Tried the thing, inventory and other screens are awesome. But welcome screen (with triangle design) does not fit any kind of enhanced aesthetics. Not a dealbreaker but still pokes my eyes. I presume character loading screen is also not finished. New character choosing screen with that frame is kinda missing that open-space-in-the-night-next-to-the-fire-feel the original has but ok, that's just me.
Resolution option in D2ExpRes.ini is interesting one and even 1080p works, but yes, HUD elements then go all nuts. I presume changing other parameters below res options would be enough for sorting that out, would it? It would be nice if there could be resolution option like with multires which does not work with this mod/plugy (latest multires is for 1.13c/10.01, works great with 2D but no perspective and that "wow look", still glitchy with 3D but no glitches if you turn perspective option off, while glide 1.4e simply refused to work on my system, until I tried this mod). Tried to load multires with provided 9.0 plugy but no luck.
How the heck did you get glide to work? It is kinda blurry and not as good as 2D mode but it works without errors. Glitches happen only if I mess with the resolution in ini and options in glide exe but can be tweaked or toned down with correct combo of options. I see the core is from 1.10f and with plugy 9.0. I tried glide only with 1.11 to 1.13c (with no mods to be sure) and didnt have any luck. New plugy 11.01 came out few days ago so I'll try with that soon...
Thing with gamma. Its too bright when first intro screen loads, always, no matter is it 2D or 3D option, colors are washed and everything is very bright, and sliders also kinda work only when several times clicked/slided both of them and then the one I wanted to change. They also seem to work only inside 75% range. Both far left or right positions rarely give any change. Its the same no matter if shader gamma is selected or not in glide exe.
All in all, not bad at all and looking forward to see this thing completed. Once again inventory screen is awesome!
So, any news? Whats the progress? Possible date for beta/finished thing?
Edit: Glide 1.4e works with plugy 11.01! Little fiddling around with glide options is needed to get no glitches in menu or in game. Now if only we could get multires for it (or tweaked UI for other resolutions) and EE in 1.13d core, I would pay for that...
Undead Stygian Dolls should no longer deal splash damage upon death Doom Knights should no longer use Iron Maiden
This may sound like blasphemy, but I really disapprove the idea. On the contrary, I'd restore the triple-shot ability of the Thorn Beasts in 1st act, that got nerfed to one-shot in LoD (I never managed to change it myself, when I modded D2 years ago). As well as the unique and his retinue near the waypoint in Inner Cloister.
@Ardanis Let's do some math. Undead stygian doll can have up to 6249 HP. It deals 10% of it's life as physical damage on death, and they have cahnce to deal twice as much. So, normally they deal up to 624 physical damage, with chance to 1248. And they attack in group, mind you.
Now, let's heat it up a little. Let's introduce a rare pack. Its boss has twice as many HP as regular ones. So, on dying it can deal 1248 damage, with chance to 2496. That's already range in which it can one-shot player. And mind you, mods like thise are meant for single player, when you rolling with character with more than 2500 HP is unlikely. This is even more problematic when you play hardcore, if my experiences are of any indication.
Let's heat it up even further. Just before dying, this boss pack leader exchange blows with your character, triggering amplify damage curse on you. You can get up to 2496/4992 points of physical damage. In a game in which physical damage % reduction is very rare and hard to get. Result is, your character dies, even if at the moment of the blow exchange it had 100% of her HP. Dies in one shot from enemy that is small and annoying.
Does that seems like a good design decision to you? Because I think that whoever in Blizzard thought that designing bone fetishes like that is a good idea should forever work his/her ass on galley for all eternity, making circles around Australia.
And why it is terrible design decision? First, this is hack and slash game, and dying in one hit from a monster is plain unfair. It is also very unfair towards melee characters in particular (Iron Maiden is also). Second, these are not some rare monsters, no, these attack you in pack and are very hard to outrun. I'm not saying that the game has to be easy on Hell difficulty, but I would rather have a fair challenge. Those little bastards, on the other hand, are not.
but I would rather have a fair challenge. Those little bastards, on the other hand, are not.
This is exactly what I like about them. An extraordinary monster type that breaks the conventional pace and forces you to employ fundamentally different new tactics instead of relying on linear damage progression.
It is also very unfair towards melee characters in particular (Iron Maiden is also).
In that case you'd also have to nerf Blood Mana in 5th act, because it sends sorceress running in tears.
