Difference between revisions of "Scroll of Companion"

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[[Image:SoCicon.jpg|left]]
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{{Archived|January 2012|Removed from the game}}
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The '''Scroll of Companion''' was a surprise for players during the [[beta]] test, where it first appeared.
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The scroll allows the player to summon a random companion (which appears to be a [[critter]] randomly chosen from the game's files) to pick up gold for them within a short radius.
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Details about The Scroll of Companion prior to its removal have been saved for posterity.
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==Details==
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[[File:Scroll of Companion-tooltip.jpg|left|The tooltip.]]
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The '''Scroll of Companion''' was removed from the game during beta testing, in January 2012<ref name=removal>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/patch-10-removals-update-scrolls-of-reforging-and-companions-gone Scrolls of Companion and Reforging Gone] - Blizzard, 26/1/2012</ref>. The feature will not be present when Diablo III is released, but may return at some point in a patch of expansion pack.
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When functional, the Scroll of Companion summed a small animal or insect that scurried around the dungeon, picking up all the stacks of gold that fell from monsters, barrels, chests, or any other source. It was a great convenience for players, but the developers felt it was too handy, to the point that using one became essential. They were also displeased with the cute and fluffy nature of some of the pets.
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==Removal Rationale==
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[[Image:SoC_DHSnake.jpg|thumb|[[Demon Hunter]] with a greedy companion.]]
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Blizzard announced the removal of the gold pets in a forum post in January 2012.<ref name=removal/>
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<blue>In both cases these are features we felt were underdeveloped and just not quite good enough for the game in their current state. The companion pets felt like they were mandatory to maximize play efficiency and some of the pets were too cutesy for the gritty, dark world of Sanctuary. Neither of those are issues we felt like we could solve without a lot of additional work, and we’re trying to close in on a solid release date for the game, not move further away. When weighing these systems against releasing the game, we decided to cut these scrolls and stay on track for the game’s release.
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<br>
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We think we can make companion pets into a much cooler system (both mechanically and visually), and evolve the reforging scrolls into a more meaningful system at some point in the future. For the time being, they will not be in the initial release of the game.</blue>
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==Functionality==
 
==Functionality==
  
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[[Image:SoC_DHSnake.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[Demon Hunter]] with a greedy companion.]]
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[[File:Gold-pet-centipede3.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Centipede.]]
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Prior to their removal from the game, these scrolls dropped frequently, most often from bookcases or lecterns or other such clickables. They could also be found from monsters and chests and such, but less commonly.
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To use the scroll a player simply right clicked it (or pressed the 1-5 key, if the scroll was mapped to one of those hotkeys), instantly summoning up a pet randomly-selected from a pool of nearly two dozen possibles. The pet set to work at once, scurrying (or flying) all around the dungeon picking up gold stacks and instantly adding them to the player's inventory.
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When no gold stacks were available, the pet would stand close behind the player, and many of the pets had cute and amusing resting animations, such as when the rat or the bunny would sit up on its hind feet and rub its whiskers.
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Gold pets lasted for several minutes, and died with a bloody grunt and a lurch of pain. New pets could be summoned at any time, though that action would dispel (kill) the existing one.
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===Available Pets===
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Pets seen during beta testing included:
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* Bat
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* Beetle
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* Centipede
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* Cockroach
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* Chicken
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* Locust
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* Pig
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* Rabbit
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* Rat
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* Scarab
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* Scorpion
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* Spider
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* Five different types of snakes.
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Not much is known about the scroll, very likely because there isn't much to know about it. It is a frequent drop, it doesn't have much of an affect on gameplay and is, more than anything, a vanity item. This is likely as close as a player will find to a "non-combat pet" in Diablo III, unlike what is seen in [[World of WarCraft]] where pet collectors are often more rabid than their wards.
 
  
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As stated, this item first appeared in the Diablo III [[beta]] test, which only included roughly a third of Act I, which is a very small amount of actual game content. And yet, there were a surprising number of companions that could be summoned from the scroll. Testers reported snakes, rats, roaches, insects, bunnies, and other animals.
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==Controversy==
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The scroll lasts for five minutes, and the pet stays in a fairly close orbit around the character, which makes the utility of the scroll dubious at best. [[Gold]] is picked up in Diablo III by simply walking over it, and the pet does not stray far from its master, so the player would have to walk very close to the gold in any event simply to have the pet pick it up.
 
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Yet, the point of the companion scroll very likely isn't to impact gameplay in some purposeful way, but to add some sort of fun vanity item that has a limited duration and is completely optional to use.
 
  
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Most fans enjoyed the feature, but there were some complaints about the feature being too useful, as well as objections to the cuteness of some of the pets. Some players felt that fluffy little bunnies or cute little piggies were inappropriate<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=810099 Fan reaction of bunnies] - Diablo: IncGamers, 9/9/2011</ref> for the Diablo theme and mood, and ultimately the developers agreed with those complaints.
  
