Is Diablo worth of buying?

[Chaostheory]

I have been reading forums about the original diablo.
As i have gotten a little bit bored to Diablo2:LoD i thought about buying the original verison. Building extreme charbuilds in D2:LoD was my way of having fun in that game. Now that i have build most of them, i haven't really got any interest in the game. So i thought it might be fun to play the original diablo.
My only experiences in diablo are from years ago (about 6 or so <_< ), so i need lurkers to refresh my mind about good and bad things in the game.

I need you to put your opinion about this subject:
Is Diablo worth of buying?

I know diablo can't really cost a lot, it is a very old game. But i may have some trouble finding it... So the question goes really like this:
Is Diablo worth of finding?

thx all for answering

[Nystul]

This probably isn't the best place to ask if you want an objective answer, but...

Yes, it's worth it!

[Tal]

This probably isn't the best place to ask if you want an objective answer, but...
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My thoughts exactly when I read the thread.

No it suxx0rs but we hang out at a site dedicated to it anyways. You know how it goes, it was the late 90s, we were bored and wanted to experiment... :rolleyes: ;)

[Dako-ta]

Hi, Chaostheory,

i need lurkers to refresh my mind about good and bad things in the game.

I need you to put your opinion about this subject:
Is Diablo worth of buying?
[right][snapback]91019[/snapback][/right]

Ooh, neat name.

The previous posters had a point - fans hard-core enough to still post about a game 8 (?) or so years after it came out are almost certainly going to tell you it's worth it!
:w00t:

However, since you asked so politely for some pros & cons, here's a few off the top of my head:

Cons:

No running (though you can in Hellfire, the D1 expansion, but that's another topic).

No autoclick built-in (there was a memory-resident autoclicker written for D1, but although I got so I used it all the time in Windows 95, it doesn't seem to work in WinXP). This means, e.g., you have to click the mouse for each arrow a bow fires.

No key to highlight items on ground.

The stores in town are located farther apart than in D2 (the witch who sells potions, especially, is a longish walk away, as is Wirt, who is rarely worth visiting, yet is the only source for a few items).

...


Pros:

Shorter game (at least in SP). I find D2 just too long for my taste (and I don't even have the expansion - though, maybe someday I'll pick it up to experience it).

SP game saves save the entire state of the dungeon, so you can start exactly where you left off. On the other hand, solo-MP has several advantages over SP.

Much more atmospheric & the monsters are scarier (IMHO, at least). Although I like D2, and think it's fun, I just find D1 a more compelling experience.

Beginning characters in different classes are more differentiated than in D2 (e.g., my D2 sorc's and necro's usually equip a bow for quite a few levels; a beginning warrior or sorcerer in D1 using a bow is pretty pathetic with it). On the other hand (and this could be in the 'Cons' list I suppose), high level characters in D1 are arguably less differentiated than in D2.

...

I'm sure there are others, but that's a start at least.

For help with acronyms and jargon, you might find the DSF Glossary I put together useful; I also have a few strat/tactical articles in the Archive of Chaos (though the Links section is badly outdated, I'm sorry to say). Because I tried to include a lot of information that would be useful to a beginning player, I guess there are some things in the Glossary that could be considered 'spoilers;' you are hereby forewarned! :D

Regards,

Dako-ta

http://home.att.net/~dsf.glossary/

[Chaostheory]

Hi, Chaostheory,
Ooh, neat name.
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Whatever...
...

I'm sure there are others, but that's a start at least.

For help with acronyms and jargon, you might find the DSF Glossary I put together useful; I also have a few strat/tactical articles in the Archive of Chaos (though the Links section is badly outdated, I'm sorry to say). Because I tried to include a lot of information that would be useful to a beginning&nbsp; player, I guess there are some things in the Glossary that could be considered 'spoilers;'&nbsp; you are hereby forewarned! :D
http://home.att.net/~dsf.glossary/
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If i buy the game, i will first try to go through it without using any quide or so.
I think it is more fun to do it by myself for the first time....
But i will sure read your DFS Glossary once i finish the game :D
And thx for the information about D1, i think i will buy the game...
(once i find it :) )

[Taem]

Whatever...
...
If i buy the game, i will first try to go through it without using any quide or so.
I think it is more fun to do it by myself for the first time....
But i will sure read your DFS Glossary once i finish the game :D
And thx for the information about D1, i think i will buy the game...
(once i find it :) )
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Comming from D2, you will find many elements in D1 lacking without a doubt, however you should have fun and the challenge is moderate.

