Octopus Overlords

Ummmm, if you are really desperate to check it out, I've heard there might be a way, but I suspect it's not appropriate to mention here. I may or may not have done so myself

From what I've seen on the streaming videos, etc. it really seems like it's nothing more and nothing less than the exact same game you remember, but now in higher resolution. As we talked about above, there are spots where it doesn't really even seem like the graphics are much improved, just somehow translated.

To hype myself up, I've been playing the new season of D3 here and there, as well as some original D2, and I have to say D2 plays with such a stark contrast that I didn't remember. I suspect people who love the streamlined ease and speed of D3 may not take to D2/D2R, i.e. it may be a better/different experience in memory/theory than it is in practice, particularly in the early phase of the game. A ton more time and energy is spent on inventory (and in particular) potion management, as well as opening every chest and barrel and flipping every dead body. You can't just run through content on Normal difficulty without a care, and dying comes with a penalty. You may agonize over when and on what to spend attribute and skill points if you aren't following a guide. It's a much more cerebral experience (relative to D3), in spite of the fact it was largely criticized for being simple point and click back in the day. What I remember now is that D2 was really coming from a place influenced by rogues and roguelites, and you can really see that in levels like the Jail and Catacombs. I played a ton of D3 but I have to say I still love the old school feel of D2. People will likely complain about things like potion management, but I think those were all conscious design decisions meant to make every detail in the game take on just a bit more weight than they do in newer games. Every inventory slot is precious, just like every skill point, loot drop, etc.

It will be really interesting to see how a new generation of players react to this style when D2R hits.

I wouldn't mind if they got rid of those physically immune guys. And those guy that can one hit you or broadcast electrical looking stuff that could one hit kill you.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:05 pm I wouldn't mind if they got rid of those physically immune guys. And those guy that can one hit you or broadcast electrical looking stuff that could one hit kill you.

This is what ruined iron man mode for me. I played ultra cautious, did everything right. Then a fireball came from off screen and one shot killed me. I was tempted to hack my character back into existence, but that defeats the concept.

rittchard wrote: ↑Mon Apr 26, 2021 12:36 pm

Jolor wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:19 pm I played this way too long ago to determine how true it is to the original but am definitely enjoying this add-on to GD.

It's a true hybrid experience IMHO. I definitely recognize the GD feel of motion and combat, and the influence on maps. Remember D2 uses more tile-based kind of mapping that allows for randomness. GD maps are fixed but they tend to wind back and forth and are larger/longer in that sense. The sound effects, music, mobs, etc are all pure D2. The artwork I'd say is more of a mix; in some places I'd argue it's more detailed and artistic than D2, but it will be interesting to compare with D2R. Definitely the same areas will evoke the same "feel" as the original areas in almost every case.

I've missed the sound of the chipped jewels hitting my inventory.

Playing Anima on my iPad has reminded me a lot of Diablo 2, especially the gems portion. Although they have a mechanic I love that I hope Diablo steals - Infusion. With a special expensive and rare item, you can combine two items of the same tier into 1 item with the 2nd item getting all the benefits of the first, allowing for things like armor with ring stats, etc. It makes for an interesting reason to keep items you might not otherwise hold on. Might mess up game balance but it'd be an interesting mechanic.

Coming 9/23/21

The pre-order bonus is... a D2 barb skin for D3? Lol. I can't decide if that's cool or incredibly lame. Pre-ordering is such a dangerous game the bonus needs to be pretty amazing to entice me. (But of course, I will be pre-ordering D4 without question unless the preview press is just horrific. If only to have it loaded and ready to go on day one.)

Sudy wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:17 am The pre-order bonus is... a D2 barb skin for D3? Lol. I can't decide if that's cool or incredibly lame. Pre-ordering is such a dangerous game the bonus needs to be pretty amazing to entice me. (But of course, I will be pre-ordering D4 without question unless the preview press is just horrific. If only to have it loaded and ready to go on day one.)

I didn't even know about that lame skin thing, I pre-ordered for guaranteed access to the beta

Beta starts this Friday (8/13) 10am PST for those who pre-ordered. You can pre-download today (8/11).

I'm rittchard#1447 on battle.net

Is the boycott over already?

open beta is today. and man it didn't age well even with the "upgraded graphics" Wished they did more than just cosmetic. The ability to only assign one skill is tedious

naednek wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 4:14 pm open beta is today. and man it didn't age well even with the "upgraded graphics" Wished they did more than just cosmetic. The ability to only assign one skill is tedious

Huh? It's not based on points distribution?

I presume he means being able to assign only two character actions/skills to individual keystrokes? As opposed to having a dedicated button for each skil/skill slot such as in Diablo 3/any modern game. I thought I read they were improving hotkey functionality, but I guess it didn't affect this. As much as I hated it when I went back to D2 a year ago, it kind of defines the game. I haven't tried the beta yet.

