The quarterly Diablo 4 dev update is here, giving us a behind the scenes look at the development of Diablo 4.
The Diablo 4 dev updates starts with the team explaining how they work with what they call “blackouts,” essentially a process of developing assets without actually completing them. This is done so that the team can focus on whether or not something is actually fun or works fro what they are trying to go for, without actually discarding completed assets. Down below you can see an example of a design going through concept, lockout, and then in-game art.
The Diablo team then touched upon some of the new storytelling methods that they are taking with Diablo 4. Rather than have the over-the-top traditional way with text-displayed, they will be a bit more complex. Scenes will now zoom in closer to offer a more narrative feel, as will there be more unique animations.
Additionally, the game will feature real-time cutscenes (or RTCs) where players will experience the story more like a movie in terms of storytelling. They will be in real-time meaning they will display whatever gear your character has, but also whatever graphic settings you have selected, creating a more seamless experience. Here are some beautiful screens showing just that.
As for those looking to the multiplayer side of things, the devs noted that this has been a rather challenging aspect, not in terms of technology limitations, but in terms of not making the world feel like some sort of massive online role-playing game. It’s for this that dungeons will remain as private for players and their parties, and no one will be forced to party-up with anyone should they choose not to. They note that when you complete stories and liberate camps, you would see more players, but it’s the world events where fans can expect to see large masses of players. Even then you can, solo players can participate without actually joining a party. This is all done to ensure that there is a seamless experience across Diablo 4 and to make sure it still feels like a Diablo game. For fans who are heavily focused on playing with others, they have confirmed that they have created new tools to help search for players. More details on that will be available later.
Progression was also briefly touched upon, though expect a beefier update on that later. For now, enjoy some screenshots of some of the drops players got during their playtests.
The Diablo teams close off by explaining why they are sharing these updates. Considering that Blizzcon has been canceled they feel these updates are important even if they have yet to reach the alpha or beta stages of development. They promise that more in-depth updates will be pushed out throughout the year. Pretty exciting stuff they shared that they have shared with us, really excited to see how well the multiplayer is implemented in Diablo 4 once it releases. Make sure to check out the officially released Diablo 4 gameplay footage to see how the game is shaping up as well.