The [[D3 Team]] is trying to make [[Diablo III]] much more [[story]]-driven. They want the characters to be individuals and to be important figures in the world; not just interchangeable errand boys, as they usually were in Diablo II. [[Leonard Boyarsky]] talked about this in an interview in September, 2008.[http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/diabloiii2.php]
::The RPG elements we're focusing on developing more this time around are in the areas of story and character development. We really want you to feel like you can have an effect on the world -- and that the world can affect your character in turn. In the past, action-RPGs have either come down on the side of action or RPG, and we don't think that's a choice that necessarily has to be made. Our goal is to make the RPG-style story elements more engaging than they previously have been in the action-RPG genre. The main way we do this without interfering with the hack-and-slash gameplay is by making it opt-in -- if you don't care about the story, or if you’re replaying the game and have already seen the story elements, the game will still be fun, but if you do care about it, the story will bring a whole extra level of involvement to the game experience.
The areas of story and character development will now be in focus, and the team wants the players to feel like they are having an effect on the world, which can also affect the character. They don't want the game to be ''either'' action or RPG, the two can mix. The story elements just need to be more engaging "without interfering with the hack-and-slash gameplay". It's possible for players to opt out if they don't care about it, "but if you do care about it, the story will bring a whole extra level of involvement to the game experience," Boyarsky said. As few as possible quests will be mandatory, and instead having a lots of voluntary quests and random quests if you want to.
The team is also "doing a lot with scripted sequences and books that you can read in the game, but once again, you can completely avoid these things if they don't interest you."
[[Image:Wizard_vs_King_Leoric.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Wizard]] meeting [[King Leoric]] in [[The Skeleton King]] quest.]]
::A central feature of this philosophy is making as few quests as possible mandatory, but having a wide variety of interesting side quests and random quests to play through if you want to. We are also doing a lot with scripted sequences and books that you can read in the game, but once again, you can completely avoid these things if they don't interest you. There will also be Specifics about quests related to the lore/story of the game, though they're is not about to give given out any specifics yet. This but it was discussed in the [[WWI_2008:_D3_Lore_and_Environmental_Art_Panel|WWI 2008 Lore and Environmental Art Panel]], when a fan asked if there would be quests to obtain special items, such as the [[Horadric Cube]].The team at the panel said they "look into the story and lore and we want that to drive the gameplay and quests."
::The way the process works is we look into the story and lore and we want that to drive the gameplay and quests. Even if I knew for sure, which I don't, we wouldn't be divulging specific details yet. There will be quests related to lore. That's what we want our quests to be this time. We don't want to have quests just to get this or that. We want it to resonate with main story. So things like Horadric cube we don't know specifically, but we know everyone loves that type of thing we work on story side with game and item designers and that stuff comes bout organically. That's how it came about in D2 also, they didn't set out to make the cube, it just came about through the game design process.
Quests will be related to the lore and resonate with the main story, driving gameplay: "We don't want to have quests just to get this or that." They don;t know if the [[Horadric Cube]] specifically will be in the game, but since players love it, they work on story side with game and item designers to bring gameplay aspects like the Cube in "organically." The D2 team never set out to make the Horadric Cube, it came about through the design process.
