Reverse Design

Book excerpt: The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the sixth installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Diablo II. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into three sections examining three topics important to the game: How does Diablo II borrow from different types of games like action RPGs, classical class-based RPGs and Roguelikes? What are the different types of randomness in Diablo II and how do they work? How do elaborate level-up mechanics keep players interested in a relatively short game for dozens or hundreds of hours? Key Features Comprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of RPG design Summary of historical context of Diablo II, how it came to be, and how it influenced other games Extensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how Diablo II’s systems work