Wasn't there just that article about 'where did video game color go' - citing the original Doom, and whatnot...

Well. Bliz is just bringing the color back to the gore.

sir_carrot

The game isn't even out yet. I have never been disappointed by a game that Blizzard had release. To all the people who don't like the new look, here's an idea. "IF you don't like it, don't play it."

downnup

@Llost: I suppose the irony of your statements are lost on yourself.

kingmanic

I don't think the atmosphere from what I've seen is broken in Diablo 3 and I think the scenery looks great with the art direction.

The only thing I don't want to see in Diablo 3 is this.

@Llost: You've thrown around insults of the worst kind enough to warrant a ban, so I suggest you just stop writing now as it's too late anyway.

Candlejack

I agree, fuck you brown.

LemmingX

@Desmondia: I thought he was acting like an asshole so told him not to label others as goths and emo, got mad and gave him one insult. Big deal. Now can we get back on topic?

Llost

@Moonlighter: Not to mention that instances are supposed to be randomly generated, aren't they?

I can't believe people want less vibrancy. That's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of Gears. You go from one grey area to another with a few brown areas in-between. Everything is muted with no variety. Yawn.
I want my Diablo environments to vary. Green jungles, dirty brown dungeons etc. And I'd take the "WoW style" over the old Diablo any day.

And what's all this bullshit about losing the light radius? I'm watching the HD gameplay video and there's clearly a circle of light around the barbarian. The rest of the game is better looking, making the radius less important or noticeable, but it's there.

Bluecell

@insaneo: It's twenty years after the events of Diablo II more than enough time for things to start to recover

mikemil828

This is so stupid. If Blizzard listened to all of these fanboys complaints I bet you we would end up with D2 not D3. I welcome the changes. Not to mention we've seen ONE bright area out of how many areas? These petitioners are ridiculous

mfwahwah

@Llost: You don't call people retards and you don't act like an asshole here.

Desmondia

@CardJoker:

I agree ... if it is blocky and giant lametastic weapons, it wont sit well with me.

It has to follow how the series was.

EnigmaNemesis

By the way, what the hell are people talking about with the WoW Proportions?
Maybe some of the monsters are proportioned a bit oddly (the Thousand Pounder for instance), but there were, like, 5 monster types like that in the whole video.
Or are they talking about the people? In which case they're nuts. I mean, maybe the Barbarian, but he's, you know, supposed to be incredibly muscular. And his armor? So what if it's a bit large- he's a barbarian.
@Baff: Signed. I'm #274!

Zerbrechen

@CardJoker: Yep! I wish they would forsake the thick swords and cinderella armour

Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Fransisco

SmokeFemur

@sarcasmOD: If we all went by exactly what the site was intended for we wouldn't be having this conversation cos we'd only be stating intelligent and insightful points that are on topic rather than bickering about posts.

Llost

I love the way Diablo 3 is looking. I welcome the colors. Bring 'em on, I saw. Let's get more games that are actually nice to look at.

PissedPS3Fan

Its the same point I made on the original petition feature. Half of the Acts have to be dungeon crawl and the other outside a la Titan Quest to show the stark contrast.

It does not take a nuclear scientist. :/

PsycheE

@sarcasmOD: Properly, by adding an apostrophe and an e, is my guess. :p

Omnimon

That anybody would try to tell Blizzard how to design their game is the height of arrogance. When has Blizzard not delivered on giving us a top quality product?

I trust them implicitly to deliver a stunning diablo 3 using however many colors they want.

Meohfumado

Like I've said...a creepy dungeon isn't creepy if the entire game takes place in the bottom of wells, sewers, and dark, brown and grey ruins. Contrast IS your friend.

ThisCharmingMan

@Llost: well since I'm too retarded by your own description to make heads or tails of what you're saying I'll drop it, but calling people retards is NOT what comments on this site are for.

sarcasmOD

this game needs more bloom. bloom has got to be the best visual effect ever put into a game.

this game dies without bloom!

myrlin

@futurebiblehero: Well without candles under the ground, how is our hero going to see at all? That wouldn't be much fun, would it? Oh, I seem to be describing parts of the original Diablo; some quite unsatisfying parts.

Omnimon

@sarcasmOD: I said line not sentance. Included in the first line (and stretching to the second) I said 'stop trying to brand people with labels' and then you replied saying roughly the same thing.

Llost

well, Blizzard listened to their fans when they said the alpha build of the original Starcraft looked like "Orcs in space".

Kreator

I went ahead and read the anti-color petition and I'm in full disagreement with what it states. The writer sounds like he and his friends just know what Diablo is supposed to look like to the point that they've created photoshopped images of what the game should look like... not realizing that real-time graphics can't exactly compete with what photoshop can produce.

They complain that the weapons and armor look too unrealistic and blocky, but my complaint with the original Diablo and Diablo 2 was that everybody looked alike. There was no real way to differentiate your character from others and "show your style" per se. With Diablo 3, larger and brighter wearables are the way to show your character's uniqueness and, let's face it, everyone's getting in on the "character customization" game nowadays. Besides, it's not like your bright colored armor is going to attract more enemies (although that would be a cool concept to work off of.)

They complain that the game isn't grim and scary and dark... but I'm pretty sure the zombie wall is one of the more horrific spells I've ever seen in a game. Did anyone notice how that merc's head got crushed in by the mid-boss? Or how that friend's upper-half got eaten at the end of the video? How the hell do you consider this game "not grim" with all the blood spilling everywhere? Pretty sure if the environment is too dark, you won't be able to see the all that blood.

They complain the game isn't realistic like the originals. To this I have one thing to say. If the game is supposed to be realistic, why does magic exist. This petition was written by fans of Ronald McDonald, I'm sure...

The next time this guy writes a petition, I hope he takes an English class to help with his grammar errors. Spell check doesn't really fix everything buddy.

