Diablo III’ Designer Turns Tables, Judges Fans’ Screenshots (MTV Multiplayer)

Azureth

Azureth

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
5,323
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/08/04/diablo-iii-designer-turns-tables/

Diablo III designer Jay Wilson critiques the fan altered screenshots of the game and explains how that shit would never fly in-game. Read the full article for the whole beatdown, but heres the first one of several:

diablo-fan-01.jpg


Jay Wilson, Designer of “Diablo III”: The key thing to remember here is that this has been Photoshopped. This isn’t created by the engine. Though it looks really cool, it’s almost impossible to do in a 3D engine because you can’t have lighting that smart and run on systems that are reasonable. If we could do that, we probably would in a few of the dungeons.

Now in terms of the actual texturing, this texturing, where they grayed out everything and it’s very flat and the monsters are all kind of a similar tone — that does not play well. It’s very boring to run through more than a couple of times, and it’s very difficult to tell creatures apart and pop them out of the environment. So those things don’t really work for us. A lot of the lighting stuff I think is very cool, but it’s also not very doable for us.
Click to expand...
 
Utter bullshit, it looks about as basic as a game can get, any decent video card could run the original screenshot above in 3 digit frame rates with ease, even when you pile on loads of mosters and effects instancing of world objectsand enemies means you can have loads with little system overhead.

Lighting like in the bottom screenshot is perfectly do-able unless they've written a really flimsy, and utterly shit engine, which maybe they have *shrug*
 
I think its hilarious how SO many gamers complained when games started turning "brown" (wasn't that a major crit for gears of war?)

and now everyone is trying to make diablo III brown... Okkkaaay...

Also, yes, the post effects are entirely doable, but this is blizzard - they're making this so it can run on a P3 with a geforce2 GTS (ok, not really, but you get the picture... WoW runs on my macbook with integrated intel graphics)

most of y'all are playing diablo II right now - why? are the graphics spectacular? no - its the game... play the damn game the way they made it and stfu... it's gonna rock and you know it.

Heck, the fact that 90% of the crits are about how COLORFUL the graphics are is so friggen superficial it's ridiculous. It's gonna be a good game, maybe even a spectacular game. I'll be picking up my copy as soon as its out.
 
IdiotCow said:
most of y'all are playing diablo II right now - why?
Click to expand...


Good question. I got bored and quit that game during the 2nd act. Diablo was fresh and sucked me in. Diablo II was the same thing with a new coat of paint. I haven't been following Diablo 3, so I'll reserve judgment. When's it likely coming out anyways ? Next year ?
 
Nice find!

"Wilson: I think one of the things that these lack is if you stuck every one of these re-done shots right next to each other you would not be able to tell that they’re in different areas. One of the things that’s key to “Diablo II” — and I’ve gone through and done timing on it — it changes environments every 15 minutes, and every 45 minutes they give you an environment that looks completely different than one you’ve ever seen before. And when they change environments, the contrast is huge. It’s like I’m in green lush fields, and now I’m in the darkest dungeon you’ve ever seen. I’m in a bright sandy desert, and now I’m in a completely dim mummy tomb. There are these vast shifts in look, and it’s one of the things that keeps people interested in playing the game."

Wilson owns the petition well. And specifically this part is so true. I said this before but I'll say it again, a great part of why Diablo2 felt so epic has to do with how you felt you were on an adventure through the world. Plains -> Deserts -> Rainforests -> Mountains. Huge changes of environments and culturestyles felt just right for the game. This guy gave me some extra reassurance that DIII will turn out to be an epic game by recognizing this aspect of DII.

By the way, remember Hellgate:London? Hordes of people complained about lack of game environment variety on the forums. You were basically in greyed out sewers or the same abandoned city streets throughout the whole game and it was just horribly boring to play through.
 
I agree people had no complain grounds for darker enviornments, but seriously..

Blizzard has zillions of dollars. Wheres the 2008 graphics.

