How One Gameplay Decision Changed Diablo Forever | War Stories | Ars Technica
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 авг 2020
- Today on War Stories, Ars Technica is joined by Diablo lead programmer David Brevik to break down the genesis and development of a PC hack & slash masterpiece. Unbeknownst to some, the original concept for Diablo called for a traditional, turn-based RPG - a genre Brevik came of age with and was heavily influenced by. However, following a fateful vote by show of hands at the Blizzard North offices, Diablo became something new entirely and an initially reluctant David Brevik was on the cusp of creating the first entry in a legendary action role-playing series.
Footage used in this video:
Apple 2 programming tutorial
• Apple 2 programming tu...
Atari Lynx Longplay [39] Gordo 106 The Mutated Lab Monkey
• Video
SNES Longplay [182] Aero the Acro-Bat
• SNES Longplay [182] Ae...
NBA Jam (SNES)- Bulls vs. Jazz 1 2
• NBA Jam (SNES)- Bulls ...
1994 Winter CES (Consumer Electronics Show) The Computer Chronicles Atari, Nintendo, Sega, 3DO
• 1994 Winter CES (Consu...
Shakycam Footage from Summer CES 1994 - Part 2
• Shakycam Footage from ...
Justice League Task Force (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
• Justice League Task Fo...
Justice League Task Force (Genesis) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
• Justice League Task Fo...
Betrayal at Krondor - 01 Into a Dark Night
• Betrayal at Krondor - ...
Let's Play Ultima VI Part 40 - Thar Be Dragons
• Let's Play "Ultima VI"...
Elder Scrolls 2 Daggerfall (pt1) - Intro & Character Creation
• Elder Scrolls 2: Dagge...
Ultima I - The First Age of Darkness Walkthrough DOS
• Ultima I - The First A...
Might & Magic 1 Secret of the Inner Sanctum - (1986 Fantasy RPG)
• Might & Magic 1: Secre...
Wizardry I Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord gameplay (PC Game, 1981)
• Wizardry I: Proving Gr...
Episode 001 British Legends
• Video
Rogue - The Original Roguelike
• Rogue - The Original R...
Let's Play Nethack!
• Let's Play Nethack! (1)
Moria gameplay (PC Game, 1992)
• Moria gameplay (PC Gam...
Moria (PC) - Rob's Retrospective
• Moria (PC) - Rob's Ret...
Diving in Angband talk through
• Diving in Angband talk...
NHL '94 SNES Gameplay HD
• NHL '94 SNES Gameplay HD
Matt Chat 409 Might and Magic I and II
• Matt Chat 409: Might a...
Elder Scrolls 2 Daggerfall (pt1) - Intro & Character Creation
• Elder Scrolls 2: Dagge...
Heroes of Might and Magic A Strategic Quest (PC DOS) longplay part 1 3
• Heroes of Might and Ma...
HELLGATE LONDON #024 ► Let's Play [HD] [GERMAN]
• HELLGATE LONDON #024 ►...
Let's play ARK Survival Evolved, Part 1, No Commentary
• Let's play ARK Surviv...
Don't Starve #1 In the beginning... (No Commentary)
• Don't Starve #1 | In t...
Green Hell Survival Gameplay - Part 1 (Base Build, Hunt etc.) No Commentary Highest Visual in 4k
• Green Hell Survival Ga...
The Break Down It Lurks Below
• The Break Down: It Lur...
Connect with Ars Technica:
Visit ArsTechnica.com: arstechnica.com
Follow Ars Technica on Facebook: / arstechnica
Follow Ars Technica on Google+: plus.google.com/+ArsTechnica/...
Follow Ars Technica on Twitter: / arstechnica
How One Gameplay Decision Changed Diablo Forever | War Stories | Ars Technica 
Игры
"The other companies were business men so blizzard being gamers was a breath of fresh air" Oh how things have changed!
Some stuff just don't age well.. sadly
You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become Diablo
Blizzard always remained a gamers’ company. But that company died to create Activision Blizzard.
It's so depressing that some of my favorite franchises are controlled by such a corporate machine now.
Ahhh yes. The inevitable stench and decay of capitalism
The mom test is legit.
My grandma loved Diablo, and it was because it was extremely clear how to play and she could play it with just the mouse.
Watching an old lady take down Diablo in the hardest mode and forget to take out a pie she was making was peak
was peak what???
@@Alianger was peak is another way of saying it was top
@@OGTwanJones top compared to what??
j/k
It just sounds like some idiot failed to realise he misspelled _Diabolo._
Very cool
I love how David tells us this story where (now) he knows that he was in the wrong but still managed to frame it in such a way that proves his hesitation and disdain were both real and incorrect. It really shows a lot of humility and reality.