DaveKap

@sarcasmOD: possibly

sarcasmOD

@Omnimon: You don't get it. The candles in those screenshots don't glow darkness.

futurebiblehero

@Llost: How can I possible re-word "your a retard"?

sarcasmOD

@Grumps: I hope an explosion from a spell like that causes some colors to fly. "I cast a bolt of darkness at the darkness!" *Goes and cries in the corner*

Omnimon

@mistersneak: Bad you. You're lying too.

Bright: [www.1up.com]
Dungeon: [www.1up.com]

Amazing, the difference!

Omnimon

15K+ petitioners aren't a lot. They are the minority (thou significant). I like the new art direction better (no I'm not a WoW player as well). The only point I agree with the petitioners is the absence of light radius, but maybe this is because Blizzard wanted to highlight the visuals by disabling light radius. However, if Blizzard removes the light radius system, it won't be a huge gameplay loss to Diablo 3.

alecpyron

Boohoo! Whine!! WAH!
Goddamn. Diablo 2 was very fun but it was also very... ugly, art direction wise.
I'm not saying Diablo needs to be happy-go-lucky rainbow style, but some visual differences would be, you know, interesting at the very least. I mean, with Blizzard's new graphics in both Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, who could expect the same brownish brown environments the other games had in the past?
And they talk about realistic tones? Perpetual darkness and brown everywhere isn't realistic, step outside for once, it's daytime half of the day.
I'm not saying this game should be World of Warcraft, but people are taking it a bit too far, the game's looking awesome... Especially the witch doctor.

Zerbrechen

@sarcasmOD: Did you just copy the first line of my post? Well I guess you managed to reword it :p so here's a medal *retard medal presented to sarcasmOD*

Anyway back to the game, it's just my opinion that they should work on keeping the visual style intact (whether it's brighter or not).

Llost

come on no impact. What a bunch of whiners. Its not even out yet.

ShaggyB

@CardJoker: "The people signing that petition don't want the game to be Brown"

Well, here are a few things that petition is demanding:

"Darker dungeons without a blue/green environment"
"Slightly less colorful and less vivid outside scenarios"
"Darker and less colorful landscapes"

That sounds to me like they want the game to be brown/gray. I spent plenty of time playing D1 & 2, I'm glad they are adding a bit of color. It's not like we are talking about day-glow colors.

Baff

@EnigmaNemesis: I don't think anyone has argued, with any bit of proof, that all 'colorful and Rainbow Brite' is what Blizzard has shown us.

@TofuHead: No, they don't. Stop lying.

Example 1: [www.1up.com]
Example 2: [www.1up.com]
Example 3: [www.1up.com]
Example 4: [www.1up.com]

And on and on, you get the point. Shut it.

Omnimon

I totally agree with this, too many games are going for a gritty grayish tone; I am sick of it now (If I play another Gears of War graphics clone I am going to go insane). More games should utilize a FULL color pallete for once, something that games like Diablo 3, Red Alert 3, Starcraft 2, Oblivion and Viva Pinata have done excellently. As long as Blizzard keeps the dark and evil sense and design of Diablo the game will turn out fine.

Invert-Blu

I think those 15,000 people need to get together and design their own game, because they obviously don't think Blizzard knows what they are doing.

jurb

@Llost: save your ignorant name calling and poor spelling for youtube.

sarcasmOD

meh.. my only issue is for the gigantic shoulder pads, the rest is looking great as it is, if they want yawn color palette its easy to do that: just adjust it in video card color options..

IroKuMata

@TofuHead:
"But the problem is that even the dark dungeons now look bright and friendly."

There are 3 things wrong with your comment.

1. There has been a SINGLE dungeon as of yet.

2. I did not see any bright nor friendly colors in the dungeon that was shown in the NINETEEN min gameplay flick. The only thing I saw was damp colors, and black. With ghost blue, torchlight, and lots and lots of blood.

3. Finally, how do you suppose this when the game is still at least 2 years away from being released.

suya123

@muffinmcmuffin: It was a joke you know lol

Jamin

*Claps*

Way to tell them.

Also, nice accompanying photo. Made me laugh.

CarbonFalcon

@TofuHead:

You don't know any specifics about that demo, or the video selections to film it. What was their gamma correction set at? What type of method did they use to film it? What would it look like actually displaying on different video cards, or different monitors?

Is that demo area in the final game or did they just make it for the purposes of the demo?

You are assuming quite a bit.

Jas49

Thank goodness, I'm tired of the too dark to see things around you aspect. I would love to see the entire Art of Diablo III without increasing my gamma.

Elderwulf

@TofuHead: We've only seen one dungeon (not dungeons), and it was more likely a showcase dungeon to show off skills, events, traps, and a semi-destructible environment and not a completely finished product. It'd be a rather illogical jump to the conclusion that one dark blue-green lighted catacombs area in the demo means every subterranean area in the finished product will also be equally lit.

Moonlighter

@kingmanic: Your a retard, stop trying to brand people with labels just cos you want your my pony game to be brighter and less scary. Fans of the game have merely voiced there opinion (just as some other fans have said they like how it's changed). What you whining and bitching for? Get a life.

Llost

Honestly though, Diablo is supposed to be dark as hell. Diablo I and II not having any contrast with rainbows and like unicorns or whatever didn't make it any less dark, it just gave you a sense of "there is no hope, no happiness anywhere". I don't have a problem if the bright colors are used very sparingly, though, like in a town or something, but I don't like it in actual game play areas so much (the contrast being the towns are a sanctuary from the evil). Overall I think the art style should convey a horribly bleak and hopeless world, the lush rainbow forests don't do that so much.

insaneo

Color isn't the problem. It is the style and implementation of Color that is the problem. the characters look like wow, the architecture style is like wow, the usage of textures is like wow. COLOR isn't the problem. it is the style.

