Diablo 4 - Beta Review

D2R was just perfect
Nah, the combat in D2R is ass compared to D4.

That said, if those rubberbands and loading stutters are actually due to multiplayer related server issues I wouldn't mind a way to remove other players unless I specifically invite them to my group.
 
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Sorry to re-open this thread, but I have a question. Despite the always online requirement, is it possible to play Diablo 4 solo as single player game (i.e. without allowing anyone online from entering your game random or otherwise even in hubs) with single player saves?
 
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Sorry to re-open this thread, but I have a question. Despite the always online requirement, is it possible to play Diablo 4 solo as single player game (i.e. without allowing anyone online from entering your game random or otherwise even in hubs) with single player saves?
Nope. You'll see a few random people here and there in the open world. Most of them you'll meet either in towns or in open-world encounters.
Dungeons are fully single-player, aside from your party.

I'm not the most thrilled for all of this, but it's fine. And all characters split all loot that drops in the open world. When some rando kills some boss, if you're generally in the area you'll get some drops. Or if they one a chest.
So, aside from the slight annoyance of seeing random people, it's fine.

There was no way they wouldn't want you to meet other characters considering that's a big motivator for cosmetics. If you're the only one that's gonna see your cosmetics, it's not as effective a promoter of the in-game cosmetics shop.
 
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danutz_plusplus: Thank you for your detailed reply. I was afraid of this and for me it takes away the enjoyment that I remember in Diablo 1 and 2. Every design decision in Diablo 4 works against a traditional single player game - so it is not for me. Thanks again.
 
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Every design decision in Diablo 4 works against a traditional single player game.
Eh? I think that's a gross exaggeration to be honest. I only noticed other players maybe a half dozen times in the 8-10 hours I played the Beta, and I was never affected by them in any way. I do wish there was an option to not see them at all, but I didn't find it to be a big deal.
 
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danutz_plusplus: Thank you for your detailed reply. I was afraid of this and for me it takes away the enjoyment that I remember in Diablo 1 and 2. Every design decision in Diablo 4 works against a traditional single player game - so it is not for me. Thanks again.
The way I see it, you get the best of both worlds.

MMORPGs you eventually get forced into raids or group focused end-game dungeons if you want to get the best loot. If you don't play all the time you start to feel like you're falling behind. They also do other things like daily login rewards or daily/weekly quests you feel forced to do, even if you don't have fun doing them.

D4 you can solo everything, you can not play and still not fall behind the crowd. With the way the scaling works you can even group with a friend regardless of your levels if they're happy to play at your world tier. All the events are optional. You can ignore bounties, world bosses, etc, and still find the best loot.

So, really, nothing is working against the single-player experience where it matters. Just think of the players you see in the open world as NPCs. Makes the world seem more populated and alive.

I'm not the most thrilled for all of this, but it's fine. And all characters split all loot that drops in the open world. When some rando kills some boss, if you're generally in the area you'll get some drops. Or if they one a chest.
So, aside from the slight annoyance of seeing random people, it's fine.

I think it's actually even better than this! If other players are in vicinity you get XP for their kills and +5% xp group bonus. :)
 
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Other players hopping around in "my" world is just such a huge immersion breaker for me.
However, Diablo 4 perhaps isn't a game where immersion is meant to be important...
 
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I think it's actually even better than this! If other players are in vicinity you get XP for their kills and +5% xp group bonus. :)
I fail to see how anyone could find that enjoyable - getting xp for other people killing. I guess it takes a certain mind-set.
 
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I fail to see how anyone could find that enjoyable - getting xp for other people killing. I guess it takes a certain mind-set.
What's wrong with that in a grind-heavy game like Diablo?
And it's not getting xp for other people killing. It's getting xp for being around other people killing.
Also it's not stealing xp or items from the other player. It's everyone gets rewarded for being around and more or less contributing.
It's 100% a better solution than just tagging enemies and only rewarding the one that tagged first, or did the most damage, or any other combination which leads to people feeling cheated or annoyed.
How could anyone find the alternatives enjoyable? :D
 
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Different people have different tastes and ideas of enjoyment and that should be accepted/respected. For me single player is single experience that I enjoy myself and the world that the game creators created, and perhaps given the option to include others online if I want to. Always online and others forced into my world is not single player for me and I would not enjoy it. Again this is only me, and indeed respect others who enjoy more online involvement (which D4 is designed for).
 
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Different people have different tastes and ideas of enjoyment and that should be accepted/respected. For me single player is single experience that I enjoy myself and the world that the game creators created, and perhaps given the option to include others online if I want to. Always online and others forced into my world is not single player for me and I would not enjoy it. Again this is only me, and indeed respect others who enjoy more online involvement (which D4 is designed for).
Indeed. But once the game is online and only multiplayer, you then have to choose how to design the interactions between players.
And you can make it "fair" (whatever that means, if it even is fair to put in extra checks to not give anyone any reward if they don't contribute enough) or you can make it enjoyable. That's all I was saying.
 
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