[WIKI]Jay Wilson[/WIKI], still managing to look fresh-faced despite the relentless schedule, caught up with our good friends Gamona.de. A good quality 4 minute interview where Jay discusses storyline, character customisation, armour dyeing, runestones, town portals (or lack of), travel lengths and more. Check it out on IncGamers.
Here’s a transcript; new stuff here about the Scroll of Wealth, along with waypoint info and character customization.
Gamona.de: Will the [WIKI]storyline[/WIKI] be more linear or open in Diablo 3?
Jay Wilson: More linear storyline. As we’ve developed the game we’ve seen that testers tend to get really into the monster killing action part. And when we try to do a more elaborate story with branching we lose people. A more direct story people understood what was happening and the nuances. So we’ve focused more on a more linear story in D3.Gamona.de: What ways are there to individualize my character in Diablo 3?
Jay Wilson: Lots of ways. We have tons of items and they’ve all got randomly-generated stats. So you can use the items of the types you like and customize your stats. Our just-revealed [WIKI]Artisan[/WIKI] features also allow you to customize your gear. You can add enchantments with different stats. [WIKI]Runestones[/WIKI] can be used to modify your skills. For example, you can take a skill like [WIKI]Electrocute[/WIKI] and turn it into chain lightning. Or into a fan of lightning that goes out in a cone in font of the wizard. Another thing that we’ve just revealed is [WIKI]armor dye[/WIKI]s. You’ve got the ability to dye your armor in Diablo 3. There are about 15 different colors of dyes in the game, and you can alter the colors of pretty much anything you can visualize on your character.
(IncGamers: Jay cleverly did not mention the [WIKI]Talisman[/WIKI].Gamona.de: There are no [WIKI]town portals[/WIKI] in Diablo 3. What’s the alternative for easy travel?
Jay Wilson: We’ve put in several things to offset the lack of Town Portals. The most obvious are more frequent [WIKI]Waypoints[/WIKI]. These give players more opportunities to return to go back to town. We’ve also added [WIKI]salvaging[/WIKI] to let players break items down into small parts that stack up in your inventory. We’ve also added a [WIKI]Scroll of Wealth[/WIKI] that allows you to sell items right on location.Gamona.de: In regards to the waypoints, how far apart are they? In terms of gameplay time?
Jay Wilson: It varies depending on area. Usually 10 minutes, if that. Yeah, about 10 minutes is as long as it ever takes.Gamona.de: Can you give us any [WIKI]PvP[/WIKI] details?
Jay Wilson: We’ve not announced anything yet about PvP. When we do we’ll let you k now.Gamona.de: What [WIKI]Battle.net[/WIKI] features will we see for Diablo 3??
Jay Wilson: We’ve just started working on Diablo-specific feature set for B.net. No strict determinations yet. Anything you see in SC2 or WoW we’ll use it if it translates into D3.Gamona.de: Including the social integration and Facebook options?
Jay Wilson: Yes, it’ll all be in the Diablo 3 Battle.net. If you’ve got a friends list set up in Starcraft or World of Warcraft, it’ll be waiting for you when you start up Diablo 3.Gamona.de: I have here a piece of paper and a pen. Can you write for us the release date of Diablo 3?
Jay Wilson: *writes* “When it’s done.”