I definitely signed.

DillDozer

If the dungeons look creepy and scary, then who cares if the surface areas look "normal" and colorful.

Remember that they can even make later surface areas look more destroyed and dark. Don't get upset just because this demo section had a more colorful surface area.

And in regards to more colorful lights in the dungeon: Come on, it's 2008. There's going to be better light effects. The dungeon I saw looked fine, and it was certainly not a Hell section.

You've seen one demo area, that might have been made just for this demo. You don't even know if it is in the final game or not. Give them a break already.

Jas49

this is too bright

[pc.ign.com]

Grumps

@Jamin: All I heard was "whah whah, I'm emo goth and my games have to be too". But maybe it's my hearing changing with age. some of the creepiest films have had very vivid color palette (David Lynch films). I'm fairly certain that people who played them for the dark Gothic atmosphere only were a loud minority. I'm going to be playing it because it's a thinly veiled skinner box and I enjoy the addiction. I'm going to be hunting loot and the scenery will be so secondary that the only time I see most of it is on my first play through. After that it'll be bosses, twinking, power leveling and item accounting.

kingmanic

I trust Blizzard over this matter more so than 15k people. Amazing how much people can bitch over 19 minutes and only two different areas. Did the dungeon seem vibrant and colorful? Not at all. Do you think once you fight Diablo, that it's going to be happy sunshine and rainbows? I highly doubt it.

Halosucks3

@ZenAndTonic:
@suya123:
Signed. Either is fine, but I have no problem with the design of what they've shown.

I mean... really. I'm probably desensitized now. Play Ragnarok Online in the city of Lutie - the dungeons play xmas carols and you're attacked by elves and toys! (And you know what? The gameplay feels like Diablo!)

fuchikoma

i really hope blizzard doesn't give in to the petition. I think the visuals look stunning and in my opinion creating a dark atmosphere doesn't necessarily mean using a bland colour pallete. Don't give in Blizzard just let people appreciate that changes are made and for all they know this could be for the better

biertonco

Protip: if you're mad at the coloration turn off gamma and contrast.

tehFluffz

I think Blizzard should IP ban the people who signed that petition. They dont deserve it.

NoBullet

@Stratovarius: I've been to London on many an occasion. It's pretty damn Brown and Grey. ;)

Shockeh

thank you 15 000 fans, now we'll never see diablo 3 released

Leepox

Adjust your TV if it's that annoying. Screw these people!

Denver_80203

But the problem is that even the dark dungeons now look bright and friendly.

TofuHead

I think its sad that some people are so afraid of change that they're signing a petition to prevent the use of a wide array of colors in a video game. We're already surrounded with games with pallettes of strictly brown.... or yellow... and its as if developers are finally ready to move on and gamers are like, "NO! I'm too used to this now!". Pathetic.

KHgamer17

SCREW next gen brown. We didn't advance graphics technology in the last twenty years to display millions and millions of colors just so we could use 32 shades of brown!

Freaking whiners.

Rebochan

@weasl: Here's the "I Like Color In My Diablo 3" petition:

[www.petitiononline.com]

I signed it, color is good. I am tired of games that are 24/7 dreary. Why can't bad guys live in pretty or at least pleasant looking places?

Baff

@CardJoker: Thickness has nothing to do with it. Those petitioners are whiny little brats who have seen at MOST 19 minutes of a game that is nowhere near completion. I don't care whether they want the game to be brown, gray, or an interactive goatse simulator, Blizzard is doing a damn fine job with this and being nitpicky serves no purpose.

sarcasmOD

@Emperor_Guam: Ever thought they are different people talking?

Simply said Diablo is a dark and grim game. I like what they're doing but it has it's drawbacks to me, it looks (only saying looks) to be moving towards a much lighter and less grim game. There's many things changed, not just the lighting (which seems to have got rid of light radius) but also the more cartoony design of the characters (they look more cartoony but aren't cartoons obviously) and the lack of detail and grain. I wouldn't expect everything to change but I'd hope they'd change one of these things and I'd hope it'd be the more WOW like character designs really.

Llost

Add me to the list of people who like the brighter, more vibrant environments.

Those petitioners can play D3 with an old cheesecloth wrapped around their monitors if it'll make them feel better about OMG TEH LIGHT IT BURNSES.

ZenAndTonic

@Jamin: You have a great point there. It must be a woman ruining your wonderful dark video game. You must be right, because all women love, quite exclusively, bright colors like pink and are the sole reason anything - outside of cooking - goes wrong.

Misogyny has no place in this world, online or off. Next time, instead of just spewing speech that is characterized with the word "hate" (at best), try to make an actual point.

muffinmcmuffin

People will always hate change (even on good changes), especially when they are so used to something. Like most other Blizzard franchises, any new thing that they would put in a sequel to any of their games will usually amount to ridiculous petitions and complaints that rarely affect the core gameplay.

eyao

i agree

TheNocturnalSun

@suya123:

Done! I'm number 232... lol

dmede02

Where's the "I Like Color In My Diablo 3" petitition.

weasl

I see most of you havent played Diablo 1 or 2, or atleast didnt pay attention to the art style.

The people signing that petition don't want the game to be Brown, they want it to match the Diablo art style from earlier games. Dark environments, the torch circle lighting your way, the non WoW blocky looking proportions, no one ever asked for brown or gray.

Jesus you people are thick.

CardJoker

Have we honestly been playing so many dreary brown and gray games this generation that people are actually offended by the sight of a little color?

MPSai

I bet half of these Kotaku comments about this article written by gamers signed the petition but insist to flame the so-called fanboys just so that they're in harmony with others.

Ricksterlau

TIP: If you want darker colors, turn down the brightness on your TV. If you want grayer colors, turn down the color on your TV.

