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| Diablo II series creator David Brevik |
Creator of Diablo II Regrets One Big Game Choice
Diablo II is still loved, but 25 years after it came out, its maker David Brevik has shared a big regret about how it was made the stamina bar.
Why Brevik Dislikes the Stamina Bar
In a talk with Chris Wilson from Path of Exile, Brevik was open about his thoughts.
"I hate the stamina bar in Diablo II," he said, calling it a "useless thing later on and a hard thing for newbies."He saw it as a "newbie tax" that ended up being a needless block in the game.
Why Limited Stamina was First Added
The first plan was to control the player. The team making the game wanted players to fight enemies, not just run by them.
"People should not skip enemies, they must battle them and find items," Brevik said. "This is not a game where you stay back. The thought that you can just run and not lose was weird to me."The stamina limit was meant to push players into fights.
A View on "Mastering" the Mechanic
Chris Wilson gave another view. He called the stamina a "skill of mastering." He noted that while the stamina bar is a block early on, a player who grows their character right will beat it so it doesn't bug them later. Still, even Wilson said,
"a better way could have been made."
A Deep Game Design Debate
The talk underlines a deep debate in game design is a feature a needless block or a real test for players? For the man who made Diablo II, the stamina bar ended up being more of a block.