I never understood how people could buy the Shield of Balduran in BG2, because it takes away all the fun from struggling desperately for survival in beholder lairs (optional locations, by the way).
This is exactly what I like about them. An extraordinary monster type that breaks the conventional pace and forces you to employ fundamentally different new tactics instead of relying on linear damage progression.
That would be a valid point if not for the fact that for melee characters, it's just running away. Not engaging a monster in hack and slash game is sign of failed design.
I also disagree about Blood Mana. It, under no circumstances, can kill player character instantly. Bone fetishes can do that.
But that's difference in our opinion. For me, this little bastards are utterly unfair, and not only that, insanely annoying too. Just about everything about them, from design, throught their 1-hit kill properties to sounds they make.
That would be a valid point if not for the fact that for melee characters, it's just running away. Not engaging a monster in hack and slash game is sign of failed design.
I think that it's fun till you lose a high-level hardcore melee character to these stygian dolls, and lose it so quickly, that your health, even if you put almost all your points into Vitality, goes from 4000 to 0 in a second.
Whats the progress? Possible date for beta/finished thing?
There is no ETA. The project follows a minimum viable product philosophy, releasing new features as they are viably developed and progressively refining existing features based on community feedback. Current status is pre-alpha, meaning that the thing is more of a preview than anything, and everything is half-done at most. But the game is mostly playable Revision: Rogue with a few new features and updates is coming soon, but I don't have a specific date yet.
but I would rather have a fair challenge. Those little bastards, on the other hand, are not.
This is exactly what I like about them. An extraordinary monster type that breaks the conventional pace and forces you to employ fundamentally different new tactics instead of relying on linear damage progression.
It is also very unfair towards melee characters in particular (Iron Maiden is also).
In that case you'd also have to nerf Blood Mana in 5th act, because it sends sorceress running in tears.
I'd restore the triple-shot ability of the Thorn Beasts in 1st act, that got nerfed to one-shot in LoD (I never managed to change it myself, when I modded D2 years ago). As well as the unique and his retinue near the waypoint in Inner Cloister.
I'm all with you about challenges and breaking the conventional gameplay pace, which is why I e.g. reinstated Duriel's Instakill Charge as Duriel's Almost Deadly But Hopefully Not Quite As Lethal As Previously Charge. But Undead Stygian Dolls & Iron Maiden casters are particularly problematic and have been disabled temporarily as I look for a solution that will make them more relevant. I'm going to reimplement their mechanics eventually, but only after a viable way for mêlée characters to tackle them is available. Mercenary contracts, allowing one to muster additional cannon fodder, are one measure in this direction that I'm working on. And thanks for the restoration suggestions, these will be considered.
Hello there, I have recently tested the Alpha version and I would like to make a few comments. This is probably one of the best enhancements of Diablo II with the combination of multires, glide3dfx and plugY.
Regarding audio enhancement, I would also like to share that you can enable 3D sound and environment in the audio setting. You can download the program here: http://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/28-creative-alchemy-universal/ after installing just add the D2EE folder to the Creative Alchemy program and you can have 3D Sound in Diablo II!
Regarding the gameplay, I think it is basically smooth but one thing you should fix is the size of the inventory. The size of stash should be big as is, but the size of inventory should be scaled down to the original size. Why? Because players will exploit the big inventory by massing skill charms and make the game much easier. See the screen below:
About iron maiden curse, Diablo official patch 1.13d and onwards have removed the curse so I think removing iron maiden curse in D2EE should be permanent. About stygian doll explosion and corpse explosion from Nihlathak, im think you should remove it in hardcore mode only.
I've read the article @JuliusBorisov provided at work. From the looks of it, things are going in the Diablo 2/Warcraft 3 remaster, but it's hardly official as of yet.
The "new gameplay features" is is an interesting bit for me. Diablo 2 has many flaws that can be fixed, and it would be awesome if Blizzard could tackle them. I am saying about stash/inventory size, some problems with characters, some bugs... It would also be awesome if they added separate place for charms, but that is likely to never happen.
@ashleyng, I don't agree at all that the inventory should be reduced. There is no such thing as too much inventory space in these kinds of games. If the designers of this mod takes your bad idea and reduces the inventory back to its original size, then I won't be using this mod. The original size of the inventory was far too small. And the charms system (a bad idea from day one) just made the small inventory size even worse. If you feel the charms are making your game too easy, then limit how many you carry and use the rest of that space for loot.
