So last week I posted a thread of some information which ended up getting my thread deleted because the information was from my friend who works at Blizzard's Art Programming team. So I met up with him last night. He said, and I quote.
(wrote it all down. Sort of a mini interview as long as I do not list his name.)
"Even though us in the Art team do not get a ton of information regarding delays, new game changes, tweaks or programming changes, I do know that the other departments are actually done. The art team has been done for some time now, but they have had us working on tweaking game graphics and artwork for future patches as part of the delay. As Jay Wilson mentioned, the game is actually done for the most part. But all I know is that we got an email stating the project was being delayed. There was no date specified or why it was delayed however. But we were given new assignments to work on since the project is already complete and has been since November.
What I do know is that the only thing that was being worked on was the rune system and class tweaks during the delay. They were also trying to make some changes to pvp. But the game was not delayed because of those changes. They came after when we got the emails it was being delayed. However, as I stated before, these changes were supposed to be for a patch after the game was released."
Q: Have you heard anything yet about the Korea GRB assisting with the delay?
A: "No. As before, I never got an email or document stating what was holding the release date up. I do know that some of us brought it up during work, but I still do not know since only a select few get that kind of information."
Q: Any information on the release date?
A: "We have not as of yet gotten any email at work about the release date, but we did get an email on Thursday which let us know that the project will be going Gold within the following weeks. Jay Wilson should be mentioning something about the release date this week. "
Q: Do you know how long it may take for the game to hit shelves once announced?
A: "I did talk to my supervisor at work who mentioned that the retailers are on standby for instant delivery. Because of the pressure and delay, I think we should be forcing it out the door within weeks after the announcement. It should have already been out. Retailers and Investors are getting annoyed."
Q: What are you working on now?
A: "They have us working on icons and artwork glitches for the game. But this is for a future patch once the other departments gather more bug fixes."
Q: Have you played Diablo 3?
A: "I have played it up to Act 3 on Normal difficulty. Some of my coworkers have played through Hell difficulty. "
Q: What do you think of the game?
A: "Well, it feels weird playing through it and always seeing the artwork that you have created for the game. For example, I would be flying through Act 2 and see the Pillar Artwork I designed and be completely unfocused because I feel it never looks right. So it does take a lot of fun out of the game for me and others who work on it. But from an outside view, I would say this game is going to be addictive and fun."
January 15, 2012 7:29 AM
