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Art Apocalypse: Blizzard's Wilson Talks Diablo III Design Decisions
Posted by Leigh Alexander at 9:20 AM on August 1, 2008
When I met Jay Wilson today, Blizzard's lead designer on Diablo III, I opened our conversation with two loaded little words: Art direction.
I didn't need to say any more, of course, because Wilson already knew about the fan-fit I was referring to. "It's a complex issue", he said. "It's been a big issue online, but for the most part, the response we've gotten has been very positive. We've got petitions, a few people on forums [who are] very loud, but it's really more of the 'squeaky wheel' syndrome".
"Certainly, internally there's no doubt. I would tell people who don't like the art style that probably, getting the art style was the hardest thing".
But there's a careful method to all of it, Wilson explained:
Wilson said that what we see now is the third iteration on the Diablo III design. As with many of the decisions the developer makes, much of the art design issue was based in gameplay principles.
"Diablo is a game you play for, hopefully, hundreds of hours, and one of the rewards is a variety of different-looking environments". People looking back on old Diablo, he said, may have a selective memory. "People remember the Act I dungeons... but they kind of conveniently forget the green fields of Act I, and all of Act II... and it's palaces, its bright deserts".
Actually, Wilson said the team originally shot for a "very desaturated, very dark" gameworld. "We had all kinds of problems with identification of units... combat wasn't very good, and the worlds got homogeneous very quickly. As we played through it, we didn't like it, or think it was very much fun".
Diablo II, said Wilson, was actually "very saturated, very bright".
What about the complaint, then, that Diablo III may be "too much like WoW" in style and vibe?
"There's a philosophy that goes across all of our games, and that philosophy stays true from game to game... so it probably draws some comparisons", Wilson said. "One philosophy is that our artists feel like if they're just using photorealism, not creating a unique look for the game, not stylizing so that it's uniquely Blizzard, then they're not doing their jobs".
Colour choices, he said, promote telling units apart and telling players apart from monsters, philosophies that cross all of Blizzard's titles. "If you do follow those rules, there's going to be some similarities".
And what's so bad about drawing some comparisons to the hugely-successful WoW, anyway? "We definitely learn from all our games", said Wilson. "We don't say, 'oh, we don't want to do anything those games did' — it's all Blizzard, we're all a family. WoW pulled stuff from Diablo II... if we think it's a smart choice, we try to pull stuff from them. We don't really worry about whether it's different. What matters is, does it make the gameplay better? That always wins".
There are some cases, though, where the sharing of art philosophy doesn't always work — WoW game director Jeffrey Kaplan said that the team takes care not to make the gravestones in WoW's pivotal cemeteries too Gothic-looking — those tombstones belong in Diablo.
"Diablo can do a lot of things WoW can't even do", Kaplan said. "We can't do the level of violence that they can do in Diablo III; we would lose our rating if we do the things that Diablo III does. They have a much darker vibe".
In other words, said Wilson, the Blizzard team won't pass over a good idea just because it's not brand-new. "If we're actually making the game worse with no other reason than to be different from WoW, then it's a bad choice. We don't think, when people play, that they'll have any problem telling that it's a different game".
The preliminary art we've seen so far, Wilson said, is from early on in the game. "We want to generate the feeling of everything getting worse... it's part of our narrative. It makes the more gloomy part of the game a place where the stakes get higher".
"If you start out at the apocalypse, and then move to more apocalypse, it's not going to have much of an impression on players".
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
BaseVilliN
Posted 10:20 AM 1/8/08
@ffmusicdj: Flagship studios was formed by ex-Blizzard North employees. Hellgate: London, anyone? If anything D3 will be better due to the loss of those chumps.
@PixelRambo: Beat me to it.
BaseVilliN
excel_excel
Posted 10:19 AM 1/8/08
@Aex: oh yeah thats how I see him. Him trashing the new look of POP though just reaked of him looking something to trash
excel_excel
SilverRecluse
Posted 10:17 AM 1/8/08
@syl1985:
Congrats on winning the Im so dumb I kept reading the comment because i already knew what it was about then responded to it award.
SilverRecluse
SilverRecluse
Posted 10:11 AM 1/8/08
@PixelRambo:
Im still a fan, ive played wow and enjoyed it.
ive played hellgate as well.
I will still play Diablo 3...
That doesnt mean that its still hasnt been ruined.
SilverRecluse
syl1985
Posted 10:11 AM 1/8/08
@SilverRecluse: Wow, you wasted your time writing that, and ufortuantely, my time reading it.
Those *imagine the creators* storylines are overplayed and unfortunately that wasn't funny.
syl1985
PixelRambo
Posted 10:09 AM 1/8/08
To those who are afraid that Blizzard is ruining the Diablo franchise and that they should get the old team back(Blizzard North) together: Go play Hellgate: London.
PixelRambo
ostartero
Posted 10:06 AM 1/8/08
@elevenoverzero: Sorry I just get a little worked up when "I'm just hoping that maybe they cared enough to at least acknowledge where our frustration is coming from instead of telling us to STFU.".
I understand the counter argument, I just disagree.
ostartero
Jayge
Posted 10:06 AM 1/8/08
Plot direction? Game turns into apocalypse? How unpredictable was THAT?
/sarcasm
This guy makes sense. I liked the new art style anyway, so I guess it's a win-win for me.
Jayge
SilverRecluse
Posted 10:06 AM 1/8/08
Let me sum this up in a way that more can understand.