This game looks less detailed than WoW. 4 years old. They are making this so win'95 systems can run on it. Give us some state-of-art graphics....Even Titan Quest looks better than this.:rolleyes:
 
meatfestival said:
Haha, I love this shit.

Fanboys: "BAWWWW"
Blizzard: "ROFL"
Click to expand...




LOL.


On topic - Good article, it was well worth the read. I love how Jay Wilson was basically like, "yeah, these user created screenies suck". But, I think he did bring up some good points by saying that in alot of those shots there wasn't enough contrast so you couldn't tell who is a co-op player and who's a monster.
 
Visec said:
I agree people had no complain grounds for darker enviornments, but seriously..

Blizzard has zillions of dollars. Wheres the 2008 graphics.

This game looks less detailed than WoW. 4 years old. They are making this so win'95 systems can run on it. Give us some state-of-art graphics....Even Titan Quest looks better than this.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Blizzard didn't get rich by targeting high end PCs.

Shitloads of my friends play Wow and most of them have very basic systems.
 
I don't believe it is wise to make judgments about a game that is still a few years away.
 
meatfestival said:
Blizzard didn't get rich by targeting high end PCs.

Shitloads of my friends play Wow and most of them have very basic systems.
Click to expand...

Exactly! Very few of their games have pushed newer graphics cards at the time of their respective releases. Blizzard's never really been about cutting edge graphics ..
 
I actually believe Blizzard did an amazing job with WoW's graphics, I still find them great. Sure, they're no Crysis or Mass Effect material, but think of the FPS you would get with 30 people onscreen with better graphics..

Plus, as said above, if they were better graphics, WoW's playerbase would drop significantly.
 
Same story, different game. People bitched about Crysis being too demanding and now they're all emo over Diablo III for the opposite reason.
 
Everyone even older systems people should be able to play it. But that doesn't mean you can't have both thats why different quality options exist.

They can create an option for ultra/turbo future rez's and still have settings for lower computers at the same time.
 
I think it would be cool for them to use more of the 'grudge' time textures in D3 but I personally think they are doing a decent job while making it playable on average systems but still keeping the 'grudge' feel to the extent.

People never stop bitching about things I swear. You see all these people crying over how the game is being made but you don't see those said people making games that are making millions.
 
Do people actually like the uber dark bottom screenshot? Really? :confused: Are they retarded or something? You might as well fucking make the whole "world" Nothing and just have random sprites walk up and try to eat your fucking face off! There is literally almost NOTHING in the second screenshot, just black! Puts GoW's darkness to shame.
 
I dunno about you guys but it wasn't the vibrance and colors that bothered me, on the contrary!, it was the lack of contrast. DII looked rich because it had very bright and very dark, instead of pastel all over. I think the guys making screenshots forgot that and made it some sort of twisted memory of DII.
It was mostly just the pastelness that bugged the piss out of me.

Anywho, we will play the game! we were just sharing our opinion with bliz. Oh the shame!
 
There is a difference between lighting and surroundings and the utter look of cartoons running around with swords.
 
This blizzard guy talks about contrast, and thats EXACTLY what us 'whiners' want. After running through a vibrant forest, and entering a tomb of the undead, there needs to be a contrast. but no, the vibrant colors are still down there, just slightly darker. Now THAT's boring.

Dungeons are dark and hopeless. When I descend into a cave or a dungeon, I want to have a feeling that there is something evil down there, that there's something to be alarmed about. Then when you exit the dungeon,and the colors come back, then it would be all the more satisfying. But that's not hows its going to be in d3. vibrant colors will be everywhere.

Also, I don't necessarily agree with the second pic either, but It's obvious that Blizzard isn't after atmosphere here, I guess that's what it comes down to. They might as well not try and put scary ambient music in dungeons either, they could put jonas brothers or hannah montana songs, it would be more appropriate to match the surroundings.
 