A good leader to listen to his team, even when he has reservations.
His hesitation made them more money. Without him, the team may have just accepted the change of direction and never known what they had missed out on.
Yh his idea was lame, good pivot.
@@thebirdhasbeencharged His idea wasn't lame, Rogue-likes are great, but Diablo as an action game was revolutionary. Definitely a good pivot.
@@Vykk_Draygo I'm talking the 10 mini steps in 1, just sounds tedious
Diablo was among the games that taught me English, being voice + text. It made it really easy to understand and memorize the vocabulary.
In middle school we once had an assignment in English class of writing a story and I went with my Diablo character: a warrior that could cast spells, fighting demons in a dungeon. I used spells like chain lightning, fireball and teleportation against The Butcher. The teacher was really impressed : I got the best grade and she read it in front of all the class. She would later ask me "Where did you learn all this stuff ? That's amazing !"
That’s cool.
What’s your first language?
@@Palocles bruh...
Thats pretty cool. I play Japanese games with japanese voice and english subtitles but nothing seems to stick lol
@@TheJols Same with anime. If I binge watch, I notice certain words that are repeaded but not what they mean since sometimes they reword conversions.
i brought the halls of the blind poem to english class :D
This brings me back to the days when Blizzard being associated with something meant it was quality.
then it became part of a shareholder company
Hazardeur They did a capitalism on it
Back in the days, there was the passion behind these games in every way. Not so much today
@@hazardeur Exactly!
fiendin281 🤦♂️ Sure...
My uncle loved Diablo. He wasn't any kind of a gamer and had serious hand eye coordination issues stemming for a car accident which left him in a coma for a few months. He was the closest thing I had to a father and this was one of the very few games which we could play together.
He died a few years ago, but sometimes I boot up Diablo just to remember those times.
OgenB Are you trying to make me cry?
Thanks for sharing your story
We should all play it sometime.
Thank you for your story, I appreciated it. Diablo is fantastic.
I'm not gona cry, sniff
My mom is still playing Diablo II, like almost everyday. Even after surviving a stroke about ten years ago. She is 60 :) Thanks man!
That's awesome dude.
You probably know this already but what she's doing is an excellent therapy for a stroke survivor...
please show her the mod called Project Diablo 2, it makes the game even better.
I remember playing Diablo with my childhood friend , we would set up LAN connection in their garage and her dad was amazing in starcraft.
We would play Diablo 2 , quake 2 , starcraft , age of empires and counter strike. Our favourite game was age of empires. It was me , my friend and her oldest brother's girlfriend we would play coop and roleplay as rulers. I was in charge of food and managing the boats , my friend would be in charge of building construction , defended and mining resources and her brother's girlfriend would be in charge of assembling the armies.
We would play one game that last for hours. Just expanding our territory and bit by bit obliterate the CPUs.
This man was part of blizzard in their prime. Such a solid dude and passionate developer. Shame what Blizzard has turned into now.
Wasn't this the guy that jay wilson insulted? Jay was such a disaster.
Back when blizzard wasn't woke garbage.
Money changes people; changes companies.
Maybe their new business daddy will set them back on the right path
@@Tick421 MIcrosoft did ok with Bungie/Halo, right? Maybe there's hope
These mini-documentaries about classic games are great. I hope you continue making them.
@Jim Bob's Arcade Weird random thing to throw out on this particular video, but yes. It's the only union that shouldn't exist.
agreed, I love them
I’m loving them.👍😁
I wish they would continue to make good games...
then i might suggest checking out noclip channel also :D
Whenever I see David Brevek, I stay awhile and listen..
Just wanna cry when I see this comment... brings back to me lots of memories
You have done what you knew must be done.
Check out his wife's stream, the often stream together, life stories, lots of fun! www.twitch.tv/thejunglequeen
Well played.
Hopefully you never see him in a public toilet.
I like that he was willing to put major mechanics decisions to a vote even though this was his vision and passion project, and was also willing to yield and trust his developers when they voted against what he initially desired. That's good leadership.
That´s how gaming history was made. I love this story on one of the best games ever made.
This was a good decision because the result turned out well. Had it flopped, people would be finding some scapegoat to blame.
"I thought it was a horrible idea and was voted out. I sent everyone home and 3 hours later I realized how amazing it was!"
Awesome.
i'm sure it worked out for the best, Diablo 2 is one of my fav games after all. Having said that I would like the turn based version in addition. I totally agree with you though.
