Aldiabolics Anonymous - A Reintroduction Thread

[Kitteh]

Hi All

The SPF has been around for years and our history rich. Y'know what, we are awesome? So much of our history seems to be getting lost now, so I guess we will have to make a new legacy for ourselves. Some of us have been in the SPF for years (some speak of @Thyiad and @Kestegs brandishing flint as they made out first campfire, with the dinosaurs) and some of us are newer, few of us are young, so I won't keep you up late. However, I thought it would be nice for us all to reintroduce ourselves. One post each, as details as you like. Please don't reply to people here so that we can all easily read through, we have the bar after all

 

[Grisu]

Great idea! So...

About Me:
Grisu here, joined the SPF back in 2007 (on January 3 actually) when I was still studying and my private life was turbulent (relationship about to end after 7 years). I got myself into a new relationship and married in 2011. I have two daughters, 8 and 5. The older one has always been fascinated by Diablo (when she snuck up on me at night while I was playing and thought she was sleeping) and is constantly reminding me that I told her she will be allowed to play Diablo when she turns 14...she is also into LEGO, card and board games and such like I am, so maybe a future forumite

I am 36 years old from Germany and work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist employed in a private practice. I like my work very much, which leads to more hours of work than are good for my family life. This is why I will be working part-time starting July.

What else? I like bad puns and try very hard not to miss one if I can make one, I like pen&paper RPGs (though not much time anymore for those, maybe get together with my group 6 times a year), play Magic the Gathering and buy myself LEGO sets as a birthday present. I enjoyed skiing and basketball until my kids arrived, now lifting them or carrying them to bed is all the sportmanship I do.

About Diablo:
I played D1 for quite some time until D2 was released. Then I played from time to time until I restarted back in 2007. Until then I have been quite the noob, but then stumbled over the SPF and registered. I learned so much from the SPF that I quickly knew more about the game in 2 months than in the 7 years prior. Joined Wolron's Obsession Skill Tournament after my restart and was instantly intrigued by that style of play (single-pass untwinked tournaments with restrictions). Never looked back and started a few dozen tournament characters over the years, guardianed around 10 or so, killing off only 2 (or 3?) and having still 20+ somewhere from Act II Normal to Hell Act V to complete...

I also started some serious magic finding back in 1.10, did my share of Pindle runs (20k+ IIRC) and am proud to say that I have a total perfection score of over 92% in the perfect item grail. I have only been missing Tyrael's for years now to complete the grail, but some day, it will drop for one of my tournament characters - I am sure about that!

I also played some D3 after it was released, but it never captured me as D2 did - I blame it on the fact, that it is much more difficult to host tournaments due to the game mechanics and those are what gets me back into D2 again and again and again.

So, you will probably be seeing me in some of the tournaments, maybe hosting one myself some time in the near future (*eyes Vang's Random Tournaments*). I do post in the bar and the daily from time to time, and try to keep up with new discoveries in older versions, but the info about the game is too overwhelming and my understanding and grasp of game mechanics isn't the same as it once was anymore (drop mechanics etc.).

I have been toying around with the idea of recording my tournament play sessions, but I couldn't be bothered the last few months. It will probably have to wait until I retire IRL...

If you made it to the end of this post: Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the SPF as much as I have over the last 13 years!

 

[Luhkoh]

I like the idea of an introductions thread! Good work @Kitteh.

After lurking a while and realizing it was just THE place to be, I joined the spf in January 2019 (sort of a newbie!). I started playing D2 for the first time in May of 2018 because a friend (sir_cyclops) convinced me to try it out. Been obsessed since. This site was my most frequently visited and referenced resource. Gripphon's LK vs Trav vs Cows, and Nightfish's sept x sept posts were instrumental. Anyways before resetting to join, I patmat'd 4 characters and had like 75-70% of the grail items, but I had been playing on that common mod that's not to be named. I decided that if this forum is the coolest place to be, then I want to switch it up and join. So I did a full restart with RWM, GoMule, and Glide. The projects I had completed on the SPF are an untwinked patmat of each class, and an untwinked 99er sorceress. Made some decent progress on grail (-19 currently) and on runeword grail too . Hope to continue the fun here, and I will repost some of my old content over time as well.