Man, I know Diablo 3's graphics isn't the greatest, but calling it worse than WOW? Come on...

I'll take D3's stylized graphics over Titan Quest's boring art style any day.
 
I just looked at the screenshots comapred to the altered ones. Wow is all I can say. The fan altered shots are vastly superior. One looks like what I'd think Diablo 3 should be and the other looks like Hello Kitty island Adventure.
 
There'd be the exact opposite discussion if they made it look like the second one. Someone would doctor it up and people would complain. We have myspace and emo music to thank for the current state of affairs.
 
Dan_D said:
I just looked at the screenshots comapred to the altered ones. Wow is all I can say. The fan altered shots are vastly superior. One looks like what I'd think Diablo 3 should be and the other looks like Hello Kitty island Adventure.
Click to expand...

While I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, this did make me laugh my ass off and almost spill my coffee :D

I'm certainly into the darker things, and though I think they could tone down or alter the colorations a bit to make it "darker" in feel (not just darker visually), the colors aren't that bad.

The greenish/bluish hue is used in many games, movies etc., especially in subterranean atmospheres, and works quite well at creating an underworldly atmosphere. Even the alien ship in Crysis has the greenish/bluish hue, which made it feel as creepy as it does. However, there is something about it that doesn't someone quite work out quite like that, so maybe they could add a bit more in terms of shadows and gray tones.

As for the WoW comparison, that's definitely and exaggeration, as is the fact that it somehow looks "dated" or lacking in detail. There's plenty of detail, and in general it looks crisp and solid. Perhaps changing the color scheme slightly would help, but if you look closely at the textures, it certainly looks good. No, it's no Crysis, and doesn't look like a "miniaturized" version of Age of Conan, but then again, it's not meant to... but that doesn't mean it looks horrible.

I think it's best summed-up with this:

Spaceman_Spiff said:
There'd be the exact opposite discussion if they made it look like the second one.
Click to expand...

Exactly. No matter what, it seems almost impossible for people to just appreciate something for what it is, instead of comparing it to everything else and/or just having something to bitch about.

Spaceman_Spiff said:
We have myspace and emo music to thank for the current state of affairs.
Click to expand...

...and this indeed could be part of the reason why.

Another good laugh with that one. That's twice I almost spilled my coffee.
 
It's nice to see the explanation and I can agree with the color schemes being used to provide contrast. I especially liked where he discussed why a lot of the art direction and models look like they are from WoW. Oh wait, he totally skipped that argument. I want that explanation. I don't care too much about the color scheme and I liked the way most of it looked. I want my Barbarian to have some armor that looks like it wasn't designed by a 12 year old. You can say that about some of the textures in the environment as well. The likeness to WoW was a huge part of the "controversy" and he ignored that issue.
 
I still don't understand why people would want dark, dingy, depressing colors versus vibrant, eye-pleasing ones.

I've always used a feature on Nvidia cards called digital vibrance, and I love some saturation in color.
 
I like the modified screen shots but I could give a rats ass which one they use I still play D2 at 800X600 on 24" screen. As long as diablo 3 has 1920X1200 support I'm in...hell if they remade D2 with 1920X1200 support I would be in for that as well.

But the real question in my mind is.........Will it have free online play?
 
Stiletto said:
I still don't understand why people would want dark, dingy, depressing colors versus vibrant, eye-pleasing ones.

I've always used a feature on Nvidia cards called digital vibrance, and I love some saturation in color.
Click to expand...

People like me don't want depressing colors EVERYWHERE, just in places where it's appropriate. Right now there are vibrant colors even in dungeons where undead are. That doesn't help atmosphere at all and its just not believable.
 
damonposey said:
People like me don't want depressing colors EVERYWHERE, just in places where it's appropriate. Right now there are vibrant colors even in dungeons where undead are. That doesn't help atmosphere at all and its just not believable.
Click to expand...

