DISQUS

Blizzard Guru: Bethsoft’s Ashley Cheng Disappointed in Diablo 3

  • Deknoob · 1 year ago
    Soooo... Conservative means keeping it real? He's disappointed because Blizzard is keeping it real? Does he want Diablo 3 or a first person shooter with the name Diablo stamped on it? Oh wait...
  • Sol Invictus · 1 year ago
    I think it's seriously ironic that Bethesda should say this about Blizzard, considering how they've been developing the same damn game since 1994 (Arena) and haven't really innovated anything since then, if only to make things dumber and more 'streamlined' with each new game they've released.
  • Lucas · 1 year ago
    I do not disagree with your criticism of Bethesda at all. However, how does that invalidate Cheng's criticism of Blizzard's projects? That is simply a case of the Ad Hominem fallacy.

    I will without a doubt play SC2, but I too wish they had been more adventurous/imaginative with their gameplay. Starcraft was amazing and unique; now they are simply polishing and updating the game.

    I indirectly blame this on WoW and its success; the amount of innovation a game development company seems capable of carrying out is inversely proportional to the size of that company (i.e., the bigger the company, the less innovation it is capable of in order to appease investors).
  • Archaon · 1 year ago
    To be honest, I don't think Cheng really said anything too bad here. The title is pretty misleading.

    I agree with him. Blizzard was conservative in their style. With D3 and SC2. They're sticking with their traditional style and expanding on it rather than venturing out into something new (e.g. making SC2 more tactically centered as opposed to competitive RTS...Oh how I wish that would happen).

    But yeah, we're all still going to buy D3 no matter what, and enjoy the fuck out of it.
  • Sol Invictus · 1 year ago
    See the update, heh:

    In case you had any doubts about Ashley’s meaning, these are some thoughts on his Twitter account posted last year, when Starcraft 2 was announced:

    starcraft 2 looks great, wish blizzard deviated more, try ground control/battlezone first person gameplay. more thoughts on blog later.

    That’s right. Ashley Cheng wants Starcraft 2 to have a first person perspective.
  • Archaon · 1 year ago
    Yeah, that's pretty stupid.

    But even still, people blow conflicting opinions way out of proportion. We all have our own opinions on what we would like to see in games. This guy just likes weird shit.
  • Sol Invictus · 1 year ago
    Weird shit is right. I don't see the point in remaking an already successful formula. Blizzard manages to put some nice new features in its games while pleasing fans of the original game and attracting new ones while they're at it.

    There's just no reason to deviate from a sure thing.
  • Dongle · 1 year ago
    Yeah I'd agree, he doesn't seem very "disappointed". Title is pretty misleading.
  • pandadesigns · 1 year ago
    What a fucking idiot. Every new interview, screenshot, piece of fo3 lore, or anything else that comes from Bethesda is just another nail in the coffin for Fallout 3. They can't ruin the first 2 games for me, but there's no doubt in my mind that Fallout 3 is going to be complete and utter catshit.
  • Doug · 1 year ago
    What the hell are you talking about? Fallout 3 is going to be great
  • Black · 1 year ago
    It's so nice to have a valuable source of information like yourself around here.
  • jcmelton · 1 year ago
    I'm not sure how you can "surmise" his comments about conservative design as a shot at no 1st person. Would Starcraft make a good 1st person game? No. The issue here is that they are both just Diablo and Starcraft. There is no real design departure from the originals. They have just added sexy graphics and new characters.
  • Ikaro (Brazil) · 1 year ago
    I like Bethesda work and games, but Hell Diablo III is perfect, dont need to say nothing.
  • burumar · 1 year ago
    I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative


    ---
    Said the man behind killing the greatest franchise of all time - FALLOUT

    Bethesda GET BACK to Oblivion and STAY THERE !!!
  • Azmatik · 1 year ago
    LOL blizzard sux ass i dont know wat they are talking about when they are top development WoW=horrible MMO, Starcraft 2= not out till 2009 LMFAO D3= NO one knows the release date probly in another 2 years so.... forget about those games!! LMFAO SLOW DEVS if Bethesda wer gonna diss Blizzard y not say they take literally years to make a easy to make RTS game WTF???
  • DantheMan · 1 year ago
    Did he say everything should be a fps or is he just saying he'd like to see something besides updated graphics on a 15 year old game formula. It's not reinventing the wheel, it's called innovation. Blizzard makes great games, all he is saying is he would like to see them do something new. They are definitely capable, but they're playing it safe by sticking to the same exact formula. If all you fanboys took your thumbs out of your asses maybe you would see that, and then maybe Blizzard wouldn't be afraid to try something new for fear of "diehard" fans abandoning them.
  • Ausir · 1 year ago
    Bethesda itself is using updated graphics on a 14 year old formula of The Elder Scrolls: Arena, applying it even to an entirely different franchise (Fallout). It's Bethesda that's not even afraid to do something different with a franchise, they're afraid to be faithful to a franchise that is different from the same formula they always make.
  • Garm · 1 year ago
    First Bethesda's got to proove that they still got it by making Fallout 3 a great game and not an Oblivion-ripoff.