PROBLEM SOLVED

Jeff Paine

The contrast he's referring to is non-existent. That's the problem. I agree it'd be great if you went from a beautiful, lush forest into a dark, dank, creepy dungeon, the contrast would be wonderful. But that's not how Diablo III looks right now. The dark, dank, creepy dungeon is just as colorful as the vibrant wilderness. Super-saturated blue/green dungeon walls don't give the feeling of gloom and doom you should feel in the dungeon.

It's a nice thought and a cute argument to pretend that more color is going to make the game creepier. Maybe it would, if they actually used it like they're claiming they do.

mistersneak

They showed one OUTDOOR FOREST AREA and one dungeon and people bitch and moan about too many colors. The dungeon was very moody, dark and detailed and the forest area look like, well a forest.

Perhaps these whiny petitioners should, I don't know, wait until they see some more environments before they act like douches.

If I recall, Diablo 2 had a very bright and colorful desert area.

KillerBee

I think the color is awesome! In fact, I'd probably buy the game because it looks so nice. Color is your friend and its been a part of our gaming industry for quite some time now.

ninja_warrior

I love the new look of it.

Hobb3z

They shouldn't have dignified that petition with a response.

sarcasmOD

@gaijira:

Hehehe... if someone starts a petition for these goofballs to stfu I would gladly sign!!!

dmede02

@VakeroRokero:

And not everything is colorful and rainbow brite!

EnigmaNemesis

Ah by the way people. I found the other petition to keep the colors and not the greys.

[www.petitiononline.com]

If anybody interested.

suya123

As long as it's fun, they can put bunnies on pogo sticks in the game for all I care.

ShaggE

Yep, because contrast trumps mood.

Oh wait, mood is extremely important in establishing the setting in a game like Diablo that's so very gameplay-focused.

Crap.

Kainy

finally someone has decided that the "hardcore palette" is boring. Life is full of colors, not everything is pale green and washout yellow film-look.

VakeroRokero

This is pretty much what I was thinking earlier on the petition discussion. We've seen two areas, not nearly enough to make any kind of conclusion regarding further content. And having it start off a bit more colorful will create a greater contrast for those areas that are darker and more sinister in appearance coming later in the game. This contrast could be especially potent if D3 follows a story line where the demonic invasion slowly corrupts the world. Each act (assuming they maintain a style of story progression similar to D2's) could become progressively more dark and sinister in appearance.

I think it's a fair assumption that Blizzard knows what they're doing. They've got a remarkable track record, and I'm more than willing to hold back criticism about a game we know almost nothing about. I really don't think they're planning on making Diablo 3: Adventures in Candyland.

Moonlighter

@symeon6: no, my dreams came true. go find your own.

zanzibarlegend

I like the new look. I hope they keep it. If you want a darker looking game, just go buy yourself a cheap pair of sunglasses!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

dmede02

@MOP88: I feel the same way. I'm actually happier thinking those sad little people wont be playing it.

Also, I like the new art direction as the better lighting allows me to see the beautiful detail Blizzard is putting into this game. I don't want it to be like games that have great graphics but are always so dark that you never see any of it.

NitrousO

I love how all the fanboys and Internet forums are referring to the art direction like it is a set thing. We saw twenty minutes of gameplay from a game that has hundreds and hundreds of hours of gameplay. The cinematic trailer, if anything, suggests Diablo III will be even darker. I also thoroughly agree with this above statement - light is much brighter against a black background, and dark caverns are much inkier when your pupils are dilated from sunlight, even if it is of the wan, pale, "fel" category of sunlight.

Mohican

@DaveKap: I think that sounds like a great idea. I'm sick of this new trend of "gritty realism". It's just boring and not nearly as fun to look at as it could be. Contrast is very important, their can't be highs if their aren't lows. No bright if their isn't dark.

gipmah

I like the color change myself, I hope they stick with it, and i'm sure there will still be some dark areas in the game so those butthurt petition signers should stop whining.

D-Sovereignty

I'll say it again: two display modes. Normal display mode, and Gray-Brown Filter With Forced 800x600 Resolution.

greyhoundbus

Highly in agreement with Mr. These days, developers seem to be hiding every imperfect edge and texture in a sea of drab tones. I'm starting to see full colour pallets as a sign of not only creativity, but confidence.

Swift_

blah I always remember playing Diablo 1 and opening the door to the butcher and hearing "Ahhh Fresh Meat!" Diablo 1 managed to create this atmosphere that kept me wanting to venture further into the dark depths of the cathedral but also scaring the shit out of me. Diablo 2 lost it and now it looks like Diablo 3 is going to be lost in it as well. People are afraid of the unknown but that doesn't mean it will prevent them from venturing, Diablo 1 was a very successful game. I am going to go ahead and say a woman must be on the production team and she is "thinking of the children"

Jamin

Anyone that played D2 ill remember how sucky the grapichs were, a new color palette will just make the game better. Hey and the monsters looks more bad ass this time around, as soon as the flowery scenery can be marred and scarred with pools of dark demon blood and zombie flesh, i do not care. But they better add some sick dungeos, nothing can beat Mephistos dungeon that composed of a pool of blood, with corpses forming a bridge to reach the portal, with its dark and macabre tone, it was amazing to look at, though it was all blurry.

alucardremixed

You know your goth if your color palette goes to 4 bits.

GHETTO.CHiLD

Pfff... if a group of emos/goths are having problems comparing the dark and creepy dungeons of Diablo to their sad suffering of an existence... I won't loose any sleep about it.

MOP88

Is there a petition to get said petition-signing whiners to stfu? Seriously, Blizzard's art team is top-notch; every game they've ever done is a visual treat imo. Vivid, high contrast colors doesn't mean freakin rainbow brite, it just means awesome spell effects and environmental variety. You want brown and grey, turn down the saturation on your monitor tough guy.

gaijira

I agree.
It would make dungeons more meaningful.

