The Rise of Old Memories, Diablo II Interview: Resurrected With Rob Gallerani & Maxine Virtue
The BlizzConline 2021 event which was held yesterday brought a lot of new surprises, and the one that caught fans’ attention the most was definitely Diablo II: Resurrected. This game, which is a remaster/remake version of the original Diablo II series, which has been released for two decades, brings a lot of new, superior changes. The involvement of the Vicarious Visions developer is also a separate guarantee that this remastered project will come with the quality as expected.
At the BlizzConline event yesterday, the developer also opened an interview session that fully discussed the remastered version of Diablo II: Resurrected with a lot of media. We take this opportunity to summarize as much important information as we can from Principal Designer – Rob Gallerani and Game Producer – Maxine Virtue. Instead of being curious, just look at the summary of the interview below.
A remastered project that means a lot to fans
It’s no secret indeed that Diablo II is the most iconic game in the franchise and is still stored in the memories of many gamers. For this reason, making a remastered version of this second series is a priority as well as a desire for fans and developers alike. That’s the main reason why Blizzard chose to revive this second series.
“This includes games with an active community base that still really likes and plays the original game. That’s why, with Diablo II: Resurrected, what we want to realize is an attempt to bring back similar gameplay, with what fans still love. But it’s also bringing it to a more modern fan base, with graphic enhancements we’ve prepared, audio overhauls, and even a remake of the cinematic scene.” Maxine said.
Of course, because it is a very important game and has a high position as a quality game, the development team must put full focus on being able to answer fans’ expectations. So in addition to bringing a variety of new changes, they also have to maintain various elements that fans of the original game still love.
Rod said “Every master in the game is unique so one of the biggest things we pay attention to is that the quality of Diablo II is maintained. The original series was a different game, and Diablo II: Resurrected is a brand new game. So these two games are practically independent, but we still have to do our best because this remaster project is very important to us.”
The Biggest Challenge to Face
Even though it’s only a remaster project, which may not be as exciting for some gamers as the remake, if you look closely, Diablo II: Resurrected brings a myriad of significant changes that make it feel like a much fresher one and can even be called a soft remake. The developer must have also encountered many challenges during the development process, especially how to balance between original and modern elements that are trying to be combined in one game.
When asked about the biggest difficulty, Maxine said “I think when it comes to converting bright 2D graphics to 3D, we are like.. facing a big challenge and it was quite interesting for us to explore it. When the graphics are still 2D based, everything is easy to see, like how all the shadows look clearer and easier to see, or all the characters you play are also clearly visible and in the middle position.”
He then also added “With 3D, we have to figure out how level heights work, so when you’re moving in front of or behind a building how to keep the location legible, and I think we’ve done really well in terms of how the environment has lighting effects. different environments for easy viewing and adding immersive and kayaking sensations to each level with this all new revamp.”
So it can be seen that the reshuffle of graphics from 2D to 3D turned out to be more difficult than predicted, because they also wanted to maintain a special style that was typical of the original game. Not only limited to the quality of the graphics, other challenges also arise when they want to add new features to the game. This was expressed directly by Rob who said “Every time we want to add a new modern element that is more practical, we also have to be careful not to move away from the classic elements. So even the smallest things will always lead to discussion, so that’s another big challenge that we have to face.”
Balancing and Other Changes
Apart from its status as a remastered game, surely many fans are also curious about the game’s balancing and other changes. For this, it turns out that the developer has not brought so many changes that they are afraid that they will change the core game that has been maintained from the original game. However, there are still some changes that are still being brought in to create a more targeted and perfect gaming experience.
“All skills, and game balancing are still the same as version 1.14, so everything in this remaster is still very identical to the original Diablo II version. The only new change we bring is that, if you play with a controller, there will be some actions that are executed automatically. For example, the Sorcerer character can teleport when you click on any part of the screen in the PC version of the game, but when using the controller, because the player cannot use the cursor, we have given a special distance every time the player teleports.” said Rod.
He also added “Some examples of similar executions are also in Bloodgore from Necromenacer, it can appear in any location you wish, and how the command we prepared where players have to hold down a button and a special cursor will appear. So overall you will feel different changes when executing skills with the controller, but all other movements are still telekinesis.”
Interestingly, the development team is not fully focused on bringing new changes even to existing bugs/glitch. This is because as we mentioned above, Diablo II: Resurrected is a game that brings a new revamp while keeping the appeal of the original game to suit the tastes of veteran fans.
But there are also some small changes brought as expressed by Maxine “I think another best example is that we don’t have the option to accumulate potions, which of course makes players have to make important decisions when carrying items, such as whether you will fill a TP Bag full of potions or other additional items as desired.” Rob also added “Like how the scroll stacks are still the same, where you can take 20 when you enter Thomb.”
Attracting New Player Base Through Console Version
This remaster is also the first time Diablo II has been available for consoles in 20 years. So mixing games that are specifically for PC to console platforms is certainly a challenge. “The biggest change when bringing the game to the console is clearly the change in the controller, because this game was never developed with a controller system as the main basis, because the game is specifically for keyboard and mouse, so we have to adjust it so that it doesn’t change the sensation of playing Diablo II,” said Rob .
“Apart from the difference in resolution when playing the game on PC or Nintendo Switch via TV. So of course there is a clear difference in graphic quality and resolution, but regarding the game system itself, playing it with a controller or on a PC, the experience will remain the same unless the console version has slight differences such as the Trophy system and so on.”
So apart from adjusting controller support and graphic quality, it seems that the sensation of playing offered is still the same for all platforms. Seeing how Diablo II received a very high reception and entered the ranks of the best RPG games of all time, this remastered version is sure to attract a lot of attention from newcomer fans.
When talking about the console version, many are curious about how this game is played on new generation consoles like the PlayStation 5, especially whether the game supports the Haptic Feedback feature, and to this Rob has responded “We’re still trying to figure out how to use this feature, but Haptic The feedback from the controller is indeed very interesting, and for that we want to be able to take advantage of it, at least that’s what we can say right now.”
Perfecting While Maintaining Its Originality
Maintaining the originality of the original game is important, but this must also be accompanied by quality improvements as a remastered version. Apart from all the changes mentioned above, this remastered version also comes with support for other features. “There is graphics support at 21:9 with more resolution options, accessibility features such as colorblind and low vision modes, such as how players can adjust the size of the viewing angle. I think that’s all the new features.” said Rob.
The improvements also include the quality of modern Battle.net servers that are more advanced and secure for all players. This is certainly good news for old players, especially for those who have to deal with PK and fraudulent transaction activities in the original Diablo II game.
“Now we are in the modern era of Battle.net, so we have more protection against dubbing items and other fraudulent acts. We also have an easier way to report toxic players and other bad things.” said Rob. Talking about transactions, the working system is now made more practical, making it easier for you and other players to access trading features.
This is also explained by Rob who said “We also made the system easier, where you can bring items via chat, so when I play with friends, I get dropped items in my own area, and then I can click on the item and make transactions with friends via chat. So you just need to bring the item to a special trade channel and invite friends you want to trade with.”
That’s a summary of the interview regarding the remastered version of Diablo II: Resurrected that we summarized from the BlizzConline 2021 event. We hope that the development of the game can run smoothly and will be successful in meeting the expectations of veteran and new fans.
When is the Game Released?
For those who can’t wait for the game, Diablo II: Resurrected will be released in 2021. Release platforms include PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Battle.net. Incidentally, Blizzard has opened registration for the Alpha Test PC stage that you can access HERE.
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