New GOG re-release?

[xcom169]

Is this re-release somehow connected with Devilution : https://www.gog.com/game/diablo ?

[qndel]

not that we know anything about it

[AJenbo]

If there is any connection to Devilution I think it's down to it showed that there is a real interest in the game.

[ghost]

Yes. This is obvious!

[ghost]

The question is what will happen to this project.

Technically , I was apart of this for learning and because diablo wasnt being sold or supported.

Not that this has changed , I am not sure what will happen to this project.

[AJenbo]

DevilutionX works better on Linux then the GoG release. The only real benefit to the GoG version is working battle.net support and what ever bugfixes they have introduced. So in the end I actually feels this is good for Devilution. Especially when you think of Devilution as a way to make mods for Diablo.

[AJenbo]

Just compared the "new" code to the 1.09 release from 2001. Code wise they are identical. 1.0.10.2 simply has two function calls disabled: diablo_reload_process() and music_stop(). This was most likely done in relations to not having Battle.net support in this version. Everthing else is handled with DLL wrappers (a crude version of what we are doing with miniwin for devilutionX)

[sskras]

Also I liked the user review by danly:

Games: 274 Reviews: 5

Great Game, Lackluster Release March 7, 2019 Verified owner

Diablo 1 doesn't need a review. It's a fantastic game, worthy of five stars in its own right. But the GoG release is weak, at best, for which I'm knocking this down to three stars. High Resolution is just a blurry up-scale; there's no change to the zoom level of gameplay, and Battle.Net isn't available. IPXWrapper is provided for TCP/IP play, and there's no STUN support for NAT traversal. You'll have to configure ports on your router like it's still 1998. In terms of quality of life improvements there's virtually none to be found. You'll be clicking as much as you were in the original. Speech bubbles don't appear over characters who want to talk to you. Item names don't appear for pickups. And so on and so forth. If you already own Diablo then give this a skip and pick up Belzebub/TheHell/HellfireEnhanced/Infernity and enjoy the superior DDraw modes that they provide.

@AJenbo :

Just compared the "new" code to the 1.09 release from 2001. Code wise they are identical. 1.0.10.2 simply has two function calls disabled: diablo_reload_process() and music_stop().

So is it a recompiled version or more just like an original binary patched by hand? In the former case it would be interesting to see what the new compiler flags might have been used this time=)

[mewmew]

Just compared the "new" code to the 1.09 release from 2001. Code wise they are identical. 1.0.10.2 simply has two function calls disabled: diablo_reload_process() and music_stop().

@AJenbo, did you compare against version 1.09 or 1.09b? Also, was the file size of the executable identical? (I have yet to install it :p)

[AJenbo]

The GoG version is identical in code to 1.09, not 1.09b (the only difference being better Windows 2K audio support).

[AJenbo]

So is it a recompiled version or more just like an original binary patched by hand? In the former case it would be interesting to see what the new compiler flags might have been used this time=)

It was definitely patched by hand in a hex editor, the version was most likely changed using ResHack as the .rsrc section is all mixed up in the 1.0.10.2 version (the version number being the only apparent actual change). Everything points to the people that did the release not having access to the source.

The reason that there are two versions in the release is probably so that the unedited can connect the battlenet (because of the checksum being correct for the exe).

The reson that diablo_reload_process() and music_stop() where patched out of the other seams to be for better Windows 10 support.

[ssjkakaroto]

I honestly think that this might be the end for Devilution. Activision will be very aggressive now that the game is being sold again and I don't think they'll hold back on C&D's. Thanks for all that you guys have done and good luck!

[flesh420]

I honestly think that this might be the end for Devilution. Activision will be very aggressive now that the game is being sold again and I don't think they'll hold back on C&D's. Thanks for all that you guys have done and good luck!

Devilution isn't providing any game files. Provided no game files are included in packages no legal action can be taken, but lawyers can always find that gray area. I think with the amount of crap the CEO of Blizzard is receiving it'd be a bad move for such a thing to happen. I mean, they just released Diablo 1 DRM-Free, that alone is insane considering Blizzard is a DRM king.
In some instances, source-ports drive sales. Doom, Theme Hospital, X-Com, HoMM3, they all have source ports and are still very popular because of it.

Anyway, just wanted to say I watch this git and though I don't contribute I'm very glad you guys are doing the lord's work with Diablo. I'm excited to play it when it's done.

[sskras]

@ssjkakaroto ,

Activision will be very aggressive now that the game is being sold again and I don't think they'll hold back on C&D's.

What does Activision has to do with this GOG release?

[AJenbo]

They merged with Blizzard in 2006 an there legal name is now Activision Blizzard. They own the Diablo franchise so a release like this has to have there blessings

[moepman]

In case anyone from Blizzard ever reads this: to be honest I'd buy the GOG release just to have a legitimate source for the game content to use with this code.

[mewmew]

In case anyone from Blizzard ever reads this: to be honest I'd buy the GOG release just to have a legitimate source for the game content to use with this code.

I would second this, actually. I think we should add this to the readme. A link to GoG for how to get a legitimate copy of the game assets (diabdat.mpq).

[AJenbo]

I would second this, actually. I think we should add this to the readme. A link to GoG for how to get a legitimate copy of the game assets (diabdat.mpq). I fully agree

[mewmew]

I fully agree

:)

@AJenbo would you review the wording in https://github.com/diasurgical/devilution/pull/600?

[mewmew]

Given that #600 has been merged, I think we can close this? Feel free to re-open otherwise.