Diablo 3 - moving forward

So after a few hundred hours in Diablo 3, I’ve begin to think about what I’d like to see added.

Here are some of the things I’d like to see added and/or change to Diablo 3.

More Items, More legendary items, More variation in artwork.

Currently for rare items, there’s only one set of artwork for each character at a given item level.  I would like to at least see all types of items available at i63.  Example: 2H crossbow -The stat between the two items maybe similar, but one could look like the current hellion crossbow, but another could look like a stonebow.  So at least they look different visually.

I’d also want to see a much wider varity of items and legendary items mixed in the pool.  Currently, there’s only one really desirable 2H crossbow.  I’d like to see more added to the mix so not all top tier demon hunters are using the same manticore or windforce.

I would also like to be able to dye all armor to any color I want.  This will also help add to player customization.  Maybe for the demon hunter’s cloak, the player’s banner would show up as a pattern, and it would apply to shields as well?

MW3 - last batch of maps

The last maps have been released for MW3.  Gulch, Parish and Boardwalk.

For those who did not subscribe to Elite, then you also get to play on Decommission and Offshore.

Parish, is a really small and tight map.  Very basic, and only handful of small paths that basically cut through a large ring.  There is no elevation change, no second story building or hallway to get a higher vantage point.  It is a fairly hectic map given its size and you can really catch the other team just off their spawn if you time your run through properly.  Its very easy to get over run in a position because of how fast it is to get from one side to another.

Borderlands - A look back

It was fall of 2009, and at that time, I wasn’t actively keeping up with gaming news outside of the few games that I was still playing.  Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was about a month away, and I had heard from some friends that Borderlands has lots potential.  With some time left till MW2 released, I got the game and started playing.  The controls were nice and familiar for people who’ve played first person shooter games, and the button layout was pretty much the same as Call of Duty.  So it was very easy to adjust to.  

I played solo for maybe the first few missions and things were ok to me.  I later then get an invite to join a couple friends in their game, and the nice thing about Borderlands is, as long as the quest is available to you, completing it in co-op would complete it for the single player side of your game.  Great! Now I can get help with the missions, and have someone to talk to so I’m not bored.   

New Maps for Call of Duty MW3: Foundation & Sanctuary

So far they are pretty good.  Foundation has is a decent size map with some good vantage points that so far seem to be well balanced.  Sanctuary has a decent flow to it, but just wished there were some more elevation around the map but there is some variety and some long sniper lines.  There are a lot of paths to get to the objectives on Sanctuary.

Foundation reminds me a bit of the COD4 map Pipeline, gound level is relatively open, but there are lots of places for snipers to get onto higher ground and pick people off.  Lots of things to climb up on which is kind of like Quarry from MW2.

Can't wait to see what's coming out in May with 4 maps scheduled for release.

MW3 DLC - Liberation & Piazza

I've only played 6v6 domination on these maps so far, and Piazza is a really good map.  Liberation, not so much. 

Liberation is way too big for 6v6, and the spawns are messed up.  There were times where my teammates and I would respawn direcly under an enemy who was sniping on a bridge.  How does that make sense?  For a map of this size, you would figure the spawn points would be varied a lot more, instead, a few of us would spawn at the exact same point one after another.  There is so much wasted space on this map as well, lots of sections on the map that would probably be used in modes like Headquarters or Drop Zone, but thats about it.

Piazza is an interesting map, lots of paths that cross over and under each other, and lots of corners and short walls to hide bouncing betties and the IMS.  Although I wish there were some roof tops to get ontop of as well, or some buildings to cross through, although that may mess with some of the map flow.  Unlike Liberation, a lot of the map is used during gameplay, very little is not traversed when trying to get from one point to another.  I hope more maps are like this in future releases.

A calendar has just been released on the call of duty site, and it looks interesting.  Although, it does kind of suck to only get 1 or 2 maps each month, it will keep things fresh, but at the same time, for someone who plays a lot, they will get a bit bored quicker since there is less "new" material to rotate through on each release.  At the same time I understand why they had to spread things out, as the developers have to ensure that they do not dilute their product by flooding it with extra game modes that are not played as often.  But I do hope there is room to add more DLC/modes beyond what is on the calendar.