@@TheJols Diablo still felt very turn based. It sounds like they already had variable length turns, so it was just a matter of having one mouse click invoke a chain of variable length turns. You might not be able to pause in the middle of a fight, but there were still plenty of places you could wait as long as you wanted with no monsters activated. Really only the PvP required real time reflexes.
Blizzard then, "Let's make some fun games."
Blizzard now, "Don't you all have phones?"
LUL
I think I just threw up in my mouth
I was looking for this comment 😂
Still though, waiting for Diablo Immortal like a Japanese preteen Japanese girl waiting for New 'One Direction' Singles
@@saturdaynightfeverDJshows what are you talking about he's right lol.
david's excitement while telling the story even after all this time, pure gold. true emperor of gaming.
Reminds me of Professor Frink
It goes to show this is truly the type of passion required to make a great game like Diablo & it's ultimate successor Diablo 2. Diablo 2 is still on top 10 best selling list after 2 decades of releasing. I'm really glad David was the Lead Dev to drive the game out to the way he envisioned.
"Kill monster; get loot." Best gameplay words ever spoken. Diablo is still my "comfort food" video game when I get bored playing everything else.
for me is D2 : )
ladder just reset on Path of diablo :D
Said that way it sounds like the Las Vegas of the videogames. LOL.
d2 for me here but yea definitely same :') d2 carried me through a whole bunch of years of trash releases already and it no doubt will keep doing that until d4 comes out that's hopefully a proper successor to it.
For Diablo definitely, for D&D not so much.
The opening guitar strum when you walk into town for the very first time is forever burned in my mind. That single chord of that song evokes so much of such a fantastic experience.
I sometimes use the tristram music as sleep music.
@@greggougeon4422 I would be sweating 😂.
This guy is an absolute Legend, mad respect to him and all of the old blizzard team, they made exceptional games which were ahead of their time.
_"This is gonna take us a month. We're gonna need another milestone payment. So on friday afternoon I started working on it, and by friday evening I had it done."_
I just can't stop lol... This is just the kinda thing I love about gamedev stories from the 90s.
"And then it was Friday, I was coding in the afternoon, my warrior character suddenly walked up to this skeleton and bashed it to pieces... Oh my God!" And the rest is history
passion vs paycheck
And then the corporate weasels took over.
I still see stuff like this all the time. "I think that will take about 5 weeks". Done the next day. "This should be done this morning". 3 months later, you're still struggling.
@@dacypher22 lol _Valve Time_ came to mind.
That Tristam music is still one of the greatest pieces ever composed for a video game.
Has a similar vibe ruclips.net/video/6Gc6sHJjLG0/видео.html
You might like this
ruclips.net/video/i4going_cOo/видео.html
@@KirbysAdventureMusic thanks. I like and have a few albums from Genesis, Yes, Uriah Heep, Styx, Blue Oyster Cult, etc
Don't see much similarity to the Tristam song however.
There is a video of a guitar player in the middle of some Easter European city playing an awesome song that reminds me of Tristan... Dragon something
@@KirbysAdventureMusic here, found it
ruclips.net/video/7gphiFVVtUI/видео.html
I am convinced that they used the song black horsemen by King Diamond as the reference song for the Tristram theme....and I love that song too!
I have heard this many times but the fact that he could single-handedly convert the major code path such as combat system from turn base to real-time in one day showing how well structured the codes were. I wouldn't be able to do that with most of my project, TBH. Mad respect to the engineering team.
Sir, you made something special. Thank you very much! I love Diablo! It was my first PC game.
"Ah, fresh meat". Still the single scariest moment I've ever experienced in any game, ever.
That tense feeling you get when you start a new game and see the corpse near the cathedral...
Amnesia might be able to top that moment for you
@@brandonwilson7371 I love Frictional with a fiery passion. Got the Amnesia remaster queued up to play next
Temple of Time in Zelda was quite close =P
logic: haha, few pixels aren't that scary you silly kid
childhood imagintation amping up the few pixels up to 11 and injecting a thought that the Butcher hides in your house in the dark somewhere past 8 pm: that's cute
D1 and d2 has a certain charm that I haven't yet found again since. The ominous music in acts 1 3 and 4. The delightful almost hypnotizing music found in the deserts of act 2. All the simple sound effects from drinking or selling a potion to the Gems that fall etc.. it's just all so inviting and nostalgic. At the age of 31 I still always enjoy diablo when I play it. It really is a masterpiece of a game.
I feel like PoE managed to capture this as well it's just a lot higher of a bar to get into. Very rewarding once you do get into it though. Voice acting is amazing too you can actually feel the despair in their voices idk how they did that so well.
The music from D1 and the beginning ominous words of "The sanctity of this place has been fouled." is now classic.
Yeah man, desert music is amazing!..
