暗黑2美工评论暗黑3

marine_0911

We were all very excited by the announcement of Diablo III, and almost everyone thinks the game looks great (some graphics quibbles aside), but not everyone knows that the D3 team is almost entirely new to the series; very few of the guys who worked on D2 or D2X are working on D3, and none of the original creators of the franchise are still employed at Blizzard.

The new D3 team is undoubtedly skilled, and the game seems to be coming along very well, but with the announcement we were curious; how did the old D1/D2/D2X team members feel, seeing the project proceed without them? There had to be some mixed emotions, seeing their baby steered in a new direction by a whole new crew?

We've talked to a number of guys on the D2 crew, and while no one had anything bad to say about D3, and everyone had a lot to say about their mixed emotions now, only two of them would go on the record. We've already posted the short note Max Schaefer sent us, and now here's a longer, much more detailed reply from Ben Boos. (We're still trying to get some other guys to comment, and if they do, we'll post them for everyone to see.)

Ben worked on D2, D2X, (sample of his art here) and D3 (when it was under development at Blizzard North), moved to Flagship Studios for a time, and is now (temporarily?) out of the gaming industry and doing very well in his new career as an author/illustrator. We'll have more about Ben's first book later this year, but for now here's the brief bio he wrote up, and his answers to our interview questions:


As a Senior Artist for Blizzard North, Ben worked on User Interface art for Diablo 2, D2X, and Battle.net. He painted various weapons, armor, scrolls, potions, gems and countless little items, not to mention large swaths of the game environment, such as the act 1, 2, 3, and 5 wildernesses. On occasion, he painted textures, and made concept art for monsters, characters, or took some time to illustrate parts of the manual, and various promotional pitch-packets. He also painted the box art for the Diablo Battle Chest.

For Flagship Studios, Ben was hired as the Senior Artist and the company's first employee, where he designed weapons and bits of swag, before pursuing a book deal in early 2005.


提问: Did you pay attention to the D3 announcement, or is Diablo in the past and you're concentrating fully on your future gaming projects?

Ben Boos: Oh heck yes, I paid attention. It was huge on several levels. Keeping a secret this big wears thin, for one! So to finally have the cat out of the bag is great. It was a milestone event to me. There are tons of strong emotions all wrapped into this franchise since the Diablo games were more than a mere hobby; they were my life for nearly 8 years.

Also, I?ll be honest: What really made me sit up and pay attention to the announcement was to see how beautiful D3 had become! I remember back at Blizzard North when Jason Regier was first designing a rough game engine, and how it was always so exciting to see the new features added, day by day. So imagine how I felt to see this stunning demo. I?ve been quietly writing and illustrating a book for the last few years since taking leave of Blizzard North (sometime back in 2004), and I haven?t seen the game in AGES? It?s come a loooong way since then, to say the least. It?s an entirely different beast! I mean, holy smokes, destructible environments for instance! I love it! By the way, after laboring on the environments for d2, and d2x, I would have LOVED to smash those up.  It would have been cathartic.

Seriously though, the game looks great, and I not only paid close attention ? I wound up corresponding with old Blizzard friends throughout the day and into the night after that announcement. It had a huge impact on me.

What a rush of memories!


提问: What do you think of the look of D3? Is it similar in tone/mood/theme to the game you envisioned and worked on at Blizzard North? There has been quite a bit of debate about the graphics, with many players complaining that it's too bright cartoon/rainbow-colored.

Ben Boos: I thought Diablo 3 looked fantastic.

As for the tone: A comparison of D1 to D2 comes to mind. I remember plowing ahead and making those green pastures and meadows in D2, and thinking after the fact? ?oops! The original Diablo was so dark and moody; did I screw up the atmosphere?? Then I went and made the bright desert wasteland, and the same potential problems cropped up. But it all worked out in my opinion, because we were able to take the player underground, and to various darker environments. Therefore, I think you can?t judge the atmosphere of D3 from a short demo. Who knows what incredible sights await the player of Diablo 3?


提问: What do you think of the announced features and the design direction they're moving in? Set 20 years after D2X ended, some returning characters and others new, retaining basically the same item system, etc...

Ben Boos: I actually find the return of the characters very comforting. They are like old friends in a weird way, and I can?t imagine a Diablo game without Deckard Cain! Also, as someone who painted most of the user interface art for D2 and the expansion, I am really pleased with what I see of the new UI. It seems like they simplified things where it was needed, and spiced up other things that needed a face-lift. Cool beans.


提问: Was your vision of D3 greatly different than D2, or more of an evolution?

Ben Boos: Personally, I wasn?t all hot and bothered to see revolution in the D3 design. Some folks at Blizzard North were quite eager to make radical changes, but I was pretty happy with the thought of subtle evolution. The play mechanic was so fun, I just wanted new loot; new environments; new monsters; and naturally, some seriously updated graphics. Call me simple, but for my Diablo fix, that seemed just right. I can understand how others would want to try new things though, but it can be tricky to deviate away from an addicting formula.


