02-26-2003, 09:40 AM
Think about it this way: In Diablo 2, a playing style is roughly defined by the skills the character uses. In Diablo, a playing style is roughly defined by the skills the player uses. The tactics which a player wants to use determine the kind of items that player will seek out (and, in the early game, how he distributes stats). Since you don't have to invest in these tactics like you do for skills in D2, it is possible for a Diablo character to change playing styles at virtually any time, although for some reason many people like to make one character for each style they use (probably because the "best" gear is different depending on your playing style). When a few playing styles can make use of mostly the same set of items, you will sometimes see characters that change back and forth between them. Also, on many occasions a D1 player is forced to choose one playing style because the equipment needed for another style is not yet available.
For an example, consider what I would call the "traditional" style warrior. This guy goes for high AC and high life for defense, and relies almost entirely on his melee ability for offense. His mana supply is a big priority, because he only uses spells occasionally. Given the choice between a Royal Circlet and a Godly Helm of the Whale, he might choose the GHoW. Getting surrounded by multiple monsters is never a problem as long as red potions are available, but the lack of spell-power limits this player's offensive capability somewhat.
From there, we have various shades of warrior styles which progress away from the high AC and high life in favor of high Dexterity and high mana. It leads to the other extreme, which is the berzerker or LAW. These characters have very low AC, very high Dexterity, and relatively high mana. They take advantage of this extra mana for things like offensive spells, extra stone curse, and "telekilling" witches, while the high Dexterity makes them very good at one-on-one melee, but the lower AC (and possibly lower life) mean that they cannot stand up to as many monsters at the same time. Thus, extra tactics have to be employed to avoid getting swarmed by monsters.
But from there we can take another step, getting rid of the melee weapon, equipping a Dreamflange, going for the absolute most magic/mana possible, and killing everything with spells (or stonecursing/statue cracking as necessary). A warrior of this type, the turtle mage, can be every bit as powerful as the others, but there are obvious advantages and disadvantages involved.
Now, looking at these three warrior playing styles, they will all start out pretty much the same. Progressing into the mid-game, the player may be not be able to choose the style he really wants right away. For example, he may decide not to act like a turtle mage until he is able to find a Dreamflange and some +mana jewelry. Late in the character's life, he will have had a chance at just about any gear he wants, and the style desired by the player will determine what he ends up wearing. Again, there is a two-way relationship between what he is wearing and what tactics he employs to kill the monsters. In some cases, the differences in tactics is very subtle. In other cases, like switching into a turtle mage, the entire set of tactics changes completely.
On a semantic note, I think it is good to stay consistent with terminology as much as possible. A character who follows a general philosophy but is not restricted by any specific rules is using a "playing style". A "variant", by contrast, follows a system of specific rules for the life of the character. When I started following the DSF, "Sub-class" used in the same sense that "variant" is now; BNM was a sub-class of sorcerer and Barbarian was a sub-class of warrior.
For an example, consider what I would call the "traditional" style warrior. This guy goes for high AC and high life for defense, and relies almost entirely on his melee ability for offense. His mana supply is a big priority, because he only uses spells occasionally. Given the choice between a Royal Circlet and a Godly Helm of the Whale, he might choose the GHoW. Getting surrounded by multiple monsters is never a problem as long as red potions are available, but the lack of spell-power limits this player's offensive capability somewhat.
From there, we have various shades of warrior styles which progress away from the high AC and high life in favor of high Dexterity and high mana. It leads to the other extreme, which is the berzerker or LAW. These characters have very low AC, very high Dexterity, and relatively high mana. They take advantage of this extra mana for things like offensive spells, extra stone curse, and "telekilling" witches, while the high Dexterity makes them very good at one-on-one melee, but the lower AC (and possibly lower life) mean that they cannot stand up to as many monsters at the same time. Thus, extra tactics have to be employed to avoid getting swarmed by monsters.
But from there we can take another step, getting rid of the melee weapon, equipping a Dreamflange, going for the absolute most magic/mana possible, and killing everything with spells (or stonecursing/statue cracking as necessary). A warrior of this type, the turtle mage, can be every bit as powerful as the others, but there are obvious advantages and disadvantages involved.
Now, looking at these three warrior playing styles, they will all start out pretty much the same. Progressing into the mid-game, the player may be not be able to choose the style he really wants right away. For example, he may decide not to act like a turtle mage until he is able to find a Dreamflange and some +mana jewelry. Late in the character's life, he will have had a chance at just about any gear he wants, and the style desired by the player will determine what he ends up wearing. Again, there is a two-way relationship between what he is wearing and what tactics he employs to kill the monsters. In some cases, the differences in tactics is very subtle. In other cases, like switching into a turtle mage, the entire set of tactics changes completely.
On a semantic note, I think it is good to stay consistent with terminology as much as possible. A character who follows a general philosophy but is not restricted by any specific rules is using a "playing style". A "variant", by contrast, follows a system of specific rules for the life of the character. When I started following the DSF, "Sub-class" used in the same sense that "variant" is now; BNM was a sub-class of sorcerer and Barbarian was a sub-class of warrior.