Dear Blizzard,
At first, thanks a lot for this wonderful remaster and Beta access.
It is such a pleasure and so nostalgic to play again our favorite game with such improved graphics and animations.
As i did in Alpha, i’m trying to help and report some bugs/issues in order to make the game a better place for everyone.
I noticed you fixed some of those, thanks a lot for that !
Diablo II is simply a masterpiece and i hope that D2R will be as good if not better.
Here is my previous Alpha review : DHA Review - Bugs/issues report
Number 1. Ultra Wide / Unlimited screen range
Let’s start with the most debated subject .
At first, I would like to thank you for your concern about this.
However, there is some adjustements to do in order to satisfy everybody.
Let me explain again why there is so much discussion about this subject from the D2 community.
In Alpha state, the game has no limit in screen size in order to support Ultra Wide screen.
Ultra Wide screens give you a wider view, it’s clean and beautiful. You see now the whole game at a very high view. Like everything, monsters, all environnements, players, wps, maps, items dropped… everything.
However, Diablo II mecanics are 20 years old, whole game was not made to be played with such view.
David Brevik (Original Diablo II creator) said it himself :
« I can say from a technical standpoint that it’s going to be extremely difficult. That you will not be able to capture it exactly the way it was »
« The number one reason is because of the shape of the screen. Because the screens back then were 800x600 and largely square, and now they’re not, they’re 16:9 and 16:10, we did a lot of tricks. »
« A lot of the ways the AI and stuff activates is from off-screen. So it’s just off-screen then it starts getting activated and doing stuff. If they were going to keep the same radius of awareness, you would get a whole bunch of things on the edge of the screen getting ready to do something. »
« But if you don’t keep the same radius, then everything’s kind of coming from different angles and at different speeds and doing different things than you’re used to. »
« Not only that but a lot of modern games use a giant grid to do pathing and things like that, and part of the reason that Diablo plays the way it does is because of the grid that’s underneath. And so you’d have to mimic that kind of movement and grid that’s underneath Diablo II in order for it to have that same kind of feel. »
"I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but there are huge technical challenges. »
So here we are.
I. As casual player in Single Player Offline/ PvM :
- You can see everything (monsters, players, items etc.) from like 3-4 screens (or more if unlimited),
- You can literaly skip whole game in few teleports ; avoid risky situation because you are so far from monster AI or others game mecanics
- You can stand still at a point and aim monsters, kill them without they even notice (Blizzard, Meteor, Foh or what ever ranged casted skill)
In Single Player Offline, it’s « acceptable ». I mean if you prefer to enjoy the beauty of the game instead of the game mecanics, why not it’s up to you.
In my opinion, it will still get boring very fast. Diablo II is not an easy game and thats why we love it.
Ultra Wide could maybe have no restriction in Single Player Offline, even if it kills the challenge and the adventure itself.
II. In Multiplayer (PvM – Player vs Monsters) :
But in multiplayer, it’s an other story.
It can introduce a severe imbalance between players.
And without limit, people will abuse it such as : https://i.imgur.com/W0Pfl6G.mp4
- Same as above but now you can do things that others players can’t : see everything
- Skip whole game if needed (Game breaking competitive Ladder ranking)
- Avoid risky situation/monsters IA and killing them with ease
- You could see items droping while other players can’t
Basicly, you go easy mode while most of the players will struggle. And somehow it kills the purpose of the game.
III. And finaly, the worst problem by far is in PvP :
At first, PvP in Diablo II is so underrated and it’s too bad because it’s probably one of the most fast paced and skilled pvp i’ve ever seen at high skill level.
The community is very very active since 20 years.
For most players, building a pvp character is the End game goal.
And being competitive in pvp is probably the reason why Diablo II is still alive today and played by thousand of pvpers.