Say you're in the level that screenshot is in.
Everything is nice and colorful (realistic, even). Then you enter a dungeon that looks like Gears of War. After a half hour, you'll be wanting to go back to a place less dreary, giving you motivation to finish the dungeon.

Once you're inside long enough to clear it, and you head back out, it would feel even more rewarding when you finally leave the dank dungeon.
It would be like finally getting fresh air after being in the dungeon for so long.

If you're going from a dark brown world to a dark brown dungeon, it kinda loses it's meaning as a dangerous, creepy dungeon. The contrast needs to be there.

Coquiton

Im not bothered.

I thought the fans always liked Diablo or Blizzard games in general not because of the graphics as they tend to be so so. But the good gameplay. If the gameplay is great I couldnt care less that the graphics arent good enough. Aslong as the graphics are good enough for the time - which I feel these are then I'm happy

ciabb64

*site Damn, must need more cofee.

deadjesterx

@Grumps: to clarify. The towns(Rivendale in this LOTR comparison) should be bright and pretty and colorful, the fighting areas(Mines of Moria) should be dark and scary.

Grumps

Get ready for a deluge of dark screenshots - that aren't representative of the final product.

Even Blade Runner has color. Lighten up, online angry peoples.

Tonx

@DaveKap: You know what I totally agree to start a petition against the other petition. Now does anybody here know how to start one...

suya123

@suya123:

1 guy, 15000 times.

Whatever happened to that counter petition that sprung up? Last I check it only had 7 signatures.

Pezdispenser

Good though, Diablo II looks so plain and uninspiring. I don't even understand why people nowadays would want such generic looking games when you can do so much more with today's technology. It's a good thing they've opted for something new and inspiring.

Timooo

Every Other Next-Gen Producer-"But brown is so much easier!"

RodneyMcKay

@symeon6: They'd certainly make a truly sinister boss encounter. ;)

@Grumps: Exactly. A bright palette backed up by a suitably well implemented lighting system? Brilliance.

Shockeh

they'll probably just make a brown/dark filter that you can toggle in the options menu

featherblade360

What a bunch of cry babies. How about they make the damn game so dark that the screen is just pitch black? I mean I know you want it to be as dark as your soul and stuff but come on, we all know you wish you could be the cool kid. Regardless, all the evil in the world should have been killed off from the second story so things should be a little brighter. I mean they don't have to pay 4.25 for gas so shit should be a little brighter there.

GHETTO.CHiLD

I don't get why Kotaku thought that the petition by a group of bitchy fans was gaming news. *shrug* Not my sight though.

I'll give this thread about ten minutes before it's filled with frothing, whiny fanboys either stroke their own egos by declaring "teh victory" for the petition or trying to pass off their opinions on the graphics as some sort of undisputable fact.

deadjesterx

@Shockeh:

Yeah, and it's frustrating. Listen, in Resistance, London was basically just brown and gray. I've been a couple times.

London is not just brown and gray. As a matter of fact, there are many colors that well, color the city. It's a frustrating experience to be sure.

Also, every time I looked up, I didn't have light bloom on my face.

Stratovarius

Glad they (Blizzard) responded to that asinine petition with real design/art talk...

Daigoji Gai

I dont mind the colors ... just as long as it looks more realistic and not razor blades rope tied to sticks like in WoW.

EnigmaNemesis

As long as the contrast is very distinct (like having the underground dungeons, old castles, etc being crazy dark like Diablo and Diablo 2, but then having the outdoor areas look nice a realistically vibrant like in the demo) I'm fine with it. Yes, I liked the old D2 art style and aesthetic, but just as long as the outdoor areas don't too WoW on me there shouldn't be an issue.

SpishackCola

Those are great points on contrast. It's like the difference between a thunderstorm and the moment afterwards when the sunlight peeks through the clouds and everything is so vibrant.

Contrast between open/closed, light/dark, high value, low value are so paramount when you want to pick at the player's heartstrings and emotions.

Sentientv2

Honestly 15k? I doubt that that many people even KNOW that the petition exist.

The real question is how many people signed the petition more than once?

suya123

I still think dungeons could be dark and have pitch black outside a small torch circle of light and whatever ambient light sources there are.
After all, isn't it dark under the earth or in sealed up forbidden dark lairs?

Grumps

If it isn't people jabbering for more color in games it's people gibbering about monochrome browns.

Guild_Navigator

What!? Care Bears in the new Diablo!? AWESOME! My dreams have come true!

symeon6

Can we start up a petition supporting Blizzard's decision to have a colorful Diablo 3? Seriously, the fact that anyone would actively vote toward more boring, bland, grey and brown games is scaring me...

DaveKap

I don't see what the big deal is here? So they used more color in their game than most next gen games. Why are people pissed? There are all kinds of people who bitch and moan about games being to gray and then another game stops being gray and people get pissed? WTF you can't have it both ways.

Emperor_Guam

They want it as brown and colorless as Gears?

I don't understand what these fans whine about here, it looks great and color can really add to the whole game.

SegevRaz

Exactly!!

FryDay

"Keith Lee about the during the Blizzard Worldwide"
Grammar check maybe.

Dayhalk

I actually completely agree. The current 'style' in games is to have this drab palette of brown, which apparently means 'realistic', if you're a partially colour blind mole who's never left a tunnel.

That said, Diablo is meant to be a fairly dark, brutal game. I'd probably aim for a mid ground, with the 'dark' things possibly more dirty and brutal looking, to contrast the nice environments getting despoiled by them.

*Shrug* In all honesty, I hope the petition doesn't win out. There's no shortage of 'dark & gothic' games. Blizzard, you are not Games Workshop, resist!

Shockeh

It's a good point. I really don't understand why fans are raising such an issue. The fact that the game is announced is simply not enough to satisfy some people.

