Diablo: Quick Note Essay, Research Paper

A Quick Note From The Designers

First of all, thank you very much for buying Diablo. We have

worked hard to create a game that you will want to spend many,

many hours playing. To further that end, we have added some

features in Diablo that may not be apparent at first glance.

Diablo is a VERY different play experience depending on which

character class you choose. The tactics and strategies employed

by the Warrior, for instance, would be sheer folly for a

Sorcerer to attempt. Many high level items and spells will only

be useable by certain classes. After you defeat Diablo, try

another game with a different character class.

You won’t be disappointed.

Diablo also randomly generates every level of the labyrinth,

including the rooms, hallways, lights, shrines, fountains,

cauldrons, pools, special themed areas, treasures and monsters.

The list just goes on, but what it boils down to is each time you

enter a new level within the labyrinth, you will have new things

to do and discover.

Finally, Diablo takes on an entirely different feel when you are in

a multiplayer game. The interaction that occurs, the new

strategies and the difference in how you have to think all make for

a very exciting and very new experience.

Again, thank you for grabbing that Diablo box off of the shelf.

Always remember: If you think you’ve found everything — you’re

wrong…

Blizzard Entertainment

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DIABLO

Copyright (c) 1996 BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, All rights reserved

Diablo and Battle.net are trademarks and Blizzard Entertainment

is a trademark of Davidson and Associates, Inc.

For news and updates visit WWW.BLIZZARD.COM

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Contents:

1. Hints, Tips & Tactics

2. Windows 95, Windows NT & Microsoft DirectX

3. Video Cards

4. Sound Cards

5. Virtual Memory Settings

6. Multiplayer Diablo

6.a. Playing Diablo over Battle.net

6.b. Connecting to Battle.net through America Online

6.c. Playing Diablo over a Local Area Network

6.d. Playing Diablo over a Modem

6.e. Playing Diablo over a Serial Cable Connection

7. Software Compatibility

7.a. Microsoft PowerToys

7.b. NEC Merlin

8. Video Playback

9. Updates, Patches & General Troubleshooting

10. Uninstalling

10.a. Uninstalling Diablo

10.b. Uninstalling Battle.net

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1. Hints, Tips & Tactics

Keyboard Shortcuts:

F1: Open Help Screen

Esc: Display Main Menu

Tab: Display Auto-map

Space: Hide all info screens

S: Open Speedbook

B: Open Spellbook

I: Open Inventory screen

C: Open Character screen

Q: Open Quest log

F: Reduce screen brightness

G: Increase screen brightness

Z: Zoom Game Screen

+ / -: Zoom Automap

1 – 8: Use Belt item

Caps Lock: Toggle between Player Friendly and Player Attack

F5, F6, F7, F8: Set hot key for skill or spell

F9, F10, F11, F12: Send Macro message in multiplayer

Shift + Left Click: Attack without moving

CASTING SPELLS USING THE SPEEDBOOK

Left-clicking on the “readied spell” button will open the

“Speedbook” which allows you to select a skill or spell for

immediate use. To use a readied skill or spell, simply

right-click in the main play area.

USING ARCHITECTURE AS A TACTICAL POSITION

There are many place in the labyrinth that the character can

use to his advantage when in combat. Two basic examples of

these are barrels and doorways.

Barrels not only are sources of hidden treasures, but they

also provide excellent blocking terrain for ranged attacks.

Since barrels can be have spells or arrows fired over them,

a sorcerer or rogue properly positioned behind a cluster of

barrels can fight back a large group of oncoming creatures.

Doorways can also be used very effectively for singling out

monsters when encountered in large groups. If you are swarmed

by a large group of creatures in the labyrinth, an excellent

tactic is to position your character just on the other side

of a doorway and take them on one at a time as they enter

into the doorway.

There are numerous other areas within the labyrinth that can

be used as strong tactical positions by players who are

looking for them. Keep your eyes open and your weapons ready!

