Retroview - Diablo 1

Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_(video_game)
Source: Youtube Channel xZalex90

During my wait for Diablo 3 last week, I decided to play through Diablo 1 as I've never done so and have heard the argument that the original had the best atmosphere.  After a few hours of playing, I agree that the game had a better sense of immersion, horror, and setting; however, I also found out why Diablo 2 was the one everyone talked about and played more.  Diablo 1 was somewhat entertaining, but it had a lot of issues from a design standpoint that really bugged me.  Let's get through some elements of the game and their differences:

[Diablo 1 Problems]
-Pacing of the game was very slow: Maps are big and character walks slow
-Buying and selling menu was atrocious and archaic: everything is listed in words
-User-interface took up nearly a third of the screen, and quick skill is a bit cumbersome
-Finding and picking up loot was a nightmare as they blended into the ground's color
-Major differences between classes is just starting items, look and beginning stats: no unique class abilities
-Warrior class is annoying to play as everything near the end is ranged and runs away very quickly
-Having gold take up so much inventory space made it less of an incentive to accumulate them
-Getting stun-locked was dumb as any registered hit from enemies pulled you back into a mob
-No end-game content: Once you beat the game, you're done (which I suppose is alright)
-Only one item per belt slot
-Bothersome to continually run out of inventory space and having to return to town to sell them
-Any skill required mana, and mana potions took up more space in the inventory
-In multiplayer, it was easy to exploit item duplication
-No storage space to hold onto extra items

[Changes from Diablo 1 to Diablo 2]
-Characters can run and although randomly generated, levels have a nice flow to them
-Buying and selling items menu made a lot more sense
-User-interface is smaller but still comprehensible and skills can be hot-keyed
-Loot can be highlighted so picking them up is easy yet still keeps the screen clean from clutter
-Each class has their own playstyle and unique abilities as well as different skill paths
-The ability to run and special skills for classes balanced the classes, even for melee fighters
-Gold has its own category and no longer takes up inventory space
-It's still possible to get stun-locked, but hits will only stagger the player rather than pull them into the mob
-Additional difficulty levels and end-game gear extended the replay value by a lot
-Depending on the belt equipped, a player can store quite of bit of potions on their belt for quick access
-Camera is pulled back further so the player can see more around them than before
-Items can be socketed, crafted, and runes can be combined for special effects
-Charms give characters additional enhancements at the expense of inventory space
-A character sharing storage space is available for the player to hold onto items to free inventory space
-Each player has a bodyguard to help them fight

[Problems with Diablo 2]
-Although skills can be hot-keyed, it's still annoying stretching out to F5-F8 keys if F1-F4 is filled
-Equipment are even more rare and stronger than D1 and so people fight over loot in multiplayer online
-It was still cumbersome to allocate potions into the belt
-The Horadric Cube took up a lot of space in the inventory and there weren't that much to craft
-It's annoying having to depend on mana potions to use any skills as they take up more space
-Item duplication and trading hacks ruined online multiplayer for Diablo 2

[Potential/Evident Changes from Diablo 2 to Diablo 3]
-Players build their characters off of skill sets and play-style rather than talent tree paths and attributes
-In online multiplayer, everyone gets their own loot
-A dedicated potion key has been added and took out the belt mechanics
-Potions have a cool down now
-Crafting is done through a NPC (I believe) rather than using an item that takes up inventory space
-New "energy" type mechanic takes out the "old" mana pool mechanic (huzzah for new age RPGs!)
-Followers (D3's version of Bodyguards) have their own skill sets and upgrades now
-Weapons and Armor take up two block spaces now (or so I heard) instead of 3-6 blocks
-Dedicated arenas for players to PvP in

[Possible Problems with Diablo 3]
-Still people duplicating items which is a big problem in this upcoming installment because:
-Auction houses will break balance in end-game PvP (imagine that with duped items)
-The need for constant internet connection will cause problems such as:
  -Kicking players off during pivotal moments like a boss battle
  -Server problems prevents players from being able to log on or play
  -Not being able to play when an ISP has network issues
  -May cause lag during even a single-player game

Overall, Diablo 1 occupied my time pretty well and gave me insight to the evolution of the series, but I think I'm done with the game and don't plan on replaying it anytime soon.  I didn't list all the problems and changes from the series above, but I tried my best to address the most prominent ones.  I think I'll be able to appreciate Diablo 3 that much more now that I have completed both Diablo 1 and 2.  Other than playing Diablo 3, the only thing I need to do in the near future is getting and reading "The Book of Cain".