Monster Density Being looked Into

I think there are multiple reasons behind the desire for scaling monster density for the players who are asking for it. The first one that comes to mind is not the self-serving need to squeak out insane farming efficiency (there are some who seem to definitely want this), but the desire to feel that they are not losing efficiency when farming anything other than Act III. We definitely want people to farm multiple Acts, so we are discussing options to achieve that goal.

Your ideas on the subject are certainly welcome (in fact, the question of "what mob density would you choose?" is a great one to debate) and we hope that you will continue post them.

"Ask the Devs" Round 1: Patch 1.0.7

Welcome to the Diablo III Ask the Devs global Q&A. In this thread we'll be collecting your questions regarding patch 1.0.7, having the community vote for their favorites, and then posting the answers we receive from the developers approximately one week later.

[STATUS]

Coming soon! This Q&A will begin on Tuesday, January 29 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.

[TOPIC]

The topic for this month is Patch 1.0.7. Please feel free to ask any questions related to changes in included this patch (i.e. dueling, class updates, new crafting recipes, etc).

To view the PTR patch notes for 1.0.7, click here.

[HOW IT WORKS]

• On the date and time specified in this post, we'll unlock the thread and you'll be able to submit your questions regarding patch 1.0.7.
• When the thread hits its cap, no more questions will be allowed.
• At that point, we'll ask you to use the thumbs-up button to vote for any questions you'd like to see answered.
• After about 24 hours, we'll lock the thread, at which time you will no longer be able to vote.
• We'll then look for the posts with the most votes in every region and pass them on to the Diablo III development team.
• Approximately a week later, we'll provide you a list of answers delivered directly from the developers.

[RULES]

• Only one question per post.
• Stay on topic. Questions that don't relate to the chosen topic (even if highly-rated) won't be sent to the developers.
• Discussion posts are not allowed! We ask that you only post questions in the Ask the Devs thread. If you would like to discuss related topics, please do so in another thread.
• You can vote for questions at any time while the thread is unlocked.
• A highly-rated post does not mean it will be answered, but we'll do our best to answer as many questions as possible.
• "Dislike" votes don't count.

[TIPS]

• Please don't post or vote for questions you know we won't answer. We're not going to use these Q&As to announce new features, expansions, or release dates. By the same token, we're also not going to answer questions that touch on subjects outside of the game and its design.
• Keep your question concise. One to three sentences should be plenty to explain background and ask a question.
• Vote for as many questions as you like.
• All "Like" votes count. While you can't see the vote tally, we can. Even if a post is already highly rated, your vote still means something to that question (potentially) being answered.

For more information about Ask the Devs, click here.

Details on "Ask the Devs"

1.0.7. I wonder if questions should only pertain to this patch.
They should, yes (I highly recommend reading the rules listed here)!

The reason we're asking players to focus their questions on a specific topic is that it helps the Q&A run much more smoothly. While it might mean we receive LESS questions, the questions that we do receive tend be of a higher caliber and have much more depth (which in turn allows us to provide responses that are more meaningful and meaty). Additionally, it makes the Q&A super cohesive since the questions all relate to one another in a very specific way.

So many questions we'd like to ask,but if it's only limited to specifics about what they've already announced for the patch,it won't answer many of the hundreds of suggestions/questions already unaddressed by the devs and CM's.
We choose 1.0.7 as the topic because it's very timely. Not only is the patch on the PTR right now, but we've also been seeing a lot of questions from players NOT participating in the public test about the content in 1.0.7 -- everything from why a certain change was made (and what the philosophy was behind it) to how a specific feature is intended to work to whether or not we've considered the long-term effects of a specific update.

We'll be having Q&As about a variety of different topics in the future (and, yup, itemization is one of them). :)

But seriously, look back at the Reddit AMAA. That wen't pretty well, a lot of the answers were fairly long too and very in-depth, at least from Wyatt, especially after getting hounded by one question asker.
Yup, and we'd like to do more of those kinds of Q&As in the future (i.e. more open-ended and held in real-time).

