Some elements will be class-specific to support the classes' unique backgrounds, but there'll be many shared elements for mix-and-match gameplay. In terms of character customization, Diablo IV will allow players to alter a number of details on their in-game character, ranging from hairstyles, facial hair, and jewelry to things like makeup and tattoos. I think we've found a sweet spot of detail that retains the readability, works well with the environments, but also keeps things looking grounded, which is super important for this vision for Sanctuary and how we present the world to you, our most important critic.' 'Those looking closely will notice we like to work with bigger shapes on the armor, and we tend to reduce things that affect readability.

'The fidelity we put into the characters and the balance of detail all has to work with our game camera,' Mueller explained.

Diablo IV's Rogue announcement trailer as an example, was created entirely in the Diablo IV game engine.Įven with all of those details though, Mueller stressed that all of those elements were designed to work with the game's isometric viewpoint and camera system, keeping the visual information of Diablo IV grounded and readable. The added benefit of this character art development focus is that most of Diablo IV's story cutscenes will be rendered in-engine using the game models, allowing for cinematic moments that feature the player's custom character in action. This resulted in 'massive improvements' to the level of detail, the surfacing of complex materials like skin, cloth simulation, hair, fur, metal, and even small details such as the highlights of the eyes and rivulets of perspiration, according to Mueller. To embrace that design philosophy, Blizzard had to completely rebuild its rendering engine and authoring tools while assembling a team of artists, tools engineers, rigging specialists, lighting, and surfacing experts. We wanted to use the latest tools and techniques, but we did have a concern about leaning into 'realism' in a way that wouldn't have that hand-crafted feeling we felt was fundamental to a Blizzard game.' 'Over time, our ambitions around what we thought we could achieve evolved and really solidified into what you see today. 'Our goal was to make the characters in Diablo IV look as artistic and as hand-crafted as possible using the latest tools and techniques,' Mueller said in the latest Diablo Quarterly blog post. Now Playing: Diablo IV Rogue Breakdown and Open World Features | Blizzcon 2021 By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

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