RESISTANCE AND IMMUNITY

Certain monsters in the labyrinth are resistant or even immune

to different types of magic. After killing several monsters of

the same type, your character will learn the resistances and

immunities that these creatures have. Unique creatures (those

whose names are displayed in gold text) may also have

resistances or immunities. While your character does not know

the immunities or resistances of a unique monster, he will

know if some type of immunity or resistance exists.

Should you have difficulty killing a unique monster with an

attack such as firebolt, the creature may have a resistance

or immunity to fire based attacks. Try using an electrical

(lightning) or magical (stone curse) attack instead.

I LOVE THIS GAME, BUT IT’S A LITTLE TOO TOUGH…

Depending on the items you find, spells you learn and

creatures you encounter, each game will play very

differently – even with characters of the same class.

Because of the randomness of Diablo, some labyrinths will be

more challenging than others. Until you are an expert

spelunker, you may find a dungeon too difficult. If this is

the case, you can use the ‘New Game’ option to take your

character (complete with stats, experience, and inventory)

into a new labyrinth where you can fortify him with additional

gold, items, spells, and experience from earlier levels.

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2. Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0 & Microsoft DirectX

Diablo is a Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 game that utilizes

Microsoft DirectX. DirectX is included on the Diablo CD and

can be installed from the Diablo setup program.

Windows NT 4.0 does not require that you install Microsoft

DirectX as it is already part of the operating system.

For users who are running both Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0

on their systems, please note that multiplayer characters

created within one will not be available while playing

under the other OS (i.e., characters created while playing

under Windows 95 are not available while you are playing

under Windows NT 4.0)

If you have difficulty running Windows 95 after these new

Microsoft DirectX drivers have been installed, please contact

Microsoft technical support at:

USA telephone: 1-800-426-9400

International telephone: 001-206-882-8080

http://www.microsoft.com

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3. Video Cards

S3 Vision 968: If you have a video card with a Vision 968

chipset (Diamond Stealth 64 3000 Series, #9 Motion 771, etc.)

you will need to obtain the latest DirectX drivers from your

video card manufacturer. As of the release date, many of

these cards were still not supported under DirectX 3.0.

Tseng chipsets: If you experience problems, use the drivers

that come with DirectX 3.0. The drivers that are supplied by

Tseng are not compatible as of release date.

S3 Virge3D: If you have a card with the Virge 3D chip, use the

Virge driver from the DirectX 3.0 CD and NOT the OEM driver,

or the driver from the video card manufacturer.

3Dlabs GLINT Delta: As of the release date, these new graphics

adapters have DirectDraw drivers that do not work with some

applications. You may experience occasional “hard freezes”

that will cause your computer to lock up. Specific drivers

that support DirectX may be available in the future.

Matrox Millennium: If you have a Matrox Millenium card and are

experiencing random lockups or palette glitches, please

download the latest version of the video driver from their

website. Also, If you are running in a “dual desktop” mode

with two Matrox Millennium adapters and two monitors, you must

change the desktop size in the display properties to 1280×1024

or less before running Diablo.

For a list of video card manufacturers

visit our on-line support at:

http://www.blizzard.com/support/vendors.htm

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4. Sound Cards

Aztec Sound Galaxy: You may notice music skipping on some

systems. This is due to incompatibilities between Windows

DirectSound and the Aztec drivers. As of the release of

Diablo the drivers that Aztec supply do not correct this.

Specific drivers that support DirectX may be available

in the future from Aztec.

Diablo requires a Windows 95 compatible sound card. If you

should encounter any problems with your sound card, make sure

that all current Windows 95 and DirectX compatible drivers are

installed and, if necessary, contact your sound card

manufacturer.

For a list of sound card manufacturers

visit our on-line support at:

http://www.blizzard.com/support/vendors.htm

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5. Virtual Memory Settings

Diablo may need to use more RAM than is present on your system.

