I’m a big fan of Starcraft, even though Diablo 3 has suffered some neglect because of it. It will keep me occupied till Diablo 3 comes out in 2011.

Here’s what J. Allen Brack has to say:

We just want to make the right game for the right platform.

Think about StarCraft II. Some real-time strategy games have tried to happen on the console. Some of those have been successful, but overall, our experience is that it’s going to be a better game on the PC, ergo it’s developed on the PC.

But we’re a company of gamers. I have two consoles at home. Sam has consoles. We’re a culture of gamers. We will definitely work on a console game at some point. I have no doubt about that. It’s just [a matter of] what game. What makes the most sense?

Does that mean that Diablo 3 will grace Playstation 3 or maybe Xbox? I don’t know. But the LAN party days are kinda over, so it makes sense for Blizzard to go for mass appeal.

Unlike World of Warcraft and its kin, Riftforge will have a free-to-play mode. Even more importantly, you’ll be able to SOLO end-game content by borrowing characters from your friends, hiring mercenaries, or leveling your own party of three. In this and other aspects, it’s much closer to Diablo than to WoW.

Here’s a bit more info from the official press release:

November 24, 2009 — Riftforge Entertainment Ltd. today announced the development of Riftforge, an ambitious fantasy online role-playing game. It challenges massively multiplayer online game conventions with deep, tactical combat, adding a significant element of player skill. Hundreds of thousands of players will be able to cooperate and compete on an unprecedented scale, thanks to a new web technology platform.

“As hardcore gamers ourselves, we have been sidelined for a long time by greedy game companies that are going after the lowest common denominator,” said Krasimir Koichev, Riftforge’s Producer. “The unrivaled depth of the Riftforge’s tactical combat system rewards competitive gamers for their skills, not just the time spent button mashing.”

The game world’s central location is the Riftforge, a hub structure that seemingly exists out of space and time. When the first Rift opens, players will be able to explore the immense landmass of Manirak. It is home to dozens of warring tribes, feuding city-states, and two empires fighting for supremacy.

The player creates a House (e.g. House Stark), which can send multiple commanders and their troops to combat missions. Completing missions and campaigns results in a constant progression of new skills, better equipment, and elite units.

Commanders and their troops come from the three branches of the Riftforge military: the Guardians, the Rangers, and the Raiders. Each archetype comes with its own unique commanders and units, with customizable skills, specializations, and equipment.

Features:

• Three powerful RPG archetypes to choose from: Guardian, Ranger, and Raider.
• Rare, elite, and epic units for each of the six troop types
• Dynamic front lines across 81 areas in nine war zones
• Seven enemy factions fielding dozens of generals leading massive armies
• Deep and engaging tactical combat, within a familiar turn-based system
• A graphics engine that combines isometric pixel artwork with Flash animations
• Playable on almost any device with a browser (including smart phones like the iPhone)
• Social features that enable players to interact and trade, cooperate and compete
• Includes a free-to-play MMO mode to encourage players to try the game

So what’s cooking in Blizzard’s lair when it comes to the death mechanic in Diablo 3? Listen to this:

Before I get in to what we are doing let me go over some things we want to avoid with a death mechanic. We want to separate being in town and being out on a quest/adventure/dungeon as much as possible. Leaving the safety of a town should not be a decision you take lightly. We don’t want to remove the sense of suspense and danger by making town something you’re always going back to pretty much whenever you like.

The intent is to create a greater separation from being in town, and not, and to make your time away from town a lot more tense.

On that same note we also don’t want to remove the player from the action. Throwing them back to town for every death really breaks up the action, and not in a fun, interesting, or necessary way.

So, with these things in mind we’ve found that a check point system works really well. Throughout your adventures, and generally at the ends of each “floor” of a dungeon your character is saved to a checkpoint. When you die you’re dropped back at the last checkpoint with a small amount of health, and the rest regenerates slowly. It’s obviously a very forgiving system as it is. It’s just too early to put a ton of thought in to what penalties there should be, if any, added on top of it.