提问: During the WWI presentations, the D3 team frequently commented that they love the story of the world and want to work to develop more of it in the game. Was that a priority in your D3 design?

Ben Boos: Yes, story had some serious priority because we were left wondering after the Lord of Destruction expansion, ?what the heck happens next??? We had to answer that for ourselves if nothing else. How much of the story gets infused into the game-play is another matter. My personal feeling is this: As long as I can skip through lots of dialog, and still find what I need to do in a quest log, I?m happy. I can be moody about too much blabbing, when all I want to do is go get LOOT! Hehe.


提问: Any regrets that you're not creating the next game in your series?

Ben Boos: No. I absolutely treasure my years spent working on the Diablo universe, but I was ready for some new adventures when I took my leave. I had a head full of dreams about this nutty book, and I?ve never regretted my decision to pursue that. It?s all been a very blessed experience.

Those of us who have had the good fortune to participate in the Diablo series, experienced some incredible times together? wild and wonderful times. The people I worked with were essentially like family, and they are what I miss the most. If I have any regrets, they center on leaving my wonderful friends. But we stay in touch.

Now, I am now ready to enjoy Diablo 3 as a fan!


提问: Any bittersweet feelings, now that another design team (no matter how talented) is moving forward with your baby?

Ben Boos: Yes, I feel MANY emotions ? some bitter and some sweet, but that is mostly my nostalgia at work, not any sort of resentment for the good people now making this game. Besides, I still have good friends who are working on it. But, I do sometimes wish all my old friends were still at it, like I remember from the pleasant days gone by. I can?t help but want to freeze time a bit, and have all those good people together, at work on something wonderful. But life doesn?t work like that, and that?s why the memories are all the more poignant.

Before I go, I?d like to say this: To those who once poured their hearts into this series, I salute you for paving the way! To those who are now bearing the torch, I wish you all the luck in the world -- and Godspeed! It looks amazing so far!

Thank you guys at Diabloii.net also. I appreciate all that you add to the Diablo experience.

See you all in New Tristram!   


我们所有人都为D3的发布激动万分 而且几乎所有人都觉得游戏棒极了（除了一些画面。。） 然而不是每个人都知道D3团队对于D系
列来说是完成的新鲜血液 团队中曾经参与过D2及其资料片制作的人员是屈指可数的 而且没有一个仍然受雇于暴雪的D系列创始者
毫无疑问新D3团队的技术是过硬的 而且现在来看游戏的表现也是很出色的 但当D3发布是我们非常好奇的想知道 看到现在的D3---一
个再不会有众前作团队成员参与的续集  他们做何感想....  这种复杂的感觉似乎就像看着他们自己抚养长大的孩子却被别人领养？
      我们跟D2团队的许多成员都聊过 但没有一个人觉得D3不好 而且所有人都把大段的谈话放在了他们的复杂感情上 只有两位的谈话涉
及对D3有价值的东西 我们已经贴出了Max Schaefer发给我们的简讯 而这次会更长些---是更多从Ben Boos发来的细节回复（我们还
将继续我们的【D元老访谈】如果可能 我们将贴出每一份有价值的东西）
       Ben曾参与制作D2 D2x---这是他的作品（在哪呢？？？？）和D3（当暴北还健在并且在开发D3时） 已经转战旗舰工作室一段时间了
而且现在（暂时性的？）离开的游戏业并在作家/插画领域取得一定成绩 我们也将在今年随后的日子里贴出他的处女作的消息 但是
现在是【我们提问他回答】时间 以下是他回答我们问题的答案
       作为暴雪北方的高级美术师 Ben的工作是D2 D2x和战网的用户界面美化 他绘制过许多武器 盔甲 卷轴 瓶瓶罐罐 宝石和其他数不清
的小东西 但没有参与游戏环境大场面的制作 像1 2 3和5章的野外环境 有时他也制作纹理和怪物、人物的概念图 有时也搞些说明指
南的部分和一些包裹的改进 他也制作了D大礼包的盒子部分
        在旗舰工作室 Ben也是作为高级美术师被第一批招了进去 在那里设计武器和杂物（？）的概念 当然那是在他2005年早些时候转战出
版业之前的事了
提问：你留意D3的发布了吗？或者说是你将自己所有对游戏的热情都倾注其中的D系列？

Ben Boos：啊 我当然注意到了 那简直太神奇了 隐瞒整个世界孕育一个大秘密 尤其在最后把他公布出来的时候 那简直太棒了！ D
系列对我个人来说是个里程碑 我对D有巨大的激情因为它对我来说已经不单单是个爱好了----它在我的生命中足足占据了近8年啊
同时 说真的 让我真正坐下来好好观看发布的原因是看看D3到底有多么华丽！我回想过去在暴雪北方的时光 当Jason Regier头一次
在设计一个粗糙的游戏引擎的时候 日复一日的 每一次这那之上添加新东西都是那么的让人兴奋 所以你能想象到当我看到那个震撼
的DEMO时我的心情 自离开暴雪北方之后的近几年我都在安静的写作并且一直没把精力放在这个游戏上 这真是个漫长的过程啊 说到
D3 那简直是太炫了！神圣的烟雾！ 可以破坏的环境！我真的爱死它了！顺便说一句 在制作D2和资料片的环境后 我就一直想到他们
砸个粉碎~~ 他们早应该那么做（把东西砸个粉碎）
说点正经的 D3看起来真的很那不错（谁说我没仔细关注？） 在D3发布后的几天里和暴雪的老友谈论D3到吐~~~   这对我来说是个巨
大的冲击
唉 时光如水 生命如歌。。。。。。

