It has been a pretty huge few days for this mod. We finally put out our first release on Friday to coincide with the ladder reset for our server after what seemed like an eternity in beta development. We also stepped outside and created an entry on this website, after previously only existing on a rather obscure subreddit. I've been pretty stunned by the response, somehow we managed to get on the front page banner of moddb then they made a Facebook post for the mod and all of a sudden we've got over 2.5k hits and #3 on the moddb list! Not bad for a mod for a 15 year old game. Of course this is bound to drop down soon due to the nature of these things, but it's been a big morale boost so I'd like to thank everyone that for checking out Resurgence.
While we're new to moddb, this mod has actually been in development for a couple of years now, under a few different names. Only recently did it really get to a state where I felt it was 'polished' enough to get it's own branding and put out there on moddb. But it still needs a lot more polish. But onto that later. Those that have read the 'Release!' article or have been following the mod for a while are probably familiar with how it began. The ambition from the outset was to be 'Patch 1.14' - an update to the game that improves it, rather than changes it. We wanted to get rid of the monotony of Blizzard Sorceresses and Blessed Hammer Paladins occupying every game. Sure, you could make that Frenzy Barbarian if you wanted but deep inside you always felt a little stupid since the cookie-cutter builds clear content faster than you could dream. We wanted to remove this feeling - to basically make whatever build you make work (within reason). There are definitely still 'optimal' builds in Resurgence, but the gap between them and others is much, much narrower.
It started with simple skill damage tweaks. Then some item tweaks. Then some new skills. Then some new items. Then new monsters to make the end-game harder. More new skills, new items, a new charm system... It basically snowballed into the mod it is today, gradually accumulating small changes to the game. We tried to keep it simple and intuitive. We were never going to be able to understand the ins-and-outs of how the game engine works like some of the geniuses at Phrozen Keep do, but we felt it wasn't necessary for what we wanted to achieve. Staying true to the 'Diablo II' feel is fundamental to what Resurgence tries to do. But sometimes it's a really big struggle to try and take a step back and examine things objectively and determine whether certain changes may break the 'feel'. Overwhelming new players with too many new icons and skills and items can make them run away pretty quickly. I'm eager to hear what some fresh faces think of the mod.
Ironically, after years of abandonement, Blizzard released the actual Patch 1.14 update only two weeks after we moved onto the 'Resurgence' moniker. I did my best to try and remove any trace of OUR 'Patch 1.14' so they don't start throwing letters at us.
What does the future hold? To be honest, I had planned to put down the modding stick and pass it on to one of the more 'junior' developers once Resurgence was officially released. But the spike in activity and response has got me excited to keep working. One thing I want to address in the very near future is the early-to-mid game balance, which is sorely unbalanced at the moment. Previously, this mod didn't really have many people playing single player so 99% of development time was devoted to the place where 90% of player time was spent - the end game. Now we have quite a few more people player single player, where the leveling process is a reasonable and fulfilling part of the game. It needs to get some attention, and it will soon.
In long term future, for patch R1.1 (whenever that happens! likely a few months away) expect to see some improvements to Necromancer skills in particular, completion of the Cave of Horrors (finally) plus some new items.
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