Now, I know I always say this, but if you REALLY want to play Diablo and be truly challenged, get a copy of Hellfire and download The Dark. It's a MOD for Diablo like none other... It's not a MOD, it's how Diablo 1 SHOULD be. The hack 'n slash element is still there, but The Dark requires a lot more strategy.

To be honest however, my FAVORITE Diablo Clone is a Never Winter Nights MOD called The Lord of Destruction. The creator went WAY, WAY out of his way to unearth every hidden story and element in the Diablo universe. This MOD has so much story and depth related to Diablo, yet retains Diablo 1's deeply disturbing and dark atmosphere. IMO, you cannot honestly call yourself a fan of Diablo without playing this excellent MOD - although I say the same thing about The Dark also :lol: .

[Chaostheory]

To be honest however, my FAVORITE Diablo Clone is a Never Winter Nights MOD called The Lord of Destruction. The creator went WAY, WAY out of his way to unearth every hidden story and element in the Diablo universe. This MOD has so much story and depth related to Diablo, yet retains Diablo 1's deeply disturbing and dark atmosphere. IMO, you cannot honestly call yourself a fan of Diablo without playing this excellent MOD - although I say the same thing about The Dark also&nbsp; :lol: .
[right][snapback]91185[/snapback][/right]

Hmm...
I have NWN myself, maybe i will give it a try to both of the modes :P

[Dako-ta]

Hi, MEAT & Chaostheory,

Hmm...
I have NWN myself, maybe i will give it a try to both of the modes :P
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There was a long post by Armin (probably a few to several pages back by now) about this NWN mod that really piqued my interest. However, when I discovered it was a huge download (IIRC, about 100 MB for the mod itself, and another 200 MB for an associated graphics/sound/etc. package), I gave up on it.

I could only find one source for it, and I've never been able to get a download manager to work on that site. Stuck with dial-up 'net access, I'm not about to try to download 300 MB without being able to pick up the download from where it got dropped, or from when I needed to take a break, etc!

Too bad, it sounds great.

Someone would do a good thing if they would make these files available from a site that allows the use of a true download manager (though, I don't know if the site that has them has some type of exclusive franchise or not; I don't think so, but I suppose it's possible). Or, if that NWN site does allow usage of a dl manager, any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong, and why I can't get one to work there?

Chaostheory, bear in mind that the Dark is more difficult than D1 (personally, I would say much more difficult); I haven't played a recent version, but when I tried an earlier version a few years ago, I got a Rogue and a Sorcerer down to about dlvl 5-6, and got psychically debilitated from all of the tense moments! I put it aside for a while and have never found the energy to try to take it further. :blush:

I think you should be fairly experienced with D1 before tackling it, but maybe that's just me. Nevertheless, I am in awe of the dedication of the Dark's makers to make as many changes and improvements as they did, and solve many of D1's remaining bugs, especially continuing to work for so long after the game came out, when the fan base has dwindled. The Dark is truly a work for Zamal and Zenda to be proud of.

Regards,

Dako-ta


"There is so much good in the worst of us, and bad in the best of us, it ill behooves the most of us to talk about the rest of us."

Quoted in Piers Anthony's "Faith of Tarot," p. 167.

[Brother Laz]

Why the obsession here with Hellfire in general and The Dark in particular? Good mod, yes. But for someone just starting out, perhaps the impossible task of finding HF, the eternal corruption caused by playing HF and then the major modifications in TD aren't what they are looking for.

Bottom line:
· D1 is better in solo-MP (TCP/IP) than in SP, because there is only normal difficulty in SP and the save system makes death irrelevant.
· HF sucks, the monsters and levels look stupid and have plain AI, balance is nonexistent and the new spells are overpowered (level 15 Immo and Nova anyone?).
· You'd better find at least a shrine list before you start playing D1. You'll see why when you start reading said shrine list.
· TD is fun for experienced D1 players who have HF.

[Dako-ta]

Hi, Brother Laz,

I agree with most of your points, but please permit me a few quibbles...

Why the obsession here with Hellfire in general and The Dark in particular? Good mod, yes. But for someone just starting out, perhaps the impossible task of finding HF, the eternal corruption caused by playing HF and then the major modifications in TD aren't what they are looking for.