Ali

Just let them make their work... it's like if i'll be here saying how a james Bond movie should look...or how a tolkien inspired movie should look...

Gambly

Some people need to understand that's Blizzard's fucking game, not theirs. Don't like the colors? Too bad, don't buy it. Sucks to be you, while everyone else will be enjoying the game, you can have fun crying in your corner letting everyone know how much you hate anything remotely attractive looking.

I'm all for Blizzard broadening the color palette, the series was extremely drab looking.

Morithain

Man, everything in DIII needs to shave off like, 17 pounds

do people really about the wowish "thick & rich" modeling?

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

SmokeFemur

@Emperor_Guam: They feel, that the game is going to turn out like world of warcraft. They don't like that.

I am fine with it in every way. The game looks great so far. I would rather have a vivid game than a dull boring gray game.

Gravnar

whine [ wīn, hwīn ]

Definition:

1. intransitive verb complain peevishly: to complain in an unreasonable, repeated, or irritating way

- It is unreasonable to complain at this point because
you have seen a very small fraction of what the content will include. You have no context. You are extrapolating these two areas to all areas. It is unreasonable to assume all areas will look like what we have seen. From what I remember of DII, the first three outdoor areas were green with trees or bright yellow desert. Hardly the stuff of doom and gloom. The exception being the monochrome caves, which, by the way, we have not seen from DIII. The Monestary had stain glass windows that were bright, and there was the magical brightly colored aura around special chests (which were bright gold). I don't see a tremendous difference in color other than the inevitable detail that comes from a game that will play at twice the resolution as Diablo II. That means a wider range of colors to fill that detail. You are not convincing me that this is any different than Diablo II in color style based on the two areas we have seen. There is also a good chance they brightened up the dungeon and didn't have the light radius in or on for demo purposes. Also, the game isn't shipping tomorrow.

- It is irritating any of you think you know what is best for Diablo III better than the team working on Diablo III. You are not privvy to the meetings, discussions, and builds that have produced the decisions leading up to what has been seen so far.

- Finally, how many people bought WoW? Because of WoW's success, you are going to have to deal with the fact that many people liked that style. If you don't, that's fine. I don't have a problem with people asking if DII will be darker, or writing a kind suggestion to the company. I read that petition and it stinks of arrogance and petulance.

This reminds me of my 4 year old asking me for Oreo cookies. I go to the pantry and figure I'll be really nice and give him some M&M's as well. I grab the M&M's first and he starts crying because he wants Oreos. You might find you get what you want in spades along with the contrast to really drive it home. So how about you trust a great company to do their thing before acting like my 4 year old?

Roundling

I don't understand how wanting a dark atmosphere in a game that is about the Lords of Terror, Destruction, and Hatred makes a person goth or emo. I will be happy if the environment helps sell the story, if the story ends up being about a pink pony with rainbows and such then sure lets have an environment filled with bright colours.

Jamin

The creepiness of Diablo 1 was pretty awesome, but this new style looks pretty good too.

Wolfers

If I cared to have darker colors (I don't) couldn't I just adjust the gamma and saturation on my monitor?

Wireless Joe

For those people who prefer the grey and brown, I implore them to play a little bit of Hellgate: London. It serves as a prime example for complete texture boredom despite the designers' best effort to do otherwise (i.e., oh look, I'm at another brown sewer/grey street!).

Dyslexic_Alucard

@Llost:

"label

• noun 1 a small piece of paper, fabric, etc. attached to an object and giving information about it. 2 the name or trademark of a fashion company. 3 a company that produces recorded music. 4 a classifying name applied to a person or thing. 5 Biology & Chemistry a radioactive isotope, fluorescent dye, or enzyme used to make something identifiable.

• verb (labelled, labelling; US labeled, labeling) 1 attach a label to. 2 assign to a category. 3 Biology & Chemistry make (a substance, cell, etc.) identifiable using a label.

- ORIGIN Old French, 'ribbon'."
-Oxford English dictionary

#4 in the top paragraph and #2 in the bottom applies in this instance. Retard is a label applied to the mentally challenged. The irony you are not grasping is that retards are just as much a group as "emo goths" and likely a more numerous and more vulnerable one, as it's not a group you can opt out of. It is a category of human being every bit as much as "emo goth". So the derogatory use of one to complain about the derogatory use of the other is "ironic".

On the flip side, the derision of emo goths comes from the fact that most of us older people realize goths, emo's, and emo goths will grow out of it and be deeply embarrassed by that time in their lives. We're just trying to speed you along that journey. It's like disco douchbags in the 70's or beatnicks from the 60's. I was a goth briefly myself and now realize how silly I looked.

kingmanic

The only color I want in my games is red ... blood f'n red baby!! :)

hollowfreak

@ShaggE: There is no bunnies with a pogo stick level.

Seevaur

Well, those 15k signers are probably [jerks] anyway. Good riddance.

@Zerbrechen: Ahh . . . "realism," I've heard that argument so many times before and never bought into it myself. There is a nice, big window where I game. :p

GDK

Resolution for anyone who signed the petition:

Set your monitor to grayscale and quit whining. Of all the idiotic things to complain about...

0bsessions

fuck rainbows

Zodduska

@Omnimon:
Mmmm, I have no problem with candles and torches. I have a problem with inexplicable, non-existent light sources that create light where there should instead be shadow.

@Zerbrechen:
How can you possibly assume that the armor style will go for the barbarian only? Have you seen the gigantitude of the witch-doctor's facemasks in the concept art? Also, there's a little thing called "consistency" in art direction, where the style of things is designed to look correct with all other things in the world.
Also, I'm guessing you failed to notice the comic-book wide-bladed enormity of her sword, or the as-usual-oversized bracer that she's wearing to give her that Gorilla Arm look that game fans seem to love so much.

mistersneak

Can we have a petition to have color stay? Because I think it's a great step forward. Other developers should take note and stop making brown and sepia games.

fdisk

I disagree with the petition completely because it's entirely too pretentious... D2 was filled with colors, but dungeon crawlers are supposed to be dark.