It could be a gay sex dungeon in which case vibrant colors and Undead are perfectly believable.
 
Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 are among my favorite all time games. I've actually played through both too quite recently, and not because of D3 announcements ( If anyone wants to duel USWest SCL let me know :p ). Because I actually still enjoy them. The photoshopped pictures to me look alot better and I would prefer them. But I'll trust Blizzard as they haven't failed me yet.
 
damonposey said:
People like me don't want depressing colors EVERYWHERE, just in places where it's appropriate. Right now there are vibrant colors even in dungeons where undead are. That doesn't help atmosphere at all and its just not believable.
Click to expand...

Yeah but when have Blizzard's games been about realism? They've been about three things:

1. Work on all computers
2. Fun, addictive, replayable
3. Heavily supported for years after release.

That formula has continued to work for a long time.
 
Redleader said:
There is a difference between lighting and surroundings and the utter look of cartoons running around with swords.
Click to expand...

And that difference is? Sorry but unless the game looks like shots from a television or a movie, or other similar medium it all looks like artwork, cartoons, to me.

damonposey said:
People like me don't want depressing colors EVERYWHERE, just in places where it's appropriate. Right now there are vibrant colors even in dungeons where undead are. That doesn't help atmosphere at all and its just not believable.
Click to expand...

And a dungeon with undead is believable? :p


It's all interpretation. Nothing more.
 
Stiletto said:
Yeah but when have Blizzard's games been about realism? They've been about three things:

1. Work on all computers
2. Fun, addictive, replayable
3. Heavily supported for years after release.

That formula has continued to work for a long time.
Click to expand...

Realism and believability are 2 different things. To me believability in a game adds to my immersion in the game. It's a dungeon crawler at its roots, dungeons should be scary and dark to contrast the outdoor environments.

But I think part of blizzard's logic though is because of LCDs. Dark doesn't work well with them, vibrant colors do. and LCDs are very popular now.

It's just strange to me. With a name like Diablo, basically the game is called 'Satan', the game has vibrant colors everywhere, it just totally doesn't fit. a warcraft isometric RPG and I wouldn't complain as much.
 
What we are seeing right now might be solely from Act 1, where the Humans have been thriving because there hasn't been evil in, I think, 20 years or something. The dev even stated how it drastically changes just like Diablo2. So, maybe this one is all lush and beautiful, and then in Act 4 you get to where Diablo is fucking molesting people and it turns into hell and darkness exploding to flames.
 
My favorite part in the article is when Jay stated “Diablo III — now with rainbows!” In all seriousness though, I believe this is Blizzard appeasing to the vast majority of ages and maybe even gender? (Come on wouldn't you actually enjoy questing with an Amazon that isn't some creepy guy?). Now while it's neat to have dark, twisted and depressing (If your into that) it doesn't quite fly with MAVAV (That's Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence if you didn't know). For god's sake look half way down on their page and they have a picture of DII with the word "Addiction" printed on it. And that's for a game that's 8 years old.

I still remember when I played DII with the volume jacked up back in my younger days, when dinner time came around my mother would throw holy water at me. Even my girlfriend's aunt unistalled it after she played 5 minutes of it. She then rambled on about how the computer was infected with a demon. (She's from the boonies in the Nebraska might I had)

meatfestival said:
Blizzard didn't get rich by targeting high end PCs.

Shitloads of my friends play Wow and most of them have very basic systems.
Click to expand...

QFT. All of my friend's that play WoW have horrible PC's. I recently gave my friend my old Albatron 5700 and he went crazy over his new graphics.

Oh just for the note, I'll be pre-ordering DIII. <3 Blizzard games.
 
Well I think the main reason for the complaints about the art direction of Diablo III comes down to the fact that Diablo III doesn't look like it will recreate the atmosphere of the first two games and the abundant usage of colors matches World of Warcraft's style more than Diablo's. I can't say I'm very pleased with the direction they are taking the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time. (Diablo II)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top