@@reznovvazileski3193 Path of Exile definitely captured the right feel from around... 2012 to 2016.
It's changed. A lot. It's practically unrecognizable. I still love it, still play every league, but it's no longer the game for which I could once say "you like D2 and agree that D3 sucks? Play PoE!"
@@codetaku I mean it's not like they removed any of the good parts or force you to play any of the bad really. Most of the stuff that went league to the core is totally skippable aside from maybe betrayal and labyrinth which are kinda forced into your face :p
I remember playing the demo before even the game came out, and I thought to myself “wow, I can play it for weeks even without buying the full copy!“. The procedural Dungeons and the looting mechanism was pure genius. I played all Diablo games, but I never found that kind of addictiveness and atmosphere after the first one…
Agreed, the first had a sinister and creepy / eerie vibe, everything was so dark and felt like I was actually walking a path to Satan himself.
I did that with Halo. There was a map everyone could jump into and fight and fly in a space craft, etc. All in the demo.
@@AllenFreemanMediaGuru Ah yes, Blood Gulch was the map. Being a Mac User, it was damn cool to be able to play a popular game with all the cool kids. I played that demo level dozens of times. One of my personal favorite gaming moments happened playing that level.
I also played the demo a lot until one day my brother managed to get the whole game with his teacher or something.
oh man, i remember Demos being awesome to try way back in the day...i was like "i can test out the games before begging mom to buy it blind?!" ...happy to see if i liked games...hell sometimes the Demo was good enough for me. (i remember the Playstation 1 Demo disks had quite a bunch of games, even levels of Tomb Raider.
The random Map generation is what brought the replay value higher. Every time you start a new game the map was different.
This is why I enjoyed it the most.
I'm glad he finally gave in to shifting the strategy to Real Time. It's way more intense than turn based.
Definitely true but I do feel something is off with the pacing (In Diablo 2 anyway). Enemies rush around too fast. Hitting anything with a melee weapon was a pain in the arse.
Is this just due to me using a PC that's too powerful compared to the old game?
So true. I loaded this game up during the pandemic when I was stuck at home. IT STILL HOLDS UP! Such a classic and integral piece of gaming history.
Two skeletons chatting in a dungeon: 'So Frank, you ever thought of actually USING that Level 60 Vampiric Blood sword rather than just carrying it around everywhere?' 'Nope.'
"Well will you at least come with me to hide in the barrels?"
Haha great comments
Cant, to heavy to wield, but not to carry
This always bothered me RPGs in general, enemies should be using the loot they drop.......... that is to say they should be dropping the items they are using :P And if its a good item they will be harder to kill because of their item obviously.
@@alvideos2145 first time i saw enemies drop what they use, was in Dark Souls 1. So this series does it right i guess :D
I spent my entire childhood playing Diablo in late 90's. I neglected my school, and my parents were pissed off that I'm more into Diablo than bad math notes. I never had any regret, especially from perspective of today, when I know time I spent on Diablo was much more worth than school. This game had a huge impact on me, shaped my later taste as a gamer, designer and basically a human being. I'm lucky to be a part of the generation, who could play this fabulous game, discovering amazing world of online gaming and enjoying this mysterious atmosphere around the game. Diablo for life. Thanks for this game!
Same here man, i dont regret living and playing these games as i did
I count myself as one of the lucky few
Thanks for sharing that!
I too spent countless hours playing Diablo growing up. Also neglected school for it haha. I would wake up early just to go to my friends house across the street so we could get some D2 in before class. Now at 32 years old and as a designer it remains a primary influence for how I create my own games. I've spent my entire adult life trying to find that same joy I got out of my time playing Diablo and really haven't ever found it again.
It's still on GOG. I downloaded it again and am loving it again.
Enter Diablo 3: Son, I am the disappoint
Yes! From this, fallout 1&2, StarCraft, C&C…..epic times for gaming.
The excitement and passion this dude has while telling us the story behind the development and birth of one of the greatest ARPG is beyond me.
The music also helps 😂
This was one of the only "rpgs" I ever really got into. The changes he is talking about is exactly why a lot of people loved it.
14:00 This guy was so next level he blew his own mind.
Seeing him light up with excitement and joy when talking about the game... even after all this time.
The genuine heart and soul that people like David put into their work.. is why games like Diablo were so damn good. They truly cared about the product they were making.
They made the game because they wanted to. A game that the players will love just as much as the creators.
Now the industry is all about maximizing profits and minimizing effort.
Some devs still operate out of passion. But it's a real shame that that's not the standard anymore.
This is why i play alot of indie games
truer words never been spoken
@Michael Mathers Caine dies to a butterfly, whateva happened there?