Windows 95 automatically takes care of this by using what is

known as “Virtual Memory” — it uses space on your hard disk

to simulate the memory it needs and swaps data back and forth

from your hard disk as required. Windows 95 allows you to

manually set the amount of hard drive space it uses for

Virtual Memory.

In our experience, we have found that letting Windows 95

manage your Virtual Memory is easiest and best for performance.

To let Windows 95 manage your virtual memory, go to the

Windows 95 START menu, select SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL, then

double-click SYSTEM, click PERFORMANCE, FILE SYSTEM,

VIRTUAL MEMORY and then select “Let Windows manage my virtual

memory settings (recommended)”.

If you are running low on virtual memory, you may need to free

up space on your hard drive.

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6. Multiplayer Diablo

6.a. Playing Diablo over Battle.net

Battle.net is an Internet gaming service provided by Blizzard

Entertainment which allows players to meet up, challenge other

players, and join games, all without paying any special

connection charges.

In order to use Battle.net, your computer must have the TCP/IP

protocol installed, and must provide TCP/IP support for 32-bit

applications. If you connect to the Internet using Windows

Dial-up Networking, and browse the web with Netscape Navigator

version 2.0 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0,

then you probably already have the correct TCP/IP software

installed. However, if you connect to the Internet with a

proprietary dialer or browse the web with Netscape 1.x or

another 16-bit web browser, then it is likely that your system

is not configured to support 32-bit applications. In this

case, you should contact your Internet Service Provider to

obtain updated software.

“I can chat with other users, but I can’t join a game.”

In order to play in a multiplayer game, your system must be

able to receive packets of game data (technically, UDP packets)

from other players. Some service providers don’t allow

incoming data of this type, or don’t provide users with a

unique Internet address to which packets can be sent. If you

are unsure whether your provider is blocking this type of

connection, please contact them for more information.

If you are trying to play Diablo through a computer that is

directly connected to the Internet through your employer or

other organization, you should be aware that some companies

block certain types of incoming data to their networks. To

play multiplayer games on Battle.net, you may have to ask

your network administrator to allow incoming UDP packets on

port 6112.

6.b. Connecting to Battle.net through America Online

To connect to Battle.net through AOL, you will need to

use the 32-bit Windows 95 AOL client software. If you are

unsure as to whether you already have this, please contact

AOL directly.

Also, AOL’s connection to the Internet is often very slow,

which can make multiplayer games between AOL users and users

of other service providers almost unplayable.

6.c. Playing Diablo over a Local Area Network

Diablo supports multiplayer gaming over IPX-compatible

networks. If your computer is connected to a local area

network, but you are not sure whether it is IPX compatible or

not, ask your network administrator.

“I have IPX but I can’t join a game, or people can’t join my

game.”

Diablo will not play across network segments. If you are not

sure whether your network is segmented or not, contact your

network administrator.

You should also verify that all computers on the network are

using the same frame type. You can change the frame type that

a computer uses in the Network section of the Control Panel.

For more detailed information on setting up and diagnosing

troubles with a Local Area Network, please see the Network.doc

file on the Diablo CD.

6.d. Playing Diablo over a Modem

To play Diablo over a modem, you must ensure that your modem

is configured properly in the Microsoft Windows Modems control

panel.

“My modem won’t dial a number or answer an incoming call.”

Here are some things to try:

- Disable any messaging software such as Comm. Central or any

other answering machine software.

- Disable any Fax software that is installed on your system.

- Close any other programs which may be using the modem.

You should also verify that your modem’s INIT string is

correct. Your modem manufacturer will be able to help you

with this. For more detailed information on setting

up and diagnosing troubles with a Local Area Network, please

see the Modem.doc file on the Diablo CD.

6.e. Playing Diablo over a Serial Cable Connection

You can play Diablo head to head using a null modem cable.

Simply connect the null modem cable to a free serial port on

each computer and select Direct Cable Connection from within

Diablo. One player should then select Create Game; the other

should wait until the game is running, then select Retry

Connection to join it.

“My direct link setup isn’t working.”