I was about to release Revision: Rogue when my one and only Windows PC decided to commit suicide. The project will remain on hold until I get a replacement, which is unlikely to happen soon
Sorry, but to be honest 1. Necromancer as a mercenary is lore-breaking 2. If you keep increasing a resolution the game will remind more of rts than action rpg. 1280x768 in old 2d-sprite game is hard to look at enoguh.
Indeed, the priesthood of Rathma should not work for money. Neither should the druids or the Viz-Jaq'taar, for example. However, the general idea is to make some or all of the playable character classes into hireable companions, recruitable in Act 4.
2. If you keep increasing a resolution the game will remind more of rts than action rpg. 1280x768 in old 2d-sprite game is hard to look at enoguh.
1366x768 is more popular than 1280x768, hence the switch. It's only a few pixels wider and scales better to 1080p. And there is always the default 1024x768 option
1. Holy shiet they have an actual running animation. 2. I like how after being killed they turn into corrupted versions of themselves. But I think they should reincarante as archers
Comments
Resolution option in D2ExpRes.ini is interesting one and even 1080p works, but yes, HUD elements then go all nuts. I presume changing other parameters below res options would be enough for sorting that out, would it? It would be nice if there could be resolution option like with multires which does not work with this mod/plugy (latest multires is for 1.13c/10.01, works great with 2D but no perspective and that "wow look", still glitchy with 3D but no glitches if you turn perspective option off, while glide 1.4e simply refused to work on my system, until I tried this mod). Tried to load multires with provided 9.0 plugy but no luck.
How the heck did you get glide to work? It is kinda blurry and not as good as 2D mode but it works without errors. Glitches happen only if I mess with the resolution in ini and options in glide exe but can be tweaked or toned down with correct combo of options. I see the core is from 1.10f and with plugy 9.0. I tried glide only with 1.11 to 1.13c (with no mods to be sure) and didnt have any luck. New plugy 11.01 came out few days ago so I'll try with that soon...
Thing with gamma. Its too bright when first intro screen loads, always, no matter is it 2D or 3D option, colors are washed and everything is very bright, and sliders also kinda work only when several times clicked/slided both of them and then the one I wanted to change. They also seem to work only inside 75% range. Both far left or right positions rarely give any change. Its the same no matter if shader gamma is selected or not in glide exe.
All in all, not bad at all and looking forward to see this thing completed. Once again inventory screen is awesome!
So, any news? Whats the progress? Possible date for beta/finished thing?
Edit: Glide 1.4e works with plugy 11.01! Little fiddling around with glide options is needed to get no glitches in menu or in game. Now if only we could get multires for it (or tweaked UI for other resolutions) and EE in 1.13d core, I would pay for that...
Doom Knights should no longer use Iron Maiden
This may sound like blasphemy, but I really disapprove the idea.
On the contrary, I'd restore the triple-shot ability of the Thorn Beasts in 1st act, that got nerfed to one-shot in LoD (I never managed to change it myself, when I modded D2 years ago). As well as the unique and his retinue near the waypoint in Inner Cloister.
@Ardanis
Let's do some math.
Undead stygian doll can have up to 6249 HP. It deals 10% of it's life as physical damage on death, and they have cahnce to deal twice as much. So, normally they deal up to 624 physical damage, with chance to 1248. And they attack in group, mind you.
Now, let's heat it up a little. Let's introduce a rare pack. Its boss has twice as many HP as regular ones. So, on dying it can deal 1248 damage, with chance to 2496. That's already range in which it can one-shot player. And mind you, mods like thise are meant for single player, when you rolling with character with more than 2500 HP is unlikely. This is even more problematic when you play hardcore, if my experiences are of any indication.
Let's heat it up even further. Just before dying, this boss pack leader exchange blows with your character, triggering amplify damage curse on you. You can get up to 2496/4992 points of physical damage. In a game in which physical damage % reduction is very rare and hard to get. Result is, your character dies, even if at the moment of the blow exchange it had 100% of her HP. Dies in one shot from enemy that is small and annoying.
Does that seems like a good design decision to you? Because I think that whoever in Blizzard thought that designing bone fetishes like that is a good idea should forever work his/her ass on galley for all eternity, making circles around Australia.
