Diablo 2 Remaster has to be coming.

[tikcol]

I would love to play d2 on d3s engine or something along those lines but I dont think they'll go so far for a remaster.

[Kokolums]

I cannot possibly see them remastering D2. They literally have to rewrite the entire game. It wouldn't be a remaster, it would effectively be writing an entirely NEW game that is as close to D2 as possible.

[Triceron]

I cannot possibly see them remastering D2. They literally have to rewrite the entire game. It wouldn't be a remaster, it would effectively be writing an entirely NEW game that is as close to D2 as possible.

I don't see why they need to rewrite the game. They didn't need to rewrite SCR, they literally added bnet functionality and updated graphics/sound and left the rest as is. It is the same game since you can literally toggle the graphics while playing.

All they have to do is make new assets and convert them to the right files. Anything else can be reverse engineered, which is what most mods do anyways. Path of Diablo, PlugY, Median XL, Diablo 2 Reaper of Souls are all 3rd party mods that change various elements of the game, all without access to source code.

I doubt a remaster would do anything drastic like take out the stamina bar. Just offer what PlugY already does and people would be happy.

[Edgeta]

I don't see why they need to rewrite the game. They didn't need to rewrite SCR, they literally added bnet functionality and updated graphics/sound and left the rest as is. It is the same game since you can literally toggle the graphics while playing.

All they have to do is make new assets and convert them to the right files. Anything else can be reverse engineered, which is what most mods do anyways. Path of Diablo, PlugY, Median XL, Diablo 2 Reaper of Souls are all 3rd party mods that change various elements of the game, all without access to source code.

I doubt a remaster would do anything drastic like take out the stamina bar. Just offer what PlugY already does and people would be happy.

I believe one of the Devs (Brevik maybe before he left) said at one point that the original source code for D2 has been lost, meaning at the very least they'd need to go in and reverse engineer all the coding used. It's not quite remaking the game from scratch but it's still a very big job.

[Triceron]

I believe one of the Devs (Brevik maybe before he left) said at one point that the original source code for D2 has been lost, meaning at the very least they'd need to go in and reverse engineer all the coding used. It's not quite remaking the game from scratch but it's still a very big job.

Its a very big job that has likely started since 2016, when they last patched the game and had a classic.games team formed. Im sure they have people who assessed which games to remaster and SC happened to be the first.obvious choice. They actively name dropped D2 and WC3 in interviews as far back as 2016 too.

In context, this job has been actively considered upon for 2 yrs.

[Broken Fox]

It's definitely more likely than Diablo 4. Especially with WoW Classic coming it's the era of nostalgia overload.

[Aurabolt]

...If we're lucky, they'll do the same thing they did with StarCraft 1 and release the original games for free in addition to the HD Remaster. It was pretty classy for Blizzard give away the original StarCraft 1 + Expansion for Free ahead of the HD Remaster. Fingers Crossed they do this with D1, D2, WC1 and WC2 ^_^

[Alcsaar]

There is what, 3 "diablo" projects in the pipe?

1) Netflix show that has already been leaked
2) D2 going to switch (?)
3) ???

I hope to god the third one isn't another underwhelming announcement like D2 remaster. Theres a chance that D2 to switch isn't one of the "projects" but it probably is.

[Th3Scourge]

There is what, 3 "diablo" projects in the pipe?

1) Netflix show that has already been leaked
2) D2 going to switch (?)
3) ???

I hope to god the third one isn't another underwhelming announcement like D2 remaster. Theres a chance that D2 to switch isn't one of the "projects" but it probably is.

3 is possibly a mobile iOS/Android game, which I really hope it isn't but will give me more things to do on the toilet other than Hearthstone/Mission tables

[announced]

About 3 months ago the lead dev of d1 and d2 did an interview in that he went over how difficult to borderline impossible a d2 remaster would be. Because of the way they made the game it would have to be completely remade. It isn't a siimple process of updates engines and some extra pollish the game would have to be rebuilt from the ground up.

and then some other guys built it. Actually they are in the process of completing the new D2 mod code named Sigma. Sigma is pretty much a complete overhaul of D2. New skills on all classes, new bosses and Ubers to fight. The current MedianXL mod is pretty nice but Sigma drops in just under 1 month now. It's updating the entire interface of D2, with a much bigger stash and inventory, more skills and diverse weapons, oh and more runes/runewords and things to do.





