Project
DOL Server
Forum
I don't like the idea of wiping the server, so no wipe, but I want to fit in some pretty major gameplay changes. Here is my ideal list of things I really want to have happen. Keep in mind my ideal is what I want vs quick to implement. If I come up with an idea that is cool but will take a lot of my time then the hard reality is it probably won't get done.
1. Direct login to D2 without having to talk to an NPC to move the character.
2. Raise level cap to 100 and re-work XP ladder to create a more even feel to leveling. The standard spells and skills will be given to players every other level (Skill level = level / 2) to make it easy for me without needing to edit all spell lists. This also adds a neat requirement for players to get to 100 in normal in order to gain all their skills.
3. Look at changing the max level requirement to change modes. Possibly make it so the final quest is required to advance, with a minimum level needed to get the quest.
4. Add a new area for Hell players
5. Removal or nerfing of overpowered henchman.
6. Update potion / damage mechanic so potions are still spammable, but not as required as they are now.
7. Removal or nerfing of overpowered gear to allow for re-balancing of end game mobs. Also think hard about modifying how combiners can be used or getting rid of them. I like socket drills and wrenches, but combiners are used to max stats and remove randomness. In addition, weapon speeds, cap issues, and other problems with gear have to be solved. An item gained at level 60 should not be useless at level 70. I need to somehow change the item power curve. In Diablo II a new drop might do a little more damage, but that damage might be mitigated by better bonuses on the lower level item.
8. Modify the mechanic of loot generation so more loot is created automatically and less or no loot has to be created by hand. I dislike custom loot for the end game mobs. In Diablo II the end game boss had a higher chance to drop rares, 'uniques', and sets, but rarely anything specifically unique to the boss. This is a tricky one to get right. First off, Diablo II had a crap ton of standard and magical drops, but the client was built to handle it. In DAoC the drop mechanic does not work well ... TOO MANY DAMN DROPS. I think I have to bite the bullet and make any drop fairly rare, and rare drops really rare at that. In this way fighting a boss to get an almost guaranteed rare drop is worth something!
9. REMOVE CRAFTING. This is a royal pain in the rear for me. "Hey, I can't salvage XYZ or such and such is not implemented." Unfortunately I really don't care. Adding crafting recipes is not fun, extremely time consuming, and not enjoyable in the least. Diablo II did not have crafting, why do I support it? I can use those models for drops.
10. THINK HARD ABOUT REMOVING CONSIGNMENT MERCHANTS, MAYBE HOUSING. The CM can break a game dependent on drops, I should have seen this ahead of time. The more items on the CM the higher the incentive to powerlevel for money and buy what you need. Housing allows for trophies, but trophies are fixed drops I have to add by hand. I can probably be talked out of this change.
11. Look at the money drop rate and see if it needs adjusted, keeping in mind less loot will be dropping so less selling, but crafting will be removed so less money needed. Will also have to look at and adjust housing prices as well.
Big Picture
Make the game something people can casually play, have fun with, and experience something new each play session. I think that was the catch to Diablo II that allows me to still have fun playing that old game. You were never done. Rare loot dropped just enough to be fun, but not enough to ever be boring. I think that's the issue with D2, you can be done. I inflated the importance of unique drops which eliminated the randomness of the loot system. IMO anytime a significant number of people complain about not getting a drop it's a sign that the drop should be available to buy, or not in the game at all. Random loot makes for random, fixed loot makes for complaining.
One other change, along these lines, is to make sure rare models only drop from rare mobs. Use drills and wrenches to move bonuses from an ugly item to a good looking one.The way I see it, a player starts D2 and the beginning of the game works the way i wanted it too. "OOh, a drop, looky, cool!" As the player continues to level up and gains more knowledge of the game it becomes obvious that there is an end game goal and to be able to do it you will need to make gear that is near perfect. Leet end game drops + combiners filled to the max. The need to get the best gear in the game from Diablo III, etc. No such mechanic existed in Diablo II because it was all mostly random.
Uniques have the same problem. I created a bunch, each took hours of my time until eventually I changed to having uniques be fancy models with all sockets, maybe one fixed bonus. The wrench and drill mechanic, which Diablo II does not have, is a good replacement for uniques IMO. Roll your own based on what you are able to create. Maybe I can come up with something similar to allow players to make set equivalent items that provide an added bonus if the entire 'set' is equipped? Real set items require a crap ton of work for me to create. I'd love to have them, but realistically it's not going to happen.
Oh well, you can't win them all I suppose.