It was never the standard, it's just that the true works of art tended to overshadow the corporate crap. Then they'd get bought by the corporates and become crap xD
It starts with passionate gamers who make games they want to play, those games make a lot of money and then the accountants move in and set up shop. the corporatism drives out the passion and you end up with companies like ActiBlizzard and EA
David such a treat to listen to. I've heard this story at least 15 times but it never gets less exciting!
Also the same "straight into the game/mom-test" approach was used in all of the Doom franchise. Also one of the greatest games of all time and absolutely awesome documentary on Noclip channel. Same type of passionate people.
David Brevik is an absolute treasure and has unfortunately been very mistreated by the industry. I highly HIGHLY suggest you support him by buying his game It Lurks Below. If you're a fan of Brevik's game, I'm sure you'll love it. Just because of this video I went out and bought it.
If I ever met Brevik in person I would drop to my knees wayne's world style. Months of my life playing Diablo 1 & 2 with my brother, good times.
I would say years
A lifetime
Several lifetimes
... and late on a Friday night, fueled by pizza and Mountain Dew, the Code Warrior David Brevik launched an entire genre of game.
Bravo!
You know it's a good game when the dev got addicted to writing the code already :')
What a great story. You helped create the foundation for the entire gaming industry. Thanks for that.
I loved hearing this backstory so much! This game was incredible and I’ve loved every Diablo since. Thank you so much for making such an amazing and fun adventure for everyone
My very first online experience was playing this brilliant game, on a dial up modem, in Indonesia. It was surreal as I saw another player character moving on the 14" CRT monitor.
This man was part of the golden age of Blizzard.
I've heard David tell this story many times in several interviews, but it never gets old!
So you brought us Diablo....huge kudos to you for your awesome work
D2 LoD is my favorite game of all time to this day. Such a wonderful game.
Same here, love D2 and LoD that is the best and the peak of Diablo game, love the music, story, the social aspect, especially the lobby area where you can see everyone in their little character with their armour on, the chat box they just throw onto D3 is just not the same. In D2 being able to make your game room with description to invite player with the same goal come play with you is a plus too. All that is missing in later Diablo games which is a disappointment.
try out path of diablo brother its online and much better than battle net
@@jimmbo506 Website is down.
@@_B_K_ yea they in the middle of upgrading servers to ryzen today
Nothing has ever fulfilled that special niche for me. To this very day, D2 has been my touchstone for that particular enjoyment goal.
Now it's like, "could this be the one?"
And everytime its, "Pay 9.99 for extra special unique cosmetic DLC: 5,000 copies remaining. Also, good luck getting it to actually work"
Not only DIablo, this decision basically defined Action RPG as a gengre.
What a legend! To a gamer, killing the first skeleton in an action RPG ever is like being the first man to walk on the moon.
There were plenty of action RPGs before Diablo... particularly on consoles and handhelds. But, Diablo was created during a time when RPGs on PC had stagnated and Diablo was kind of a rebirth of the genre. I can understand how playing that with mouse and keyboard for the first time would feel like it was some new discovery, something no one had ever played before. Definitely a cool moment.
The first time you encounter the Butcher and the Skeleton King in D1 are two of the best moments you can have as a gamer.
I could feel true passion throughout whole narration. Thank you for loving what you do even after so many years!
I still listen to the Diablo soundtrack to this day.
Tristram theme all day
It's incredible!
me too
Brevik talks a bit about Matt Uelmen in this talk:
ruclips.net/video/VscdPA6sUkc/видео.html
@@miyalys thanks for sharing this!
when i was a kid i didn't even notice the random level generation, i just thought my memory sucked.
Me too lol
The first time I played Diablo, I remember telling my son that it was inspired by Rogue and Moria (which I played on VMS). Glad for the real time change, it's what makes the game really good.
This was the best game of my childhood. Also one of the first. I wish there were more developers that were like this. I miss there being an industry that wants to make a good product. Hellgate London was also amazing, I'm sad it didn't really take off. Really hope that IP comes back and gets modernized.
Me too! I searched for "hellgate" in the comments to see if it was just me that loved that game. xD
One of the shortest but best interviews of this series. Keep it coming!
I watched it like a story of a dad finally agreeing that his son can actually do other stuff and doesn't have to follow in his footsteps. Dad being David, and his child of many years being Diablo, when it went real time. Also, nice to hear from the guy himself and how passionate he was about it and the turn base system. Add the fact that he himself opened his own eyes, coding in one afternoon - the story just got better and better as it went! Love it
The attention to detail in the editing of these videos is incredible.
The music for the town and one of the long speeches shortly after starting was awesome.
