Throughout the week, Blizzard Entertainment employees have been in New York City attending various media events. They have taken part in many interviews and answered many questions. Specifically, Jay Wilson offered an official response regarding the recent, and popular, Diablo III Graphical Petition:
MTV Multiplayer wrote:
"There no going back now, [Jay Wilson] said during an interview in a Manhattan hotel where Blizzard was showcasing their newest games. "We're very happy with how the art style is. The art team's happy. The company's happy. We really like this art style, and we're not changing it.
But fans take note: The decision to add color to the macabre world of Diablo didn't come lightly. "It's actually the thing we struggled with the most, Wilson said. When Wilson joined the project two and-a-half years ago, the game was similar-looking to what fans of the old games might expect "darker, desaturated and a lot of brown and gray tones. However, translating the game from 2D to 3D with a dark color palette didn't make for the best gameplay experience. The first and second iterations of the art direction had a "modern, gritty look| but made it difficult to distinguish enemies from the environment. "When you have 30 creatures on screen, and four or five different types, target prioritization is a factor, he said. "You need to be able to tell those things apart fast, and you can't do that when your world is gray and your creatures are gray.
Stylistically, both the
StarCraft and
Diablo series are more closely related to each other than to the
Warcraft series. This is an example of the friction between graphical realism and Blizzard style (cartoon overtones). While elements of Blizzard style appear in many places in
StarCraft (e.g. the Marine), the references are trumped by the dark, gritty universe that exists.
The statements of the "Diablo III team about artistic direction apply to "StarCraft II directly. If you noticed, both names were in quotations. This implies that they are unfinished projects. If they are unfinished, some fans reason, the design choices can still be influenced by the public. And why not? The recent graphical overall (early March, 2008) demonstrates this. However, if the
Diablo III team has stated that "there is no going back (Jay Wilson), then how will this impact
StarCraft II art direction? Blizzard favours style over realism, a
fact that was confirmed during the Worldwide Invitational in Paris. They use cartoon overtones, evident in
Warcraft III and
World of Warcraft, to establish brand identity. The gargantuan success of World of Warcraft is, in part, related to these stylistic and marketing choices. "Cartoon" style is associated closely to "Blizzard" in the current gaming industry. Otherwise, would a
Night Elf Mohawk class be possible using the
Guild Wars graphical engine?
Kotaku wrote:
"There's a philosophy that goes across all of our games, and that philosophy stays true from game to game... so it probably draws some comparisons," Wilson said. "One philosophy is that our artists feel like if they're just using photorealism, not creating a unique look for the game, not stylizing so that it's uniquely Blizzard, then they're not doing their jobs."
This is not to say whether the artistic direction is "right or "wrong, simply to question the role of the fan - and the consumer - in Blizzard. Is this a case of rightfully ignoring moaning and groaning? Is this a pattern of insensitivity in the context of cherished titles? Is this just business? One final question: do you think the fifty-two thousand fans will boycott the final product, and is that what it will take to "save a game? Consider this as you criticize, constructively or otherwise, Blizzard Entertainment.
Sources:
Online Petition - Renewed Artistic Direction for Diablo 3MTV Multiplayer - "Diablo III Colour Controversy Update: Game Used to be Darker, But Dev Says 'There's no Going Back Now'Kotaku - "Art Apocalypse: Blizzard's Wilson Talks Diablo III Design DecisionsDIII.net - "D3 Team on Art Direction
Blizzard Entertainment has also discussed an "Achievement" system as well as the development of a "Blizzard Account" publicly:
MTV Multiplayer wrote:
When I spoke with lead "World of Warcraft designer Jeff Kaplan yesterday about the game new Achievement system, he revealed that eventually players will have a Blizzard Account that shows Achievements from other Blizzard games they've played, including the upcoming titles "Diablo III and "StarCraft II.
"Eventually, our plans are for the Achievement system to become an account-based system, he explained.
[...]
"Your 'WoW' score would be just one factor that will go into your Blizzard Level. And rather than call it a core,' we just wanted it to be like you're leveling up on Blizzard games. You'll have this Blizzard identity, and you'll be able to see things like 'Oh, this guy was great at Diablo III, but he never played StarCraft and he was mediocre in WoW. That sort of thing.
There has been no official announcement of a "free to play" Battle.Net because Blizzard is assessing the various options and income models available. The universal nature of a "Blizzard Account" supports the introduction of universal fees for Battle.Net. Basically, one fee could (potentially) allow you to access B.Net for any Blizzard title. This is speculation, as the existence of World of Warcraft on this system can also imply separate fees for games or the traditional "free to play" B.Net system.
Sources:
MTV Multiplayer - Blizzard Plans to Track Gamer Achievements Across 'WoW', 'StarCraft' and 'Diablo'"StarCraftWire - Achievements in StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3Finally, the
StarCraft2.com Community Page has been updated with fan submissions. Blizzard is, apparently, creating the infrastructure to develop the next generation of fan interaction.
Source:
Blizzard Entertainment - StarCraft II Community Page