That being said, Ultra Wide/Unlimited screen is absolutly game breaking in competitive PvP because the imbalance between players is absurd :
- You can target your opponent because he is on your screen while he can’t see you
- You can reach your opponent in 2 teleports when he needs 5-6
- You can go away from a risky situation and nobody will be able to follow you if they don’t have the same screen range.
- You can avoid hits easily from every multiples traveling skills such as teeth (nec), multishot (bowa etc.).
And more.
To be challenging, balanced and enjoyable for everybody, a solution must be found.
Thats why, you added Black Bars in Beta, after some ratio (16:9 i guess), over the actual rendered game.
However, there is some flaws :
-
Frustration of Ultra Wide Players that for most just want to enjoy the beauty of the game on full screen – which i perfectly understand.
-
Game is still rendered under the black bar (for nothing)
-
It seems like you can still click under the black bar area which means you fixed half the problem. Not 100% sure
but you can still cast teleport,video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CizNZT_MwKM
(
edited after talking to D2 Community : However it seems like the teleport range is still limited with that black bar if you watch the video closely. Which is good in that case, good job Blizzard/VV !
What about casting skills like blizzard on those black bars’?)
If you can still cast skills on those black bars, then this is not fixed :
I.2 - Partial fix only - « You can literaly skip whole game in few teleports ; avoid risky situation because you are so far from monster AI or others game mecanics »
II.2 « Skip whole game if needed (Game breaking competitive Ladder ranking) »
III.2 « You can reach your opponent in 2 teleports when he needs 5-6 »
III.3 « You can go away from a risky situation and nobody will be able to follow you if they don’t have the same screen range. »
At this point, what would be a good solution for everyone?
Option 1 : Ultra Wide Zoomed at an acceptable ratio like 16:9 (as example). But game is zoomed.
Option 2 :
-
At first limit the maximum possible Ultra Wide Screen compatibility (32 :9 is max i guess) in order to avoid people that toy with screen settings to reach such « Moon view », video here again :
https://i.imgur.com/W0Pfl6G.mp4 -
Set the « playable area » to some acceptable ratio like 16 :9 (as example).
-
For Ultra Wide user after that 16 :9 area, add a « fog of war » effect that let you see the environnement (game’s scenery, trees, rocks etc.) but not monsters, players, opponents, skills casted and items dropped. This way Ultra Wide User can enjoy the beauty of game.
-
And the most important part, limit the cursor/mousse to that 16 :9 area. This way it is impossible to cast skills (no more teleport rush to skip whole game, targeting behind black bars etc).
Note : don’t limit casting range of skills, limit the « clickable area ».
If you limit the casting range of skills, you might affect core skills mecanics and features like « chainlocking » as example. It « might » not be possible to follow opponent with a chainlock if teleport is limited. Not 100% sure but it must be considered.
Here chainlocks if people wonder : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W298nsb9uB0
That the most important and fun pvp mecanic in the game.
Option 3 : All this or black bars on pvp only when hostile. Problems still there for Pvm but it saves pvp at least.
Number 2. Mouse and Centered map bug
It seems like you fixed the « moving mouse » issue. Thanks a lot ! 
But the centered map problem still exist when you open tabs, just as reminder the video that showed it in Alpha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gt3mg72f-E**
Number 3. ALT aka “Show Items” hotkey is different
It still not fixed and doesn’t work as before.
PvM aspect :
Holding “Alt” should prevent you from interacting with anything besides items on the ground.
*For example, you could talk to NPCs, enter TPs, pick items while holding Alt.
In both ALPHA and BETA, when you hold ALT you still target monsters. It’s very annoying when you want to pick up items or take tps in crowed area.
PvP aspect :
In PvP, it was used on Whirlwind Barbarian to avoid Whirlwind bugs, whirlwind interruption etc. It was more or less mandatory.
