Just played Diablo 1 multiplayer for the first time in like 20+ years. The other two players I think were seeing how far in hardcore mode they could get. Devilutionx is a neat project.
Feb 09 ยท 5 months ago ยท ๐ drh3xx, stack, softwarepagan, ps, digler
20 Comments โ
Is the Butcher still there?)
๐ gritty [OP] ยท Feb 09 at 22:55:
ha yes, he was waiting. And the skeleton king.
I remember only this one, because it was pretty horrible and makes me run away until it stuck in textures
eh, those times :)
๐ gritty [OP] ยท Feb 09 at 23:20:
the stairwell. yeah
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 10 at 00:11:
The first Diablo game is definitely my favourite! Diablo II has lovely window dressing, but the pacing and gameplay makes you somewhat tune it out after a while. You really feel the roguelike roots in the first game, and the slower pace and tighter resources makes every action more deliberate, instead of just spammy - together with the awesome atmosphere, and the lighting model, it makes the horror elements become not just a backdrop, but something you actively experience. Damn, it's a janky game, though!
Self-imposed challenges are fun! Living off the Land, where using town services is disallowed, is my favourite, as it stretches resources to the limit. You never find enough identify scrolls to identify everything, so you need to prioritise. Good gear is only temporary, as it breaks, and you need to find replacements - you can carry backups, but your inventory is tiny. Careful play is crucial, because there are only as many potions of healing and mana as you can find.
๐ gritty [OP] ยท Feb 10 at 01:03:
@skaffi I hadn't heard of that challenge but it seems like fun. The way you describe the game is spot on - atmosphere, gameplay, etc. pulls you in.
Right now I'm focused on just remembering how to play and properly level a rogue. I like the online play but single player really makes you plan, as you say. No random level 50 player clearing levels so you can pick up rare items.
Online has it's draw too: planning a team to clear levels, cooperation. if you're close in skill level.
๐ป softwarepagan ยท Feb 10 at 04:20:
I agree with @skaffi - the first Diablo is the best. It feels so much more serious than II or especially III (haven't played IV yet and I'm not sure I will). Diablo II becomes somehow even more formulaic than the single-dungeon first game (though of course I also love Diablo II)
I recently played the open-source game Flare
however, that's not an alternative to Diablo 1..
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 11 at 01:27:
@gritty It's super fun! It really ups the stakes. It's meant to be played with hardcore/permadeath too, in case I forgot to mention that. It makes it *really* feel like a roguelike/roguelite, then.
I approve of your class choice! The Rogue was always the coolest to me in the audiovisual department, and I remember feeling the same way about bows that would shoot fire or lightning arrows, too. She definitely used to be my favourite. Ironically, I rarely play her now, whenever I pick the game back up. I really enjoy the added complexity of juggling spells as the Sorcerer (even if he is overpowered), and the Warrior lends himself particularly well to making Living off the Land the most interesting, since he is so gear dependent, and unlike bows, his weapons also have durability, and end up breaking (though you kind of ruin it a little if you use his innate repair skill).
You are so right on the multiplayer, too. Going in as a trio is a classic. I actually really like how ruthless the friendly fire is. It basically keeps the Sorcerer a little in check, so he doesn't get all the glory.
@softwarepagan You put it really well! It almost feels like a shame that Diablo II has such an atmospheric world, with terriffic art, music, and for the most part, voice acting, but as you say, it becomes formulaic, and you end up just going through the motions. People on Battle.net would get "rushed" to a high level and to Hell difficulty, so they could play the "real" game, and meanwhile, moving at my own pace, I would rarely get more than halfway into Nightmare on any given character, before losing interest, and rolling up a new character, or putting the game down for however long.
@ps It's only a few months ago that I first heard about Flare, but it actually looked really interesting to me, and I have considered giving it a go. Would you be able to tell me your thoughts on it? You don't have to do a mini-review, of course... a full review will do, too! ;)
P.S.: I'm new here in Gemspace, and don't feel a 100% sure about the particulars of good and bad etiquette around here yet. I hope I'm not dominating a thread too much, like this, but do let me know, if so. I can be a little --verbose at times. So much to say, so little space (smolnet being the littlest space, after all)!
๐ gritty [OP] ยท Feb 11 at 01:46:
@skaffi you do you. At least you have some self awareness that others may lack. and thanks for the input! I appreciate your passion for the game(s).
@skaffi
Would you be able to tell me your thoughts on it
it would be short answer: open-source is always open-source :)
but anyway, I had some fun in playing. unfortunately this engine does not support multiplayer api..