I want everyone to imagine themselves sitting in the blizzard board room sitting around the conference table.
AND START
Ok everyone weve got the development team working on Diablo 3, but we have some new ideas.
....Turns on a power point showing the Undead starting Area, with a undead warrior standing in the center.....
Now, If we change this undead warrior to a WitchDoctor and we just adjust the saturation a bit... now the contrast... adjust the camera a little bit towards the top... and we have the new diablo ladies and gentlemen!!!
.... The light turns on.....
...a single man speaks up....
Dont you think this looks a bit to much like WoW sir... I mean the Diablo Fans are goi....
*BLAM*
....The man giving the speech shoots one single shot into the mans chest, as he falls to the floor....
Now as I was saying.... The new Diablo everyone!!!!
....The rest of the staff applauds loudly still staring nervously at the man Speaking....
The marketing strategy will be very simple, all we have to say is this "We definitely learn from all our games,". Trust me everyone, we have nothing to worry about, it will be a huge success...
THE END
SilverRecluse
elevenoverzero
Posted 10:01 AM 1/8/08
@ostartero:
I already said my piece here: elevenoverzero
No one is resorting to personal insults. I think your argument is pompous, that's all.
elevenoverzero
ostartero
Posted 10:00 AM 1/8/08
@spinal77: Thankfully someone knows how to hold a civilized conversation and has a firm hold on reasoning.
That's why the fans are mad, they don't want Blizzard's franchises to mesh too much together.
Though I didn't say it would turn out to be a bad game, I'm just disappointed in their decision on art design. I'm just hoping that maybe they cared enough to at least acknowledge where our frustration is coming from instead of telling us to STFU.
ostartero
ostartero
Posted 9:57 AM 1/8/08
@elevenoverzero: But using that logic I could say you are calling the kettle black.
Using personal insults is the first sign of desperation in an argument and you've already shown you're not mature enough to handle it.
ostartero
spinal77
Posted 9:56 AM 1/8/08
@ostartero:
Theres a maxim among software engineers: never rewrite code from scratch that you have already written. Thats not called being lazy, thats called a smart use of limited resources.
The same goes for the art design here, imo. IF you have a bunch of art guys, who are used to working under a certain art philosophy and direction (which they obviously are, when looking at everything from warcraft 3 on) then how smart is it to completely go off the ranch with it? If they can do it in in the same sort of style, and still be true to diablo (which from the trailer they released, seems to be the case imo) then really, who cares? Its a smart business decision on their part, both from the standpoint of development resources and development time.
I mean, for real, a giant f'ing monster ripping a player character in half. Yeah, thats real cartoony there.
I agree with him, its definitely a case of the internet squeaky wheel; the same sort of trolls that come out when anything about fallout 3 is put up are the same sort of people that complain about the art direction of this game.
Seriously, when was the last time Blizz made a crappy game?
spinal77
ostartero
Posted 9:55 AM 1/8/08
@Aex: You don't need WoW influenced art to create a sense of decadence.
In fact, if you used that point he's contradicting himself. He metions "the green fields and all of Act II" as being very bright.
So, why couldn't he create a world with a Gothic art design full of color? They've already accomplished it with Act II supposedly. Just remove the corpses and other bad things.
ostartero
syl1985
Posted 9:55 AM 1/8/08
@elevenoverzero: And you won. =)
syl1985
Aex
Posted 9:55 AM 1/8/08
@ffmusicdj: It's people like you why companies should not section their developers with subdivisions...
Aex
elevenoverzero
Posted 9:53 AM 1/8/08
@ostartero:
I meant you were obnoxious.
elevenoverzero
ffmusicdj
Posted 9:52 AM 1/8/08
Dude, Blizzard North made Diablo.
Not Blizzard.
Blizzard is fucking this series up. And it's quite sad that they are puffing their chests over it.
ffmusicdj
Aex
Posted 9:50 AM 1/8/08
@ostartero: But the arguments they had weren't valid... For several reasons that have been stated on many posts before this one, but I think this line wraps it up rather nicely...
"We want to generate the feeling of everything getting worse... it's part of our narrative. It makes the more gloomy part of the game a place where the stakes get higher."
Aex
Caseus
Posted 9:49 AM 1/8/08
Sure Jay, the saying goes, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." But in this case, I think the best solution would be to hit the squeaky wheel with a sledghammer, put it in a plastic bag full of wet cement, and then dump it into the ocean.
Problem solved and I get to enjoy Diablo III without hearing anymore bitching.
Caseus
Aex
Posted 9:48 AM 1/8/08
@excel_excel: Yahtzee is more of an entertaining asshole than he is a good reviewer. He probably spends more time coming up with witty analogies than writing his reviews. That said, I find him very enjoyable and I also agree with some of what he says :) Just not all of it.
Aex
laio
Posted 9:48 AM 1/8/08
i allways stood for the artist at blizzard. they deff know what they doing, and they do DESIGN games, not just draw nice monsters.
That's allways the point, they've allways nailed it, even though many artists there don't have a major in design, they know much more about design than most people who studied that.
gotta love them.
laio
ostartero
Posted 9:48 AM 1/8/08
@elevenoverzero: Yes, a person expressing concerns with valid arguments is a propaganda machine. In fact entirely the same thing as a company spouting the company's line.
ostartero
ostartero
Posted 9:46 AM 1/8/08
Though I guess you could just blame the art on having entirely development team. Considering almost all the members of Blizzard North have left the company.
ostartero
elevenoverzero
Posted 9:46 AM 1/8/08
@ostartero:
"For some reason Blizzard has turned into a propaganda machine, and it's obnoxious."