I'm surprised there was no "The Fix" chapter where he'd essentially say he basically deleted the code responsible for pausing the game after each "turn", and from then on it was fine tuning etc. to get the feeling right.
@12:34
@@memberberry. Oh true, stlil the explanation of the fix was "he made it real time", no elaboration on what was involved which was disappointing.
Well, just about any modern game is turn (or rather tick) based. In the main loop, there's either code that waits for the input of the turn or a timer that waits until the next tick will be applied. The change would have been to alter the wait condition from a user input based to a time based one.
In old games, there might have been no waits in the main loop. The game would play as fast as the hardware can run. Thus there's DosBox's CPU cycle limiting and, on old PCs, the famous turbo button that toggled whether CPU exhaust gases were directed to the turbine that pushed the bits through faster.
look up his GDC diablo post-mortem. similar subject but he goes into more detail and gets into the lighting engine and other things. good stuff. ruclips.net/video/VscdPA6sUkc/видео.html
@@ar_xiv I'll give it a squiz, thanks for the suggestion.
I got to say, when it first came out the thing that was so different and amazing...was the soundtrack! It set the creepy mood. Was on its own level for years...with that acoustic guitar at the start.
Incredible story and a good lesson of humility. It's good to have your vision but sometimes others can see things you don't
This genuinely makes me want to buy an old console and get back into the world. It holds up, man. Absolutely fantastic.
Definetly we need a remaster of D1 with updated assets in 4K.
nope we don't. just play belzeebub mod. all you should need right there
"Blizzard and GOG.COM have collaborated on an updated version of the game tuned for today’s gaming PCs, which includes out-of-the-box Windows 10 compatibility, a host of bug fixes and high-resolution support via aspect ratio-correct upscaling."
www.gog.com/game/diablo
@@hazardeur nope, belzebub is a mod, I 'd like to play the original untouched game just with updated assets. Also, they could release an expansion or extended version of the game with all the cut content.
@@Melzasx true but it's a kind of special mod as it's goal is basically to bring the game back to how the devs wanted it to be while adding some small comforts. They did an awesome job with adding all the cut content into it. You can't get closer to play D1 as it was intended to be. The classic one we got way way too cut and mangled (but i still love it). However once I have ssen the BB mod, I wouldn't go back to the original D1 to be honest
Beamdog probably wouldn't mind, but there's mods I think.
Imagine being one of the guys that rejected the Diablo pitch.
I saw the gdc talk. It was basically "rpg games don't sell".
Idiots.
Have they learned? No
@@SephonDK ... Those types, business school posers, can never learn creative vision.
Shame on us, for handing them control of most of our businesses.
I so thought that from the moment he said it, its not signing the Beatles.
Still not as bad as being one of the IBM execs that rejected Microsoft.
@@ZappyOh I wish it were just that we'd "let" them take charge. The problem is that any company that gets sufficiently large will necessarily end up being controlled by the type of person that seeks control and wealth at the expense of vision. Our only choice seems to be between staying small or becoming just another huge empty shell of a company driven by the bottom line. What gaming company has become big yet stayed true to their initial passion?
His reaction when, in spite of his opinion, he got real time working was wonderful.
Brilliantly done video, heard it all before but will always find time to hear it again. Still playing today and probably will be for the rest of my life. Its just so good in every aspect.
Diablo 1 and 2 are some of the best games I've ever played. The atmosphere, the fun gameplay... There's a reason why Diablo clones were a thing. And some of those clones are also awesome too.
Titan Quest IMO
My first multiplayer RPG at the age of 10! I remember sitting in lobby with people from around the world pretending we were in a Tavern and buying each other drinks and telling stories about the legendary monsters and loot we'd get from the night before... great memories!
Thankyou Mr Brevik , For an awesome time , Appreciate .
Decades later, still playing... Thanks man, you did a great job.
It really is insane. I can't think of any other game that holds up half as well as Diablo. Even the older turn-based RPG's, as much as I love them and still play them, feel clunky and slow. I still have to be careful playing Diablo, cause I might end up putting a hundred hours into it without realizing it. lol
And a big part of that is that visceral feeling you get from the live-action combat. I would never have guessed in a million years that Diablo started out turn-based, because the live-action is just so well realized.
"Live-action" XD. You mean "real-time".
I completely agree, Diablo and Diablo 2 have aged really well, and are still enjoyable to play. Cool loot makes you happy!
The music...
Starcraft is also a fantastic game that holds up. These games will always have a place on my PC :)
Turn based is awful and outdated.
EVERYTIME I hear the word “Diablo” I just get the Tristram theme in my head instantly.
