Game Stooge

Diablo 3 Doesn’t Look Right, Dev Says Yes Sir!

• Scribbled on August 7th, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
• Filed in Editorial Content, Interviews, PC, RPG

There has been many debates on the graphic level of Diablo 3 and how it should be different. Finally a developer comes out and says “um, no.” Their reasoning is fairly simple, it’s one thing to photoshop up a screenshot with some filters but it’s another to get the texture and lighting to run at that detail on a standard computer.

How do you argue with that? Personally, I think the graphics look wonderful, brilliant, vibrant and professional. Diablo 3 game designer Jay Willson said:

“The key thing to remember here is that this has been Photoshopped. This isn’t created by the engine. Though it looks really cool, it’s almost impossible to do in a 3D engine because you can’t have lighting that smart and run on systems that are reasonable. If we could do that, we probably would in a few of the dungeons.” (slashdot)

Non-developers seem to forget that the colors, cameras and lighting don’t come free on a video game. Everything has limitations and, although the limitations change over time, today’s graphics for a standard machine are capable of running Diablo 3. Blizzard isn’t making a game that only hardcore PC gamers can play, this game is for everyone.

Building a video game is a lot of smoke and mirrors to make a virtual object look “real” to normal gamers. Immersion and definition is important, grainy dark graphics do set a mood, but they also frustrate many players. Remember DOOM 3? Some people could barely see the “epic graphics” of the last DOOM sequel, it’s time to mature and show off true colors.

Darkness usually is used to hide imperfections, Diablo 3 has nothing to hide.

[Addendum: Funny how some people's memories seem to forget that Diablo II wasn't exactly dark, gloomy, and unsaturated. In particular Lut Gholein in Act II was bright and sunny; considering it was a desert, there wasn't any opportunity for dark clouds and rain. Furthermore, the colors were garish anyway; the blood looks like red paint. Penny Arcade paints an unflattering portrait of the typical complainer, which is probably more accurate than one would want to admit. - Jonah Falcon]

(For a high resolution photo, checkout MTV Multiplayer Blog. Originally posted at Gaming Podcast.)