as freely
as they were doing before. The optional mode option is available at any time, since
there is no any kind of requirement or need anything to unlock it. We hope this new
interface, more guided; we provide further information on the purpose behind each
skill. It is even possible that this is the way fugues the game on Normal, but if at
any time you meet you cannot create a particular combination for a character along
the way we have set things up, you can activate the optional mode and choose the
skills you want.
(This image shows an optional mode character created entirely through primary and
secondary skills. Look at it in this way the names of the boxes for skills not
accurately reflect the status of the selected skill coming)
Although the skill system no major changes except for some interface enhancements and
useful (but optional) categories of skills, we have been working for quite profound
changes in the system of runes. Before going too, perhaps best make clear our terms:
first, now called skill runes and its name comes from the fact that they are no
longer a physical object, but are integrated directly into the skill system. Anyway,
let’s for a moment look back and examine some of the issues we were dealing with and
how this final design is supposed to solve.
Our purpose with the rune system has always been to provide additional customization
options for the characters, allowing players to increase or skills would alter
completely new and meaningful ways. At first, we add this to the item creation system
because it seemed like a good combination, since Diablo is primarily a game of fetch
objects. But with about 120 basic skills, meant that there were 600 different runes
in addition, each variant had five levels, which ultimately meant that there was
something like 3000 different runes in the game … and we knew we were heading
toward a problem.
No doubt, Diablo will object, but late in the game, having to juggle all these
different runes was not only funny, but constituted a serious problem and quite a
nuisance. We make several Diablo 3 Items changes, some of which completely
implemented, and we submitted to tests to try to solve these basic problems while
customizing we kept intact. Ultimately develop and implement a new system that we
have been playing and performing tests, and we are convinced that meets all
mechanical wanted to implement and solves all the issues, today I will talk about it,
and that is what you will see in Patch 13 beta.
(A demon hunter a level close to 25 by choosing a skill and rune variant)
With the new system, according skipping desbloque new skills leveling up, as you have
always done … but also desbloque skill runes. Now when you open the skill window,
you will choose what skills you want for each cell, variants prefiráis skill runes
and you’re passive. All this is done directly through the user interface, and all
options skills systems and passive skill runes are unlocked as the character goes up
in level, which means that there is much more general integration clearly between the
different systems. Similarly we set what skills are unlocked by level is reached; the
skill runes options are unlocked at different levels also.
Another aspect that we strive to include in our games is “how great concentration,”
and despite having runes levels made sense when we sought to include in the item
creation system throughout the game, you if now much less consistency are unlocked
through the user interface. We did not want to return to a situation in which you had
been to button clicks to put points on skills. The fact that your choices of runes
provide one powerful benefit to the ability that you have chosen is much more
concentrated (and great). The new system has no skill runes ranges, and instead, we
have that each is the equivalent of what was formerly the rank 4 or 5. A simple
click, you choose your rune and you succeed a tremendous benefit in that skill. It’s
much better.
The runes have assumed, without doubt, the greatest obstacle in terms of design we’ve
had in the game, and as you know we have been making changes to them constantly. We
believe that some of you will feel disappointed by the fact that the runes are no
longer part of the object system. Our team also took a long time to abandon that idea
and stop trying to force their existence as objects to move to focus on the real
purpose of the system. Integrate the runes on the skill system gave us a lot of
direct benefits, even without the presence of the runes are going to have more types
of objects in Diablo II. We knew we were taking the right path to stop thinking about
the runes as objects and focus on the main objective of the system: Customize your
skills incredibly.
Before closing, I wanted to add that one of the advantages provided by the new system
is going to unlock anything at all levels until the last (60). The most exciting part
of this system right now is that skill runes begin to unlock at level 6, which means
that the beta players can play with some variations of runes.
(The image above shows a possible witch doctor 13 of the beta level with various
skill runes options)
Pouf. Well, there you have it: the new systems of skills and runes! We firmly believe
that these changes will make a better game Diablo III, and we expect examinéis in
patch 13, which should be active at any moment (if not already). As always, we love
to see your comments and feedback on your experiences with these changes. To help
focus the conversation on these changes in one place, we are going to block comments
on this post and ask you publiquéis your opinions in a thread that we will open
exclusively to discuss the topic: Discussion about changes in the skills and runes.