You can checkout Median XL right now, it's still good even though it's not Sigma yet but it is still quite playable and fun.

[Kokolums]

and then some other guys built it. Actually they are in the process of completing the new D2 mod code named Sigma. Sigma is pretty much a complete overhaul of D2. New skills on all classes, new bosses and Ubers to fight. The current MedianXL mod is pretty nice but Sigma drops in just under 1 month now. It's updating the entire interface of D2, with a much bigger stash and inventory, more skills and diverse weapons, oh and more runes/runewords and things to do.





You can checkout Median XL right now, it's still good even though it's not Sigma yet but it is still quite playable and fun.

That looks absolutely terrible. Adding a bunch of cheese like gold pickups, map reveal, etc, etc. And then RIFTS which are toxic cancer for Diablo. And they neither enhanced nor improved the things that made D2 successful. I have zero interest in that. Yikes. It actually repulses me.

[announced]

That looks absolutely terrible. Adding a bunch of cheese like gold pickups, map reveal, etc, etc. And then RIFTS which are toxic cancer for Diablo. And they neither enhanced nor improved the things that made D2 successful. I have zero interest in that. Yikes. It actually repulses me.

Gold pickup isn't really a cheese. That's pretty standard across most games. Diablo 2 lod really had no use for gold aside from resurrecting your merc and repairing your gear (costs were minimal with most gear being indestructible aside from some runewords. With Median XL you can actually use gold for useful things like mystic orbs, expanded crafting

Diablo 2 Median XL still has the same hack and slash concept as the classic d2 LOD, except instead of endless Baal runs or Cow runs you can actually do things at end game instead of trying to hit 99. Also Median XL is extremely difficult on Destruction mode, think of Vanilla D3 inferno difficulty. The good news is you can farm on terror(nightmare mode) until you can do Destruction difficulty(hell) and move onto that when you are comfortable.


Anyway There's new Uber quests for charm collection, a much bigger inventory, higher resolution, a new level soft-cap up to 140, more maps, revamped skills, and crafting is actually a thing in Median XL instead of it being a joke in regular D2. Also build diversity is a thing now, want to play as a melee sorc? no problem. How about a caster Ice/lightning, why not. Or perhaps a fire/poison orc instead? go for it.

There's also level challenges at 50, 70, and 90 to keep the game fresh and interesting.

Perhaps you should try keeping an open mind instead of dismissing a game instantly for no reason.

Don't like map reveal? don't use it. Some areas are not fully revealed anyway.

[Deleted]

That looks absolutely terrible. Adding a bunch of cheese like gold pickups, map reveal, etc, etc. And then RIFTS which are toxic cancer for Diablo. And they neither enhanced nor improved the things that made D2 successful. I have zero interest in that. Yikes. It actually repulses me.

What I think is worse is the comments saying things like "you're doing Blizzard's job" or "this looks better than D3". What nonsense. Most likely Blizzard is working on a D2 remaster, and if not then they will at some point. And when that comes out it'll be a lot better than this. Mods are good and all, but the game is Blizzard's property. They are the ones who developed it in the first place. People should show some more respect and be a bit more grateful.

- - - Updated - - -

Perhaps you should try keeping an open mind instead of dismissing a game instantly for no reason.

It's not a game. It's a mod to a game that Blizzard developed.

[announced]

What I think is worse is the comments saying things like "you're doing Blizzard's job" or "this looks better than D3". What nonsense. Most likely Blizzard is working on a D2 remaster, and if not then they will at some point. And when that comes out it'll be a lot better than this. Mods are good and all, but the game is Blizzard's property. They are the ones who developed it in the first place. People should show some more respect and be a bit more grateful.

- - - Updated - - -



It's not a game. It's a mod to a game that Blizzard developed.

Yeah true, it is a really big mod but it's a mod nevertheless. While it's not D2 remastered or D4 but it is a very decent overhaul and it fixes many issues that D2 had.

[Kokolums]

Well, I'll repeat the same thing I've said for 20 years. These ARPGs and MMOs need to be SOCIAL games. That means the FIRST thing that need to be designed is a vibrant in-game community. If you DON'T do that, you are wasting your time. I look at the median XL video and its got all the typical garbage and 100% ignores the social aspect. Its gonna bust just like almost every ARPG out there. You nerf a bunch of stuff and make it solo player.

If you don't like people, STOP making ARPGs and MMOs. OK?

