You’d have thought “sequel to beloved game announced after eight year silence” would be good news for Diablo fans. And to most, it was. Not everyone felt the same way though – an undercurrent of disappointed muttering had it that the game looked too bright and cartoonish compared to its darker predecessors. Most of us will doubtless wait to see what the game’s actually like before passing judgement based on its appearance alone, but slighted naysayers have banded together for one of those e-petition thingies, determined to talk Blizzard into changing the game’s art style after just four years of development. Can’t fail, surely.
“What we ask Blizzard is to find a way of pleasing the fans of the Diablo universe by giving us a true sequel to Diablo 2 that is graphically coherent with the Diablo universe it belongs to.” Inevitably, they also bitch that they think it looks like “a remake” of WoW. Never forget, folks – A Bit More Colourful and Exactly Like World of Warcraft are in fact one and the same, no matter what the logical part of your brain might be telling you.
There are currently 9352 signatures on the petition, which, while a fair old chunk of disgruntlement, will probably need at least a couple more zeros on the end before Blizzard even read it. So, y’know, good luck with that.
Here’s one of the Photoshopped screenshots they’re using to state their case (original here). My, what elegant captioning:
Joining the ranks of Angries, albeit in rather more restrained fashion, is Fallout 3 producer Ashley Chen [Source]. “I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft”, he notes in a recent blog post, carefully sugar-coating the barb with comments about Blizzard’s knack for fun and polish.
Which is an interesting/brave statement for a rival RPG developer to make in public. While I believe there’s much we’ve yet to see – most especially in terms of co-op/multiplayer – I’m inclined to agree a little at this stage. That D3 is so hugely similar to its eight-year-old predecessor in its play style seems a greater cause for potential concern than that it’s using a few more primary colours. I do hope there are some meaty surprises to come.
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@Ci2e:
I’m mostly commenting on the blue dungeon. Having the outdoor sections cheery to provide contrast with the horrible places is a good idea, but I’d say the horrible places should have more reddish tones. Red suggests danger whereas blue suggests tranquility.
This one shows what I mean. The top picture looks far more ominous and dramatic, because it isn’t bright blue and the dark corners are actually dark.
As an aside, the Bethesda post is a bit of a joke to me. Someone shows the world that you can make a sequel to a beloved isometric classic without turning it into Gears of War, and they cry foul.
Thank you Internet, because what I need is one more fucking game that is entirely muddy brown and grey gothic castles and dungeons.
Primary colors are terrifying. If the concept art can’t be entirely rendered using ash and excrement: I will have none!
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/14-Clive-Barkers-Jericho
I thought the vids looked bloody great, what with the destructable environments and all that jazz. D3 certainly gets the thumbs up from me, from what I’ve seen of it so far.
I am totally incredulous!
Don’t have people better things to do with their time?
I mean, come on, the game isn’t even released yet. There’s probably years. Maybe Blizz will change the art direction totally. It could be that these are all placeholders (albeit very good looking ones)! Some parts of the dungeon look very Scholomance-y to me…
Anyway, if that is the final Art, and it happens you don’t like it. Well, then don’t buy it!
/throws hands up in the air in desperation
I don’t mind the ‘blue glow’ dungeon – it does remind me of oblivion though… (good/bad i’m undecided)
IMHO More realistic looking accoutrements would certainly fit the Diablo theme better.
Blizz – “ok guys scrap the last 4 years and just make some D2 maps and stuff, then we can go to the pub instead.”
mental internet fellas – “Woot D3 is the best”
I thought it looked fine in the gameplay video, but I must admit I’d like to see some more detail/polys in your character itself. The zoom on the Barb for instance looked rather Warcraft 3-era ish, but nicer.
But also, People should stop whining about other people whining about people whining.
@The Pope: I actually feel the blue mist in the example dungeon works quite well, it gives the whole dungeon a sort of mystical, other-worldly feel to it, like it wouldn’t be unusual to have ghouls crawling all over the place trying to eat you. I wouldn’t find blue mists calming, what with them being quite unnatural and hence alarming, besides more alarming and dark colours would obviously be saved for later and more dangerous dungeons, you wouldn’t expect them to show the most evil looking stuff they have first would you?