I actually heard him tell this story on this interview where a guy was going to play D2 with Brevik, but Brevik didn't have it set up so it was just a regular phone interview while the guy played D2 and asked questions about it, I thnk Brevik was watching his screen. It's a great story and good choice for a War Stories. I think the interview I heard it in was from a guy named Joe GW
On much lunch break at work RN. I stayed a while and listened. =) Great doc!
Ive been a gamer for the majority of my life, I have spent more hours playing the Diablo series than any other game by a considerable margin. Thank you for creating this world for us. Diablo 2 is the greatest game made to date.
Yep, it is. I belive in a holy trinity of Diablo 2, Half life, Little big adventure. In specific order: Diablo2>Little big adventure>Half life
Everything else is second class maximum, most of them reusing these 3 games ideas
I always liked Diablo (1) more than Diablo 2. The art was better, the story line was purer, the PvP was much deeper and more complex.
The only game I have spent more time on over Diablo 2 is Shadow of war
@@psychohist I agree in some ways. Also D2 sort of needed the expansion to make it what it was while D1 didn't. It was great from day 1.
@@TheNomad2727 oh man, i Platinumed Mordor and War, I LOVE those games (Mordor was my first Plat...then i became a trophy hunter after and started Platinuming other games...which is funny cuz I used to hate the idea of Trophies when it started)
30 years later: "This is going to take a month."
"We'll pay you 1 day's worth of income. The rest is unpaid overtime and then I get paid a bonus when you're done."
:(
#truth
What I earn as a Web Developer for my company is 120€/hr. What do I get? 15€/hr.
*optional bonus
And it actually takes a year xD
Amazing,. great video. I still pull up Diablo music on RUclips and play it in the background while I work. Its a special game.
that feeling of coming back to the game, clicking that first skeleton and watching it explode... I've been doing that every other year for decades now.. those angels still come out to sing every time!
One of the very few RUclips channels that when you release a new video, I stop what I'm doing and I watch the entire thing. Thanks for making this.
I still have my original Diablo 1 Disc. with the "Spawn" ability so your friends could play with you... oh them were the days.
In 1996 my mum was playing Microsoft Solitaire and Diablo games. I am playing Diablo this year with my 13 years old daughter,
I still have original boxed PC and PS1 versions. Thank you for informative wideo and a Great Game !
Diablo, Quake and Thief on my shelf close to each other.
Great video! It is awesome to see how proud he is of making this game I grew up playing.
Brevic: The idea is that you do not need an instruction manual to play the game.
Arreat Summit: We wrote an encyclopedia on it.
It's pretty self-explanatory though :') It's gonna take you a few resets and lots of frustration until you figured it out but it's really not that hard of a concept. I mean you'll figure out some basic mechanics of all 3 ancients in the first fight then you portal out in panic and you instantly learn that that's not a good idea so next fight you get to notice their modifiers rerolled.
Then by the time you get to hell and you're gonna need more potions than you probably have space for you're gonna learn to juggle potions which is probably the only thing that's gonna have to sink in at some point that doesn't explain itself. But then again if you just over level the crap out of the area you won't even need that either :p
That's more D2 than the original Diablo, though. D2 is more complex than Diablo. And again, D2 is to RPGs what Smash Bros is to fighting games, it's easy to pick up and play without having to ingest the entire player manual, and yet there is a lot of space for players to get very good at the game and master every single detail and understand every single mechanic.
@@MestariDuff A thing I remember was that back in Diablo 2 1.0, you didnt have things like "number% to hit recovery" on your items. Its just said "fast", "faster", "fastest" hit recovery. And I saw an interview were they explained that it was an intentional choice since they didnt want people to numbercrunch too much. Of course this was later changed since people were numbercrunching like crazy and "fast" still had a % value. So people wanted it shown instead of having to remember all those vague values. But just seeing how D2 changed from 1.0 to 1.14 is fascinating.
Amazonbasin.
I recognize your name from slashdiablo :D
Awesome to start seeing animated scenes of what they're talking about! Hope they keep doing those, love it when history docs do the same.
Loving these Ars Technica video's. Brilliant stuff. The background in this one confused me. I could not figure out if those guitars were very far away or just small.
This man literally shaped part of my childhood. I was into deeply fun yet very dark style games all in my life, and diablo is up there with resident evil 4 and under, and both evil withins for creating a mesmerizing atmosphere truly creating the feeling of A slow descension into hell.....sound, look, enemies, music.....lighting....omg the lighting for it's time was amazing.......truly one of the greats
WOW. An absolutely legendary story told by the man HIMSELF. LEGEND!!!
Love these documentaries. What a nice guy hope he has lots of future success.
