Fans of Diablo games are fans of dungeon crawling. The make-or-break component of a Diablo game are the dungeons that players can explore, as the difference between a well-designed dungeon, and a poorer one can be quite subtle. How do you balance the combat with the exploration, or when is the network of paths too big? These are all things, as well as much more are all factors in the design of a good dungeon in any game, let alone a genre leader like Diablo. With Diablo IV now only six months away, and those dungeons being ripe for exploration, some of Blizzard’s leads on the game, Lead Class Designer Adam Jackson and Producer Ash Sweetring fielded questions from Press-Start about the dungeon design and the count of how many there will be in the game.
As well as reiterating the publicly announced figure of 120 unique dungeons, Ash Sweetring shared some valuable insight into the development of them,
We’re constantly looking in comparison to what we’ve already done, what we’ve experienced before and opportunities that the player hasn’t had yet or hasn’t been introduced to. In particular, tile sets. Tile sets describe what we use in order to build each of the dungeons. It gives them character, it gives them style, and it really art-ifies the scene. We have put so much time into ensuring that the assets and the tile sets that we’re putting together for the immersive experience inside the dungeon is different each time you go in. Each time you enter the dungeon, it’s going to be a random experience, it’s going to be different every time you enter, so it’s going to really immerse you.
One of the things the team has found especially helpful is having an idea in mind and then bringing it to the table for the rest of the artists to consider. That way, we’re all kind of piecemealing off of each other’s ideas for a much larger concept that we’re able to bring together in such a beautiful way. One of my favourite tile sets, in general, is a crypt scene. It’s really grungy and dirty, and you actually feel grungy and dirty when you’re inside it. I think that hits the nail on the head; if you’re able to depict the way you want a player to feel with something visual like that, I think that’s a really good sign.
Ash Sweetring
Diablo IV and its hundreds of exciting dungeons to explore, launches on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on June 6, 2023.
