After seeing the Diablo 3 beta on youtube being updated recently it seems like they are dumbing the gameplay down. Even after PC gamers made Blizzard what it is today we see them trying to make more consoles. In the end I think this will be bad because as we have seen over the past year PC gaming is growing so should Blizzard continue to focus on console gamers or come back and focus on PC gamers.

But Diablo III is a PC game not a console game just like everything they make. I do not understand your point?

Edit: Ok there are console versions but they are a port the PC version not vice versa.

No, in fact, lol no. Also it's Diablo game play aint complicated. All complexity really comes from specing out stuff which is not it's original purpose. It's suppose to offer a player choice in their character creation when really that's not possible because their is always an optimal build. Theirs your complexity, looking up the best build online. Lets also get it straight that I'm a Blizzard fanboy but even I can see this.

hum, blizz makes wow so clearly they are gonna abandon the platform that lets them print money.

No Blizzard loves the PC and it has a direct relationship with it's consumers, be it the millions playing Warcraft and Starcraft or the upcoming Diablo 3. The only reason you will start seeing their games on consoles is if they think the ideas translate well and they have a guaranteed seller. Diablo 3 is a game that can work on a console so I can see why they would look into a 360/PS3/WiiU version of it. Warcraft and Starcraft on the other hand will likely remain PC exclusive.

This can only go two ways, as usual: Either Diablo 3 doesn't sell well on consoles (sells better on PC) and people who bought it take your side, condemning Blizzard for dumbing down the game, or the game sells well on consoles, and everyone will call you an old-school closed-minded and jaded fanboy who needs to get with the times. 
 
I expect it to sell well on consoles, and we all know that when that happens, any decent gameplay design you dream of will be a thing of the past because the console crowd demand nothing and have very basic standards. A Crytek game is linear? Who caaaares its FUN. A DICE BF game has no commander? who caaares its FUN. You can't holster your weapon in a Bioware game to explore properly? Who caaaares its fun.  
It's about time Blizzard joined those formerly-PC developers in getting the console crowd's big money while serving them half-assed dumbed-down feature-stripped titles. Diablo 3 sounds like it. 
A Diablo game that doesn't have/support whatever it is that a Diablo game is expected to have/support? It will sell most on Xbox 360 and those guys will tell you to get with the times and accept INNOVATION (less features).

I don't think Blizzard is leaving PC where if anything their precious and expensive infrastructure known as Battle.net is very PC centric. Why build up that tech if they were just going to use another's platform?

Everytime someone talks about Diablo 3 on the PC and consoles, all I can think about is how much I'd love to control my character using WASD.

The Diablo 3 beta is EXTREMELY far from what end game Diablo will be like. In the beta your only playing like 1/4 of act 1 on normal, so yes, the gameplay is going to look extremely dumbed down and boring because you are using a stick with level 1 abllities. Even Diablo 2 is like this, shit, entire normal mode is like that. When you get into the higher difficulties, and even blizzard has said this, shit is going to be fucked.

Diablo 3 on 360, you say?

I am intrigued.

Not probably moving to consoles (they've had this long to try it & haven't), think they might be going down the route of making the games easier for everyone to get more people playing it but after this long of them doing what they want, who can say wtf blizzard is doing.

Diablo is about right-clicking stuff a lot. Its hardly on the forefront of extremely deep PC games. Blizzard is catering to the casual PC gaming audience who wants to see all the content, instead of console players that are hindered by control input. Same thing happened in WoW (granted I did not play WoW for a couple of years). The normal difficulty is for everyone.

Sure why not.

Yeah, they're totally focusing on console games. Totally.

WoW is coming to WiiU, so yeah totally.

If the gameplay in Diablo III is "dumbed down," you should blame WoW first and consoles second. I say this because Blizzard's fanbase now has a few million or more "casual" players who don't play anything besides WoW, don't know what Diablo 2 is, and might try 3 simply because of Blizzard's name.
Also, the hardcore Blizzard fans might have given them their start, but it's the millions upon millions of WoW subscriptions that gave them their money.

