Diablo 3 beta announcement;
With the upcoming launch of the Diablo® III beta test, the armies of the Burning Hells will march forth from their forgotten lairs to besiege the mortal realms anew.
To prepare for this renewed demonic invasion, the Blizzard Insider has secured an exclusive interview with Lead Content Designer Kevin Martens as he shares his thoughts and insight on Diablo® III's upcoming beta test. So read on, and prepare yourself for the next chapter in the Diablo® saga.
Insider: Aside from the story elements, how are you tuning the game's combat encounters?
Kevin Martens: We want the game's difficulty to hit a range of "peaks" and "valleys" as the player progresses from battle to battle. During the "peaks", the challenge level spikes and players will be tested to their limits. In the "valleys", the difficulty relaxes and players can build up their health and energy again. From a gameplay standpoint, valleys are important because they allow players to learn and experiment with their abilities without too much fear of failure or death. It's the skills and techniques developed during the valleys that enable players to survive the peaks, which tend to be much tougher encounters, like ambushes, large groups, rare monsters, or even bosses. The peaks will require players to think quickly, spend their resources carefully, and move around the battlefield to avoid getting surrounded. Read on
