Topic: Diablo II: Resurrected

[MysterD]

Diablo II: Resurrected (Remaster) - Announcement Trailer:

[MysterD]

D2:R for PC, PS4, PS5, X1, X Series S/X, and Switch.

Sources:
IGN - https://www.ign.com/articles/diablo-2-resurrected-announced-for-pc-ps5-xbox-series-x-ps4-xbox-one-and-nintendo-switch
CNet - https://www.cnet.com/news/diablo-two-resurrected-will-hit-pc-consoles-and-nintendo-switch/

Info:
- 4K60fps support on PC, PS5, and XSX.
- PC will also support ultra-wide monitors & gamepads.
- On the Xbox One & PlayStation 4 families of consoles; and Nintendo Switch, it will run at lower resolutions.
- Cross-progression will be supported on any platforms that choose to enable it, according to Blizzard.
- Underneath, the original D2 game is here & can run at 800x600.
- With a one-button press, you can switch b/t the old version of the game (2D) & the new 3D graphics version.
- Cinematics, however, can’t simply be up-rezzed.
- Blizzard and Vicarious Visions are “fully remaking every minute” of Diablo 2’s cinematics.
- The cinematics amount to roughly 27 minutes of pre-rendered video.
- Some quality-of-life (QoL) additions have been made.
- Some QoL stuff are just baked in, such as new ambient noises like wind rustling the leaves in trees...
- ...And a shared stash so that you no longer have to make a mule character.
- Others QoL stuff will be opt-in, such as...
- ...Auto-pickup for gold & loot drops for those that don’t want to have to click on every single piece of loot on the ground.
- On PS5 and Xbox Series X, the team is “taking advantage of what's there” on the new consoles...
- ...Such as the aforementioned higher framerates & resolution as well as the faster loading times the SSD drives afford.
- Blizzard is looking at adding things like raytracing effects, but Fergusson was clear about not promising anything...
- ...And suggested that if any specific next-gen upgrades are added, they’ll come along after the game’s release later in 2021.
- Finally, with regard to multiplayer, couch co-op hasn’t been added – Fergusson called it “a bridge too far” for this faithful remaster effort.
- All of Diablo 2’s original eight-player online functionality is still here.
- And you’ll now have the option to store characters on Battle.net for dedicated-server play.
- “It's more secure” when it comes to bots, item duping & other cheating-related issues that ran rampant in Diablo 2 back in the day, Gallerani said.

[idolminds]

This looks pretty rad, not gonna lie.

[MysterD]

PC Requirements:
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/diablo-2-resurrected-pc-requirements-mod-support/

Diablo 2 Resurrected PC Requirements

Minimum Requirements

    Processor: Intel Core i3-3250/AMD FX-4350
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 660/AMD Radeon HD 7850
    RAM: 8 GB
    HDD Space Requiried: 30 GB
    Resolution: 1280 x 720
    Operating System: Windows® 10

Recommended Specifications

    Processor: Intel® Core i5-9600k/AMD Ryzen 5 2600
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
    Memory: 16 GB RAM
    Storage: 30 GB
    Resolution: 1920 x 1080
    Operating System: Windows® 10

[K-man]

I think 39.99 is a bit too much to ask for this, but I am probably going to bite regardless. 

[gpw11]

hmmmm....I've never played this.  I knew waiting would pay off!

[MysterD]

Your saves from D2: Old version will work in D2: Resurrected:
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/4/22314085/diablo-ii-remastered-original-save-files-savegames

[idolminds]

oh wow, thats pretty cool.

[Quemaqua]

Huh. I don't think I have anything that wasn't on Bnet, and those got purged I think every couple years of inactivity? But that's still neat for anyone that kept going with it.

[iPPi]

If I remember correctly, ladder characters became 'non-ladder' once the ladder was reset. I don't think they were deleted, but you could only have a limited number of characters (8, if I recall) so if you were active on the ladder it was inevitable that you would likely delete the non-ladder characters.

Characters would also be deleted if they were inactive for a certain number of days.

I would assume that if you haven't played the game in 6 months or more, you likely have no characters on the Battle.net.

So, it is certainly a cool feature that old D2 saves will carry over, but I don't think that practically makes any difference to most people who haven't picked up or played the game recently. I certainly believe I haven't played it in the last 10 years, if not more.