 

[Fugu]

I'm Me2nik from the old forum. I picked that name when I was much younger and is a name I no longer use anywhere else, so I decided to update my handle to match what it is on... well, the rest of the internet.

I'm admittedly mostly a lurker, but I've been lurking for a long time as I've been playing the Diablo games since around the release of the first game. I play exclusively hardcore, mostly the expansion but also occasionally classic. I do a fair bit of a time traveling; I'm currently just wrapping up a 99 guardian project on 1.09 that will get a thread soon.

Also: 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 wow look at that

 

[jonny5]

Woohoo! Got a more correct spelling of my desired forum name. A small win, but a win nonetheless. I'll take it. Hmm, a brief re-introduction, alright:

I have been playing D2 on and off since the beginning, although I really didn't get into it until ~1.09. I've also lurked the forums since around 1.09 as well. I decided to join the forums because it became clear that if I was only going to have time for one purely self-indulgent hobby, this would be it, and as I tried (and failed) twice to get my wife into it, this community made sense as a place to discuss the hobby with others.

I play a solid mix of SC and HC, depending on mood/sobriety level (Friday night is sometimes not a good night for HC )/goals/recent exciting finds/etc. As with many players, I have quite a few parked projects as my attention span tends to jump around from week to week. I swear I'll finish that Overburdened tourney barb sooner or later! I don't have a lot of time to play generally (3 kids, house, 2 careers, travel trailer for lots of weekend camping trips April - October, home reno projects, etc) so my updates can be a bit sporadic at times, but I try to make the most of my time when possible.

As mentioned, I play both SC and HC; I use RWM and GoMule but I do not time travel.

Here's to hoping that this move doesn't negatively impact forum activity or resource availability (once the migration is finished - no doubt that will take a while. Thanks to all working on it). Cheers all and stay healthy.

 

[Vildecor]

Hello everyone!

I got into Diablo 2 back in 2001 or so after a friend introduced me to the game, and I've been playing it off an on ever since. I discovered and joined the SPF not long after (sometime before the 2004 squid attack). I enjoy playing in tournaments, and can be expected to vanish for months at a time as my interest wanes. I had to reset my PC early this year, so I will be starting over fresh again when I do get back into the game.

I'm never good at long posts, so I'll leave all the relevant personal info background for when I share stuff over at the Bar.

 

[b1ur]

Hey ya'll, srrw here.

First of all I can finally let go of that random username I chose all those years ago (July 2012 to be precise). Interestingly enough the SPF was the only place it was ever used. I've been using b1ur for as long as I can remember.

A bit of backstory is due I guess. I'm about to turn 26, I'm from Bulgaria. I have studied computer science but my job history doesn't really suggest that. I have worked as a telecommunications technician for 4 years and I gotta say I really liked that job but the problem was it was really poorly paid with no real opportunity for career growth. I moved jobs almost 2 years ago and am currently working as an artworker/designer in one of the best performing print management agencies in the business. I began experimenting with Photoshop and what not at 12 or something and have turned my hobby into a job.

D2 wise I started playing around 2002-3 maybe. The time when computer clubs were still a thing. A few of the guys in the club I was going to quite regularly played on a local private server a little after 1.10 came out. Then I gave it a shot and that's when the bug caught me and has never let go since. There was a time where this private server faded and a new one emerged so I moved there but eventually they all died out and I had nowhere to play. I had tried to play on official Ladder a couple of times but I never really liked it there. It was always full of bots and people that didn't really know what they were doing which I found irritating so I never really played much. And when all hope was lost I decided to try out Single Player. I mean how bad can it be? Well I guess not too bad since soon after I joined the SPF and found a whole new world of Diablo. After a quick stint in SC I decided that the challenge wasn't enough and since there's no lag issues on single player I decided to give HC a shot. After a quick test run with an untwinked SC necro to find out how far can I go without dying (Hell Mausoleum for those intersted haha) I switched full time and have never looked back since. I've been trying to play tournament characters and MF/RF tournaments which in theory sound like I would have a lot of fun with but I just get bored at some point. I really like playing on my own terms.