@AhmadMetallic said:

This can only go two ways, as usual: Either Diablo 3 doesn't sell well on consoles (sells better on PC) and people who bought it take your side, condemning Blizzard for dumbing down the game, or the game sells well on consoles, and everyone will call you an old-school closed-minded and jaded fanboy who needs to get with the times.

I expect it to sell well on consoles, and we all know that when that happens, any decent gameplay design you dream of will be a thing of the past because the console crowd demand nothing and have very basic standards. A Crytek game is linear? Who caaaares its FUN. A DICE BF game has no commander? who caaares its FUN. You can't holster your weapon in a Bioware game to explore properly? Who caaaares its fun. It's about time Blizzard joined those formerly-PC developers in getting the console crowd's big money while serving them half-assed dumbed-down feature-stripped titles. Diablo 3 sounds like it. A Diablo game that doesn't have/support whatever it is that a Diablo game is expected to have/support? It will sell most on Xbox 360 and those guys will tell you to get with the times and accept INNOVATION (less features).

Dude, Diablo 3 looked like adapted for consoles even in 2008. Why do people forget that demo?

Yo

How do you dumb down Diablo's gameplay? No seriously, how do you do it, unless you add the ability to auto-right-click everything in a room? Diablo's not that fucking deep. What a stupid thread.

@groin said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

This can only go two ways, as usual: Either Diablo 3 doesn't sell well on consoles (sells better on PC) and people who bought it take your side, condemning Blizzard for dumbing down the game, or the game sells well on consoles, and everyone will call you an old-school closed-minded and jaded fanboy who needs to get with the times.

I expect it to sell well on consoles, and we all know that when that happens, any decent gameplay design you dream of will be a thing of the past because the console crowd demand nothing and have very basic standards. A Crytek game is linear? Who caaaares its FUN. A DICE BF game has no commander? who caaares its FUN. You can't holster your weapon in a Bioware game to explore properly? Who caaaares its fun. It's about time Blizzard joined those formerly-PC developers in getting the console crowd's big money while serving them half-assed dumbed-down feature-stripped titles. Diablo 3 sounds like it. A Diablo game that doesn't have/support whatever it is that a Diablo game is expected to have/support? It will sell most on Xbox 360 and those guys will tell you to get with the times and accept INNOVATION (less features).

Greatest motherfucking response ever. Not just in the history of the internet, the history of mankind.

@Sarfang said:

After seeing the Diablo 3 beta on youtube being updated recently it seems like they are dumbing the gameplay down. Even after PC gamers made Blizzard what it is today we see them trying to make more consoles. In the end I think this will be bad because as we have seen over the past year PC gaming is growing so should Blizzard continue to focus on console gamers or come back and focus on PC gamers.

You do realize that a) the original Diablo team left a long time ago (and I'd argue they aren't watering anything down as Diablo was never that complex), hence the change in style and that b) they have a bunch of teams, one of which is still working on the very-PC only Starcraft 2 expansion? Or that they are releasing yet another expansion for WoW? Or that they are working on a brand new MMO.

What part of any of that is them focusing on consoles?

i wonder what the actual age of all these saber rattling doomsayers are, because more than likely, they didnt start playing FPS's until after cs1.6, they really have no idea what games were like before they become mainstream

@d00dCOMEON said:

i wonder what the actual age of all these saber rattling doomsayers are, because more than likely, they didnt start playing FPS's until after cs1.6, they really have no idea what games were like before they become mainstream

Before the mainstream PC games weren't FPS. Or hell, even real-time.

How do you dumb down Diablo's gameplay? No seriously, how do you do it, unless you add the ability to auto-right-click everything in a room? Diablo's not that fucking deep. What a stupid thread.

You can't really dumb down the gameplay in diablo. Seriously, previous entries in the series had a left click attack and a right click attack and that was it.

