#0 - Oct. 11, 2008, 8:32 p.m.
Let's try to keep the maturity above middle school please.
http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/
Second paragraph.
Apparently attributes are now automatically distributed on all characters. So two level 10 wizards will have the exact same base attributes, and two level 100 wizards will, similarly, have exactly the same base stat points.
Lets start on a positive note.
Jay Wilson, according to the interview, stated that this helps development on items as they will be able to predict the attributes of characters at certain levels and it puts more emphasis on items giving stat points for your attribute customization.
Okay, I can see this being an okay mechanic on that note, in theory. However I can't think of many other plus' to game play with this mechanic.
- Shifts focus from attributes to skills in character customization? Maybe, but that seems to over simplify the customization process of the game. That being said, the same way more doesn't always mean better, less isn't a surefire way to make something as fragile as character customization better, either.
- Makes it easier for the player to predict and plan builds? Yes, but again, it means there is less to plan for your character, and less to make him/her more unique.
I can't think of anything else that could be considered positive, so lets go to the theoretical negatives.
I'm going to be referring to pre-LoD when referring to Diablo2 game play, because essentially with the onset of runewords, and the anni/torch attributes became obsolete and were generic over ALL character classes. (min str, no mana, all vita, maybe some dex) However, pre-patch and pre-LoD attributes were a key part of character customization as you could build a sorc that focused on energy shield, which meant almost all mana and minimal vitality. (it was OP, but that's not the point) You could also make a melee sorc, where it was viable in early patches as game balance wasn't based on LoD itemization, which meant, for this build, crazy str/dex+vita which doesn't happen. Anyways, back to the analyzing.
- The first problem that comes to mind is, character customization is exactly what made Diablo3's predecessors successful, and that's what is being hurt by the implementation of this mechanic as it takes away control from the player, essentially, dictating how they will develop their character. It was that aspect that had players coming back again and again over the years just to make a new build or try out something new and attributes were a BIG part of that.
- The other aspect that quickly becomes apparent is the limitations of itemization for characters to use. What I mean is, because characters have pre-planned stats that when you reach the highest level, there will be item types that your character might not be able to use.
Hypothetical example; I think we can be fairly certain that the Wizard isn't going to be a strength based character by any means. If this is the case, late game, can we hope to be able to use upper tier heavy armor? If there is an item that might significantly benefit a build but is unachievable due to pre-allocated stat limitations, that is going to be severely detrimental to the game experience.
It seems like a minor thing, maybe, but it's the little things that can break a great game.
Other negatives that come to mind include, as stated before, an oversimplified experience taking away from one of the Diablo franchises greatest redeeming qualities.
By shifting itemization focus slightly from more unique and compelling stats like +skills, crushing blow, open wounds, resists, faster cast rate, etc, it puts too much emphasis on stats, as they were already important in itemization before pre-allocated stats.
The last thing that comes to mind is it creates a world of mediocrity within the base of each character. When all characters have a base that is identical to all characters of the same class, it's like running around with a bunch of clones where the only thing separating you from your playmates is the armor you're wearing and the skills you're using.
With all that said, I think, despite my clear bias against the mechanic, there is merit in both aspects. If there wasn't the development team wouldn't be using it right now.
The key thing is there must be some level of customization for stats as, after reading about the enchant skill for the Wizard, I personally want to make a melee Wizard with Slow time and teleport (striking runes and all that jazz). However the fact that my character might not have enough strength to use equipment that would ultimately make the class viable or representative to the image I want to portray, it becomes very apparent that this mechanic is of major concern for those, like me, that will want to explore obscure and abstract builds.
A compromise would be the best way to go I think. Complete control ultimately ends up with generic rules for character building as was evident in Diablo2:LoD and absolutely no control will most likely end up taking away from the versatility of character customization and the overall Diablo experience.
What that compromise is? I don't know, I'm no developer or programmer. I just hope the development finds some sort of middle ground.
What are your thoughts battle.net forum goers? Also, a little clarification from Bashiok would be more than welcome as this mechanic sounds far more detrimental then productive in hindsight.
Mentioned possible solutions/compromises;
1. Splitting auto allocated points and allocatable points upon level up
Ex. 2 points are chosen and 3 are automatically placed giving a total of 200 points to tweak your character OR the other way around giving a total of 300 points to tweak your character
An excellent option IMO, suggested by dugdugdug
2. When a character is created, he has a base set of stats that are allocated by the player and as he levels, these increase in such a fashion that the higher they are at the moment of creation, the more they compound on each other.
Ex. That is to say, the way it worked was ~50% of the base stat was compounded each level. So if you started with 10 str, you'd have 15 at level 2 and 20 at level 3.
Then again, they could implement a feature where you can cap a certain attribute and the points are redistributed among the other stats. Combine the two ideas and you have the current D2 system, but you simply don't need to assign the stats in this case.
An intriguing solution suggested by Holy_Knight19.
3. Quest rewards that would give you stat points so you could choose where they went. Quests like Lam Esem's tome would be nice; you would need quite a few of these quests though to make it worthwhile being able to spend points where you wanted to.
Another possible compromise, suggested by Royal_God
4. awarding stat bonuses according to whichever spell/skill/talent tree has the greatest number of invested spell/skill/talent points. Or take it even further and allocate a bonus in accordance with EACH spell/skill/talent proportional to the number of points placed into that spell/skill/talent.
Ex.+25 strength for each point placed into Enchant? That bonus could easily replace manual allocation if it were widely implemented for independent skills.
An interesting idea suggested by Two_Scoops
Could work well, especially if stats gained per level were decreased to offset the bonuses from skill stat effects.
5. In the character generator area, we get to 'rank' the attributes. They level up according to the rank we gave them.
Suggested by Roachkiller09
Could work in theory, except that's kinda just a reiteration of the system in D2 with less active control. =/
6. Having the option to choose whether or not your points are automatically allocated upon level up or character creation. This isn't really a compromise only because it defeats the whole reason why the Dev team implemented auto-allocation for itemization in the first place. However it is an option. Suggested by multiple members