[Quemaqua]

I'd want to start over anyway even if I did, really. And I may not even end up picking this up. I've been on the outs with Blizzard for quite a while now.

[MysterD]

If you registered for the D2R Tech Test:
- Check your e-mails (and even your Spam box too, as some noted theirs went there)...
- ...And/or Battle.Net account, to see if you're in for this weekend's Technical Alpha Test.

[MysterD]

Spent a little over 6 hours with this over the past weekend's Tech Test / Free Weekend. I got lucky and got in. There's no NDA here, so I can speak on this.

I've got plenty to say. And yes, I think many gamers are going to be very happy with this; past fans and newcomers alike.

Did you basically want Diablo II: Complete Edition (with LoD expansion), but prettier w/ modern resolutions, modern textures, modern performance (i.e. 60fps), and some few tweaks? Well, this is what you're getting. And it's awesome.

Not all of the content was in the Tech Test/Alpha Build here. Namely, you had Acts 1 and 2 here. Not all of the characters were here - Barbarian; Sorceress; and Amazon are here. And it was eating up 30GB of space here. Can't wait to see what this game's size will be, once it's all finally here.

It plays like Diablo II, even in new graphics mode. You have some UI and AI adjustments you can make it use, if you want - you can make text look bigger; put the Mini-Map in small corners (instead of the old full-screen transparent mini-map); etc etc. You don't have to, though - as you can still use the old full-screen mini-map and the normal UI, if you like.

It looks great - similar to Diablo III in some ways (i.e. modern), but it also has the Diablo II gritty-ness. It felt too bright (but not as bright as D3) out-the-box, but that can be remedied by cranking Gamma setting down. Luckily, in new graphics mode, if you crank down the Gamma setting in D2:R, you can get this game looking dark, like D2 should look. But it certainly looks smoother and more animated - and all of this is executed real well - in its new mode. Though, it's not entirely gritty as D2 old-school version though, as....well, pixelation still also gives D2 some of its grit.

Regardless, on-the-fly, you can hit a hotkey and switch b/t New Graphics Mode and Legacy Mode. Like C&C Remaster, Halo: MCC's older games, and whatnot - D2:R also allows you to switch b/t old-school graphics and new-school graphics at anytime you want, while on-the-fly and in the middle of actual gameplay. If you want to see how great it looks now (with modern looks for assets & resolutions) and also what it looked like back in its day in its pixelated glory (up to max of 800x600, like the old game) - you're free to do so.

It ran fine here on my RTX 3070-based PC (with also an i7 10700KF; 16 GB RAM; W10 x64) at 1080p60fps in new mode; and also at 60fps in 800x600 mode when switching to Legacy mode. I love that I can switch easily here, on-the-fly and all.

It's still difficult at times for me, at its default setting. Namely, when you got too many enemies on-screen, not utilizing your skills properly, not equipping your gear right, and whatnot. You still pay the piper here and lose your equipped items and lose all your money - so you have to go back to get your body to get it all back. You still sink points into skills here; and your stats and its number...when you level-up. You still hear and the excellent sounds and music, as you're fighting enemies and looting them for another piece of loot like they are a pixelated piñata; and you're likely going to Stash or Sell this gear at the Vendor. You're going to get Gems and socket them into equipment.

While I'm very familiar w/ keyboard and mouse gameplay and the clicker-fest that Diablo II is, it also surprisingly also plays solid with a controller. Sure, not entirely my gameplay style of choice here, but it seems to play just fine and when I feel like leaning back & relaxing in my gaming chair, instead of say getting all intense on the keyboard/mouse and up-close & personal with my monitor and the on-screen action.

The few modernizations and tweaks, and options that are here - all feel like it's here as options; and some might find that stuff necessary, some might not, which will probably depends on the player. Most importantly, D2: Resurrected feels like D2 in every way without changing what made D2 so great - it plays & feels like D2 in both graphics modes; looks like D2 in old mode; and everything.

This is just a Tech Demo and Tech Alpha here - and it's already in great shape, IMHO. Pretty much, everything here looks on-track and is very impressive here, as long as they keep doing things...just like this.

D2: Resurrected looks like it'll be basically exactly what I wanted out of a D2: Remaster.

Can't wait to see the final version, once it's out, sometime down the road.

[idolminds]

Nice that it seems to have turned out well.

[MysterD]

From E3 2021 - Street Date Trailer: