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As with Technical Alpha, the Blizzard developers have announced that they will not introduce automatic combat features to Diablo Immortals.
In the last test, Diablo Immortal revealed mobile-optimized combat and control methods, legendary equipment and skill systems, and end content. The battle did not support automatic operation, and the existing rune system was replaced with the legendary equipment effect. Diablo 3’s Great Rift and Rift have been replaced with Ancient Rift and Challenge Rift, and MMO elements that interact with other users have been introduced in the Western Expedition.
In an online interview on the 2nd day of the BlizzConline, Blizzard Caleb Arseno, Senior Producer and Senior Systems Designer Chris Gierhart, gave detailed talks about the past tests and future development directions.
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Q: There was a problem of getting bored when entering the dungeon repeatedly. I am curious about how we improved the problem after the alpha test.
Caleb Arceno: Monsters in the dungeon will be randomly generated at the time of the next test and official release. In addition, as the dungeon difficulty increases, the boss monster level also increases, creating more variables than before. Even if the dungeon layout and boss monster type are the same, you will get a completely different feeling depending on the difficulty.
Q: Who received the most feedback after testing?
Chris Sierhart: I went to the Ashen Plateau to perform a quest, but there were cases where other demon hunter users quickly overpowered the targets to be defeated, delaying the mission. It was a problem that the suppression process returned to the user who hit the monster first. To solve this problem, we improved to return to all users who did damage to monsters, and the same formula was applied to the boss mob to share loot and achievements together.
There was also feedback that the wizard character was too weak. The main battle pattern of the wizard was to rotate around a monster and match a ranged skill, but the problem was that the slowing speed of the cold spell was released too quickly. In the future, as the effect of the wizard’s cold spell overlaps, the monster can be frozen for a longer time.
Caleb Arceno: I learned a great deal about the appearance of the Western Expedition. The Western Expedition is the core of Diablo Immortal and the first place to deliver MMO experiences to users. As it is a significant place, the entry quest was advanced to be located at the beginning of the story line so that users can quickly experience the western expedition. Technical issues were also one of the main feedbacks. Based on this, we are planning to expand smartphone compatibility in the next test.
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Q: In certain sections of the field, there was a device to move to the next content after clearing bounty quests and events. Was this process intentionally introduced to give an experience like an MMORPG?
Chris Gierhart: Yes. It has been configured so that users can experience and familiarize themselves with end content while enjoying adventure at the beginning of the story. This structure is similar to Diablo 3’s adventure mode. Users who naturally familiarize themselves with the know-how while raising the level can enter the rift challenge immediately after reaching the highest level without any preparation.
Q: I am curious about when will the global regional test be conducted?
Caleb Arceno: Last test was conducted with some Australian users, media and influencers. It is difficult to finalize it, but the next test will include more devices and regions. New end content and top-level expansion updates will also be supported for test participants to experience.
Q: I am curious about the proportion of test participants by OS and hardware and related feedback
Caleb Arceno: The Australian participant was 100% Android users. This is because the method of delivering the game to Google Play was the easiest. The feedback was not only about the performance of the device, but also about compatibility. As Diablo Immortal’s core goal is to provide games to as many users as possible, device compatibility will be greatly expanded in the future.
Q: Are there any plans to add additional controller support?
Caleb Arceno: After testing, we received a lot of feedback asking us to support the controller. Currently, the development team is focusing on improving the feeling of operation and upgrading the experience and design. Feedback has been received and an investigation is underway.
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Q: I am also curious about the user data collected by the test. Which character was chosen the most by many, and which was the least selected?
Caleb Arceno: We got meaningful data from data that looked at the jobs with the highest progress. The job that showed good results is a demon hunter who succeeded in attacking the highest rift dungeon. In addition, barbarians, monks, and wizard characters also received good reviews from users.
Q: I wonder what kind of end content you plan to add to the next test.
Caleb Arceno: The goal of the development team is to provide content that will continue to stimulate the desire to play even after the highest level. We plan to add new end game content to PvP and PvE, and we will standardize social functions suitable for MMORPGs.
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Q: With the disappearance of the rune system, the legendary item effect has a great influence on the skill. I am curious about how you plan to build your character’s skill build in the future.
Chris Sierhart: To convert a fire spell to a frost attribute, you need legendary equipment that supports the effect. We plan to show as many kinds of legendary effects as possible, and users will be able to experience various kinds of skill builds than before. We will try to diversify our builds with new patches.
Q: There are many opinions that the graphics and production quality are unfortunate. I wonder if there are any plans to improve
Caleb Arceno: Adding graphic settings options. Playing with the highest quality settings, you can enjoy the great graphics of Diablo Immortal. The last test was an alpha version, so I don’t think it contains everything from the official release.
Q: Diablo Immortal replaced Diablo 3’s Great Rift and Rift with Ancient Rift and Challenge Rift. I am curious about what the developer thinks about end content.
Chris Sierhart: One of the things I missed about Diablo 3 was that the end content was concentrated in the Great Rift. On the other hand, Diablo Immortal is designed to allow users to experience a number of entertainment while achieving the highest level. Each dungeon has its own purpose, such as exploring nests for loot, or getting legendary treasures from ancient rifts. We will provide a wide range of experiences to users and provide enough social interactions suitable for MMOs as end content.
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Q: When entering the end content, it seems that some users will find it difficult to repetitive manual operation. Are there any plans to introduce combat-related convenience features?
Chris Sierhart: Enjoyable combat and exploration are the most important elements of the game. The introduction of an automatic combat system will inevitably reduce the fun of combat. As the main direction of the game is to enjoy every moment of battle, the automatic combat system is not introduced. Instead, it will introduce a function to reduce fatigue. We are developing a function that automatically moves the character when moving to another area after completing the quest. You can think of it as similar to World of Warcraft.
Q: Like Diablo 3, it has become impossible to play with infinite main skills. I wonder if there is a device that complements the cooldown and resources during the Diablo Immortal build, and if there is, it will be possible to play infinite skills.
Chris Sierhart: The reason we gave cooldowns to the four skills excluding the basic attack is to give a variety of combat. Battles that repeat certain skills are less fun. We want users to find out the synergy between skills and have fun. If there is no cooldown, the fun of research is less.
Q: What do you want to tell Korean users waiting for Diablo Immortals?
Caleb Arceno: I hope Diablo Immortal will become a new choice for hardcore action RPGs and MMOs. We have deep ties with Korean players across all of Blizzard’s franchise games. In particular, as domestic users are enthusiastic fans of mobile MMOs, they are always paying attention to the Korean community. After Corona 19, I want to visit Korea directly and talk with users.
Chris Zierhart: Korean users are the most skilled people in the world. We’re looking forward to seeing what kind of amazing play you’ll see in Diablo Immortal. I hope you enjoy playing the game.
Reporter Song Jin-won [email protected]
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