Regardless, potential penalties aside, this is the death mechanic we’re currently using and it’s working really well so far.

OK, so they’ve borrowed the last point saved mechanic from any recent game that I’ve played. Not too original but I’m not complaining too much either.

To be honest, this looks like a cheap way for this (unnamed) site to get your pre-order. Now, I’m not saying they’ll grab your money and run… but you’ll be looking at a LOOOOOOONG wait, possibly a year.

That’s the reason I’m not going to post a link to the site. Instead, I suggest you head to Cologne, where the Gamescom is taking place in 20 days. You’ll be able to play Diablo 3 there:

We’re pleased to announce that Blizzard Entertainment will be attending gamescom 2009 in Cologne, Germany next month. We look forward to welcoming old friends and new to our booth, which will feature hands-on gameplay with our upcoming games. Our booth is open to the public from Thursday 20 August until Sunday 23 August.

Anyway, Blizzard aren’t going to launch the game without a beta, so make sure you enter your email in the Diablo 3 beta notification list.

You may wonder what that has to do with you. Well, as the Starcraft 2 beta is the first beta to be integrated with the new Battle.net, you’ll probably need to to follow the same steps to get into a Diablo 3 beta.

Here’s the instructions for getting your Battle.net beta settings straight:

1. Sign up for a battle.net account
2. If you have a Battle.net account, login here.
3. You’ll see a link “Beta Profile Settings
4. Download an app that will upload your system specs
5. You’re done

Hopefully, if Blizzard manage to launch Starcraft in 2009, there’s hope that Diablo 3 release date will be in 2010!

Get into the Diablo 3 beta!

You get an email the second Blizzard announce the Diablo 3 beta.

For those of us impatient enough (isn’t that everyone?), a Diablo III custom map has been released.

You need Warcraft III in order to play it and the map is still in beta. However, I’m really amazed at the graphics – the world editor is indeed powerful enough to change the game completely. It does look like Diablo III.

Download Diablo 3 beta map

P.S. Maybe it was my bad luck with skill selection as a Wizard but even the first wave of zombies proved insurmountable for me!

However, Blizzard is known for its vague comments when it comes to monetization:

Are there any plans to monetize Battle.net 2.0 service? Mike Morhaime limited to answer: “I’m not ready to talk about that today”. Mike Morhaime confirmed that Battle.net 2.0 will be free to those who buy StarCraft 2 retail.

Of course, you need to remember that Starcraft 2 is coming out not in one but in THREE retails boxes (for a total of around $100). So even one measly box gets you into Battle.net 2.0 for life? I’ll take it.

Well, Diablo 3 takes center stage at this Blizzcon! The Barbarian is displayed prominently on the homepage (next to something green looking like a Starcraft II ghost).

OK, a few bullet points about Blizzcon 2009!

• Tickets will go on sale worldwide on Saturday, May 16 for $125 each
• Blizzcon 2009 will be held on August 21 and 22 in Anaheim, California
• You get a unique WoW (non-combat) pet – Grunty the murloc marine
• Global finals for the 2009 Warcraft III and WoW Arena will be held – finalists get top prize of $25,000 per player

If you’re not able to attend, there’s the poor man’s Blizzcon – live Directv coverage for just $39.95. You do the murloc marine pet, so if you need a green/blue blob around you at all times, make sure you give your hard-earned cash to Blizzard.

Here’s the theme park contest rules:

What thrills would you seek in the Blizzard Entertainment theme park of your dreams? This is your chance to show us.

We’re challenging you to design and illustrate your own Blizzard Entertainment Theme Park, including roller coasters, water rides, shows, shopping areas, food courts, game areas, patrons, and whatever fantastic attractions you desire.

Submit your original park design by March 30, 2009, and we’ll choose our favorites based on the creativity of the design, artistic technique (including the medium and style), and how your park reflects the lore and spirit of Blizzard Entertainment’s games.

In case you’re wondering, there is a prize: Wacom Cintiq 12WX Digitizing Tablet, a pair of StarCraft II beta keys, and more.