“I can get multiplayer games started, but they lock up during

gameplay.”

You must ensure that the serial port you are using is

correctly configured in the Windows control panel. Also,

verify that it is not being used by other applications, and

that it does not have an IRQ conflict with another serial

port, modem, or mouse on your system. If you are unsure how

to do this, read the file Serial.doc on the Diablo CD.

“Is it true that Diablo supports up to four-player serial

games through daisy-chained serial cables?”

Yes. However, this process is complicated and is recommended

only for technically advanced users. For more information,

see the file Serial.doc on the Diablo CD.

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7. Software Compatibility

7.a. Microsoft PowerToys

If you have the Microsoft PowerToys system extensions

installed you may experience a black screen upon booting

Diablo, although the sounds may still be audible. If this

happens, you should remove the Microsoft PowerToys while

playing Diablo.

7.b. NEC Merlin

If you are using a NEC computer with the Merlin assistant,

you may experience video problems when starting the game.

If this happens, disable Merlin by removing the icon from your

Startup menu and rebooting your computer. For additional

information, contact NEC technical support at (800) 632-4554.

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8. Video Playback

If video playback is slow or choppy on your system, you can

adjust the size of the playback window using the VidSize

utility, which is installed in the Diablo directory.

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9. Updates, Patches & General Troubleshooting

You can check Blizzard’s web site (http://www.blizzard.com)

for the latest information on updates and patches for Diablo.

Also, whenever you connect to Battle.net, your software will

automatically be upgraded to the latest version. For more

information on Battle.net, see the “Playing Diablo over

Battle.net” section in this file.

IMPROVING GAME SPEED

There is a possibility of slower game play on slower systems

while music is playing. For better performance, the music

volume should be set to zero. Music and sound volumes may be

set by using the Options menu while playing Diablo.

You can change the cache size of your CD-ROM to increase

performance and decrease CD load times. This can be done by

opening the START menu from your task bar, selecting SETTINGS

and then opening the CONTROL PANELS folder. Now open your

SYSTEM properties file and select the PERFORMANCE tab. Click

on the FILE SYSTEMS button and select the CD-ROM tab. Every

CD-ROM uses different cache sizes and access patterns, so you

may need to experiment with these to find the optimum setting

for your CD-ROM. If you have less than 16MB of RAM, you will

want to set your cache size to as low as possible. If you have

more than 16MB of RAM and are experiencing slowdown, you can

increase cache size if possible.

Another method of increasing performance in Diablo is to add

RAM to your computer if you are playing on an 8MB system.

Windows 95 uses about 2.5 MB of your available RAM, and

this causes Diablo to use virtual memory. This process is

slower than using RAM directly, and while the speed of your

processor is a factor in the performance of the game,

additional memory can greatly enhance your game speed on

baseline systems.

PROGRAM CONFLICTS

Diablo is a Windows 95 program that is capable of running

while other programs are running in the background. For

best performance we suggest you shut down all other programs

(including your Microsoft Office toolbar) while playing.

MULTIPLE CD CHANGERS

Diablo supports the use of multiple CD-ROM drives and CD

changers on a single system, so please feel free to play

your Diablo CD from any properly configured CD-ROM drive.

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10. Uninstalling

10.a Uninstalling Diablo

Diablo can be uninstalled from the Autorun menu or through

the Diablo group in your start menu. When uninstalling Diablo,

you will be asked if you also wish to delete your saved games.

Checking this box will delete all saved games of Diablo.

Should you wish to keep your saved games on your hard drive,

DO NOT check this box when prompted.

For users who are running both Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0

on their systems, please note that you must uninstall Diablo

from the same OS where it was installed (i.e. if you install

Diablo under Windows 95, you must uninstall from Windows 95

as well).

10.b Uninstalling Battle.net

To uninstall Battle.net you will need to open the START menu

from your task bar. Open the CONTROL PANELS folder and select

ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. You will see Battle.net in the program

list and to remove it, select Battle.net and click the

Add/Remove button.