I don't want to waste too much time on this ludicrous topic but I will leave with this, you sir, are an idiot.

Yes. They changed their release schedule. Mists of Pandaria and Heart of the Swarm are both going to be console exclusives. Diablo 3 is just there to ease the transition.

Diablo is one of the easiest games skill wise. Console port doesnt "dumb it down"

@Ubersmake said:

Everytime someone talks about Diablo 3 on the PC and consoles, all I can think about is how much I'd love to control my character using WASD.

I cant see how people think direct control makes less sense than clicking somewhere. I totally agree that it probably works better with a keyboard control structure for the hotkey mapping, but having direct control of the character seems to make total sense. This is a game that I could see making a much smoother transition to a console that a lot of other genres that have been attempted.

Also, they haven't even confirmed this yet so why worry about it?

@benspyda said:

But Diablo III is a PC game not a console game just like everything they make. I do not understand your point?

Edit: Ok there are console versions but they are a port the PC version not vice versa.

There are no console versions yet. They are experimenting with it.

The OP's point is pretty weird, though. how can they focus on console gamers with a game that is (for all we know) only coming to the PC and never had any complex gameplay systems anyway?!

I hate this mentality that just because they're taking stuff out they put in there, they must be dumbing the game down and "robbing" gamers of elements. It's 100% ridiculous.

In the current build of D3 every class has at least one ablity that requires something going to where your mouse is (leap, vault, teleport, spider jar, dashing fist(w/e it is called)) I still don't have any idea as to how you can do that well with a controller without making them less useful, and while the game play isn't dumbed down (in fact they have hot keys for more skills that the others) the skill system could be looked upon as being a worse system, I don't think so and I really like the spell rune system (which is taken from WoW but in D3 they have more freedom) the grouping of skills while will mean less builds I think most people would end up with something very close to a build that would fit into the system. I also preferred the system of upgrading your crafters that involved not just throwing cash at them esp now that you can't junk items in the field I think you should be able to turn items into gold in the field but have to come back to town to break items into crafting mats (I also hope that mats from each won't be unique to them)

@Spunky: *thumbs up* Going to be fucking epic. Can't imagine them improving upon the difficulty to make it that much better. Going to be great!

Yup, with all of their big hits and upcoming titles being PC exclusive, they are totally leaving PC gamers and focusing on consoles.

For real? LOL wtf? Not making games on consoles is now considered "focusing" on consoles? Which word do you not know the definition of: consoles or focusing?

I understand the OPs concern, if Blizzard starts in on consoles who is left for PC? Hopefully the next generation of consoles will come out soon, and PC will cease being hamstrung by the current hardware.

However, on topic, I wouldn't imagine Blizzard is going console any time soon!

If you look at the changes they made to the beta, it does look like they're designing the game for a console now. Primary attack, Secondary attack, 4 skills and a potion button. This is a pretty big change from what it was before, where you had your left and right mouse buttons, then an action bar, and you could set everything to whatever you want, instead of being limited to certain skills. That said, D2 only ever had 2 buttons, and F1-F5 hotkeys or something. Then again, they've completely removed your ablity to attack with your equipped weapon now.

@groin said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

This can only go two ways, as usual: Either Diablo 3 doesn't sell well on consoles (sells better on PC) and people who bought it take your side, condemning Blizzard for dumbing down the game, or the game sells well on consoles, and everyone will call you an old-school closed-minded and jaded fanboy who needs to get with the times.

I expect it to sell well on consoles, and we all know that when that happens, any decent gameplay design you dream of will be a thing of the past because the console crowd demand nothing and have very basic standards. A Crytek game is linear? Who caaaares its FUN. A DICE BF game has no commander? who caaares its FUN. You can't holster your weapon in a Bioware game to explore properly? Who caaaares its fun. It's about time Blizzard joined those formerly-PC developers in getting the console crowd's big money while serving them half-assed dumbed-down feature-stripped titles. Diablo 3 sounds like it. A Diablo game that doesn't have/support whatever it is that a Diablo game is expected to have/support? It will sell most on Xbox 360 and those guys will tell you to get with the times and accept INNOVATION (less features).