The “necromancers choice” just looks quite generic to me, about as demon infested as a suburban cellar with a candle in it. I’d rather have the ambient mists and lights than be squinting in the darkness of a dungeon that could be from any game made since 2003.
I did done a picture that represents what we, the true diablo fans, require of a true next-gen sequel to diablo.
Yeah I don’t like having to edit brightness and contrast just to be able to see where I’m going, I’ve watched a video on GameTrailers and it looks like they are focusing on character design more than art style…
I love how, despite everything going on in the world, this is the petition people are signing.
I hate people so very much.
If there’s one thing the gaming world needs, it’s another set of ravenous fanboys deciding they don’t like a game before it’s even been released.
And they will then of course buy it anyway and refuse to change their stance no matter what.
“I’m only playing it for the third time to make sure it still sucks!”
Have to say i’m in the minority here. Based on what’s shown thus far, it does look too bright/not “Diablo-ey” enough for my tastes.
Well I thought this was a load of rubbish really but now I quite like the altered screenshots. But I don’t think they should change anything. It’s their game and they should make it how they see it.
Meh, just turn the brightness down and be happy Diablo 3 is on its way
“we, the true diablo fans, require of a true next-gen sequel to diablo.”
Good grief. There are so many things wrong with that statement.
Also, good luck spotting your enemies when the shadows are darker.
I’m forced to agree with the naysayers. The artwork itself is good, but the ambient lighting looks like Quake2 colored lightning phenomenon – it’s way overblown, there’s little to no contrast and it doesn’t fit in with Diablo at all.
I’d hope that at least they have a shadow system similar to D2 planned (ie. http://i31.tinypic.com/2zta5o7.jpg), but given their priority on low system requirements I kinda doubt it.
Too bad, since just about everything else about the game screams bloody fantastic.
I’m astonished by the amount of elitism in this thread. Some people act like those who don’t like Diablo 3’s color choice are sub-human creatures which emerged from the shadows of idiocy..
Yes, some people actually think that Diablo 3’s art style is too different from Diablo 2’s and too near to StarCraft 2/World of Warcraft’s.. what’s the problem? They’re not idiots, they have a freakin’ point, as anyone who played both games for a long time can surely at least partially agree with. Try ignoring the arguments – maybe it isn’t too bright, maybe it’s the broader color choice which makes it look different, maybe it’s even the way Blizzard’s level designers work – but it does look different from older games in the series.
There’s no reason to patronize those, who do not share your opinion, folks..
Ashley Cheng can suck it.
during the concept panel talk they said their first point of reference for the art direction was to spend days watching classic horror movies (not a bad job, is it?).
It’s not like they turned up at a dulux paint store and played spin the colour wheel – they’ve done a load of research before they arrived at the style.
I’m mostly disappointed because I’m not sure if Diablo 3 even looks better than Titan Quest, a 2-year-old game. Of course, D3 is a ways off, but it’s still a bit disheartening. But the game will doubtlessly blow my nuts off when it comes out, so whatever.
not dark enough for ya.. turn down the brightness and STFU. thats my 2cents. game looks good to me and im itchin to play.
People are getting sidetracked a bit with the light/dark thing – brightness and contrast are not an art style. The original Diablo had characters composed of sprites that were rendered by the cinematics team – subdued colors, highly detailed and realistic, highly textured…
Warcraft 3 and WOW moved in the opposite direction – bright, unrealistic colors, washes of color due to monochromatic, bright ambient light, and a blocky, cartoony art style. You could almost say painterly. The screenshots of Diablo 3, while they do depict dark dungeons and all the requisite torches, rats, spiderwebs, statues, stone and rubble, they’ve definitely kept the low-poly, painterly, pseudo-cartoonish style intact. Look at the first outdoor scene – the flowers and leaves almost look like brush strokes.