The only point I agree with is addition of the shadows.
Bringing back the light radius (and fog for outdoor areas) would completely solve this issue.

The game is easily more than a year away from release. We don't even know if they're planning on adding that later or not.

Arttemis

I like colors :( I like the direction it's heading.

JocktheMotie

@Emperor_Guam: I wouldn't call them damned, they may get a bit of flack from some angry fans but no matter what they do they'll most likely get millions of sales and good reviews.

Llost

IT'S A TRAP! COLORS WILL EAT YOUR CHILDREN! DONT TRUST 'EM!

Pbombas

@mistersneak: Her proportions are just fine. The armor is big, but this will most likely be the case for the Barbarian only.
@neojam: The pictures you showed illustrates how Diablo 3 looks relative to Starcraft 2. The Diablo 3 shot actually isn't excessively blue, it's more of a moody nighttime color, which is more realistic than utter blackness. In contrast you have the candy-colored pictures of Starcraft 2, which shows what a truly "bright and colorful" game looks like.
@garytek: What's wrong with the camera? How do you expect to play the game with anything but a fixed camera?

Zerbrechen

@kingmanic: I called you a retard for using the term emo goth in an insulting manner. Retard is not a label it's just a random insult. I don't look for the 'asshole' people when I call someone an asshole. Not every insult is a label. The irony doesn't work because I wasn't labelling you as a retard just insulting you (which I guess I'm sorry for :p) anyway lets drop this crap so people can discuss the game eh?

Llost

@Llost:

They more than likely are but it seems like a case of damned if you do or damned if you don't.

Emperor_Guam

Where's the counter-petition? I want to sign just in case there's a chance Blizzard might take these idiots seriously.

Luziphir

Monitors have color controls.

Problem solved.

HfAsianInvasion

@Llost:

To paraphrase an old Chinese proverb:
"English, motherfucker. Do you speak it?"

This was your original Post:
@Llost:

This is what you were replaying to:
@kingmanic:

I am fairly certain your comments were directed at me, I subsequently suggested you didn't realize the irony of your statements as you labeled me a 'retard' for labeling Jamin a whiner. I was being a condescending jerk I know, but I brought up some on topic points as to why he is wrong. The other people were giving you a rough time for your spotty grammar (mine isn't that much better, ie. bracket splices are wrong) and throwing insults without on topic points.

kingmanic

@Graywing: lol that's a good comparison really, it does show how early on alpha can be. This game has said to been 4 years in the making though but also they do say it's early in development (or something along those lines).

I'd be more happy with a release date than anything else (such as making it darker or whatever).

Llost

@skaldicpoet9: I can respect somebodies opinion but to call this game a work of art is like calling the "Tale of _" series quality RPGS with amazing art.

The game is pretty colorful, we'll all agree on that. Calling this game unique is kinda off, especially when it looks like dungeon siege, baldur's gate, wow, etc.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@neojam: Again, I don't find that Diablo III SS to be bright at all. The second two are off-topic, but yes, bright... and I think it works in that world.

@mistersneak: What's wrong with the dungeon having candles and torches? If anything else it adds to the gore, the suspense, and the depth of feeling brought on by the setting?

I don't think what's being argued here is what I feel matters - how an environment creates a visually pleasing game, provokes an emotional connection to the setting, allows the player to play the game optimally, and emphasizes that which the producer wants emphasized. Part of the decision-making to add a layer of color that isn't black or brown to the dungeons (or the one we have seen) is to emphasize the environment and create more than just 'one' feeling throughout.

Omnimon

Diablo is not about color or interesting set locations. It's about loot: Finding loot, Stealing loot, Pwning n00bs for their loot, Comparing e-penis sizes with others based on their loot. etc etc.

Hoagie_one

Ugh, are people still complaining about this? The screenshots are from a alpha version. If you want to see how different alpha and final version can be. Take a look at the Guild Wars alpha screenshots: [image.com.com] ...

And if you still like to cry about it, open photoshop, and select average from the blur filters. It will suprise you how small the difference in luminance between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 actually is..

Graywing

Looking at the title screen and images from the Diablo II box there really isn't much of a difference, colour or light, between the two when in outdoor environments. Characters models and the environment in the dungeon they demoed did look a bit bright in comparison to past Diablo games, but honestly I'm please with it. However two things I suggest Blizzard think about are; turning down some of the light in the dark/dungeon environments the further away from the player those elements/objects are and maybe adding some dirt and grime to player models. Adventuring is dirty work.

Though really I cannot comlpain as I really like it the way it is, thus I'll be happy so long as Blizzard doesn't mute the colours. I hate playing games through a coffee filter. *glares at GTA4*

Replica23

my biggest problem is that the character models themselves look like WoW...and that's not cool cuz WoW has the worst character design/art direction of almost any game I've played in my 25 years.

Football players with shoulder pads or effeminate badass's with crazy hair....I'm sorry, I'll take the JRocker sissy boy style of JRPGs over any saturday morning cartoon generic garbage Blizzard comes up with.

Hire a new art guy Blizz, your games are too good to have such shit art.

DontTouchMyDaughterYouFilthyGaijin

@kingmanic: I replied to this with another guy, I was complaining at you labelling someone as a group. Not just a random insult.

look at @Llost:

Llost

Seriously?

This is too ridiculous.

I love the statement "Oh my god, it looks just like WOW, geez!"

And the "If you want more grey go play Gears!"

