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Bluetracker

Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

The Diablo 3 Dev & Community Team Are Amazing

Just got back from Blizzcon. After spending most of my time in the Community area and the Slaughtered Calf Inn, I would say it's been the best Blizzcon for me yet.

I spent a lot of time listening to and talking with the devs and community managers who were literally just hanging out all weekend in that area. It was amazing to hear the passion that these guys have for the game. They are definitely aware of all our concerns, probably more so than many of you may realize.

Some of the highlights of the talks given throughout the weekend:

  • They're very aware of the 3rd party addons, and why some players want to use them.
  • They're aware of botting
  • The idea behind rebirth was on personal accounts of "Hey Joe, season's starting in 20 minutes. Want to level together?" "It is? Sorry, I have to clear a character spot, and deal with my inventory; give me 2 hours". There were also concerns from roleplayers who really like to play a single character. Deleting just didn't feel right to them.
  • There is no design objection to "give up" for greater rifts; just a matter of priorities.
  • Some of the ideas for making a UI for gems were tossed around, but ran into some technical and design issues. They still want gems to feel like real items. With having the gems act like reagents, this complicates things even more.
  • Walking into a greater rift, and knowing in 5 seconds that you want to bail is an issue. Not really the design goal.
  • To make a patch, they have to release the patch to Sony & Microsoft weeks in advance. "The patch comes out Tuesday, you have time to change it!" Really isn't true. I'm assuming this relates only to client side stuff though.
  • Unless there is a really extreme balance issue, they don't want to mess with things during a season. The break in-between seasons may offer some buffer in having things play out after a patch. This may give an opportunity to address balance issues before a season begins.

All in all, this weekend was amazing. The Diablo 3 team is the best team at Blizzard, without a doubt. If any of you read this, thank you all so much for your dedication to this game.

  • Nevalistis
    Posted 8 years, 10 months ago (Source)

    I'm speechless, and not just because I still don't have a voice from this weekend. So glad to hear you had a wonderful time with us!

    <3

  • Nevalistis
    Posted 8 years, 10 months ago (Source)

    Well, I hope you guys can find the time on the side to bring us some talking points around the mini-panels.

    Also, because you're answering questions I gotta ask about the Slaughtered Calf inn. It might be super early to ask this but do you suspect the Inn to make a comeback next blizzcon?

    People were pretty negative about it when it was revealed but it seems opinions have shifted to a more positive outlook and a lot of the folks who went there loved it. I couldn't make it to blizzcon this year because of prior commitments and I'd probably feel bummed out if this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

    It's pretty early to say, but I'd love to hear the feedback you and others have on it!

    What makes BlizzCon great is the people you get to meet and chat with there. I'd say that's true for both sides of the fence (whether you're a fan or employee), and I'm really glad the Inn seemed to embody that. Definitely what we were aiming for.

  • Nevalistis
    Posted 8 years, 10 months ago (Source)

    What about sharing the slide decks or maybe having the presenters re-present them in a vlog or twitch stream?

    We have a bunch of ideas, but with PTR going live soon™, as you can imagine, it's a matter of resources, especially time. :)

  • Nevalistis
    Posted 8 years, 10 months ago (Source)

    So how were the mini-panels at the Slaughtered Calf Inn? It's a big shame those couldn't be transcripted so people who didn't get to go could still read up on what they were talking about.

    We've heard this feedback, and we were already talking at the con about what we can do to bring at least some of this experience to those of you who were unable to attend.

    Stay tuned. We're looking into it.

  • Kauza
    Posted 8 years, 10 months ago (Source)

    I'm speechless, and not just because I still don't have a voice from this weekend. So glad to hear you had a wonderful time with us!

    <3

    Echoing this, and an important part of the equation is that the players showed up, hung out, and were generally awesome. So, thank you all. So much.

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