Pot, meet kettle.
elevenoverzero
syl1985
Posted 9:46 AM 1/8/08
@Rorschach2112: hehe, apparently so!
syl1985
Aex
Posted 9:46 AM 1/8/08
I like what he said here. I think if I was in his role I would have went much simpler, like
"Yea, lot's of bitch about Diablo 3. So, I went back to our art department, told them whats up and we came together to create this response for all you concerned fans... "STFU". That is all."
Aex
Rorschach2112
Posted 9:45 AM 1/8/08
When people complain about colour it's no wonder that the game looks barely different than its nearly decade old counterpart. Blizzard please go ahead and do whatever you want, because your fans are largely idiots.
Rorschach2112
jair
Posted 9:45 AM 1/8/08
Just leave the art direction to the artists. The team obviously knows what they're doing.
jair
elevenoverzero
Posted 9:45 AM 1/8/08
@elevenoverzero:
Side note: The style and colour-theory thing also means that it runs on older machines (read: more machines). So it's good business.
elevenoverzero
excel_excel
Posted 9:44 AM 1/8/08
I do like the art style! It always happens when a game looks a little different then it was or tries to do something different. Yathzee wasn't helping things by complaing about the new POP look
excel_excel
ostartero
Posted 9:44 AM 1/8/08
We don't want to the screen to be a dark blob of black. We want the art style to be gothic and dark IN THEME.
We don't have selective memory. "the green fields of Act I, and all of Act II" You mean the green fields we ran around during the night with corpses lining the ground? All of Act II? You mean the act where we spent half the time in dark tombs? Act III where it's completely dark? Act IV in hell? Act V a giant war and again dark tunnels?
The problem people have is we can see the obvious WoW influence on the art. "WoW pulled stuff from Diablo II... if we think it's a smart choice, we try to pull stuff from them." No, it's not a smart choice. I believe the word is called lazy.
"We had all kinds of problems with identification of units... combat wasn't very good, and the worlds got homogeneous very quickly. As we played through it, we didn't like it, or think it was very much fun."
Yet, players had a perfect time with identification of units with 1 and 2. WoW art direction does NOT equal good combat, I don't even see what he's trying to say with that one. D2 had plenty of variety without being homogeneous. Again, WoW art direction does NOT equal variety.
For some reason Blizzard has turned into a propaganda machine, and it's obnoxious.
ostartero
elevenoverzero
Posted 9:44 AM 1/8/08
Grey and brown? Where's my colour?!
Colour? Where's my grey and brown?!
I think D3 looks great. I'm not a dungeon-crawler fan, but Blizzard know their shit. Style and colour-theory carries it along instead of high poly count and complex shaders.
Go them.
elevenoverzero
sir_carrot
Posted 9:42 AM 1/8/08
I like the look and the general direction it's going.
I'm actually rather surprised at the people complaining it looks like WoW.
I mean, Jesus, wasn't the biggest concern that they would make Diablo III essentially another version of WoW?
I think they've side-stepped that immensely, simply by retaining the isometric camera. And it's not like they're going to tone the game down or anything - THAT would be a cop out.
I think the art direction is attractive - there have been many games set in a colorful environment that also had intense physical violence, dark tones. Look at the first Doom. Not that long ago there was an article considering how color has disappeared from games for the mature crowd - I think Diablo III will provide a counter example nicely.
We've hardly seen anything of this game yet, but so far I have no qualms and look forward to getting my hands on it some time down the road.
sir_carrot
BaseVilliN
Posted 9:38 AM 1/8/08
I have more faith in Blizzard than anything else. They can't please everyone all the time, but they certainly know how to make outstanding games.
BaseVilliN
JoRo1986
Posted 9:38 AM 1/8/08
@DigitalHero: What if I live in the attic instead?
JoRo1986
Cosmitz
Posted 9:37 AM 1/8/08
Mhm.. i'm kinda BARELY satisfied with that answer. But still... better then nothing.
Cosmitz
jasongw
Posted 9:36 AM 1/8/08
Here's what I think about it: When has Blizzard *ever* released a shitty game? EVER? I don't think so, and so I trust blizzard far more than I trust whiny fanboys.
jasongw
DaveKap
Posted 9:35 AM 1/8/08
Jay Wilson, if you are reading this then I just want to say one thing to you:
Thank you!
(Okay maybe more than one thing.)
Your design philosophies are what make Blizzard games great and I'm glad you won't let a loud minority drown out what looks to be a beautiful masterpiece in the making. Keep up the good work. I for one will be one of the millions to buy Diablo III the first week (if not first day) it's released.
DaveKap
syl1985
Posted 9:35 AM 1/8/08
Some very well prepared responses, he came in ready for that shit!
It makes perfect sense, the 'fan fit' that's happening is by an extremely vocal minority with a very convenient selective memory.
I am playing through D2 at the moment; it's very bright in some areas and the mobs are colourful and shaded for different levels (champions, etc). These things aren't "ripped from WoW" or ruining the game, these are design decisions made to keep the game flowing and to stop the player from becoming bewildered or bored.
If everything was dark and the mobs were all the same coloured disfigured beasts we'd all be getting pretty bored, pretty quickly, so it makes perfect sense to adopt SOME characteristics that have kept people playing WoW upwards of 1000 hours.
