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Diablo 1 Revisited

SignificantBits has uploaded an article reviewing an entire playthrough of Diablo 1. They have recently revisited the game and kept track of a number of statistics, like item progression, very well laid out in some charts. They also talk about the game's features and why it was such a breakthrough back when it was released. An extremely interesting read if you have the time. Check it out!

Introduction

Diablo is one of the most critically and commercially acclaimed videogame franchises of all time. It has spawned numerous “clones,” and its gameplay conventions have been adapted across multiple genres. The latest entry in the series, Diablo III, boasts the honour of being the fastest selling PC game of all time and the best selling PC game of all time.

So what makes the series so special? Almost to a fault, Diablo games are described as being incredibly addictive. That’s a fairly vague assertion, though, so I figured it’d be interesting to take a closer look at the original games and get a little closer to nailing down its je ne sais quois.

The one that started it all.

From Roguelike to Diablo I

Various sources claim that Diablo started off as a turn-based roguelike, which makes sense considering the numerous genre tropes it employs.

Aesthetically it was not only a big step up from ASCII-based visuals, but it also outshone most other CRPGs of the era. Diablo ran at a 640×480 resolution and featured a dark, Gothic world rendered entirely in CG. Everything in the game animated smoothly, playable characters changed appearance based on equipment, a rudimentary lighting system helped set the mood, and a plethora of spell effects and item icons created a much more impressive presentation than that of its dungeon-crawling brethren.

Diablo was also fully voiced, and its music — especially the theme of Tristram — is fondly remembered to this day. More subtly, the game featured excellent sound design. This is most evident in the item drops that are represented by a spinning graphical icon, a whooshing sound effect, and an additional audio clip played when the item hits the ground. The sounds differed based on the item type that was spawned, and were clearer, louder, and longer in duration than all the other sound effects in the game. These cues ensured that spawned treasures were rarely missed and greatly enhanced the Pavlovian effects of loot-hunting.

One of the fully-voiced conversations with town folk.

Class Set Changes Summary

Patch 2.1.2 will bring some major changes to the playstyle of 3 classes, due to tweaks to their end-game sets: the Demon Hunter, the Monk and the Barbarian. Rhykker has put together a video summarizing what are these changes and how exactly they affect each class' playstyle. With us getting closer and closer to the patch's release, it might be a worthy watch for those who haven't been following the PTR and past posts. Watch it below.