Unless naednek means you can only assign one skill point to the tree at a time. I thought they had a functionality for point dumping in D2, but maybe that was only attributes, or was only part of the private server/mod I was playing.

Sudy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:46 pm I presume he means being able to assign only two character actions/skills to individual keystrokes? As opposed to having a dedicated button for each skil/skill slot such as in Diablo 3/any modern game. I thought I read they were improving hotkey functionality, but I guess it didn't affect this. As much as I hated it when I went back to D2 a year ago, it kind of defines the game. I haven't tried the beta yet.

This is what I mean.

It's just really cumbersome

Yeah... I remember getting used to it eventually when I was playing on a modded server recently, but it's really archaic.

I fired up the beta. It's really, really pretty. I don't think I see the value though, outside of riding the zeitgeist. Except for the visuals, all these improvements and many more are available on modded servers with the original game. I guess you're getting stability, which is nice. (E.g. Path of Diablo restarts servers every two hours IIRC, and most servers are provided by the community.) But we'll have to see how Blizzard handles the community and cheating/botting. $20? I'm in. $55 CAD? Nah. Of course, your reaction may be different if you haven't played in 15 years. But I was playing heavily just last year, so I may be a little burnt out.

Ultimately, it may be a classic, but there are far more enriching gaming experiences available these days. But if you enjoy the nostalgia or just find the gameplay loop fun, it might be your bag.


Edit: I neglected to mention... the initial load also seems surprisingly long. Mind you, I'm not running it on my SSD. But I wasn't expecting that--up to 30 seconds each time I launched a game. The whole stamina/running mechanic is also quite frustrating, at least at the start of the game.

Hrothgar wrote: ↑Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:17 pm Is the boycott over already?

Not for me.

gbasden wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 4:22 am

Hrothgar wrote: ↑Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:17 pm Is the boycott over already?

Not for me.

Nor me.

Sudy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 11:41 pm
I fired up the beta. It's really, really pretty. I don't think I see the value though, outside of riding the zeitgeist.

While I played a ton of it back in the day, I haven’t fired up D2 in 15 years. Part of the appeal for me is that I’ve simply gotten bored of running through the same levels in D3 over and over and over again. Having something different in the same world, coupled with the nostalgia pull, is a very appealing prospect. Especially since none of the other Diablo clones have ever really clicked with me that much…and I’ve tried pretty much all of them. Can’t speak to the dated mechanics, and will be interested to see how much that affects my enjoyment.

I’m still on the fence whether or not to support it tho. I’d get it on Switch, so I wouldn’t have done the beta anyways.

Depends on price.

naednek wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 11:05 pm

Sudy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:46 pm I presume he means being able to assign only two character actions/skills to individual keystrokes? As opposed to having a dedicated button for each skil/skill slot such as in Diablo 3/any modern game. I thought I read they were improving hotkey functionality, but I guess it didn't affect this. As much as I hated it when I went back to D2 a year ago, it kind of defines the game. I haven't tried the beta yet.

This is what I mean.

It's just really cumbersome

It is, but as mentioned, it also kind of defines the way the game is played. To me it's ultimately an interface choice - what they do give you in return is access to ALL your skills at any time. Of course other games like MMOs and I think GD do both (one key actuation and access to all skills), but I know many people didn't like that because there are just too many choices. Everyone has a preference, I don't know that there is any perfect one, but I do know that D2 gameplay is more or less balanced around this interface. In some ways this is a more elegant interface because actuation is always tied to a single press, you don't have to memorize what 10 different buttons actuate, and there are times when you may not want to actuate the skill but just have it on standby.

It's been a while since I've played - screenshots suggest 12 years (although I'd played many, many times by then), but wouldn't changing such a core mechanic completely change how the game is played and completely change the balance and decision making process?

If so, it's a change that doesn't belong in a remaster. A reboot, sure. A remake, sure. But not a remaster.

I played a LOT of D2 back in the day. I must have put hundreds of hours into the game.

I fired up the beta for D2: Resurrected and only played about 15 minutes before I quit. I just seems so clunky. I started with the bow user but your beginning weapon is a javelin. When attacking mobs the javelin just kind of waves in the air, often not even making visible contact with the enemy before they fall over. Movement and combat both seems much less smooth than newer games.

The intro cinematic was the most impressive thing about the reboot. Blizzard's cinematic team can put out some quality work.

I think I'm going to pass on this one but I may recommend it for my wife to play on the Switch. She loves D3 and has never played D2 and I think this game might actually work better on a smaller handheld screen.