Good design is good design, not using those elements because they're not brand new is a surefire way to shoot yourself in the foot.
syl1985
PapaBear434
Posted 9:35 AM 1/8/08
I thought the art looked pretty slick. Yeah, a little WoWish, but it's still pretty slick.
PapaBear434
NullsRevenge
Posted 9:33 AM 1/8/08
From the trailers and screenshots I saw, I like the art direction in Diablo 3 shown so far. For me art is all about creating the atmosphere and especially the gameplay trailer the art did a really good job creating the atmosphere it intended.
NullsRevenge
Murdoc
Posted 9:32 AM 1/8/08
A lot of excuses. While I like the look they are going for, it could have a more grim mood to it all.
Oh and the barbarian shoulder pads in concept art is awesome, then the model looks like it was taken straight off an orc.
Murdoc
Gravnar
Posted 9:31 AM 1/8/08
@DigitalHero: I lied, I am not living in the basement I am just living here for about 2 more months until I head off to college...
Gravnar
DigitalHero
Posted 9:30 AM 1/8/08
@Gravnar:
You are superior then! :D
DigitalHero
Icyme
Posted 9:29 AM 1/8/08
"the team takes care not to make the gravestones in WoW's pivotal cemeteries too Gothic-looking - those tombstones belong in Diablo."
So its partly admiting that blizzard got the same kind of art style throughout the projects... so they tone down this or that part in order to make it look less like the other...
?
anyway I like the diablo 3 art direction so far, but kinda feels that it looks a bit wow or war craft 3... looking foward for more :}
Icyme
Ibramgaunt
Posted 9:28 AM 1/8/08
There is still enough similarities to make it look like a Warcraft expansionized dungeon crawler...
I'm betting that if Starcraft weren't in space or the future that it's artistic direction would be very similar to Warcraft as well...and even in starcraft you had outcry from the forums for it's art direction.
One thing I would like to know is who worked on the artwork for the previous Diablos, Warcrafts, and Starcrafts, in comparison to today??? same staff???
Ibramgaunt
Gravnar
Posted 9:28 AM 1/8/08
@DigitalHero: I live in my parents basement, but I am fine with it...
Gravnar
DigitalHero
Posted 9:27 AM 1/8/08
The art direction is clearly fine and fits the game. The only people really complaining are the ones still living in their parents basement. =P
DigitalHero
Gravnar
Posted 9:26 AM 1/8/08
Very informative...
But this post wasn't true to kotaku's dart roots. Time to start an online petition!!!
Gravnar
ghostadv
Posted 9:25 AM 1/8/08
I like the new look, now all the places won't look EXACTLY THE SAME like they did in the other games
ghostadv
resvrgam
Posted 11:02 AM 1/8/08
Blizzard's decision to follow the Warcraft style for their latest incarnation is a big mistake in my opinion.
Why? Well, for starters, there line between two somewhat similar IPs is being blurred even more and may cause confusion between the two products. This is a bad thing if you create a "mature" themed product that looks very similar to a more marketable "teen" themed product.
Secondly, it's watering down the grittiness of one IP to accommodate another demographic (e.g. making a game for WoW players) that may alienate the original audience. The super-deformed "everyone has a size 42 shoe and a cartoon look" is a departure from its early presentation.
Finally, beyond the potential of product identity and fan alienation, the new direction of the art doesn't stand out and differentiate it from the slew of similar titles that are now flooding the market.
In terms of an art analogy: the Diablo series is a charcoal drawing compared to the Warcraft oil painting. Now, the once gothic-horror themed game is just another high-fantasy looking game that blends into the already over saturated high-fantasy markets (some of which are Blizzard's own products).
resvrgam
Jackablade
Posted 11:02 AM 1/8/08
He was very polite. I would have just released a press release fetauring nothing but a picture of me flipping the bird and been done with it.
@ffmusicdj:I installed Diablo 2 immediately after the announcement in all its 256 colour tile based glory. Its still as enjoyable to tear shit up from the Rogue Camp to the depths of hell, but the environments are and always have been a bit on the bland side. Diablo 3 on the other hand looks like a Frazetta painting come to life. Tis gorgeous.
Jackablade
ffmusicdj
Posted 10:49 AM 1/8/08
@Aex: DUde, Blizzard didnt fucking make Diablo, Blizz North DID. Now Blizz North is gone and they wanna cash in on the success of Diablo.
ffmusicdj
ffmusicdj
Posted 10:46 AM 1/8/08
And I would say that if you are fine with this change, then you have either not played Diablo recently, Or have never played Diablo.
ffmusicdj
durrem
Posted 10:38 AM 1/8/08
I actually like the art direction, but I don't like this Blizz guy coming on with the total PR blitz and the our way or the highway attitude. It reminds me of what Sierra did before Homeworld 2 came out, and look how that turned out. :(
PS FU Marweas
durrem
Yenzilla
Posted 10:37 AM 1/8/08
Goddamn Blizzard for trying to put their own signature style on something!
Yenzilla
Shiroi Kaze
Posted 10:36 AM 1/8/08
Well, I don't mind the "colorfulness". To me, it just means that the Evils have been vanquished and the world is allowed to heal (although the world crystal has been destroyed so I don't know how that works). So cue the impending doom... we're gonna wash that color away with your blood and powdered bones!
As long as the monsters look as spectacular/horrifying as the Spider-Woman, (and new classes) I feel all is right.