I still remember the first time a room full of acid spitter dogs blew me away... those were rough...
Absoltely love this interview. What a humble dude, I'd love to buy him a beer and pick his brain. Super awesome, thanks for this.
6:36 "TIME FROM BOOTUP TO KILL IT'S GOTTA BE UNDER A MINUTE"
*Sighs* in modern game: launcher preloading, launcher login, launcher update, game update, game starting desktop overlay, unbypassble technology partner&vendor screens, unbypassble production&developer logo screens, other login screens, loading screens, creation screens, config screens, loadout creation screens, loadout selection screens, daily chore lootbox scam screens, advertisements for other games screens...
ok boomer
I thought that was just because I needed an SSD to load things faster. But yeah I miss older games where you can just log on, jump into a game, ask for a TP and start having fun.
Lol some games are like that but that's not a new issue. Like he pointed out in the video, RPG's used to take forever to get into.
There are lots of games that start quickly now. Doom Eternal is one I think. Dark Souls III is pretty dang quick considering it has a character creation screen.
Sounds like the games you like are the problem. Heaps of games are insta gratz
Didn’t mind the music! Not sure what everyone’s so bugged about, voice is clear and understandable through it
Yeah, it fit the editing pretty well. But, I'll admit everything felt more intense with it playing non-stop. In a movie it isn't non-stop music, the conversational parts are usually without music. Maybe Ars can play with adding music selectively for the parts that need emphasis and elsewhere let the speaker do the talking so to speak.
Old people
@Jim Bob's Arcade what? How does pertain to thjs comment?
@Jim Bob's Arcade Not sure why that quote ended up here but the Post Office Union already endorsed Biden, the same Post Office that's supposed to be carrying our mail-in ballots. Huge conflict of interest. This is the political landscape we find ourselves in. The extremists need to chill and allow the adults to carry on trying to make a better world.
@Jim Bob's Arcade Oh shuuuut up.
I used to leave my computer on and fall asleep in town of the rogue camp cuz the music and rain was so relaxing
Love that he references angband. My dad showed me that game when I was a young kid in the 2000s and we were able to play it for years in the 21st century. I no longer know where to find a good version at the moment.
Thank you for so many of the good memories growing up David, also thanks Ars for these awesome interviews.
14:00 I don't know why, but that happy face of him made me happy too.
Playing Diablo as a kid and accidentally picking up item with full inventory while in a pitch dark room in the middle of the night gave me heart attack.
He was the first man to ever kill a minion in Diablo. He is the true Player 1. And his excitement, while he was reminiscing about it, was so pure.
"The sanctity of this place has been fouled"
"that is forbidden in the demo"
@Robb H
This phrase now applies to modern Blizzard too
I gotta pawn some of this stuff
I still cant believe blizzard killed off cain in d3 (and its an old game and i still think about it when i think what they did with the brand), he was such a good plot device , he was the guy who sort of helped feed you the story and do some narration without making it feel force fed
The fact people including myself liked him is a testament to the love old blizzard put into the games , and i know the the workers still put love in there but the leaders and direction they take is much more money focused now.
My uncle actually gave me diablo 1 when i was a kid with a folder full of printed out information about game mechanics and items , it was a life changing experience and then later the same thing with diablo 2, to this day i still have thousands of hours in games with heavy RPG elements \ itemisation
Diablo 3 shouldn't have happened. The story flat-out sucks and it totally lost the Grimdark vibes from the first 2 games. D4 looks like a step in the right direction but still seems like it might be a tad cartoony tbh.
Right I was upset I couldent play d3 when it came out but in quarintine I bought it for my crappy labtop and I really dident miss much
I regularly forget that diablo 3 exists.
My brother who got me in diablo laughed when I raged about cain dying. He said it was probably fan service from people tired of hearing "STAY A WHILE AND LISTEN"
Apparently people used to really hate cain
LoD, brought me some of the best days of my life, much appreciated. Thank you.
This was one of the games that was so good, id still love to log onto battle net and play from the beginning as if it was still mid/late 90’s. In early High School, even people that usually acted like they hated games were still discussing this game: The Butcher, beating Diablo, finding the Archangels Staff of Apocalypse (255 uses), etc. amazing game.
Hellgate: London was an absolutely amazing game. I miss it so much :(
This definitely needs an extended interview.
Got my PC at 1997. At that time in Argentina, there wasn't a place to buy PC games, but the pirates where really common, so I bought a copy of Diablo. And that game blew my mind! I've been a PC gamer since that. That leap from MegaDrive games to PC Games was HUGE!
16:25 That background music is awesome, I wish RUclips had a better way of tracking down background music, but that is never the case.