That Sigma thing will be abandoned.

And then Im sure we'll the hear the "Sigma is a great game, ARPGs are just out of favor." No, you just designed it wrong. You START by saying "i like people and I want to build a game where a community can build up around it and play it in-game. And THEN you design an ARPG".

[Triceron]

Well, I'll repeat the same thing I've said for 20 years. These ARPGs and MMOs need to be SOCIAL games. That means the FIRST thing that need to be designed is a vibrant in-game community. If you DON'T do that, you are wasting your time. I look at the median XL video and its got all the typical garbage and 100% ignores the social aspect. Its gonna bust just like almost every ARPG out there. You nerf a bunch of stuff and make it solo player.

If you don't like people, STOP making ARPGs and MMOs. OK?

That Sigma thing will be abandoned.

And then Im sure we'll the hear the "Sigma is a great game, ARPGs are just out of favor." No, you just designed it wrong. You START by saying "i like people and I want to build a game where a community can build up around it and play it in-game. And THEN you design an ARPG".

Hrm.

I agree that the social aspect is a big part of these games. I agree that it is important and should not be overlooked.

But the truth is most gamers who bought and played Diablo 2, who play Diablo 3 and generally most gamers in general are not social gamers in a traditional sense. Most of these games are tailored for a singleplayer experience, or a very niche 'couch co-op' style of play. Outside of that, most players seem to treat each other as glorified bots; a mechanic that will boost the drop rate and difficulty but bereft of any meaningful social interaction. That is how most of the people I know who play online generally view games. Either you are in a community; or you are the majority that plays outside of communities.

Social interaction in games is user-driven. This can't be artificially created. People like to blame LFG systems and such killed meaningful social interactions; but that's only scratching the surface of the issue. The reality is that social interactions were a very minor part of the whole audience. Anyone that played online is a small chunk of all gamers who bought Diablo 2; then of all the people who played online only a small percentage of that actually interacts with people they play beyond 'using' them for better loot drops and fast runs. I'm not saying that people who played online and made friends is a small number, but I am comparing this to all people who bought and played Diablo 2 who may not have an online presence whatsoever. We don't hear about people who game offline so we tend to forget these people should even matter. Simply said, a lot of these gamers do give feedback directly to Blizzard, and sometimes things like having to trade players to get good items is not as good as finding those items yourself; and that's why we have diminished trading in D3 and the likes.

It's hard to push any game to have more meaningful social interactions between players because players are fickle. That's something that can only grow naturally in the right conditions. And TBH, with gamers having less attention spans today than they did 10+ years ago, it's not easy to facilitate that kind of atmosphere. Social interactions seem to grow best in small, niche communities; but if they grow past a certain size they tend to promote toxicity and BMing since it's rare that you'll ever get matched with the same people twice.

[kaintk]

to be honest, they need to do it to repair the disaster the immortal announce was and coming after a good diablo 4 to really patch all of this, i really think they can't do anything else to not lose all those pc blizzard fans

[endersblade]

I wish they would bring D1/D2 into one game. Could use D1 as a prologue act.

Blizzard could practically print money if they did three things: D1, 2, and 3 in one game using the D3 engine; Starcraft 1 and 2 in the same game using the SC2 engine; and Warcraft 1, 2, and 3 all in one game using the SC2 engine. I guarantee they would double what WoW makes in a year in a matter of months.

[Gurluas]

My main problem with Diablo 2 is that whole debacle with your account.
I forgot to play for a few months aaand...My account is gone with all my characters.

A remaster would at least give us permanent accounts and characters like Diablo 3.

[MoanaLisa]

ARPGs and MMOs need to be SOCIAL games.

No they don't. It's fine that they are but they don't need to be. There's a stronger case to be made for MMO's but honestly, an MMO that was solo first with options for social play would do pretty well. Dungeons with AI partners would be fine for most people.

The fact is that I won't play with total strangers in any social game any longer. Throwing together total strangers, often enough acting very immaturely and on the edge of being enraged constantly, is weird and strange if you think about it. People have different styles of play: slower, faster, careful, reckless. Randomly tossing them together is going to nearly always end badly.

I played D1 and D2 solo for all the years they were out--still do with D2--and it's a fine game without having to put up with total strangers. Most other ARPG's are the same. I love both Torchlight games and Grim Dawn and several others. All fine games and I don't miss having to play with complete strangers at all.