Also after every hiatus I usually restarted but I have decided to no longer do this to myself and if I feel the urge to play untwinked I'll just join the 99er tourney hehe!

 

[Trim]

Welcome to our new home, Diabloneers.

About me:
38, living in Austin, Texas. Back when I was a regular in the dii SPF, I had been working in the Intelligent Transportation Systems field. ...That's the fancy way of disguising "toll roads." Ended up working for three different companies over the course of over a decade, climbing my way up ladders all the way to an operations manager for an off-shore clerical team that staffed over 400 employees engaged in a dozen toll projects. All at once, I had the realization that I couldn't stand being so drastically disconnected from the operations floor, so I quit suddenly and was forced to start a career path anew. Found a job with a health insurance company a couple months ago that really seems to like having me around, so maybe I'll be sticking it out with them for a while.

D2 & personal SPF presence:
Discovered the game back in 2001 during college, and my instant obsession was a major contributing factor for me dropping out. :rollseyes: First found and joined the SPF the summer of 2005 under the name ElmoCorruptsChildren (a poorly chosen moniker, admittedly) where I contributed ideas and questions every now and then, jumping into one or two tournaments in '06. Then in late '07 I moved from my home state of Maine to central Texas on a whim, and after such a big change I ended up re-registering my name in that same spirit.

Most of the old guard would remember me as TheReadMeance, often truncated to TRM, and eventually outside the SPF some folks started calling me Trim which I happily call myself to this day. Beyond a couple non-cookie-cutter Pat write ups that garnered some praise and helping to moderate / officiate one or two Magic Find Olympics tournies, my biggest impact within the SPF was to create the Daily threads to discuss real life, D2 adventures, and other video game interests. It was through those threads that I got to know our community, going so far as to meet @John Remedy whom I call my best friend to this day. #fam4life #teppbros

Former D2 goals basically boiled down to grailing and making some irregular builds, garnering a few successes and a far greater number getting parked before Mat / Pat. Closest I got to a complete grail was maybe -30 pieces away and my highest rune find being a Cham, but I was always bad at backing up ATMA stashes. Four computers later, none of my old stuff persists. I don't play much these days, usually lapsing into D3 for my aRPG desires (blasphemy, I know -- D2 is the better overall game, but I can't deny that I mindlessly enjoy D3's combination of a faster pace, zero challenge, and seasonal tweaks to systems, not to mention the few QoL upgrades like auto gold pick up). John Remedy and I did dive into D2 a few months ago, though, and as an untwinked duo we got a Mat / Pat each and played another set into early Hell before the challenge wore me down. I think about D2 often, wistfully recalling Meph & AT runs for hours on end and maintaining my self-designed grail spreadsheet. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

No telling how much I'll hang around these parts, especially if I'm not actively playing. But hey, never know. The game has always grabbed me at the oddest moments. In the meantime, I'm still a member of the D3SPF clan, and if there's any interest maybe a subset of the community might come up with some oddball tournament ideas which I'd happily organize / participate. And D4, of course! Not gonna dive too hard into the dev news or get my hopes & expectations unreasonably high -- D3's dev cycle and early release results taught me a lesson. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little excited. It'll be interesting hanging with the old crew again over the next couple years as the game reaches maturity.

Lastly, shout outs to the folks who brought us back to the old ways. Can't and won't list everyone, but... Elly, Rush, maxi & Gris for informing me of the SPFv2, old mods that have come back to hang with us lowlifes, and everyone who made the SPF such a cool place to chill... much love, y'all. Great to see all you folks again!

 

[Helvete]

Who, me?

