Category Archives: Games

Happy New Years all!

I’ve read through a LOT of complaints people have with DI since launch, but there’s one problem which I believe is greater than all, and that’s the Shadow vs Immortal mechanic.

Our clan was once super competitive and we became Immortals on our server. At some stage, due to politics, our leader crumbled under the stress involved in running our clan. The same thing happened to our next leader. I now find myself as the leader and I’m trying my best to not let the politics ruin the fun, but it’s not been easy.

At this stage of the game (especially since the server merges) it’s quite clear that only the strongest clans will become Immortal, and the Immortals will only align with the 2 strongest Shadow Clans. This means that it’s now probably impossible for many players to experience what it’s like to be Immortals in the game.

Since launch, after each rite we lose our strongest players who leave us to join the new Immortals. Never mind how much we’ve gotten to know each other (we have a very active discord and in-game chat, some of us have even met up IRL), and all those hours helping each other get our characters stronger. For some, the desire to become Immortal is above all.

The devs have created a game that pits us against each other and it’s obvious that this is by design, but in reality we’re more like minded than people may realise. Most of us in our clan live in the same country and we love playing Diablo, yet the mechanics of the game creates tension, much of it negative.

When you’re an Immortal you sometimes feel like many players on the server despise you. When you’re competitive you’ve got to have spies to manipulate and collect information on potential alliances which need to be made in order to become the next Immortals.

You can get lost in all the politics of the game, or you could simply choose to have fun and ignore it (and potentially lose a lot of clan members who desire to become Immortals). Personally I’ve tried to focus on what my clan does have, and that’s a great community of great people, but I’m also facing the reality that we’re probably not going to be Immortals again any time soon (or ever) as most of our clan are low spenders (I’m now the only one left with 3K res in the clan).

Whilst I understand that this is the nature of the game. I’m not 100% sure if the devs truly meant for it to get to where it’s at right now. IE: That in order to be Immortal you’re going to need a clan full spenders, and if you’re a F2P player, you might never get the chance to experience what being an Immortal is all about.

/rant.

It’s been a heavy few days, but Tazz and I are starting to make some progress with picking up the pieces, and working on a new shared vision for the clan. This is my draft piece, and since writing this Tazz has edited it to add some of his input, and where it’s all “I” and “me” in my original piece, our final piece is “we”, and man I feel good about it!

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

The dust hasn’t settled, but I think now is a good time to discuss clan goals going forwards. I think our greatest strength as a clan is not how well we perform in Diablo Immortal, but how interactive, beautiful and amazing our clan members are in real life. We’ve built up a pretty special community here of like minded individuals and we’ve created a safe space for members to share their lives outside of the game (no small feat!).

At this stage of the game, especially with the server merge, it’s obvious to see that the clans with the biggest whales on the server will be the ones who win future wars. For us to work so hard at going for the #1 spot at the detriment of both our mental and physical health makes no sense at all to me. With this in mind I’d like to propose that we focus on what we do have, and that’s each other.

“We’re here for a good time, not a long time”

I feel that our goal going forwards as a clan is to nurture our community and above all just have fun in the game with each other. Ultimately, people will always come and go from the games we play. Those of you who insist on becoming Immortals might not align with our new clan goals, and if it came to it, I’m sure many would be sad to see you leave, but I’m also sure everyone would both understand and respect your decision.

Thanking all of you in advance for your support and patience. Let me know what you all think, let’s have an open discussion in clan-chat.

Spilling the beans.

The hype is real! Pre-ordered. I know what I’ll be doing in June next year!

Australia Clan.

Life is full of ups and downs, right?! I had still been on a high from meeting up with clan members Tazzly and Lacivious IRL, then yesterday Tazzly stepped down as officer, and on the same day CrazyGoatVapes stepped down as leader. Despite insisting that I did not want this role, here I am, now the leader of Australia Clan.

I’ve spent most of my life designing and running online communities and I LOVE this one, but I’m not cut out for WAR and all the dramas and strategising that come along with it. Personally I’ve been hyper aware that this is all by design though, by the game devs. I’ve never been into politics, which has helped me to find more peace, but I can understand and sympathise with those who choose to play that game.

It’s a new day. This morning I’ve been trying to focus on the positives of this situation. The biggest relief for me is that I can confidently say that I won’t be stepping down as officer, nor will I entertain the thought of leaving the clan to join another one. I’ve put some work into growing this community and I’m super glad and excited to continue to do so.

I’m still spinning, but with help from Tazzly I intend to find a new leader for our clan. I refuse to put leadership up for a vote (because voting is political). It’s just not how I roll. I’ll at the very least ask the clan for their input on who they think should be leader, or if anyone in the clan is interested in the role. Their input will be taken into consideration.

Yesterday I met up in real life with 2 awesome Diablo Immortal players (Tazz and Laci) who ended up being 2 totally awesome human beings! We had beers at The Coogee Bay Hotel, then lunch at The Pavillion, then back to the Coogee Bay Hotel for more beers!