Besides, you can turn the gamma or brightness down in the game or on your monitor. Problem fixed.
Shiroi Kaze
RTW
Posted 10:35 AM 1/8/08
@SilverRecluse: Interesting read... could have done something better than the whole shooting scheme.... but yeah... that's probably the closest anyone will get to what happened at their Diablo discussion board meeting.
RTW
monkeybars
Posted 10:32 AM 1/8/08
@Caseus: Squeaky wheel get's the grease, but if the bastard keeps squeaking, you get a new one.
monkeybars
ostartero
Posted 10:29 AM 1/8/08
Flagship Studios was rushed on Hellgate for a Halloween launch. That and they were trying to be too ambitious for a start up company.
Those were the reasons why Hellgate failed, not the ex-Blizzard North employees.
ostartero
ashman512
Posted 12:25 PM 1/8/08
Hmm,I personally like for games to look more cartoony. And did like Diablo 1 and 2, it was for music, gameplay, and writing. The graphics never really stuck with me. But that's just my opinion. Yours is probably better.
ashman512
domain
Posted 12:19 PM 1/8/08
Meh... to comments like "Blizzard knows their shit"... Blizzard *used* to know their shit... now their offerings are becoming marginalized. I'm not particularly happy with the art direction as it stands, and nothing about what has been show has really made me reminisce about Diablo in the least... but for the time being i'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe Blizzard hasn't made a "bad" game thus far, but not *all* of their titles were great either... I just hope they don't screw this one up.
domain
Neer'mo
Posted 12:09 PM 1/8/08
I have a lot of respect for Blizzard for the thought and number of iterations that goes into their game design process.
Their recycling of ability names and art assets really gets under my skin sometimes when I am playing through and enjoying a game like WC3 and think 'Hey... isn't that from Diablo...?'. That kills immersion. I really hope they have mastered this and know how to do it properly by now.
That said, though, I really am liking the art direction the game is taking. It seems like it has matured a lot as an IP and I am confident that I will play it way too much after it is released in 2015.
To the squeaky wheel, please stop being so cynical.
Neer'mo
Llost
Posted 12:00 PM 1/8/08
@Sunjammer: How was it grimmy? it was definitly dark, gothic and a little grainy sometimes but it wasn't grimmy. The only reason people are paying attention to D3 is because D2 and D1 were awesome so why does everyone suddenly act like they needed this rehaul? We don't need need rainbows and we don't need flowers. It could create contrast but in my opinion it's just not meant to be in diablo.
WOW cartoony bulky characters = not good
lack of light radius = not good
brightened up world with lower quality shadowing = not good.
I like the new graphics to an extent but it's hard to act like they're perfect just because they made it a little brighter.
Llost
ffmusicdj
Posted 12:00 PM 1/8/08
@Omnimon: Ok, thats a very unfair assessment, At least try to figure out why it doesn't look like D2. If you don't agree with my opinion, that doesn't give you the right to call one ignorant. Thats ignorant on your part.
ffmusicdj
ffmusicdj
Posted 11:58 AM 1/8/08
@Ajh: There is an interview with people who worked on D2 and went on to make D3 but left Blizzard because they felt the changes being made to D3 were too cartoony. It's on the Internet people, look it up!
ffmusicdj
ffmusicdj
Posted 11:56 AM 1/8/08
@Sunjammer: Wow. It was sooo NOT.
When I see D3 screen, I see WOW. It's soo cartoony. How can you actually like that shitpie?
ffmusicdj
Sunjammer
Posted 11:54 AM 1/8/08
@SilverRecluse: That was horrible. Nothing like speaking your uninformed opinion through a flimsy comedic narrative with no effective punchline.
Sunjammer
Sunjammer
Posted 11:53 AM 1/8/08
Okay okay, @resvrgam, well put. I do appreciate the art analogy. However i never once felt Diablo had an attractive or even interesting art direction. If anything i felt the personality of Diablo came through writing and music. The graphics were just kind of there.
I would be thrilled if Blizzard had tried something completely off the hook with Diablo 3. In a sense they are playing it safe. However i just can't stomach the thought that they would be better off with the old art direction. In that way i would much rather see them do the game cell/sketchshaded or some other mad thing.
As a compromise? I'm well okay with Blizzard simply doing what they feel they do best. If you think the Diablo 3 stuff so far looks BAD you're out of your mind.
Sunjammer
Sunjammer
Posted 11:49 AM 1/8/08
@ffmusicdj: Diablo 2 is, visually, a grimy shithole. It wasn't even attractive for its day.
Thank GOD Blizzard aren't listening to people like you (the neocons of gaming) and go somewhere else. The sentiment seems to be "let's go backwards". It's mindboggling.
Sunjammer
Llost
Posted 11:48 AM 1/8/08
@ghostadv: So the desert, forest, dungeons and hell all looked the same? Even the sewers and frozen tundra and rogue encampment?
I understand people like the new stuff but it's dumb to act like there was no variety when this guy tries to convince us there was bright areas in the old one anyway. The problem is that the graphics don't really effect the gameplay they just want you to think that. I'm not saying it's majorly bad that they do this it's just something I'd prefer they didn't do.
Llost
Ajh
Posted 11:35 AM 1/8/08
@ffmusicdj: Actually I played diablo 2 about 6 hours ago. I'm fine with this change.
The brighter the brights...the darker the darks.
Can you verify with absolute certainty that no one from blizzard north is working in the Diablo III team? I know I can't...
