So you can’t play Diablo 3. Maybe you’re at work. More likely the servers won’t let you in right now. Here’s the top 5 things you can do to kill time, stay sane and ensure your Diablo 3 experience will be as good as it can be:
5. Prepare your machine
You want Diablo 3 to look as great as possible, so you should update your graphic drivers, fine tune your PC’s performance and make sure you are ready to get the best experience possible. If you have a large television, consider moving your PC from the games room and ditching the tiny monitor in favour of your giant screen and surround sound system. Its a bit of an effort, but it will make those cut scenes look all the better and you can play from the comfort of your sofa!
4. Prepare your environment
You want to be comfortable and uninterrupted when you play Diablo 3. This means you want to make sure you don’t have anyone bothering you, that you don’t need to stop for anything while playing and you absolutely don’t need to leave the house. Unplug your phones. Turn off your mobile. Log out of Facebook. By all means, put up a post first telling everyone why you won’t be available. They will all understand. This is tthe opportunity to prepare the perfect gaming environment so while you have the time use it productively. Watch out for real world intrusions too. Turn off lights so that it looks like no one is home. If you are playing other games or watching movies, wear headphones so no one can hear. The last thing you want is a friend or relative dropping by because they are bored and watching episodes of Jersey Shore while your Diablo destiny goes unfulfilled.
3. Prepare your body
Its time to get ready for the quest ahead. Stretch. Once the servers let you in you will be going for long periods of time in the same huddled position, so limber up while you have the chance. Take in some food. Later you will snack as you play on your favourite high calorie foods, but for now you need to stay nourished and energised. Sugar and fat will make you sleepy and irritable. Take carbs and slow release energy to keep your focus. Consider doing a spot of cooking. This will keep your mind off the painful wait, and also provide sustenance once you eventually get into the game. Remember, once the adventure begins you will be thankful that you have delicious cooked food and don’t need to spend precious time phoning a take away then answering the door to a delivery boy while in a shameful, unwashed orc-like state. Consider the food you make the equivalent of Lembas bread for your long quest ahead.
2. Prepare for the battle ahead
Have you all played Diablo 2? Do you know the story? are you up to date with the lore? If not, now’s your chance. Knowing all about the events of the first two games will make Diablo 3 more relevant and involving. WHile you have the chance, get up to speed. You probably (hopefully) don’t have enough time to play the games, but you can catch up with all the highlights. Start here:
1. Forget about Diablo 3, play something else
This may sounds crazy, but do you know how many great games there are right now? It may seem like Diablo 3 is the only thing in the world because the hype is so pervasive, but in fact there are thousands of other titles which you will probably love just as much – maybe more – and they are all available right now. The shocking thing is, after you’re done Diablo 3 will still be there! You will be able to play when the servers are less busy, performance and balance patches will have made the game more stable and all the hysteria will have died down. Go now and enjoy one of the greatest horror games ever made, head to a game store and choose to save the galaxy or enter the world of the most successful comic book series of the past ten years. IF you don’t like those, there are a almost unlimited other games you definitely haven’t played yet. Games offer us doorways to other universes; a way to escape our humdrum routine and live out our fantasies. Life’s too short to spend staring at a log in screen. Bruce Lee said it best. It is like looking at a finger…..