10/10 you are amazing, sir

Pretty much every Blizzard game plays better on the pc. I wouldn't put it past them to sell out, plently of pc developers have. Epic. Peter M. Ken Levine.

Tons and tons, as soon as they get a wiff of easy console money, they are off!

what's dumbed down about it? i've played every diablo game and most of my college life within diablo 2. Playing the beta of Diablo 3 it seems like a Diablo game. /shrug

@Turambar said:

@AhmadMetallic: What is Diablo 3 not supporting that it is expected to support?

Probably LAN support if Starcraft 2 is any indication.

What a fucking tragedy!

@Turambar said:

@AhmadMetallic: What is Diablo 3 not supporting that it is expected to support?

Probably LAN support if Starcraft 2 is any indication.

What a fucking tragedy!

@Turambar said:

@MikkaQ said:

@Turambar said:

@AhmadMetallic: What is Diablo 3 not supporting that it is expected to support?

Probably LAN support if Starcraft 2 is any indication.

What a fucking tragedy!

At least SC2 had the argument that any minor lag is detrimental to competitive play on a high level, and LAN should have been an option to get around that. But you lose none of the experience by not having it in D3. Not to mention the existence of an auction house that you can earn real money would mean the game is gonna have to clamp down on any possible avenues of duping, starting with not letting you run it offline.

I was being sarcastic hah. I was always behind that decision even in Starcraft 2 because everyone I know has wi-fi at home. I don't play at a level where lag would matter much.

I just read on twitter that Blizzard canceled the PC version.

@AhmadMetallic said:

This can only go two ways, as usual: Either Diablo 3 doesn't sell well on consoles (sells better on PC) and people who bought it take your side, condemning Blizzard for dumbing down the game, or the game sells well on consoles, and everyone will call you an old-school closed-minded and jaded fanboy who needs to get with the times.

I expect it to sell well on consoles, and we all know that when that happens, any decent gameplay design you dream of will be a thing of the past because the console crowd demand nothing and have very basic standards. A Crytek game is linear? Who caaaares its FUN. A DICE BF game has no commander? who caaares its FUN. You can't holster your weapon in a Bioware game to explore properly? Who caaaares its fun. It's about time Blizzard joined those formerly-PC developers in getting the console crowd's big money while serving them half-assed dumbed-down feature-stripped titles. Diablo 3 sounds like it. A Diablo game that doesn't have/support whatever it is that a Diablo game is expected to have/support? It will sell most on Xbox 360 and those guys will tell you to get with the times and accept INNOVATION (less features).

To tell you the truth after hearing the DRM D3 will be using I will be more then happy to get it on consoles. I don't care if I get downgraded graphics or downgraded performance as long as I don't have to always be online to play the Single Player portion of it.

-__-

lol why yes blizzard is abandoning the pc spending 10 development time on 2 seperate pc games really shows a lack of dedication to the platform

Most games are getting dumbed down because gamers are getting stupider.

@avidwriter said:

Most games are getting dumbed down because gamers are getting stupider.

I don't remember a time when everyone was complaining games as a whole were too hard. I think it's the developers who just assume the masses can't figure out simple logic and patters.

I don't think so. Diablo 3 still seems like a classic PC dungeon crawl to me.

@Landon said:

@avidwriter said:

Most games are getting dumbed down because gamers are getting stupider.

I don't remember a time when everyone was complaining games as a whole were too hard. I think it's the developers who just assume the masses can't figure out simple logic and patters.

There are a few painful quicklooks on this very site that supports that claim. (shadow of the colossus, Dantes inferno, etc)

I got no idea what a entry level gamers skills are anymore at this point.