And for what it’s worth (not much), I did like the realistic, detailed, gritty style better than the cartoony one. Add to that spells directly lifted from WOW (such as fear, with the same screaming skulls above each terrified creature) and I can see the complaints. Diablo was ‘about’ gritty realism and fighting demons, WOW seems to be about huge, cartoony shoulder pads and massive anime-style glowing swords. Just a tad crappier.
Game looks good and I’m itching to play it also. I just wish they’d alter the art direction to be more in line with the original Diablo – so hopefully by petitioning them in this sincere manner they will look at the response and weigh up their options. Whatever they do I’m sure we’ll enjoy the game regardless.
It’s not the people asking Blizzard to tweak the ambience that are causing the ruckus but the people playing the role of apologists – Blizzard don’t need you to ‘defend’ them as they aren’t being attacked. So seriously, if you are content with how it currently looks; shut up. You obviously trust enough in Blizzard to deliver when the time comes and so you don’t need to whine.
@planT42
“Diablo was ‘about’ gritty realism and fighting demons”
lol realism and demons
To be honest, I haven’t watched all of the gameplay footage — don’t really want to spoil much of the game, as I can still guarantee I’ll be buying it on day one — so my previous statement about the lack of gore may be out of line… I might have missed the gory bits of the footage. And I really have no problem with the outdoor/light environments. It just seems like the monsters themselves are a bit less demonic and a bit more Warcraftly-colorful.
cigol: the real problem is that each side is reacting to the news of diablo3 with their own opinion/preference over how it looks from a small glimpse at the game.
It’s something that can rage on for an eternity without people ever reaching agreement. Best thing to do would be waiting to see what the gameplay is like. even then, a lot of that will be subjective too.
*sigh*
Honestly leave the artist alone. WoW gayness? Don’t even use wow as a mark scheme its not even comparable. If u play wow then im sad to say u think it looks like wow if u don’t even play wow at all why complain. Prejudice. Find a person that has never played WoW and have him review this and im sure he/she will know there is no difference. The Future is today has to look clean not dirty. If you don’t like it then dont buy it..or adjust the options durh? Talk is cheap. Don’t like it why not suggest it and make a game called diablo III before this was even release.
I actually at least partially agree here. Not so much with the brightness/color scheme, mind you, but with the lack of texture detail/noise that results in that washed-out “painterly” look. It feels like Diablo 3 inherited WoW’s propensity for low-resolution textures, and given how every Diablo 2 game has looked before, that is not a good thing.
I have to admit, that I do generally like the ‘darker’ versions people have posted.
While not a game-breaker, so to speak, Diablo 3 is awfully… bright. I remember the rather dank feeling of Diablo 2, and this, at best, does not replicate that feeling.
I’ve got an idea: Blizzard incorporates the grit-filter. Turning that on, or moving a slider into the direction “more grittiness” applies that change wanted by the “true” Diablo-fans.
People content with the WoW-gayness leave it alone. Problem solved.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l318/frostwake/Diablo31.jpg
This is probably the best example I’ve seen, it is a little dark for my taste though. Way more epic though. Once again, proper lighting and shading/contrast.
Also contrast is the difference between light and dark areas or negative areas. Brightness and contrast are different, just try changing your contrast then brightness on your monitor.
I could’ve sworn I saw this very same whine before. Oh right- Starcraft 2 is not Warcraft in space!
Blizzard clearly shouldn’t be allowed to adopt new art styles, or even improve on their own, especially when there’s plenty other dark/brown styles they could imitate!
I think a darker atmosphere is a good thing to wish for. Have you ever played the first Diablo? I can’t imagine a game more scary. The atmosphere was perfect. Diablo II was less frightening, but still had some there. But Diablo was full of “HOLY SHIT!” moments. I also think that there are too many weak enemies in Diablo III. In Diablo, fighting a horde of blood-thirsty demons turned into a incredible fight where all your wits, might and magic were needed to survive. In Diablo II, a horde of demons was easy pray for any stupid level-3 noob. And that’s completely anticlimatic. I’m more of a quality over quantity guy. Remember in the first Diablo, when those Lizards that fired lighting atacked you in hordes, shooting lighting arcs maddly at you? That’s Diablo for ya.
