Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Discussions of games for Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PC, Mac and other platforms.
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erilar
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Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by erilar »

Topic the First: Diablo III
Curious who of you will be jumping in (PC and Mac only)? I'm very in.


Topic the Second: Minecraft?

I started playing Terraria a bit last night - basically a retro 2D game similar to Minecraft (and Zack and friends' current obsession). This got me wondering if any of you are Minecraft-curious?

Minecraft will run on pretty much any computer (PC and Mac players can play together). Zack and I already have a dedicated server, so we can host. Or, it also just came out on XBLA last night if that reaches more individuals. I've played a decent amount with Zack and friends, and it can be very fun and even a little zen.

The game is very sandbox-y. While there are enemies to defend against, and a few "end-game" monsters to eventually tackle, there isn't a lot of "game" there. No quests or story. Instead, the game is largely about exploring, carving a home out of the wilderness, and then crafting and building cool stuff. So, it might not last us like a big-budget game, but we also don't have all that much time to play together on weeknights.

The game has a very strong Lego vibe. You start out in the middle of a randomly-generated world, with no tools. It's daytime, but the sun will eventually go down, and that's when the monsters come out. So you'd best find/create some shelter before that happens. The random world features a number of different surface biomes, and then there are random caves, caverns, mines, etc. underground. My favorite passtime is "delving too deeply", as Gandalf would say. :)

Plus, building bigger houses. Or castles. Or secret underground mountaintop lairs. And better weapons, armor, and tools - so you can dig even deeper and build even better stuff.


Topic the Third: TOR
FYI, I cancelled my TOR subscription yesterday, at least for a while. Just too many other games to play right now, and I hate paying $15/mo when I'm not putting the time in. I will probably go back to it, and definitely if it ever goes free-to-play. But for now, as of next Tuesday, I'm all about the Diablos for a while. (And all the other games I haven't finished...)
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
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Lars Porsenna
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by Lars Porsenna »

erilar wrote:Topic the First: Diablo III
Curious who of you will be jumping in (PC and Mac only)? I'm very in.
I may pick it up, as funds allow. Probably not on release date. I periodically try to get DII to run on my computers, haven't tried on my newest machine though...
Topic the Third: TOR
FYI, I cancelled my TOR subscription yesterday, at least for a while. Just too many other games to play right now, and I hate paying $15/mo when I'm not putting the time in. I will probably go back to it, and definitely if it ever goes free-to-play. But for now, as of next Tuesday, I'm all about the Diablos for a while. (And all the other games I haven't finished...)
Sadface...

Damon.
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by EvilGenius »

Lars Porsenna wrote:
Topic the Third: TOR
FYI, I cancelled my TOR subscription yesterday, at least for a while. Just too many other games to play right now, and I hate paying $15/mo when I'm not putting the time in. I will probably go back to it, and definitely if it ever goes free-to-play. But for now, as of next Tuesday, I'm all about the Diablos for a while. (And all the other games I haven't finished...)
Sadface...

Damon.
Ditto.
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by NukeHavoc »

I'll get Diablo III at some point, though I'm not sure when. I don't know if my Mac has enough power to handle it, but I'm considering getting a new computer, and you know what they say, new computer, new game. :)
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by Hardcorhobbs »

No on Diablo 3. Probably not on Minecraft (but if I did it'd be on Xbox). Still No on TOR. I'm playing Space Marine, Mass Effect 3, Assassins Creed Brotherhood, soon Ghost Recon Future Solder, and soon Dragons Dogma all on Xbox. Also a bunch of DS games. :)
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by NukeHavoc »

Would you believe that I got a review copy of Diablo III yesterday? No idea if it will run on my Mac, but I'm going to try. :)
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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erilar
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by erilar »

Wow, nice! My feeling is that it will probably run well. Blizzard is always really smart about making games forgiving.

My quick little mini review is:

It's Diablo II, and done well - not mind-blowing, no big evolution, just more Diablos. Definitely prettier, and more quest- and story-driven.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by NukeHavoc »

My quick review:

It's digital bubble wrap for keys. Click, click, click ... gather loot ... click, click, click ... turn in quest ... click, click, click.