๐ digler ยท Feb 12 at 01:46:
just chiming in to say Diablo 1 is also my favorite. Brings back memories, and is the only game other than Doom that really got my heart racing as a kid.
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 12 at 11:03:
Thanks, @gritty - I appreciate it. As for self-awareness... it comes in flashes - usually after having just written two full pages, in response to a single sentence forum comment, harharh.
@ps Hah, fair point. Every once in a blue moon, you do get a great open source game... but I admit, it's mostly source ports where open source has been shining.
@digler Everyone always seems to forget about the first game, and just sing Diablo II's praises. It's really fun to meet a bunch that appreciates the first game like I do. Oh, and yes, on Doom - and the Doom modding scene is still in full swing! Hah, I remember Pinkies giving me nightmares, as a kid... Blame it on the realistic graphics!
๐ digler ยท Feb 12 at 14:46:
@skaffi yeah even back in the day DII seemed a step up in some mechanics, but at the cost of losing some of the 'feel'. Running was a mistake.
Having said that, when Diablo 3 came out I was able to have fun with it as it's own thing fully leaning into the speed run arpg play style rather than being disappointed that it continued to drift further from the core experience I remember from the original.
I gave Diablo 4 a try but in the end had to put it down. Gameplay was interesting but I can only take so much "...umm good is evil actually" messaging. It became very tedious for me.
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 12 at 15:05:
Hmm, @gritty @ps @softwarepagan and @digler - I'm just going to put a thought out here.
A while back, I had the idea to start a sort of ladder or leaderboard for Diablo 1 with the Living off the Land ruleset. Something not at all dissimilar to:
โ the tilde.team nethack highscores made and hosted by soxfox@tilde.team
I had made a pretty decent draft for a ruleset, but the idea was to adjust or change it based on feedback, and ideally have consensus among the initial players. But another hobby got in the way, before I got any further with the whole thing, so the project was shelved indefinitely. Well, it could be unshelved.
I would have fun facilitating something like this, where people can have some friendly competition. It might stay fairly casual, but there's nothing wrong with that. I will take care of hosting the leaderboard, and see if there could be a way of automating the process of updating it upon receiving new submissions. Perhaps a subspace could also be set up here on the BBS, both for banter and for organising groups, etc.
Of course, it doesn't make sense to go any further with this, unless at least a few people could see themselves giving it a shot. Well, this thread seems like the best place to gauge interest. So, do you would be inclined to start a run, solo or in a group, in the near or the far future, if I set something like this up?
๐ gritty [OP] ยท Feb 12 at 15:11:
with two younger kids I can't really commit to anything, but it sounds fun
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 12 at 15:56:
@digler Absolutely! I think you are on point, and running is such a great example of how the "feel" is lost. I've come to appreciate how much walking slowly does, both for the atmosphere, as well as the gameplay, by making each movement a commitment (yes, you *will* move a full grid square, yes, you *will* do it slowly, and yes, you *will* get Butcher'ed making that move at the wrong time!). It seems that games really do need friction, in order to really be "felt" - too smooth, and you just coast along.
I never learned to like D3 myself. I had the impression of playing an unfunny parody, or a fanfic of very dubious quality, with gameplay that just didn't jive with me. Now that I think about it, a lot of the parts I didn't like about the gameplay were things where they had removed friction. Diablo III was smooth as a perfect sphere, to its detriment.
I can definitely still see how it could work much better, when approaching it as essentially a speed running game, for sure, though.
I barely know anything about D4, but I got the feeling right away that I would do myself a favour by skipping it. The art looks much improved, but I got the impression that it just got a can of the ol'e nostalgia paint splashed in its face to sell tickets - that it only resembles the original Diablos somewhat, due to being an entirely regurgitated puddle.
But I actually really appreciate your "recap" of the story! And yet, I am not suprised. I can only imagine the silly lengths that goes to. I am sure it is chock full of "surprising" plot twists, too! :D
Though, I would still be curious to hear what your take on D4's gameplay was, as compared to the previous entries in the series, if you're up for it! To me it looked fairly similar to D3, at least in general feel.
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 12 at 16:06:
@gritty Oh, no commitment needed, as I'm just trying to gauge interest. And if I can automate it, then I would keep it around in perpetuity - so you can still compete in 18 years. :p
I've heard that Kids II is better than Diablo I, though, so I get it. :)
๐ gritty [OP] ยท Feb 12 at 16:18:
haha! well then I might be interested
๐พ skaffi ยท Feb 13 at 00:25:
@gritty That's awesome to hear! And hey, before you know it, you'll be able to do a trio run with the kids, to earn that top spot. ;p
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