    Second, why should Blizzard change Diablo's great gameplay? It works, everybody loves it - the logical conclusion is to take the game to the next technical level (bigger levels, 3d, more char customization and whatnot) and extend it in fields that didn't get that much attention in the past games of the series: i.e. character background story.
  • Ryan · 1 year ago
    but seriously though, who f***ing cares? The writer of this article is getting all BUTT HURT over some guys personal opinion. There are many games where i find myself thinking, "if it just had ______, it would be the greatest game ever" Get over it
  • Ausir · 1 year ago
    Thing is, he's not just some random guy but a developer of a game that is a sequel to a game that the Lead World Designer of Diablo 3 created, and which changed many gameplay aspects of gameplay that Diablo 3 kept.
  • FOver · 1 year ago
    Im gonna beat the shit out of any developer, associate, guy who know anybody who developed fallout 3 if its not perfect enought.
  • Common_Sense33 · 1 year ago
    Wow, and this is coming from someone who is making Fallout fan fiction total conversion for Oblivion.

    So whats wrong with sequel that make logical, intelligent improvements and remain consistent with the previous titles of the same franchise?

    Blizzard has Leonard Boyarsky (Fallout 1&2 art director / designer) working on Diablo 3 as lead world designer. Blizzard also stated that they are trying to improve role-playing aspect in Diablo 3, which is exactly what previous Diablo games lack. Now that is what any sequel should do.

    Its too bad that Fallout FPS action game from Bethesda is doing the opposite.
  • Nic · 1 year ago
    I HATE FIRST PERSON RPG's....So thank God Blizzard stuck with the format that they know their gamers have loved for years. As for Bethesda...thanks for ruining a franchise with these "features".
  • Bengoshi-San · 1 year ago
    If it isn't broken.. don't fix it.

    I think it's naive of Cheng to trash-talk about Blizzard. He hasn't earned that right.
  • dreamwolfz · 1 year ago
    Diablo 2 was so fun to play, i cant wait for Diablo 3.


    fallout 3 will be fun to play for like what a month or two ?
  • Seriously · 1 year ago
    Hey Sol, here's one of many horrible mistakes you've made in this post - you've assumed that this guy is speaking on behalf of his company. Let's just read the description of his blog, for starters:

    ash :: the blog
    personal blog about pop culture, technology, video games, food, travel and other assorted geek stuffs

    Personal blog!

    Next, you continue to repeat this erroneous claim that he wanted SC2 to be in first person. Is reading really that hard? Here, I'll link your readers to what he actually said since you can't be arsed to do it in your article: http://www.ashleycheng.com/2007/05/starcraft-2-...

    And finally, you way overstate his comments about disappointment while totally dismissing the praise as a "backpedal", like a total cunt. You know, seeing as how this article is currently linked to several major sites it might be worth making a few corrections. I'm struck by how dearly you want to draw the line between this guy's seeming fixation with first-person and Bethesda's direction for F3 , but I wonder if you realize his job entails no creative influence? No offense, Ashley Cheng.
  • Ausir · 1 year ago
    He did say "starcraft 2 looks great, wish blizzard deviated more, try ground control/battlezone first person gameplay." on his twitter. If that's not "wanting SC2 to be in first person", I don't know what it is.
  • Seriously · 1 year ago
    What did he say after that, Ausir? It was only one more sentence, why'd you leave it out? In case you genuinely missed it, he said:

    "more thoughts on blog later."

    Now, what did he have to say on his blog (that I linked to)?
  • pandadesigns · 1 year ago
    That he wanted battlezone style gameplay added (FIRST FUCKING PERSON). What was your point again?
  • Seriously · 1 year ago
    That he was hoping for World of Starcraft, or something besides Starcraft (FUCKING) 2. He then went on to imagineer his dream game from Blizzard, not wish SC2 was first person. Is that too subtle for you? Then consider this: who the fuck is Ashley Cheng? He makes schedules and manages budgets, according to his job title. He's not the guy in charge of STOMPING ON YOUR DREEEEEEEEEAMS and moving F3 to first person, nor is he their spokesman.

    How horrible it must be for you guys - held hostage by a 10-year old game, and hope for rescue fading into the darkness like so much beard into superfluous chin.
  • Black · 1 year ago
    Rofl, "moving" to first person. FYI- bethesda hasn't moved anywhere, except backwards. They're still making fpp, rt games because that's all they can do. What was Cheng's point again? Not innovative enough? I bet "take a franchise that daddy Zenimax bought for us and fuck with it" is now innovative.
  • kostaskaz · 1 year ago
    Hey guys are you idiots???Cause from what you say you seem to be.We all love Diablo and we're ginna buy diablo III but you believe after 10 years that's all they could have done?graphics from 2006 and also cartoon like graphics????Of cource there is no reason to reinvent the wheel but look the difference between Morrowind and Oblivion.AND SOME IDIOTS SAY FALLOUT 3 IS GOING TO BE OBLIVION with guns???you mean oblivion had VATS or had perks or maybe you didnts even like oblivion your nothing but stupid ****** .And WTF is wrong with First Person ?I was also hesitant about it but it works and its great .
  • Ruben · 1 year ago
    Kostaskaz, Diablo 3 is a shining example that third person (not necessarily isometric) is still alive. Imagine Fallout 3 in Diablo 3 engine and some actual good voice acting and writing, it'll definately trump all RPGs out there. But no, Beth thought it'd be good idea to (1) rape the Fallout lore (2) hire 10 year olds to write their script (3) hire horrible voice actors (4) write a totally nonsensical and illogical main quest and (5) completely change the SPECIAL system to something that is completely broken and boring.

    And Oblivion with Guns is the only way to describe Fallout 3. Yeah it doesn't have VATS or Perks, but neither did it had those memorable Fallout-style characters, black humor, smart writing and non-linear plot.

    Add that with the outright lie of "fallout 3 having more than 200 endings", we're stuck with a game with an extremely disappointing ending.

    So tell me again... how did FPS work well with Fallout 3 again?