And why it is terrible design decision? First, this is hack and slash game, and dying in one hit from a monster is plain unfair. It is also very unfair towards melee characters in particular (Iron Maiden is also). Second, these are not some rare monsters, no, these attack you in pack and are very hard to outrun. I'm not saying that the game has to be easy on Hell difficulty, but I would rather have a fair challenge. Those little bastards, on the other hand, are not.
This is exactly what I like about them. An extraordinary monster type that breaks the conventional pace and forces you to employ fundamentally different new tactics instead of relying on linear damage progression.
In that case you'd also have to nerf Blood Mana in 5th act, because it sends sorceress running in tears.
I never understood how people could buy the Shield of Balduran in BG2, because it takes away all the fun from struggling desperately for survival in beholder lairs (optional locations, by the way).
I also disagree about Blood Mana. It, under no circumstances, can kill player character instantly. Bone fetishes can do that.
But that's difference in our opinion. For me, this little bastards are utterly unfair, and not only that, insanely annoying too. Just about everything about them, from design, throught their 1-hit kill properties to sounds they make.
Not when unfairness is one of the design principles http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DemonicSpiders/HackAndSlash
The project follows a minimum viable product philosophy, releasing new features as they are viably developed and progressively refining existing features based on community feedback. Current status is pre-alpha, meaning that the thing is more of a preview than anything, and everything is half-done at most. But the game is mostly playable
Revision: Rogue with a few new features and updates is coming soon, but I don't have a specific date yet. I'm all with you about challenges and breaking the conventional gameplay pace, which is why I e.g. reinstated Duriel's Instakill Charge as Duriel's Almost Deadly But Hopefully Not Quite As Lethal As Previously Charge. But Undead Stygian Dolls & Iron Maiden casters are particularly problematic and have been disabled temporarily as I look for a solution that will make them more relevant. I'm going to reimplement their mechanics eventually, but only after a viable way for mêlée characters to tackle them is available. Mercenary contracts, allowing one to muster additional cannon fodder, are one measure in this direction that I'm working on.
And thanks for the restoration suggestions, these will be considered.
Regarding audio enhancement, I would also like to share that you can enable 3D sound and environment in the audio setting. You can download the program here: http://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/28-creative-alchemy-universal/ after installing just add the D2EE folder to the Creative Alchemy program and you can have 3D Sound in Diablo II!
Regarding the gameplay, I think it is basically smooth but one thing you should fix is the size of the inventory. The size of stash should be big as is, but the size of inventory should be scaled down to the original size. Why? Because players will exploit the big inventory by massing skill charms and make the game much easier. See the screen below:
About iron maiden curse, Diablo official patch 1.13d and onwards have removed the curse so I think removing iron maiden curse in D2EE should be permanent. About stygian doll explosion and corpse explosion from Nihlathak, im think you should remove it in hardcore mode only.
Just my 2 cents.
It's indeed happening.
The "new gameplay features" is is an interesting bit for me. Diablo 2 has many flaws that can be fixed, and it would be awesome if Blizzard could tackle them. I am saying about stash/inventory size, some problems with characters, some bugs... It would also be awesome if they added separate place for charms, but that is likely to never happen.
A wild stats screen appears
(image removed)What to do with all the empty spaces, though...
How about... a hireable Necromancer?
(video removed)...and more mercenary types in general, with improved AI, coming soon.
Also, we're going from 1280x768 to 1366x7681. Necromancer as a mercenary is lore-breaking
2. If you keep increasing a resolution the game will remind more of rts than action rpg. 1280x768 in old 2d-sprite game is hard to look at enoguh.
However, the general idea is to make some or all of the playable character classes into hireable companions, recruitable in Act 4. 1366x768 is more popular than 1280x768, hence the switch. It's only a few pixels wider and scales better to 1080p.
And there is always the default 1024x768 option
Some Barbarian & Paladin action...
(video removed)...with Blizzard AI being absurdly stupid some of the time.Stats, stats for everyone!
(images removed)And what might those large scrolls be..?
(image removed)Could it really be that one might obtain mercenary contracts and muster a squad of combatants to fight against the Evils?
More on that soon!
(video removed)Dick Marcinko'sRogue Warriors in the wilderness2. I like how after being killed they turn into corrupted versions of themselves. But I think they should reincarante as archers