提问：你对D3的画面有什么看法？ 他是否还符合你在暴雪北方开发的D系列的风格？ 现在人们对游戏的画面似乎有很多争论 许多玩
家在抱怨画面太过明亮、卡通 甚至艳色过于鲜艳

Ben Boos：我认为D3看起来非常棒
说到这 D1和D2的比较在我脑中浮现 我还记得在创作D2时一点一点地创作那些郁郁葱葱的农庄和草地的时光 在完成那之后 我想 D1
非常的阴暗 我是不是把风格给搞乱了？ 在制作了明亮的沙漠时 同样的问题又浮现在我的脑海 但是这些问题最后并没有左右我 因
为我们还得把玩家带到地下和另一些阴暗的环境去呢  所以呢  我们不要仅仅因为一个短短的DEMO就对D3的画面品头论足 天知道在
D3中有什么惊天动地的场景在等着玩家们呢（还有暴雪的员工他们估计也知道）

提问：你对新公布的游戏和游戏的设计方向有什么看法呢？ 比如 把故事设定在D2资料片结束后20年 一些老面孔和一些新面孔 和一
些其他新的 和保留的一些基本的物品系统 等等

Ben Boos：能看到一些老面孔我感到很欣慰 从某种意义上来讲像是见到了老朋友 没有老凯恩的D真不知道会是个什么样子~ 看到新
人做的玩家界面 作为上一任UI师我觉得他们做的非常出色 他看上去更加的使用方便---你像用什么他都能马上给你 其他一些设置也
改造的很好  非常酷~

提问：你觉得D3相对于D2的巨大差距 是进步吗？

Ben Boos：就个人而言 对D3在设计上的进化我基本都可以接受 原来的暴雪北方中也有些家伙在作出改变方面表现十分激进 但我还
是比较适应于慢慢的进化、改变  D2的游戏性已经很好了 我只是想要新的装备 新的环境 新的怪物还有最重要的--飞跃性进步的画
面 我可能太保守了 但对于我来说 这些改变可能就够了 人们想要尝试新的元素我完全能理解 但却有可能会偏离一些D系列迷人的游
戏元素

提问：在WWI的介绍中D3团队反复强调想把暗黑的故事充实起来 这也是你的D3设计观吗？

Ben Boos：是的 在D2X完成 我们离开后 故事扮演了很重要的角色 然后到底发生了什么~ 天知道 当然 向游戏中加入多少故事是另
外一回事了 我个人的看法是：只要在跳过长~~~~的对话后还能知道我们在任务中要完成的事 我非常高兴 太多的剧情会让我发疯的
我想做的就是砍怪、拿装备~~~哈哈

提问：不能再开发属于你的游戏了 感到遗憾吗？

Ben Boos：不。我相当怀念为D努力奋斗的时光 但当我决定离开时我已经找到了新的归宿 我对写书的梦想已经应该付诸行动了 而且
我从不为此后悔  这些都是我的宝贵经验
我们（暴雪北方的员工吧）其中一些人非常幸运的参与了D3的制作 体验难以言语的创作快感和度过美好的时光 我以前的工作伙伴都
像我的家人一样 他们是我最想念的人（好煽情啊~）如果有遗憾的话 那么也是离开这些挚友（而不是不能搞D3） 但我们还能彼此保
持联系
现在 我已经准备好作为一个粉丝来享受D3了

提问：复杂的感情啊~  现在新的团队在带领你的宝贝（D）奋力前行呢

Ben Boos：是的 我现在的感受相当复杂 但这只是我个人的感情罢了 并不是对新团队有什么看法 而且还有我的老友在为之奋斗 我有时希望我所有的老友都在那 就像那些逝去的时光一样  我经常想让时间倒退 和我的所有好朋友一起做些有趣的事 当然这不行----这就是生活吧  这也许就是回忆感伤的原因吧  

       在采访的尾声 我想说：对于那些曾经把精力都倾注在D的人们 我为你们作出的贡献向你们致敬 对于那些现在正在背负重担的人（D3团队） 我希望你们好运--并且一路平安顺利！ 目前D3看起来十分棒！

咱们新崔斯特瑞姆见！！！

转自papercutzg
好像还没有人发这篇文章 在暗黑3论坛发现的 放过来分享一下
感觉多数专业人士对D3画面还是很满意的。。。。。。