Bottom line:

. D1 is better in solo-MP (TCP/IP) than in SP, because there is only normal difficulty in SP and the save system makes death irrelevant.
· HF sucks, the monsters and levels look stupid and have plain AI, balance is nonexistent and the new spells are overpowered (level 15 Immo and Nova anyone?).
· You'd better find at least a shrine list before you start playing D1. You'll see why when you start reading said shrine list.
· TD is fun for experienced D1 players who have HF.
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1) As I alluded to, but guess didn't explicitly state, The Dark is not for beginning D1 players. I don't know if HF has become impossible to find (haven't checked for ages), but last I heard the occasional copy on eBay sells for more than I would probably pay, even though I basically like HF.

2) "D1 is better in solo-MP (TCP/IP) than in SP, because there is only normal difficulty in SP and the save system makes death irrelevant."

Well, I don't think it would be a great idea for someone new to D1 to jump into solo-MP, without spending at least some time in solo play. I would recommend playing through the SP at least once, maybe once with each character, unless you are totally uninterested in one or two of the char classes. True, MP has the difficulty levels, but it also is missing most of the quests, which I feel add a lot to the texture of the game.

As far as the save system making death irrelevant, so what? Isn't that true of most CRPG, etc., games? For those who think this system is too easy, there are ways to make it harder, even if they have to be self-imposed. The last two playing periods I had with D1, I played exclusively with the Immortal Hero variant (see Pete's post on my website for the basic rules). It can be argued that this is the way the game was meant to be played. The equipment and spell restrictions for the different classes make the game noticably harder, plus, like Angband, etc., you only have one death.

I found this variant easy to learn (simple rules - most variants have too many rules to keep track of for my taste), but also very exciting and, for me, very challenging. Heh, I always suspected I was only a mediocre player, and this variant made me almost sure of that, considering how seldom I managed to make it down to the point of challenging Diablo (that damn bat on level 5 killed a frustrating number of my Heroes, even after I became hyper-conscious of him).

3) "HF sucks, the monsters and levels look stupid and have plain AI, balance is nonexistent and the new spells are overpowered (level 15 Immo and Nova anyone?)."

Well, sorry, but I think this is very subjective. I agree the hive is "out of place" and doesn't match Diablo's atmosphere, but I actually kind of like it in its own right. And I don't see why the monsters "look stupid" - they may suffer in comparison to Blizzard's (actually Condor's) characters, but, again, in their own right I don't think they are that bad; why are they are "stupid?" And the Crypt is much closer to the style of D1 than the Hive; again, why do you think they are "stupid?"

"plain AI" - I'd be interested in further elucidation on this point. I guess I haven't spent enough time in the Hive and Crypt to notice the AI patterns of the monsters there. I probably spent most of my time in the regular dungeon, just using the new character classes, as well as some of the old, playing around with the oils, etc.

4) "You'd better find at least a shrine list before you start playing D1. You'll see why when you start reading said shrine list."

Good point. A trip to the Freshman Diablo site, IIRC, might be in order (I think that link in my list is still valid). Chaostheory, some of the shrines have negative effects that you might want to be aware of before you try them. Also, now that I think about it, you also might want to look up BD's or Black Death in the Glossary. BD's can have PERMANENT negative effects on your character.

So, no major disagreements, just different subjective reactions to some aspects of the game. :D

Regards,

Dako-ta

[Brother Laz]

Well, I don't think it would be a great idea for someone new to D1 to jump into solo-MP, without spending at least some time in solo play.

I personally think that making a 'throwaway character' (only normal diff, so won't last long) isn't fun. Also, the one difference between SP difficulty and MP difficulty is that in MP, the monsters don't die in one hit. SP is just too easy, with crowds of monsters dying to one lightning bolt. To compensate, you can replay levels to level-up, where in SP you are forced forward even if you aren't ready (read: don't have mana shield).

And I don't see why the monsters "look stupid" - they may suffer in comparison to Blizzard's (actually Condor's) characters, but, again, in their own right I don't think they are that bad; why are they are "stupid?"

The monsters are an odd mix of unused CD1 monsters and new crap. The Shredded have a bugged hover size, making it hard to select them; the firebat anim jumps up and down; and the jumping pumpkins are just ridiculous, sorry. The whole thing looks as if they just composed a collection of random monsters and dumped them randomly on the levels (zombies in the hive??).

And the Crypt is much closer to the style of D1 than the Hive; again, why do you think they are "stupid?"

The Crypt is sort of close-ish to D1 style, but again an odd batch of random monsters. The lack of shrines, libraries and bosses makes the levels themselves sort of uninteresting, and there is no point in exploring the level anymore.

"plain AI" - I'd be interested in further elucidation on this point. I guess I haven't spent enough time in the Hive and Crypt to notice the AI patterns of the monsters there.

