Email: Randomization Plus

I think the Randomization Plus is a brilliant idea, but I’ve got a problem with it.

First of all, I write as someone who stopped playing Diablo 3 right after finishing Nightmare. I never reached Inferno, and I have no interest to do so.

My reason is, like you might suspect, the randomization. To me Diablo 3 isn’t a randomized game at all: sure the areas look a bit different, but if I see a path that splits left and then another time it splits right, what is there to this? Nothing changed. It’s the same exact map. I will play the exact same way.

Your Randomization Plus idea will definitely fix this. If the problem right now is that the difference in randomization doesn’t matter to gameplay, a crazier randomization will fix this. If I go in one time and see a huge field, but come back later and see a huge spirally corridor. Or what if a small well with enemies one time changes to a giant underground dungeon, on the level of the story-specific dungeons. That’s the randomization I want.

This brings me to my problem with your idea. Level 60 is too far in. I already finished Nightmare, and I don’t intend to play the same game twice more. I’ve already experienced the story and game twice. I should be given the option after I finish Nightmare, maybe even after I finish the normal mode.

So in my opinion, Randomization Plus should be available after finishing the game, and not based on hitting a certain level. Preferably it would be after beating it once because that’s the earliest point people will be comfortable with the change. After Nightmare is acceptable too.

I think Blizzard should definitely entertain the idea.

Randomization Plus is for the farming, not the progression. I don’t expect Randomization Plus to be ‘balanced’ in its levels since it would become all wacky. There is no need to farm the non-Inferno levels.

There is some level of randomization already present. The mini-dungeons change locations and may appear or not appear. The elites are randomized with different monsters and affixes. The big issue seems to be the map layout and the samey monsters in each area.

No matter where you are at in Inferno, you farm one Act over and over and over again. To those done with the game, it is Act III. To those not yet there, Act II. To everyone else, Act I. It becomes monotonous going through one Act over and over and over again.

If you’re bored when you hit Hell and haven’t hit max level yet, the Paragon levels and legendaries aren’t going to excite you. Blizzard is making these changes to make farming Inferno attractive (you farm so you can get that cool legendary, or you have greater skill diversity now that there are alternative good abilities, or at least you make progress to the next Paragon level).

I remember Blizzard saying, before Diablo 3 launched, they expected most players to finish the game on Normal or maybe Nightmare and then stop playing. They do not expect most players to keep beating the game through Inferno. Emailer, you’re not the target with these changes. Blizzard is targeting those who went to Inferno and stopped playing.

I see Randomization Plus as breaking the game. The game ceases to make coherent sense. In other words, the jail makes no sense and goes in spirals or spiders off into strange shapes. You have monsters there that shouldn’t be there or may be from other Acts. Imagine Corrupted Angels appearing in the Spider Cave? It certainly would be random, would be surprising.

I think killing the same monsters over and over gets tiring. Since around 25% of the monster stable is devoted to each Act, farming that one Act means the player is only seeing those 25% of the monsters. And Act IV is not farmed at all (due to the low level of elites) so all of those monsters are wasted. Why not mix it up? Randomize it some if it is possible.

Blizzard likes very controlled areas. It is why with WoW they made zones where everything can be carefully “balanced” inside it (and every other MMORPG copied it to make ‘zones’). I would like Randomization Plus to shatter that (which is why it should be a separate option). It is for people who have done the content for hundreds of hours and are ready to scream. These people need craziness.

Currently, the randomness is present in the game, but it is subtle. I didn’t fully see what was randomized until around 200 hours in. What isn’t randomized are the map layouts, in general, and the monster types. Act I always has zombies and goatmen. Act II always has those damn bugs. What if this was mixed around a little? It would be a radical change in the gameplay, for sure, but it would be welcome.

I think people want an option that says, “Please break the game. Surprise me as much as possible. I don’t care if it becomes unbalanced. Break the game. Shock me.” This game needs more spontaneity.