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===Scroll of Summon Controversy===
 
  
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It did not, of course, take very long for the stout cries of "Immersion!" and "diabloish!" to ring forth from the forums, and fans who felt that having a pet rabbit trail a character decked out in [[Legendary]] items throughout [[Hell]] wasn't very appealing or, at least, it wasn't "Diablo"[http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=810099].
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==Gallery==
  
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<gallery>
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File:Gold-bug-scarab1.jpg|Scarab.
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File:Gold-pet-bat.jpg|Bat.
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File:Gold-pet-centipede3.jpg|Centipede.
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File:Gold-pet-chicken2.jpg|Chicken.
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File:Gold-pig1.jpg|Pig.
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File:Gold-pet-cockroach.jpg|Cockroach.
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File:Gold-pet-cockroach2.jpg|Cockroach.
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File:Gold-pet-moth.jpg|Moth pet with WD.
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File:Gold-pet-scorpion2.jpg|Scorpion.
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File:Scroll_of_Companion.jpg|Numerous pets in the game, seen via an emulator.
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File:Scroll_of_Companion_snakes.jpg|All types of snakes, seen via an emulator.
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</gallery>
  
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{{Template:Items navbox}}
 
  
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[[category:Scrolls]]
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==References==
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[[category:Items]]
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<font size="-3">
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<references/>

Latest revision as of 17:20, 16 November 2012


Important.png Archived Article [e]
Scroll of Companion is an archived article about material previously included in Diablo 3. However, it has currently been removed or the article contains outdated facts. The information is stored in Diablo Wiki for posterity. Please note: Links in this article lead to both updated and archived material.

This article was last up to date:
    January 2012
Currently updated version of this article is:
    Removed from the game


Details about The Scroll of Companion prior to its removal have been saved for posterity.

Details[edit | edit source]

The tooltip.

The Scroll of Companion was removed from the game during beta testing, in January 2012[1]. The feature will not be present when Diablo III is released, but may return at some point in a patch of expansion pack.

When functional, the Scroll of Companion summed a small animal or insect that scurried around the dungeon, picking up all the stacks of gold that fell from monsters, barrels, chests, or any other source. It was a great convenience for players, but the developers felt it was too handy, to the point that using one became essential. They were also displeased with the cute and fluffy nature of some of the pets.


Removal Rationale[edit | edit source]

Demon Hunter with a greedy companion.

Blizzard announced the removal of the gold pets in a forum post in January 2012.[1]

In both cases these are features we felt were underdeveloped and just not quite good enough for the game in their current state. The companion pets felt like they were mandatory to maximize play efficiency and some of the pets were too cutesy for the gritty, dark world of Sanctuary. Neither of those are issues we felt like we could solve without a lot of additional work, and we’re trying to close in on a solid release date for the game, not move further away. When weighing these systems against releasing the game, we decided to cut these scrolls and stay on track for the game’s release.


We think we can make companion pets into a much cooler system (both mechanically and visually), and evolve the reforging scrolls into a more meaningful system at some point in the future. For the time being, they will not be in the initial release of the game.


Functionality[edit | edit source]

Centipede.

Prior to their removal from the game, these scrolls dropped frequently, most often from bookcases or lecterns or other such clickables. They could also be found from monsters and chests and such, but less commonly.

To use the scroll a player simply right clicked it (or pressed the 1-5 key, if the scroll was mapped to one of those hotkeys), instantly summoning up a pet randomly-selected from a pool of nearly two dozen possibles. The pet set to work at once, scurrying (or flying) all around the dungeon picking up gold stacks and instantly adding them to the player's inventory.

When no gold stacks were available, the pet would stand close behind the player, and many of the pets had cute and amusing resting animations, such as when the rat or the bunny would sit up on its hind feet and rub its whiskers.

Gold pets lasted for several minutes, and died with a bloody grunt and a lurch of pain. New pets could be summoned at any time, though that action would dispel (kill) the existing one.


Available Pets[edit | edit source]

Pets seen during beta testing included:

  • Bat
  • Beetle
  • Centipede
  • Cockroach
  • Chicken
  • Locust
  • Pig
  • Rabbit
  • Rat
  • Scarab
  • Scorpion
  • Spider
  • Five different types of snakes.


Controversy[edit | edit source]

Most fans enjoyed the feature, but there were some complaints about the feature being too useful, as well as objections to the cuteness of some of the pets. Some players felt that fluffy little bunnies or cute little piggies were inappropriate[2] for the Diablo theme and mood, and ultimately the developers agreed with those complaints.


Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Scarab.

  • Bat.

  • Centipede.

  • Chicken.

  • Pig.

  • Cockroach.

  • Cockroach.

  • Moth pet with WD.

  • Scorpion.

  • Numerous pets in the game, seen via an emulator.

  • All types of snakes, seen via an emulator.


References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Scrolls of Companion and Reforging Gone - Blizzard, 26/1/2012
  2. ↑ Fan reaction of bunnies - Diablo: IncGamers, 9/9/2011
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