The point is that Blizzard is creating a work of art. Yes, I said it a work of art. Look at the contrast between the lush bright forest being marred by the unclean blood of demons. I love the transition from the high fantasy palette to the more Gothic fantasy scheme. This has to be by far the best art direction that I have seen in a game period. To peg it as Blizzard is so saturated by WOW that they are being influenced to make it more cartoon-like is incredibly inane. Blizzard are trying to craft this game that plays on the concept of the struggle of light versus darkness and the color scheme of the game alludes to eternal archetype of that struggle.

Please Blizz, don't listen to these people.

skaldicpoet9

Again, i couldn't care less about rainbows and stuff, but please, go easy on us with those excessively bright green and blue colors.

[pcmedia.ign.com]
[static.computergames.ro]
[image.com.com]

neojam

@Omnimon:
Am not. Look at your second screenshot, and how the dungeon essentially lights itself. There's no such thing as a true shadow where light cannot reach. Everything is pulled to a foggy blue or green. There's no gloom.

@DaveKap:
Your "it has magic so the art style can be cartoony" argument is tired and invalid. Stop.

To others who claim that the game isn't too vibrant and that the proportions aren't absurd, this (previously linked image that has been seen many times) [www.blizzard.com] is clear proof of the problem. I would suggest that the Barbarian in Diablo 2 is the character with the bulkiest armor of the group. This is what he looked like then: [www.michaeldashow.com]

I don't see taller-than-your-head pauldrons, and even still, the armor looks big and bulky, as it should.

The more I'm involved with this debate, the more and more I'm convinced that the art style is clearly heavily influenced by WoW. I understand that's a common argument, but seriously. How can you feel that WoW's art direction is appropriate for a game franchise that's build on gloom and doom?

mistersneak

@Llost: Llost, I was the one you directed the original "retard" comment at and the irony is you are calling me a retard (a label) for labeling someone else a whiner. Irony detection is key to surviving on the internet :D

kingmanic

One thing this game IS, is mythos universe. Look it up, original creators of diablo's Blizzard North. It looks just like this... Fail on blizzard's part

vgerik1234

Who gives a crap about the color? Change the friggin camera! It's 2008 AD already.

garytek

As long as the Diii world is huge, massive, and lush with detail, I don't really care how much color is in it. I know that blizzard will to an exceptional job with the production quality, and aesthetic balance in each area.

I'm sure that DIII will continue the series' tradition of procedurally generated dungeon crawling adventures. If you get tired of seeing trees and waterfalls, just jump into a dank crusty cave, or massive underground lair for hours at a time. Problem solved.

ludwigk

Listening to your fans vs pandering to minority players:

I think blizzard does a good job of this. They are aware that complaints are often from a vocal minority and while it may point to a real problem often the suggested solution is not the way to go. Back during the War 3 launch huntresses were a wee bit more effective then any tier 1.5 unit and thus the top spots on ladder had a little too many NE. There was widespread calls to nerf their damage or give them non bouncing projectiles. That would have made them more generic. Instead Blizzard retooled how armour classes and attack classes worked which changed the durability of hunts and did a minor dmg nerf.

I think this may be such a case as well. While bright and cheerful Diablo seems odd like a bright and cheerful doom would be, the solution isn't to plunge everything into generic rusty browns and blacks. We've seen a few screens and videos so we don't know what is in store and having an interesting fantasy world doesn't mean having a brown, grey and black one.

As well, it's Diablo. The game will be played long long after the eye candy become antiquated and quaint. I'm pretty certain those still playing a year after release won't gives a rats ass about the color.

kingmanic

@kingmanic: I wasn't branding him as a group, I was telling him to stop being stupid (in a more insulting way). Do you guys come here to whine at insults or post on topic? Seriously get back on topic and stop crying cos I disagree with you.

Anyway as I said I like the new style but would just prefer it to change. I feel like I should sign the petition cos that's what I want but I'm not doing it cos I'm leaving it up to blizzard.

Llost

Now we have a list of 15,000 guys who should have forced vasectomies to make the future a brighter place...

jrcbandit

I don't understand, why the fuck would you not want a game to be colorful?

Primus30

@mondog:
I think 15 million people playing the game would be a reasonable number, and you can halve that to get the correct number of people who actually follow the gaming news and has the time and possibility to state their opinion!
It means that 0,002 % of the people who will buy this game have stated their opinion on Petitiononline in that particular Petition.
A low number you might say, but you have to understand that:

1. Not all people speak English and can sign such a petition. I am sure many of the Blizzard fans in Korea have similar opinions, but they just can't get their voices heard.

2. Petitions are sort of ineffective, and the number of people who actually has an opinion and will not sign the petition is huge. Trust me on that. For instance, stores often count 1 custom feedback as the opinion of 1000 or more customers. It's like that because many people don't state their opinion.

3. The petition has been up for how many days? It will take some time for sure before we get a "final" number.

eman_resu

@RealmRPGer: I meant the colors are desaturated. >.<

RealmRPGer

@Dyslexic_Alucard:
Hellgate's downfall wasn't the bland color scheme. It was the complete lack of environment variety. Diablo II didn't suffer the same problems as Hellgate because there were 5 distinct environments, each with at least 4 or 5 unique tilesets for dungeons within those environments. Nobody's arguing that the environment shouldn't have variety. How many tilesets did Hellgate have? What like... 6 through the whole game? City, subway, underground complex, museum, hell... anything else? In act 1 of Diablo II alone, you find yourself in natural caves, underground tower ruins, monastery courtyards, cellars, cathedrals and catacombs... all with unique tilesets. I did get bored of Hellgate's environments, but I didn't get bored of Diablo II's.

mistersneak

I'm thinking that 15k+ petition has a lot of garbage signatures on it. I know for a fact that I signed it as "Durp Durp McBurp" and said "durp durp we're all retards".

chenry

I sincerely hope that the effect they have is exactly zilch, because Diablo III looks amazing to me.

Mister Adequate