What would you improve about Diablo 1?

[Eisen]

I wish branches existed in D1, like in DCSS(or whatever trad roguelike)

 

[Deflowerer]

D1 is nigh perfect for what it is, wouldn't really change a thing. Not being bloated with anything excessive is the whole appeal.

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Stash in town about the same size as the default inventory.
Some* of the quests already restored in the Beelzebub mod, but not all. We really don't need a shittier version of the Arcane Sanctuary in D1, but the dark forest was cool.
Custom appearances for the unique weapons/armor on the sprites. Transmogrifying appearances available at Adria for a steep fee or even the destruction of one when taking the form of the other.
All randomized quest content should be de-randomized and present in MP. This will give players more to do. Their locations within the dungeons can remain randomized though. Actually, unless many new quests are added, even in SP the experience would be improved by just having access to all the content anytime you hit new game. That's one of the best changes in Beelzebub.

 

[Eirinjas]

Diablo just needs more random quests, QOL enhancements, and per-pixel lighting. Otherwise, it is a pretty perfect game for what it is.

 

[agris]

Beelzebub mod

fyi, Beezlebub isn't a mod, it's a whole new game using the D1 assets using SDL for the core libraries comprising the custom engine.

it's really cool / fun to see how a fan interprets the cut content, but it's something distinct from a mod. the main difference between devilutionX and beezlebub is that dX builds upon a byte-perfect (or almost perfect) reverse engineering of the Diablo 1 engine, such that OG saves can load into dX and dX saves can load into D1.

in addition to the unfinished quests, it would also be great to see David Brevik's original vision for Diablo 1 wherein there were modules that could be loaded up and played independently of the D1 story.

I hope in the future dX has robust level creation tools and we'll see fan mission packs distributed for it, not unlike doom wads.

 

[Cologno]

purge clickers from existence

Purge-clicked your mom last night.

 

[Cryomancer]

1. Cold spells
2. Enslaveable succubus demons
3. More dungeons
4. A proper roguelike

 

[La vie sexuelle]

make it turn-based

1. Turn-based

Heard some people were calling Tales of Maj'eyal a turn-based Diablo. You should check it out if you didn't already.

Yes. I liked the variety of classes and origins, but this ADOMs style of presentation and movement is starting to get tiring in the long run.

There is a nice game, Low Magic Age, with a pretty good arena module, although in map scale it is inferior to Tales of Maj'eyal.

Eh, I would play a game that is in every way Diablo 1, but with a turn-based system...

 

[1451]

Improve the graphics, modernize the user interface, add quality of life features, make the game complex.
Add levels.
And something that might be unpopular, make it first person to increase immersion.

 

[Damned Registrations]

I wish branches existed in D1, like in DCSS(or whatever trad roguelike)

They do, but they're very short. Would be cool to have them expanded and linked to more quests.

I think the main thing I'd do is flesh out the warrior and rogue classes more. The way you learned spells via finding books was cool, something similar for the other classes would be neat. Maybe make warriors learn skills by defeating rare enemies, rogues could unlock traps, tools and poisons by finding loot in hidden places other classes can't access.

Maybe make each level larger, with multiple connections between levels. Disincentivize clearing entire floors methodically somehow, maybe with something like timed quests or a limited supply of potions. One of the things Crawl did I really liked in theory (in practice it's rarely impactful) was having entrances to bonus areas that close permanently if you don't enter them quickly after entering a floor. Made exploring floors feel more tense and urgent, encouraged taking some risks instead of being safe and boring. I think it'd be even better to have multiple such locations on each floor, so that it's not possible to visit them all. You hunt down the kobold warren before they seal the entrance or you track down the necromancer before he gathers his research and flees, but you can't do both.

In general, preserve/expand the roguelike aspects while tuning up the shallow parts of the gameplay.