What I want Diablo III do to is to Scare me again, like the first Diablo.
And Ashley Cheng is not the right guy to speak about being conservative. Look at what he did to Fallout. That’s not fallout, that’s a aberration. Fallout does not need anything removed, and the only thing that needs to be changed are the graphics and perspective (make it 3D freecam, not FPP). That game needs only to be added upon. Diablo III shows how much Blizzard cares about the Diablo franchise, while Bethesda does not care about Fallout.
Don’t know if it’s been linked already, but Keith Lee has commented on the palette issue on MTV Multiplayer:
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/07/02/diablo-iii-art-direction/
16463 Total Signatures in less than two days
This should be a top story to make it noticeable!
Maybe Blizzard will add a “monitor gamma” slider to the D3 video settings. Problem solved!
So… This guy applies a few filters in photoshop and all the sudden he owns the pallet?
Ok.
I think that the graphics are the least of “those” fans’ worries. Gameplay movie was released recently. lol.
why do people have to start looking at the first released pictures/video clips like they are the final product? its not lie D3 is coming out tomorrow and will look like that… give blizzard some time, and lets see what they come up with
I tend to agree that the darker fan version looks a heck of a lot better.
it doesn’t seem any different to diablo 1 tbh (well, the dungeon bit didn’t). Diablo II maybe, but that was mainly grey anyway.
I think what they _have_ done is put more dynamic lighting in – daylight looks like daylight, not just like a dungeon with a grass floor, and the magic looks more neon, which is as it should be.
anyway, me likes.
I’ve seen 0 decent counters to this “too bright” complaint. There’s definately an issue here whether the stalwart Blizzard defenders like it or not.
Out of interest, have Blizzard ever made a game that was crap? (Insert WoW jibe here)
I’m sure D3 will be great. They’re experts, the 9352 signatories are likely not.
Maek Daiblo3 Blak and wite! Every idiot has an opinion but they’re still idiots. Like me for example.
I’m not complaining, as I think the game already looks beautiful as it is, but I DEFINITELY prefer the edited, more “realistic” look to the current one. I signed the stupid petition.
I can personally can see where this is coming from – the Diablo series has kind of been getting less and less grim since the first one, and having played the first two I can say this is a trend I’m not particularly fond of overall. However, I think its a bit early to say the trend is continuing full-speed towards outright cartoonishness, though again I can certainly see how someone could get that from the gameplay video. Ultimately though I’m just glad we’re getting another Diablo game.
why are people so negative? just be glad blizzard didnt decide to mearly milk warcraft indefinitly if one has to bitch about the slightly lighter levels of light shown in 20MINS of gameplay. I assert that one is not the fan they believe themselves to be.
in short: stfu you prats your not helping
What personally disgusts me is that some fans (and in this case the original form “fanatic” is quite appropriate) apparently know better how a game should look like. For years they were complaining that Blizzard would not let on if they were working on a third Diablo game. And now that Blizzard admitted they did, they’re not content and immediately demand changes.
luphisto, Arnulf: Maybe because the fans of games CARE about the Diablo III? How bold of them :-)
Boy i tell ya. I played D1 and got halfway through D2 due to a couple kids being born (time limited), this one, D3, even with the new atmospheric hues, looks great. I remember just before D2 came out everyone was complaining “where’s D2″, “why don’t we have it in our mits yet!!”, “it better be good!” Well just like a only a few have said, has Bliz ever failed to come through for the players? They may have been late on a few occasions i’ll give you that but i’m sure they are wondering if you hardcore complainers have jobs and lives to deal with also. Relax, it’ll be here soon and just becuase you have seen a couple of screenies, don’t cast such a dismal cloud over this one