Video that shows and explains all : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QseUa3sYJ8 19
Also a video that shows what is a “Whilrwind bug” on Classic D2 on a barb that did not use “ALT” when he whirls : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygLjLsgTcZA 11
Here the whirlwind bug experienced by a stream in D2R BETA : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ocbzZAikSw
To start with, when you use Whirlwind you should not be able to target opponent or monster. Since with this skill you travel through.
It would help a lot if you make whirlwind "untargetable"
Number 4. Whirlwind has delays
Sadly i could not try in Beta but in ALPHA Whirlwind had changed.
It now had delays, it stops and restarts.
If it was fixed then i’m sorry. But its a very important issue so i repost it.
This + the “ALT problem”, pvp barbarian is for the moment a “no go”.
You can’t “non stop whirlwind” as before. It’s clearly not as smooth as it was.
Video here, D2R, D2R Legacy and Classic D2 test : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5xRiQzwpSk
Video here showing how smooth is the D2 LOD whirlwind, you can litelraly non-stop Whirlwind your opponent with a good timing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwE7WRG8HSw
Number 5. Minimap problem with similar characters names
In D2R, it’s possible for two differents players to have the same character name.
Like a paladin named “DHA” and a necromancer named “DHA” can be in the same game.
Also they will be shown on the minimap both as “DHA”
This is disturbing and can be very annoying.
Let’s say in PvP you are on your sorceress dueling both “DHA”, one Hammerdin, one Necromancer.
You are looking for the necromancer and boom you targetted/teleport stomped the wrong DHA on his hammerdin, dead.
This is annoying in Team vs Team pvp (2vs2, 3vs3, 4vs4).
Ideas to solve this problem :
- Add option to show character type (barb, sorc, assassin, necro etc.) on minimap instead of names ?
- Add option to show both Name + character type on minimap ?
- Add option to show battletag name instead ?
And then you meet that guy with the exact same character type, same name, same battletag… 
Number 6. WSG doesn’t work
What is WSG ? Weapon Switch Glitch.
After 20 years, you can say it became a real D2 pvp feature that made PvP balanced.
WSG is a simple basic technique in PvP. The essence of the trick lies in the constant switching (“W” key by default) of weapons while running.
When you are wsg’ing, you break FHR animation. You can move and go out stuns basicly.
Without WSG you can’t do that AT ALL and you will die from every stuns.
WSG is not something overpowered that suddently will make you invincible. 
However by disabling WSG, you make :
- Some characters unplayable in PvP.
- Some matchups totaly unbalanced.
- And stuns characters completly overpowered : Trapsin (with mindblast) - the new META.
Basicly :
- Anything against Trapsin: dead.
- Bowazon: Unplayable because all his gameplay relies on WSG.
- Many matchups and situations will be different.
Sharing this report about WSG :
Here D2R WSG : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9FSeg4IYZI
You can’t get out of this.
Here D2 LOD WSG : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlpYyXQFzlM
You get out of stuns.
Number 7.
edited and added from slaydog
additional things that are broken/different from legacy.
Skills that were once “uninterruptible” are no longer uninterruptible.
Charge, Leap, Whirlwind, Smite, Concentrate.
These skills used to be able to be used regardless of being in hit recovery animation, and now they cannot be used until your character finishes being stunned…
Aside from wsg not being fixed, the only “alternatives” for some characters to escape massive stuns were these skills, that no longer work.
This is very concerning. It really needs to be fixed.
Number 8. TCP/IP and Open bnet
This is not an issue obviously but a reaction to
“TCP/IP support will not be available in the upcoming Beta or the final game"
I understand the security reason, however TCP/IP and open bnet were very good features for many reasons.
You could play with single players characters with friends.
The modding community rely on TCP/IP.
More than that I think that to really “stress test” the game, we would need high level characters and test max fcr speed in both Pvm and PvP.
TCP/IP + open bnet offered that easily.
That’s it for the moment ! I hope i helped.
Some of those issues could be game breaker.
Thanks you for all your work, the game is already amazing !
Regards,
DHA