For this particular series, though, we want to have a topic not only for the reasons I listed above, but also because it works better with the format. We're going to be collecting the top questions from each of our regions, translating them into English, getting the developers to provide responses, translating those responses back into the other 10 languages we support, organizing everything in a readable layout, and then publishing the information globally at the same time -- all within a week. Open-ended Q&As tend to work better in real-time and when they're being conducted in only one language; the scope would just be too large for the Ask the Devs, especially if we're looking to provide responses quickly.

While I applaud Blizzard's attempts to re-connect with the community, I feel that this format is really only allowing a place to ask PR-friendly questions.
We're not asking for PR-friendly questions. In fact, we encourage critical inquiries that are detailed and provocative.

What we are asking for are questions that actually can be answered by our developers. They're not going to be able to share release dates or necessarily confirm upcoming projects, but they can provide insight into design choices, acknowledge awareness of certain issues and concerns, as well as discuss (in a more broad sense) their direction for the game.

Because of that, it's probably a good idea to avoid asking things like "WHY DOES DUELING SUCK?" or "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO RELEASE LADDERS?" and instead opt for something more along the lines of "I'm not a big fan of the way dueling is being implemented in 1.0.7. Are there any plans for a reward system in the future? " or "I loved ladders in D2 and feel like they'd be great addition to D3. Are there any plans to provide a similar system in D3, potentially in the form of ladders?" (Though, admittedly, the latter question isn't great for the first round of questions since it's not really related to 1.0.7.)

STOP TELLING ME WHAT IS FUN
Explaining our design goals for certain features and stating that one of those goals happens to be "make it fun" -- or even saying something as bold as "we think this new system is pretty fun" -- is not same thing as defining what the word "fun" means to you.

We know that the definition of "fun" varies from player to player, and we're certainly not trying to suggest that our definition is better than anyone else's. What we are trying to do is create an enjoyable game. Different players have different play styles, though, so there may be times when we think something is fun that you do not. And while may not always see eye-to-eye on the fun/not fun level, more often than not we're willing to make changes and work with the community so that what we find fun is also what you find fun.

Not sure I will have time to get home and ask a question before it's locked because full. It looks like it's allowed to post more than one question so maybe it will fill up fast. Would have been great to limit to one question, forcing everyone to focus on their best and more serious question. But since it's done in a forum, home made, it's likely hard to do, monitoring all this.
That's certainly something for us to consider, though as you said it would be difficult to really monitor. I'll take this back to my team and we can debate it, as civilized individuals do (i.e. there might be white boards and post-its involved :P).

Updates to Patch 1.0.7

Achievements

• General
  
  • Subjugators now count towards the achievements "We are Champions" and "Champion's Collection"

PTR Bug Fixes

• General
  
  • Using the PTR Character Copy feature for a region on which you have no active characters will no longer result in login errors or your PTR account becoming locked
• Crafting
  
  • Marquise designs and Archon crafting recipes are now searchable on the Auction House
• Dueling
  
  • Players are now correctly considered "Elites" in PvP and PvE combat
  • Players should now be automatically healed and have all active debuffs removed upon leaving the Scorched Chapel
  • Followers should no longer become hostile towards players after exiting the Scorched Chapel
  • Storm Armor shocks can now be dodged
  • Nek the Brawler will no longer die if another player joins or leaves a game while someone is standing near him
  • It's no longer possible to have inactive followers providing buffs in duels
• Items
  
  • Goldskin's proc will no longer work when in the Scorched Chapel
  • The Puzzle Ring's proc will no longer work when in the Scorched Chapel
  • The Incense Torch of the Grand Temple and Neanderthal can now drop

No Change on "Black" Weapons.

We do our best to ensure that we alert the community in advance of game changes (just like we did for the Legendary Item Improvements), and in this particular case, I wanted to jump in to reassure everyone that “black weapons” (i.e. weapons with the MinMaxDamage Affix) are not going to be nerfed in patch 1.0.7, and we have no plans going forward to nerf them.