I wansn't actually aware of the SPF for a long time; I used to lurk the old "statistics" forum to learn stuff. Then got more involved and made an account when Rock/metal school finished, and I got back home to an internet connection I didn't have to book a time for. This was the summer of 2004. Exactly when I switched preferred forum from statistics to SPF... I don't know, but probably around 2009. So. It's been a while.

So, about me... I'm very much a "stick with what you know" kind of peronality, and even if I cope with changes and changes are part of life.... I still don't like them. I especially don't like the transition from awake to sleeping, and even less the other way around. I don't like changing jobs, cars, partners, hairdo, shows I watch or games I play. Hell, if it wasn't gross, I'd probably never change underwear.

I have a family now. We're a household of three, standalone house a little away from Tromsø village in Norway. 20 minutes drive, hardly even a sidequest, but it's in the countryside and well away from noise and stress. Wife was born in 77, daughter in 15 and myself saw the light of day in 83. To my great relief, my daughter likes the same stuff I like. Games, Legos, TV, skiing, music and homecooked food.

I also have sort of a second family, being in a band. The band is named BURAKU, and is sort of an 80's/90's heavy/thrash metal band with a small sprinkle of the new millennium. We only have one album, which I recorded, mixed, mastered, did backing vocals for, had a say in every guitar solo but one, played the drums on and wrote the lyrics for. And some of the guitars too. Needless to say, I invested A LOT in that. Especially having no prior music production projects, thus having to rely on tutorials on youtube.

Oh, D2. Almost forgot.
Restarted 4 or 5 times from scratch. Mostly because of new patches. Once because of HDD failure and no recent backup. Once because got into time travel. Which reminds me, I'm waaay behind on my guide installments. Never used any mods except FAM, but I did play battle.net ladder on and off. I remember one reset I was #1 ladder for almost 24 hours. But then I fell asleep, and never caught up.

I don't have the excess time to play as much anymore, but even so I'm still interested in the game. Sort of like old footballers who mostly just binge drink and root for some team.

Other games I like include (but are not limited to)
Starcraft 1 and 2
TES Skyrim
Hearthstone (f2p and not very skilled. Still fun.)
Final Fantasy VII

I also play some vintage games on and off. From top of head:
Constructor, Death Rally, Castle Adventure, Stargunner, Doom 1 and 2, Eye of the Beholder (really difficult) and I can beat minesweeper faster than most.

TV I like to (re)watch:
Babylon 5, X-Files, Game of Thrones, QI, Star Wars, South Park, Allo Allo, 24, and a lot of old movies

Music I'm into:
Metal, most and foremost. Iron Maiden, Meshuggah, Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Machine Head, Symphony X, Rammstein, many more.
Also like classical music, some jazz (mostly the softer stuff), country, rock (like AC/DC, Bon Jovi and some of the GNR stuff), and I like music from games and film.

If this was too long, and you didn't read... Well, you can always come back later

 

[CaseyJones]

I'm an almost 42 y.o. from Ohio with a degree in computer science. I work in application/automation control for a local manufacturer. I've been with Diablo since the first was released (D1 released while I was in college). Played mostly single player for years...then did some bnet with a co-worker about 10 years ago. We tried D3 but it just didn't pull me in the way D2 does.

Mainly found the SPF from google searching builds and what not. Restarted again last March and decided to throw my hat in with this dedicated and reasonable bunch!

Loving the tourneys, working on 3 SC UT99ers and a couple grails. Plan to be around awhile

 

[Albatross]

I should be working so I'll be brief.

I'm 32, living in Croatia, working as a web developer, been playing D2 on and off for nearly two decades.
Recently completed the grail, which felt amazing! I'm on a hiatus due to work and side gigs, but I'll be around for the next MFO.

Also considered another username because I don't use this one anywhere, but nah, it fine Got a new bird though.

 

[TwentyMu|eTeam]

Afternoon everyone,

I've been playing d2 since I was but a lad. I remember getting a PC and Diablo 2 for Christmas when I was in middle school. I'll be 34 in a couple of months and my dad still reminds me of how much time I didn't spend outside that summer (it was a lot). Anyways.. I spent the next 20 years playing off and on, resetting after each new computer or laptop. I never accumulated much wealth in between resets, which is what my current goal is.. I'm going to finish the grail and the runeword grail. It might take me 10 more years as I'm not that good at this game, but I'll get it done.