Ajh
Jackablade
Posted 11:29 AM 1/8/08
@resvrgam:
I agree that its a good idea to keep the two properties clearly deliniated, but some of your arguments don't ring true, particularly the comment about character proportions
[www.blizzard.com]
These proportions are a damn sight more realistic than WoW. Neither is -better- as such, but they are clearly quite different. The only point where the character styles looked like they were getting a little similar was when the Barbarian picked up his over-sized pauldrons. If they made a real conscious effort to make the chunky shoulder pads different from the ones that crop up in Warcraft, there'd be no problem, no question.
Jackablade
Omnimon
Posted 11:25 AM 1/8/08
@ffmusicdj: An ignorant opinion based upon incomplete information.
I hope they put a Rainbow Brite unicorn in the game so you and those like you get all pissed off and break the discs in fits of rage.
Omnimon
SpishackCola
Posted 11:18 AM 1/8/08
@spinal77:
Starcraft: Ghost like 3 times? XD
SpishackCola
knifey-spoonie
Posted 11:18 AM 1/8/08
why is diablo not using sprites anymoar?????????
(joke)
knifey-spoonie
Rajolae
Posted 1:46 PM 1/8/08
Having now played Diablo II some, Diablo III looks fucking fantastic.
Rajolae
Scallan
Posted 1:09 PM 1/8/08
I agree with the interviewee that a contrast is necessary not only to alleviate boredom, but to make the evil places actually seem evil.
If anyone's seen the movie underworld, you'll remember that the entire damn movie is tinted, and at night. Consequently, I found the setting not only boring, but non-threatening.
Scallan
Tychonius
Posted 12:56 PM 1/8/08
some of you people here don't get it.. Blizzard has a signature.. if you're not busy bitchin about blizzard's art direction.. try to look for concept arts from all of their games and see if there are any HUGE difference.. all of those games.. Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcaft came from Blizzard, develop by blizzard, UNDER BLIZZARD'S STANDARDS.. then of course you'll see some similarities.. Don't you see it guys?? the dude here (kaplan) is giving us hints on why Blizzard makes few games but with great quality.. Obviously they share Ideas and have the same standards..
Tychonius
popowrx
Posted 12:54 PM 1/8/08
Goodness gracious, did you people not read the interview? Wilson goes on to state that they plan on darkening the environment as you progress through the game.
As others have already pointed out, the more contrast you have in a game, the more you "feel" the darkness creeping in. The Three Greater Evils were vanquished remember? Didn't 20 years or so pass without any freakin' demons invading Sanctuary?
They've also only shown stuff from the first Act no doubt so you see the idyllic forests and the dungeons with a green/blue ambiance.
I have no doubt, as you get deeper in the game, the environments will progressively worsen as you get to the end. That's what I personally wanted and apparently they will be doing as the interview states.
popowrx
spinal77
Posted 12:52 PM 1/8/08
@domain:
That...makes no sense.
Marginalized? The last game they released has 10 million subscribers paying $15 a month. Before that was best selling third installment of their original IP, Warcraft. Before that was the best selling Diablo 2, which people still play. Before that was Starcraft, which people still play.
I don't call that marginalized...How were any of the games released by Blizzard from Warcraft 2 on not great? I mean, as a gamer, can you please tell me how they were not great?
Everyone forgets that Blizz has pretty much always had a "cartoony" look to their stuff; in the early days it was because everything was based on sprites (warcraft 2, starcraft) and they just kept with that look into the move into 3d.
I'm at the point where it seems like any game company is damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they don't make their next game the whiz-bangiest flashiest game ever, they get hated on; if they don't make it true to any previous game's style, they get hated on. I don't envy them their jobs, thats why I'm a lowly database programmer. In other words, there is always some portion of our mass of humanity that can adn never will be appeased, and they always yell the loudest.
spinal77
macr0planet
Posted 12:51 PM 1/8/08
I really like the new direction of the art. Blizzard always knows how to out do themselves every time. Diablo 2 looked amazing, but Diablo 3 will take amazing and chew on it!
macr0planet
Yin
Posted 3:17 PM 1/8/08
It's like it's forbidden to dislike anything about D3, probably because people have been waiting so long... I on the other hand have no deep allegiance to the series, I barely played the second one. But I loved the first one.
And I think using the "deformed" comic art direction of WOW is stupid. I didn't like it in Warcraft, and it still does nothing for me. I like colors, but I want people and architecture that looks realistic.
Again though, I don't really care much for this so maybe my opinion doesn't count.
Yin
zomgYGGR
Posted 2:48 PM 1/8/08
the only thing that bugs me is that the character models, textures, and lighting look SO much like WoW. i mean, its one thing to borrow a few things from WoW, but to put out graphics that look EXACTLY like WoW from an isometric perspective is just too much.
just look at these screens and try to tell which game they are from, d3 or wow:
[www.diii.net]
[farm4.static.flickr.com]
[www.diii.net]
[farm3.static.flickr.com]
[www.diii.net]
[gamers-globe.com]
[www.diii.net]
zomgYGGR
Plan303e
Posted 2:46 PM 1/8/08
This game somehow feels more and more like Gauntlet Legends to me. More so than how I felt about Diablo II.
And that's a huge plus.
Plan303e
Narsil
Posted 2:21 PM 1/8/08
I am loving everything said about this game so far. I hope so hard this sees a PS3 port.