Known Issues are just that, bugs that we know about. They are NOT necessarily bugs that are going to be fixed. The MinMaxDamage bug has been a bug known to us since July of last year, however, we did not want to fix a bug that would effectively nerf a large number of existing weapons. That’s why we did not fix the bug in any previous patch that we've released since the bug was found, nor are we fixing it in patch 1.0.7. Currently, the plan is that at such a time that we address the bug, the bug fix will only apply to newly created items, so as to not adversely affect existing items.

I'm still curious though, in the hypothetical scenario that this bug is fixed, will it be a buff or a nerf?
I think the theorycrafting folk would really appreciate clarification on what the expected proper behavior of the minmaxdam affix is.

If and when we consider making adjustments to the MinMaxDamage affix (whether it be a bug fix or some other change), we’ll be sure to let you know in advance or otherwise provide as much warning as possible. We haven’t decided on anything yet, though, or really even discussed much in the way of possible changes. So, while I definitely admire theorycrafting and appreciate why you’re posting the hypothetical, there’s not a lot more clarity to provide other than what I’ve already given. It’d just be speculation at that point, and that’s not a very good role for me or any Community Manager to really serve.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Cinematic

Dyes for Legendary Items

We’re working on getting Vanishing Dyes for Legendary items into 1.0.7. We intend for them to have the same slot restrictions as dyes traditionally have, so you’ll be able to use Vanishing Dye on say, your Legendary shoulders or helmet, but not items such as your weapons.

We hope this change will be available for testing on the PTR in a future build, but that may not possible. We’ll keep you updated. :)

I'm sure adding color to every legendary skin would take time. Vanishing dye at least would be a lot easier to do which is why it would be able to make it into 1.07. They will do color in the long run though I'm sure.

We’re definitely working on making all dyes work for Legendary items. It’s not a quick-fix, though; as Fearophobias surmised, our artists actually need to go back and redo the textures on all the Legendaries in order to make them dye-compatible.

Since we know this process will take some time, we wanted to make sure that players could at least use Vanishing Dye for now (it was the most-requested dye for Legendaries that we’ve seen to date).

Salvageable Hellfire Rings - 1.0.7

The plan is to have Hellfire Rings salvage into normal Legendary crafting materials in 1.0.7 (not organs, see below). That change isn't live on the PTR right now, but will be in a future build.

Here's an earlier response I provided on the topic of Hellfire Rings > demonic organs. The reasoning still holds true:

SEVEN YEARS IN SANCTUARY

Hey everyone, 

I wanted all of you to be some of the first to know that I've made an important decision about my future, and how that decision will affect the future of Diablo.

I recently celebrated my seven-year anniversary working on Diablo III, and while it's been one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of my life, I've reached a point creatively where I'm looking forward to working on something new. The powers that be at Blizzard have been gracious enough to give me that opportunity. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will be moving off of the Diablo III project and transitioning elsewhere within Blizzard. This decision was not an easy one for me, and not one I made quickly, but ultimately it's what I feel is right.

The first thing I want to assure you all is that this will not negatively impact our ongoing support of Diablo III. The game was not made by one person, far from it, and the team that poured their passion and considerable talent into it isn't going anywhere. We have lots of things planned for the future, and those plans will carry forward as normal. I also won't be abandoning the team, and will remain available to them during the transition period while we determine who will take over duties as game director.

To that point, you shouldn't be surprised if you see a job posting for a game director on Diablo III, as we want to make sure we explore every opportunity to find the best possible leadership for the project. We're looking forward to finding this person and hearing what kind of fresh ideas they can bring to the table.

I'm proud of Diablo III, and despite our differences at times I will miss the community that has formed around it. I feel I have made many mistakes in managing that relationship, but my intent was always to provide a great gaming experience, and be as open and receptive as possible, while still sticking true to the vision the Diablo team has for the game.

I know some of you feel we fell short of our promise to release the game "when it's ready." While we're not perfect, we try to make the best decisions we can with the information and knowledge we have at the time. That doesn't mean we always make the right decisions, but if we made a mistake then I feel we've made an exceptional effort to correct it. 