I'm a chef by trade and a craft beer connoisseur. I've done my share of traveling but am currently back home in Michigan. This summer will be my first as chef/owner of a new food truck business. I live in a tourist town so you won't see much of me from May thru October , and probably November as I'll likely be asleep.

See ya'll around

 

[TheNix]

I am an old fart just passed his 56th birthday. I am also a full-time carer for my disabled wife and do a little sessional teaching to try to keep myself sane (oops, too late!). The SPF and I go back a long way. Back before the Kraken (it weren't no simple squid) attack of 2003, back to when Alterego was the moderator, and I've been playing D2 even longer. I've taken a bit of a D2 break to concentrate on Path of Exile, but the last couple of patches I found underwhelming, so a return to D2 is on the cards. Other games I've played over the last half a dozen years or so have been D3 (pre-expansion), Grim Dawn and that's about it actually. Other than gaming, my free time is filled with reading, writing, fishing and watching vids (I found a box of old VHS tapes in the shed and I've been watching them, but that's another story). I received a Netflix gift card for my birthday, so I guess I'll do a bit of streaming in the future. Well, that's me; boring as ever.

 

[Arctodus]

35 years old dad with two kids (3 and 5 yo, 4 and 6 in two months) in Montreal here. I'm now part of the select and prestigious club of the divorcees. Don't cry for me, because that was the most dramaless separation I've ever lived. There was no drama with my ex when we were together and that's still true right now. I live three blocks away from my ex, so things are pretty easy for the kids. And I *love* my newfound freedom. So yeah, all's good.

I started to play D2 in 2001/2002 I guess, when in Cegep (a weird school between College and High school that pretty much only exists in the Quebec province; an awesome place to learn to not go to school and smoke a lot of pot). I was blasted out of my mind (from D2 and the pot, yeah). A friend of mine lended my his D2:LoD and Baldur's Gate (without ToB) discs. Yep, you could do that back then. Let just say that these games had a lasting impression on me. However, I stopped playing video games altogether for pretty much my whole twenties, concentrating on my studies.

Completed two master degrees, one in History of Arts (more Philosophy of Arts, really) and a second in Information Studies to become a librarian, which is a neat choice of career for the people who wrote masters in a useless field and realize that they don't care about PHDs but still need a job. And, guess what, I actually like my job.

So, studies out of the way, I caught the video game bug again in my early thirties. So here I am. I'm still only playing old stuff, 2001 and before; D2, Baldur's Gate and the NES-SNES-PSX era. I don't care about modern games, not because I think *it was better in the good ol days*, but just because the break from gaming in my 20s created a schism in my gaming sensibility; I feel alien to the modern gaming landscape and don't want to take the time to get into it. Some people like 17th century baroque music, some other like 20th century Central Europe litterature; me, gaming wise, I like 2001 and before. And I like my old stuff enough to be good for a lifetime, really.

Other than that, I obviously like to read, being a librarian. I like classic litterature with some philosophy on the side. And, obviously, I like arts. I'm also a decent runner; I run about 4/5 times a week. I'll never be great at it, because I'm naturally a bit thick (5'11 and 220lbs in shape; 1m79cm and 100kg for those who prefer the metric system). But still, I really like it. I also practiced boxing on and off since my teenage years, but now I'm into weight lifting. Easier to fit into my schedule nowadays. So yeah, that covers me !

 

[jjscud]

Hi, jjscud here.

Diablo-wise, I enjoyed playing D1 back in the day (though still never played the expansion, but it doesn't sound like I'm missing out on much). I'm pretty much the anti-jiansonz (no so many will get that reference these days) and played D1 multiplayer all by my self so that I could re-run areas. I was very excited for D2, bought it shortly after release, ran around the blood moor for a few minutes and was disappointed it was nothing like the creepy, dungeon crawling D1. I played it a tiny bit for the next four years and then finally bought the expansion and upgraded to 1.10 (unknowingly). I decided to play HC on bnet and SC singleplayer but with poor internet connections back then, I found myself playing SC (singleplayer) much more. Then I stumbled across the SPF and the rest is history.

