Game development is tricky as is, but on games like Diablo 4, it can be especially tough because of the ambiguity around what approach to take. Many decisions boil down to just making a move, seeing how it lands, then adjusting based on feedback, according to one of the leads on Blizzard's hellbound action-RPG.
"We're often faced with solving real problems, and we don't always have the ideal solution in front of us," Zaven Haroutunian, associate game director on Diablo 4, told IGN. "In fact, there's often no ideal solution. Often, we just have to pick a thing."
As you may well know, the collective Diablo community is not shy about what works and what doesn't, and frequently the devs will move with how players are feeling. "It's only after you step back from the stuff you've made that your perspective changes and you understand the impact of your decisions, both positive and negative," Haroutunian explained. "Really, that’s only when you can get a clear picture of what you've actually made."
Looking through the patch notes for many of the team's updates will reveal as much. Amid the bug fixes and such are lots and lots of minor nerfs, buffs and tweaks, frequently across practically every facet of the game. The fine-tuning is constant, as fans continually test the mechanics to their limits.
This goes further with additions like in Lord of Hatred, where the Warlord and Paladin classes were added, disrupting the status quo of the skill tree and the respective power balance. "A lot of it is just repositioning. Making sure everything is in the right place to have the right impact," he says. "Customisation in the Skill Tree. Power with the items. Crafting in the Horadric Cube. The Talisman bringing depth. Every skill has options, and every class will reap the benefit of the work we've done."
In fact, it gave an excuse to do a top-down revamp that proved useful for all involved. "It solves a problem while refreshing every class in the game," he adds.