Narsil
LoganForge
Posted 2:08 PM 1/8/08
Listening to a man who knows what he's doing (at least i think he does) theres no need to sign a massive petition banner now is there? Have some faith my friends :D
And he is so right about the art direction.
LoganForge
TheLegendof_Erick
Posted 2:06 PM 1/8/08
this crap makes me sick personally.
"combat wasn't very good, and the worlds got homogeneous very quickly. As we played through it, we didn't like it, or think it was very much fun."
Diablo II, said Wilson, was actually "very saturated, very bright."
Wilson has probably logged so many hours on WOW he forgot what combat is. Diablo2 is crying like a battered wife in a corner right now.
@Scallan: In Diablo 2, everything was dark. That bright desert he's talking about didn't have sun for a good portion of the level.
"People remember the Act I dungeons... but they kind of conveniently forget the green fields of Act I, and all of Act II... and it's palaces, its bright deserts." wtf??
Green fields AT NIGHT - the whole time. No fairies or unicorns allowed Blizzard. Next they'll be talking about Navi your fairy companion.....
TheLegendof_Erick
domain
Posted 2:03 PM 1/8/08
@spinal77:
WoW is a prime example of what I'm talking about... their sales figures are impressive, but nothing else about WoW impresses me... there were a decade of MMO's prior to its release, and most of them weren't that far off course (gameplay wise) to it's "winning formula". As for Warcraft III, it is was a distant memory to me compared to its predecessors.
I still play Diablo II, its fun... and for a reason... and it didn't hit me until after starting to play it post-WoW again how much they took away from it. Still, it seems like their losing focus... and when your a company that thrives off your old IP as much as they do... changing a winning formula (to make it more appealing to the masses or what have you) isn't necessarily the best path to go down.
But... as I said i'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being. There are a number of things they've shown that are interesting... it just there are a greater number of things that don't jive so well with what came before. And no... I don't think anyone familiar with Blizzard expects "Wizz-bang" super-duper-uber graphics or anything of the sort... but we do at least expect some variation from their cash cow.
Take my comments with a grain of salt though... its just my personal opinion... nothing to get worked up about :P
domain
belo
Posted 3:46 PM 1/8/08
@zomgYGGR: Not really seeing any atrocities here... All I see is a somewhat simular theme of a dark underground tomb like area from one game compared to a dark underground tomb from another. Both having somewhat of a simular color palette thats seemingly appropriate for a dark underground tomb.... with everything else being different.
...former art major though, so what do I know.
belo
klauzman
Posted 4:15 PM 1/8/08
I'm skeptical about the art style, I particularly hated the Witch-Doctor, just look at this picture
[i158.photobucket.com]
take the Witch Doctor, make him blue and add tusks, viola!, you have A F%$#!*& WARCRAFT TROLL!!!
klauzman
yamamoto114
Posted 3:55 PM 1/8/08
"If you start out at the apocalypse, and then move to more apocalypse, it's not going to have much of an impression on players."
Probably the most effective statement in the entire interview concerning the art direction.
yamamoto114
Ladi
Posted 4:48 PM 1/8/08
@klauzman: Actually what you have is a troll Witch Doctor. That's like saying "Take a necromancer, scale him down and you have A F%$#!*& WARCRAFT 3 UNIT!". There's only so many ways you can show voodoo.
Really, I like what I've seen of D3 and even if it is a bit more cartoony than some would like that's a completely minor part of the game. I think people's problems is that they couldn't find something valid to complain about, like the gameplay (the only thing that really matters).
Also is it just me or do the Zerg buildings in SC2 look like Silithid structures? OMG CALL DA POLICE!
Ladi
Viciouschan
Posted 8:51 PM 1/8/08
This man is smart and glad they aren't listening to the idiots bitching about a good looking and awesome game. I can't wait for it and man.. I want it now!!!
Viciouschan
Elrinth
Posted 9:23 PM 1/8/08
I'm really looking forward to play Diablo 3! :) I hope the unannounced classes are more fun. I'd much rather have a Necromancer than a Witch Doc tho. Skeletons and bones are MUCH cooler than some mumbo jumbo voodoo boy.
Elrinth
Jas49
Posted 12:01 AM 2/8/08
I like how the guys against this art direction tend to compare the small beginning section of D3 to the darkest sections of D1 and D2.
The desert in D2 was a bright yellow field, with red, green and blue monsters. The jungle had pygmies...standing on each other's shoulders! Look at the D2 character select, and look at the size of the shoulderpads and axes.
The selective memory of some people, conveniently forgetting waht they want to forget and remembering only waht they want to remember, that is the biggest problem.
Jas49
konchy
Posted 11:58 PM 1/8/08
one request please. put an OPTION to have numbers above heads or not. putting numbers above heads makes it look like one of those korean MMOs. cabal, perfect world.... blehh.
konchy
Mikaelstrom
Posted 11:56 PM 1/8/08
Here's a question:
All the people who hate the new look of D3 seem to hate it because the look has evolved - because it's not like D1 or D2. You seem to want it to be exactly like those games.
If that's the case, why not just go play D1 and D2, and leave those of us who are excited about the new evolution of this series to enjoy our awesome new game? According to your arguments, the visuals of the previous games were perfect - the pinnacle of the series' potential. So why do you even care about the release of a new game?