They talked about whiffs providing poor feedback in comparison to modern games. They added a menu option to add "miss!"-style floating text... I tried it, and it really does make it feel better. But it's still very hard going 20 years back in time, at least until you adjust.

I was going to get this on Switch, but there seems to be some doubt whether it’s actually coming out next week or not. There’s no listing in the E-shop, there’s no pre-order available, there’s no Switch promotion whatsoever. Any attempt to reach Blizzard for confirmation has been met with silence.

So I guess I might be getting it for Switch…?

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:47 pm I was going to get this on Switch, but there seems to be some doubt whether it’s actually coming out next week or not. There’s no listing in the E-shop, there’s no pre-order available, there’s no Switch promotion whatsoever. Any attempt to reach Blizzard for confirmation has been met with silence.

So I guess I might be getting it for Switch…?

I read on Twitter it was available for pre-order on Switch now.

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/d ... ed-switch/

Thanks for the heads-up. I'd been checking every day and it hadn't been added (must have popped in this morning).

Was making me wonder if it was going to get delayed.

27+ Gig !

...and one hour after release people can't create new games and are missing their characters.

Online games are HARD!!!!

I was SUPER tempted with this one, but ultimately I think I'm going to pass as well. They say you can never go back, and I'm afraid even with a spectacular remaster it would just feel subpar to D3. It hurts because I'd like nothing more than a good action-RPG to tide me over until New World (and it's been long enough since I played D2 that it would feel new), but $40 is a bit too steep to take that gamble.

I feel like I liked Diablo 2 more than I did D3, but I'm not sure how much of that is just nostalgia. I also don't think I am ready to shell out $40 to find out.

Yeah, I mean, it's actually $5 more than New World, CAD. I already bought D2 once. Well, actually I traded a copy of Fallout 2 for it. But something something. D2 is still extremely playable with some simple mods once you shake off the rust of having to use a 20-year-old interface. For the most part, the remaster doesn't address that--it just makes it really pretty. Which is nice... but not $54.99 CAD nice. Maybe the finished product will be worthwhile, but it's still nostalgia exploitation. Kudos to the corporate marketing masterminds for evergreening a game that came out two decades ago, I guess.

This was probably already known, but I just read that it doesn't currently support cross-system play. Since many of my friends that might get the game are on the PC or other consoles, that really lessens the temptation.

It seemed that a lot of folks were confused by the touted "cross-platform progression" promise.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:57 pm This was probably already known, but I just read that it doesn't currently support cross-system play. Since many of my friends that might get the game are on the PC or other consoles, that really lessens the temptation.

To clarify based on my understanding, it does support cross-platform play, but not cross-platform multiplayer.

That is go say, you can play your same character on any systems for which you own the game, but everyone in a single multiplayer instance must be on the same platform during that instance.

Sorry - yes, that's what I meant. I would only be playing on one platform, so the cross progress play doesn't mean much to me.

I guess I'm the only one who took the plunge then.

Just the first couple hours hit HARD on the nostalgia feels. Like...really hard. While I probably didn't play D2 as much as others, it was still one of the first PC games I ever really got into. It's been well over 10 years since I've played it though. Seeing D2 in it's hi-res glory on my big screen while playing from the Lay-Z-Boy with a controller was pretty damn awesome, I have to admit.

We'll see how it holds up over the long haul, as I'll also admit that going backwards from D3 is pretty tough. Everything in D2 is perfectly functional on console (I'm on Switch), but it lacks that same level of polish that D3 has. My biggest gripe so far is that I'm constantly picking up junk gear that I don't mean to. Not having any sort of map indicators for quest markers is a challenging step back as well, but I'm pretty sure I remember how to do most everything. It's also very noticeable how static the world is compared to D3. Barrels don't break, towers don't topple, and furniture doesn't fly apart when you hit it. The whole package feels a bit more "dead", but that hasn't really taken away from my enjoyment so far.

For me, the nostalgia trip was absolutely worth the $40. But I can definitely see how it wouldn't be for others, especially those who have played D2 more recently.

I got it all right it's just takes 12+ hours to download with DSL.

Finally got to play it. Same as olde Diablo 2 with better graphics. Water reflection everywhere is annoying. Keep thinking something is there to pickup.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 11:26 pm Finally got to play it. Same as olde Diablo 2 with better graphics. Water reflection everywhere is annoying. Keep thinking something is there to pickup.

Yeah, I thought it looked really out of place when I played the beta. Everything else in the world is grimy and burned, but the puddles are apparently filled with pure spring water.

Hmmm... So the "collection" is basically 2R+3Gold. Right?

I am one of the guys who bought D2, but NEVER PLAYED IT. And I know I don't own D3. Too much of a time suck at the time.

I think I'll wait until it comes down in price. Too many games to play at the moment, any way.