I believe there are 2 different AIs in both hive and crypt: the generic melee AI and the succubus AI. Even the projectiles of the ranged attackers all have the same speed. Same tactics everywhere, no surprises. Let the ranged monsters come to firing range and wall them for an easy kill, while every melee monster comes to you in a straight line. Zzz.

The difference between monsters is just their stats, and they have been handled very badly, with psychorb types suddenly doubling in damage from one Hive level to the next and ending up doing more damage than freaking advocates, while the leaping pumpkins just melt in one firebolt. The crypt has highly resistant monsters next to completely unresistant ones and widely varying hit points and damage.

4) "You'd better find at least a shrine list before you start playing D1. You'll see why when you start reading said shrine list."

Good point. A trip to the Freshman Diablo site, IIRC, might be in order (I think that link in my list is still valid).

Yep. You don't have to learn much to play D1 (as opposed to D2, learning all the useful skills and builds and item reqs etc.), but the 'FOS' (Fasc, Orn, Sac) shrines and Black Deaths are the two things you better know if you don't want to see your character ruined.

[R'lyeh]

Is Diablo worth of buying?

I know diablo can't really cost a lot, it is a very old game. But i may have some trouble finding it... So the question goes really like this:
Is Diablo worth of finding?

thx all for answering
[right][snapback]91019[/snapback][/right]

Yes. Is worth of it. More than d2 ;p For me plying D1 is more fun than exping, mfing, lvling, cowing baalruning etc in d2. Also, D1 will take you to next level of experience, when you will be PKed or AKed, oh, maybe MKed ;p You will feel fresh breeze of on-line playing, when somebody will dupe your stuff... and soon...
No, now I'm serious - Drtl is really nice game. The best element of this game are people on bn - maybe most of them are suckers, but when you find some cool people, you will spend dozens of hours on cute chatting and playing.

[Taem]

Why the obsession here with Hellfire in general and The Dark in particular? Good mod, yes. But for someone just starting out, perhaps the impossible task of finding HF, the eternal corruption caused by playing HF and then the major modifications in TD aren't what they are looking for.
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Well, I wouldn't call it an "obsession" with Hellfire - no, not nearly. Now that I'm reflecting, I think the first time I played Hellfire I also thought it was stupid and shelved it until I found out about V&K's Hellfire MOD and OMG I had more fun with that than all the time I spent playing Diablo! Two of my good friends had the MOD also and we were always hooking up via IP to IP.

But you bring up a good point with Hellfire prices topping $20.00 now ($60+ for NIB copies). You are right that Chaos Theory should just get Diablo and see if he/she likes that first; master it and have fun with it before sinking more $$ into the expansion.

· TD is fun for experienced D1 players who have HF.

Humm, you are without a doubt correct that The Dark is for experienced Diablo1 players, but that shouldn’t stop Chaos Theory from trying it if he/she likes Diablo 1.

As for my "obsession" with TD? I can say with all seriousness that you make some great MOD's yourself Brother Laz, Median 2.0 being one of my favorites. TD is "my" personal favorite MOD for Diablo 1 and nothing IMO even comes close. I enjoy multi-play enormously – in fact, that’s the main factor for purchasing a game for me as an adult. After beating D1, Hellfire and almost every MOD in-between numerous times, TD has brought on a refreshing challenge for me like none before it. Why? Because you will need ALL-THE-SKILL you can muster to survive in The Dark. None of that AUTO-MOUSE-CLICKER.DAT to take out a mob while you zone-out watching T.V. Actually, running towards the largest mobs will kill you fast! You really need to use the environment intelligently, stealthily, and to your advantage. Party members can accidentally kill one-another if they’re not careful, so you must constantly pay attention to what you are doing! There are so many reasons this MOD is superior to any other D1 MOD's, and even D1 itself IMO, I can’t possibly list every single reason I feel this way. But again, this is my own personal opinion and everyone is entitled to their own. Most people I've had a chance to talk to about TD love it, but a few people felt it was a rehash of the "same-old-thing", while others found it too difficult for their "hack-n-slach" desires, and still others simply either didn't see much of a difference or simply didn't enjoy it at all. Each to their own...

[the Langolier]

I personally think that making a 'throwaway character' (only normal diff, so won't last long) isn't fun.

I always plan on tossing out my first character and using it to get a general feel for the game. One of the things I hated most about D2(note past-tense, since I've fixed the problem) was spending all this time on a character and playing just to learn that I put skill points in wrong places and I should "try again".

I believe there are 2 different AIs in both hive and crypt: the generic melee AI and the succubus AI. Even the projectiles of the ranged attackers all have the same speed.