This is what you can always count on from Blizzard: that we will stand by our games and make every effort to continually improve them over time. We heard the feedback and suggestions from the community. For example, we agreed that Diablo III's itemization at launch was not good enough, so the team made numerous changes, including changing drop rates, re-tuning legendaries, and adding scores of new items to the game. We also agreed that the end game needed more depth, so the team added new events, and new systems like Monster Power and Paragon levels. 

Our commitment to making our games as good as they can be is what has always defined Blizzard as a game studio, and that commitment never ends for us at a ship date. With your help, we'll continue to play, debate, and improve Diablo III, as we've done with every Blizzard game.

To that end, patch 1.0.7 is underway, the PTR is live, and there are many other great things brewing for Diablo in 2013. I'm leaving Diablo III in good hands, and my departure will not jeopardize the progress of the game as we continue to do what we do: listen, play, and improve.

You are the most passionate, dedicated group of gamers a designer could hope to have. I wish you all the best, and want to thank you for making this an amazing experience for me. Keep your axes sharp, your spell books handy, and that crafty devil in check.

--Jay

1.0.7 Known Issues List as of 1-15-13

Hello everyone, and welcome to PTR Patch 1.0.7! Below you will find the Known Issues list for our 1.0.7 patch (patch notes are available here). Please do not report bugs that you see on this list as we already know about them, and help out other players reporting bugs by referring them to this list.

As a reminder, this list will not list every bug that is active in the 1.0.7 patch. What it is listing are issues that are active and confirmed as bugs by Quality Assurance. In addition, potential exploits and the like will never be listed here.

Please note that documented bugs may not always be fixed in the order in which they were reported. In some rare cases, we may not have a timeline for a when a bug will be fixed and some bugs may not be able to be fixed at all. If we are able to verify that a documented bug cannot be fixed, it will be removed from this list.

Thank you for your continued reports, and enjoy the Diablo III!!!

Achievements

• It is possible to not be able to receive the “Bashanishu” achievement if you hit Bashiok using a Basic Attack (not a skill).

• The Demon Hunter achievement "Bleed, You Filth!" is not granted the first time you complete the criteria.

• The Demon Hunter achievement "Death Trap" is not granted the first time you complete the criteria.

• The “Haunted” achievement criteria will not be met when the mob is killed by an ally or pet without the player tagging it.

• The "Self Sufficient" achievement is not awarded the first time you kill the boss and meet the achievement.

• Subjugators do not count towards the achievements "We Are Champions" and "Champion's Collection".

• Rare Colossal Golgor monsters will not give credit for the "Rare Kill" achievement when killed.

Auction House

• There is no tooltip that explains the dynamic sort filter.

Battle.net

• Attempting to use Character Copy on the PTR after a successful Character Copy results in Error 395015.

Combat

• Followers can become hostile to non-host players.

• Demon Hunter - Companion: The cleave attack target areas from Wolf and Spider companions are not tall enough to hit monsters above them.

• Witch Doctor - Hex: Hexed targets are not displaying damage numbers above their heads.

• Wizard - Archon: There are several actions triggering Archon to be cast while assigned to the left mouse button that did not do so before patch 1.0.5.

• Wizard - Critical Mass: Critical Mass is not affecting Teleport or Slow Time when Archon is activated.

Items

• MinMaxDam Affix is calculating the damage bonus on weapon incorrectly.

• The Murlocket no longer drops in game.

• The new Account Bound crafted items from the Jeweler and the Blacksmith do not follow the same order as the Hellfire Rings.

Monsters

• The Reflects Damage affix can reflect more than 10% of a target's max health back to an attacker.

• The Skeleton King and The King of the Dead can use the whirlwind attack without playing the animation.

Quests

• Act 1 - Slaughtered Calf Inn: Nek the Brawler can be killed by the zombies inside The Slaughtered Calf Inn.

• Act 4 - The Pinnacle of Heaven: There can be two Tyraels in the cutscene on "Prime Evil : Climb to the Pinnacle of Heaven in the Silver Spire" during a multiplayer game.

User Interface

• Attempting to edit more than 27 Key Bindings will cause changes to Key Bindings, Gameplay, and Social settings to not be changed.