Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls ramps up randomization, PS4 gameplay shown in sizzle video
Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition for PlayStation 4 will run at 60 frames per second in 1080p, Blizzard announced during a panel on the game at BlizzCon last night, along with information regarding DualShock 4 controls and a new gameplay feature called Avenger Kills.
Randomization is the word
The Reaper of Souls expansion in general will feature more randomization, and players will no longer need to revisit some of the scripted campaign acts, according to game director Josh Mosqueira.
New campaign environments such as Pandemonium will also have randomized layouts, and the game's Adventure mode also ramps up the randomization and can be used for leveling and as part of the endgame.
Bounties will also be randomly generated and suggest areas to visit, or take down a boss, clear a dungeon, find an item, kill a unique monster and more. Some of the bounties feature items or enemies players have encountered in the campaign, but with radomization, these familiar bounties may occur in a different area altogether.
Gold, experience, and access to Nephalem Rifts will be the player rewards for bounties.
All waypoints included in the five acts of the game will be unlocked, and players will be able to travel around the map at will.
Thanks, Eurogamer.
Avenger Kills and the PS4 experience
The game boasts a custom-designed interface, touch pad functionality, and social features - as noted in the features list in our previous post. During Blizzcon, senior producer Julia Humphreys explained some of the DualShock 4 specific features to IGN.
“We’ve been playing around with the touch pad, and what it can be really useful for and really cool for are kind of shortcutting things that you do over and over again," she said. "Or maybe even giving you the opportunity to do things that we just didn’t have buttons for. One of the things we’re investigating right now is we could it for emotes in the game.
"That’s been a popular request from people, because we have emotes on PC but don’t have any way to have them really on the PS3, so with the touchpad we can have a little shortcut menu for emotes
“That’s Share Button is definitely one of the things we really want to focus on for the PS4 version, new ways that we can incorporate social aspects into the adventures."
The Share Button can be used for features such as Player Mail, Player Gifts, and a new addition: Avenger Kills.
Player Mail is pretty much what it sounds like, allowing users to mail an item to a friend. Gifts will work in a similar vein.
"Let's say you and I are out adventuring in the world and you get a Legendary item that drops," said Humphreys. "There’s a small chance that a second Legendary would spawn off of that. So, let’s say you and I are playing, it would say ‘gift for [your friend] has dropped,’ and so once I click on it, it would just go straight to your mailbox. And once you open it, it will roll for your class.
"It’s kind of a way to help share your adventures even if you aren’t online at the same time.”
Avenger Kills will allow players to revenge out on mobs which have killed your friend, according to Humphreys.
“Let’s say you’re out playing in the world and a lowly white monster manages to get that last killing blow on you,” she said. “There’s a chance that that monster will level up and then a portal will open and the monster will jump through. And then maybe later on when I’m playing in my game, a portal may open up and the monster will come through and I’ll get a message like ‘[your friend]’s killer is now hunting you.’ And I have a chance to then take vengeance for this monster that killed you.
"It’ll be now a unique monster that has affixes and is much more powerful and when loot drops, of course, I’ll be able to get mine, but that I can send some back to you. It’s just kind of a fun way to help connect games.”
Avenger Kills has not been confirmed for the PC version yet, but according to that version's production director, John Hight, it's always a possibility.
Owners of the PlayStation 3 version will also be able to transfer their characters to the PlayStation 4 version when it releases; however, once you transfer the character, you cannot transfer it back to the PS3 version.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls is slated for release in 2014. Artwork and screenshots can be accessed through our previous post, and below you will find the previously released features trailer, and a sizzle reel featuring PS4 gameplay.