A series has to evolve - has to change in order to avoid stagnation. If the Internet had been around in the 1980s, you would have been starting petitions and rallying battle cries around Super Mario Bros. 3, because it added an overworld and overly cartoony visuals to the signature gameplay of Super Mario Bros. It didn't look exactly like its predecessor, so clearly, it must have sucked, right? (I'm excluding SMB2, because it was Doki Doki Panic, not a real SMB game.) Ditto for Super Mario 64 - how dare they move it into 3D?
It's amazing when people pass judgment well before they have even played the game. And the melodrama!
"this crap makes me sick personally."
"Blizzard has turned into a propaganda machine."
"Blizzard is fucking this series up."
I'm not saying people can't disagree with the art direction. Hell, I'm not even saying they have to shut up about it. Go ahead! Express yourself!
But the self-importance that has happened over this whole issue - a petition? Really? - has blown everything WAY out of proportion. Everyone is taking this thing far too seriously. It's a game, people.
Sit back, chill out, and take a deep breath. Everything's going to be ok.
Mikaelstrom
glottis8
Posted 12:26 AM 2/8/08
hmmm.... for some reason he didn't answer any of the questions....environments have nothing to do with how the game plays... it the atmosphere in which the player is set and how he feels in it. Yes... Diablo 2 had bright deserts, wet marshes, jungles.... but in the end, their color pallete was not the freaking rainbow. Everything is just a little more into the cartoony side. Which is not a bad thing, but its pretty disappointing to see the art direction take a choice and try to back it up with gameplay and blizzards standards.
glottis8
onepoker
Posted 12:25 AM 2/8/08
People always resist change. Once they get a couple hours on Diablo III and get absorbed into the game they won't even notice the color changes anymore.
Every time I play a new shooter I always hate it for the first few hours as I get used to them swapping the grenade button to where I used to aim from but eventually I get settled in and then the new love affair begins. (im a slut when it comes to new games Ill admit it)
onepoker
alzheimers
Posted 12:24 AM 2/8/08
Do you remember that part from Final Fantasy III/VI? Yeah, you know which part.
That's apocalypse. If Diablo III can serve up half the WTF of that, then it's all good.
alzheimers
TheLegendof_Erick
Posted 12:18 AM 2/8/08
@Mikaelstrom: I respect evolution, not castration.
TheLegendof_Erick
klauzman
Posted 1:14 AM 2/8/08
@Ladi: It doesn't matter what the hell his job is, what matters is that he's almost identical to a Warcraft Troll, he even stands the same way, I'm not saying the game doesn't look good, and I'm not saying the gameplay won't be a blast, it looks really good and it'll probably surpass Diablo II's replayability, and I know I will buy the special edition and enjoy every second of it, but what I'm skeptical about is that it just doesn't look like Diablo, it looks like Warcraft, what they are forgetting is that this won't be a Warcraft dungeon crawler, this'll be a new DIABLO game, and I don't see Diablo's spirit there.
klauzman
zomgYGGR
Posted 2:41 AM 2/8/08
@Jas49: the problem isnt that there is color or that its not some super dark gothic setting, the problem is that it looks exactly like WoW.
zomgYGGR
onepoker
Posted 2:37 AM 2/8/08
One thing that has irritated me through a bunch of Blizzards games is the turn to evil. In Diablo one you go through the whole game only to be possesed by evil in the end.
In warcraft three you go dark early killing villagers and the murder of the king kind of turned me off. and at the end in order to win you basically have to sacrifice all of your friends.
I really wish they would have a game where the good guys win and they stay good guys the whole freaking game.
Don't get me wrong I don't mind when it goes to playing the orcs for awhile I can understand the appeal. But I just want the good guys to stay good and the bad guys to stay bad is that so wrong.
By the way I have bought everything this company has made so my bitching is coming from a fan stand point im not trying to say they make bad games.
onepoker
Dirame
Posted 3:04 AM 2/8/08
My mind is full of praise for blizzard and their skill at making an IP great. I have learned alot from their interviews and I believe they have taught me a valuable lesson in game design.
Dirame
DoMiNaTi0n
Posted 4:49 AM 2/8/08
Blizzard knows what they are doing and the people who bitch about it will end up agreeing how good the game/art is in the end...
Besides, I like how they are going to go with a more lively look in the beginning and then slowly take it all away. Definitely gives the impression that things are only going to get worse
DoMiNaTi0n
goddessakasha
Posted 5:07 AM 2/8/08
One of the problems with Blizzard is that they make CGI movies that look so much more realistic and better than what their actual games look like.
Why aren't the CGI movies stylized as well? Why do we get awesome looking Orcs and Tauren running across fields making heavy stomping sounds and then we get a much downgraded version in WoW?
Why does Tyrael look so awesomely epic in the Diablo CGIs and then barely resemble anything more than a glowing cartoon sprite in Diablo?
Why? WHY?
goddessakasha
Llost
Posted 12:44 AM 3/8/08
@Mikaelstrom: If you don't like D2 and D1 then F off. If you do then why act like they were crap and this change was needed?
Diablo had it's own style and alot has changed from that, mostly for the worst. I'll buy the game in the end cos I'm a fan and it's not like they've commited an attrocity but I do feel let down.
Llost
marklar606
Posted 11:39 PM 5/8/08
WOW's game play is awesome, the art is shit, I played it for a while but couldn't take the Disney look seriously. I guess it's smart of them to adopt WOW shittyness to feed the millions of addicts something that looks familiar. I will defiantly play D3 don't get me wrong, but I'm hoping the atmosphere will live up to D2, for me it's all about atmosphere.
marklar606