This is in no way a negative review though; this is what Diablo *always* was, and it scratches a deep itch for me. It's immensely satisfying to wade through a horde of enemies and lay them all to waste.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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erilar
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by erilar »

Plus, the nostalgia wave is palpable. :D The great Matt Uelmen jangly-guitar soundtrack, the foreboding, dark, desperate atmosphere - and as Ken said, of course blowing apart the hordes upon hordes of creepies. Very cool.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
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moths
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by moths »

It's amazing how much it plays like D2 when you look at how different it is under the hood! They completely nuked the skill trees - you get every ability at full strength, all the time. The catch is you only access six of them at once. So instead of permanently putting 56 points into Lightning Trap to see what it does, you just spend a few moments selecting it.

The result is a custom toolbox of abilities that you throw at demons by clicking and mashing buttons, just like D2. Except without all the "Oops I ruined my guy."

Also, you want to activate Elective Mode right now. The game makes it look like you need to have one ability from each column, but you can bind anything to any button.
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erilar
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by erilar »

Agreed on all points. I think they made the game very accessible, and I also like how d3 is a little more story-driven due to the increased number of quests. I also just got my first companion, and I'm really liking that system. The stuff he says is hilarious.
moths wrote:activate Elective Mode right now. The game makes it look like you need to have one ability from each column, but you can bind anything to any button.
Yeah, that completely baffled me. I'm sure they were trying to make the game noob-friendly, but there should have been a "if you're a seasoned gamer, then click here" kind of message somewhere along the line.

FYI, there's also an option to turn on more detailed tooltips.
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moths
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by moths »

erilar wrote:FYI, there's also an option to turn on more detailed tooltips.
I can see why this one wasn't default, but if you don't have this on by Act II the game is going to be incredibly frustrating.

Left to my own, I'd have never realized how much spell damage was based off weapon damage - why would anyone think it was?
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erilar
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by erilar »

moths wrote:Left to my own, I'd have never realized how much spell damage was based off weapon damage - why would anyone think it was?
Agreed. Especially given that I'm playing a wizard. Early on, I was all confused when I realized that I could equip a bow. And then even more confused when it was evident that I wouldn't actually be shooting it. So why is this bow helping me?? :) From that point on, I've only been using wands - because it makes my brain hurt less.

One more source of annoyance/disappointment: the auction house. I went on the auction house when I was level 6 and purchased a wand and two rings. I'm now level 10, and just beat the Skeleton King last night. Even when he exploded like a loot fountain, and after all the smaller loot-pinatas that I've blasted along the way, I still haven't replaced those three items that I bought off the AH for a measly few hundred gold.

It's super simple to find great appropriate gear on the AH - and so not fun or satisfying. But I never seem to get any actual drops that are worth a damn. There are dozens of different kinds of weapons and armor, and many varieties of each, and as such the odds of actually getting something appropriate seem extremely low.

This effect may mostly be a function of me playing the game solo. Perhaps with party members, there is more of a chance to find appropriate items to trade with others. Still, I want to finish the story at least once solo before branching out, or perhaps group up as long as the other players are willing to let me listen to all the cinemas/voiceovers and explore all the nooks and crannies (there is loot in them there crannies...).

Brenden, what is your user name, or whatever we need to share to become friends on there. My account email is lancer dot x at gmail dot com. My BattleTag thing is Erilar, but Blizz appended some numbers after it that I don't recall. Same deal with you, Ken.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by moths »

My battletag is BRM130, but it also has a hashtag and a bunch of numbers. I'll try to add you and it should give you some kind of notification!

My experience with the AH is weird. Long-term, I don't really see how it's going to work since nothing soulbinds and the pool of available gear is ever-expanding. I can buy something for 10K, use it to level until I get something better, then re-auction it for 9K or 10K. I imagine most end-game gear is going to be cash-shopped, which hasn't launched yet.

This game's economy can only move down, since supply is infinitely growing. This whole thing is just strange to me.
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erilar
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Re: Diablo, Minecraft, and SWTOR (oh my)

Post by erilar »

Agreed, and in a game where the main motivation is loot, the AH just seems to devalue the expectation of a cool drop from a boss, etc.
"This enemy you cannot kill. You can only drive it back damaged into the depths, and teach your children to watch the waves for its return." - Quellcrist Falconer
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