All the Hellfire ranged attackers walk slower than normal, yet I never seem to be able to catch them. Try chasing a single ranged attacker down with a melee character - it is extremely ackward. When your character looks like he is close enough to swing, it is like he just keeps chasing. Often characters even try to walk around them like an obstacle! You want obstacle?! An obstacle to my sanity, perhaps! When he finally gets around to swinging (and since he side-steps them) they have enough time to get away again. I have completely no sense of when those bastards are in range for an attack. It really upsets me. Even when I try telekilling them it still is really weird.

Anyways, the Hive and Crpyt are junk. The levels look horrible, the monsters look horrible and the sounds are annoying. But, luckily, Hellfire still has all the original dungeon levels, so you can completely ignore the new ones! In fact, it is hard NOT to ignore them, since they both need a quest-like item just to gain access to them! Shoot, just to get into the crpyt you need an item from the last level of the Hive (except in HFF)!

Hellfire is solely worth it for the three new character classes though. Each have some very interesting abilities that add so many options to the original dungeons. Bards can weild two weapons whose attributes are virtually added together. Two bastard swords = 12-30 base dmg, King's x 2 = +200% to-hit and +350% damage to the combined base damage. Now think: haste+vampires, CC+haste, hasted emerald king's sword of the heavens, etc. Very fun. IMO, each class needs some work, actually, but exactly how are you supposed to do that without the game in the first place?

[Lachdanan]

Playing the original Diablo will give you a lot of background on Diablo II, which is still very much popular. I'd say it's worth the $10 (maximum) to spend on it. I recently re-bought it (lost the cd!) on amazon for $4.95 USD.

[Dradkin]

There is one thing you may have forgotten... singleplayer can be played on different difficulty levels in Diablo. The difficulty of a single player game is the same as the difficulty of the last game you created in multiplayer. Unless you close Diablo. I do find it extremely enjoyable to try to play Diablo on hell difficulty with a fresh character. makes for a wonderful challange.

[Fuzznut]

Hi, MEAT & Chaostheory,
There was a long post by Armin (probably a few to several pages back by now) about this NWN mod that really piqued my interest. However, when I discovered it was a huge download (IIRC, about 100 MB for the mod itself, and another 200 MB for an associated graphics/sound/etc. package), I gave up on it.

I could only find one source for it, and I've never been able to get a download manager to work on that site. Stuck with dial-up 'net access, I'm not about to try to download 300 MB without being able to pick up the download from where it got dropped, or from when I needed to take a break, etc!

Too bad, it sounds great.



Regards,

Dako-ta
"There is so much good in the worst of us, and bad in the best of us, it ill behooves the most of us to talk about the rest of us."

Quoted in Piers Anthony's "Faith of Tarot," p. 167.
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On-Disk.com will download and burn you a copy of almost anything you want them to download for you for a really reasonable price.

On-Disk.com

[Taem]

On-Disk.com will download and burn you a copy of almost anything you want them to download for you for a really reasonable price.

On-Disk.com
[right][snapback]96688[/snapback][/right]

I already sent him a copy, but that is a nice link for others.

[Fragbait]

"Diablo is the perfect example of a game that transcends its genre."&nbsp; - Computer Gaming World

"Diablo is simply one of the best games ever." -- Boot

"Diablo sucks up time like a quantum vacuum cleaner." -- Newsweek

"If you are looking for the best, most addictive action game around, Diablo is for you." -- PC Magazine

"Diablo is the best game to come out in the past year, and you should own a copy. Period." -- Gamespot

"Diablo is the most addictive, enjoyable game in years." -- Computer Net Player

"I had an easier time quiting smoking than I do putting down this game." -- Computer Gaming World

"Blizzard scores another hit with Diablo." -- Next Generation

"Be careful to take the shrink-wrap off Diablo on a day when you're not too busy!" -- Wired

Hi,

Diablo is the best game ever. Highly addictive, and still fun and vital after 9 years. Look out for it being more difficult than Diablo II, though.


Greetings, Fragbait

[Dako-ta]

Hi, Fuzznut

Hmmm, I overlooked this post until now.

On-Disk.com will download and burn you a copy of almost anything you want them to download for you for a really reasonable price.

On-Disk.com
[right][snapback]96688[/snapback][/right]

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that service. Nice to know about it, I might end up using it for a couple of things.

Thanks for posting this.

Regards,

Dako-ta


"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. "

--Groucho Marx


"You mean like a book?"
--Justin Timberlake N Sync - on what he read this year that he most liked