Over the years I participated heavily in the push for 99, ran the MFO's for a while, and did as much testing/research/discussing of chest drop patterns as I could. Eventually I made the switch to D3 and didn't take to it like I had with D2 and eventually stopped playing it, but didn't return to D2, Until last year, and now I'm back. My main focus is reaching 99 (funny because I'm actually pretty bad at it) but I generally try to drop in a few competitions here and there.

Outside of games, I'm 45, I live in Utah in the U.S. My biggest other hobby is running. I mostly target 'racing' (participating is probably a better word) in half marathons though I branch out a little here and there. I've got 4 kids (all girls), mostly teenagers so life is interesting.

 

[Gynli]

Hi @all, Gynli here.
I'm a 28 year-old from Korea/Canada, currently working in Korea as junior dev in a small software company.

Game-wise, I've been playing Blizzard games all my life. Starcraft and DotA being the big two.
The first ever game I played was this puzzle-like side-scroll game with three viking brothers by Blizzard...
Anyone know what I'm talking about??

D2-wise, I first tried single player when I found an old copy of D2 and decided to kill some time.
And oddly enough, it's been the game to kill some time ever since.

Current D2-project is the 99er Bowa; and is slugging along at remarkable ~90k exp/5mins ~60k/5mins.

 

[Dazliare]

Hi friends!

Man I could write a novel here. I'm 29 living in Colorado with my brother and two cats. I'm currently unemployed, but a Mechanical Engineer by trade

I first discovered Diablo 2 in fourth grade. I wasn't much of a gamer when I was kid (parents wouldn't let us), so when my friend said "you have to check out this new game I got", I didn't give it much thought. I remember going to his house and he showed it to me, and I couldn't believe how much fun it was. About a year later I convinced my dad to buy it for me. I got a Barbarian to nightmare once, but most other characters never finished normal. I didn't have any concept of "builds" and I largely just messed around.

I put the game down for World of Warcraft for a long time, but picked it up again around 2011. A friend of mine was playing the ladder season and had a level 88 sorceress. I decided to give the game another go, found the SPF, and rest is history I suppose. This is only game I played through most of college because my crappy laptop couldn't run anything else. I loved the single player experience, finding all your own stuff, discovering the best methods for finding HRs, etc

Since finishing school I haven't been nearly as active, though I do come back to D2 occasionally. I find myself playing a lot of ARPGs still - Grim Dawn, Titan Quest, Torchlight 2, etc, and even though D2 always has my heart, those other games have a lot to offer the genre. I also enjoy other RPGs - Morrowind is a favorite, as was Divinity Original Sin (I haven't really played 2 yet)

Other hobbies include playing piano, doing jigsaw puzzles, rock climbing, cooking, spending time with friends. The usual

Also yes that's me and my cat in my profile pic

 

[PhineasB]

I've visited the forums since I first started playing D2 in 2005. I largely played cookie-cutters and don't do maths or wasn't able to add any insight to game mechanics, so was an "active lurker." I lost interest after a couple years but obviously came back and, at this point, I'm on my 4th restart on SP. The Untwinked 99er reboot finally inspired me to stop lurking and say hello to everyone. This is such a great community and has helped keep me engaged and returning to D2.

I live in California in the US. I’m an attorney by training and do policy and legal work. As to gaming, at this point, gaming is a nice break, usually for some minutes each day during the week to wind down, and then often a large chunk over a weekend if work permits. My favorite game aside from D2 is X-Com. I still go back to play it every-so-often, although nothing will match the experience of my brother and me when we encountered our first Extra Large ship and were glued to the old 486 at 3 am. I generally enjoyed turn-based tactical or strategy the most, but the only game I regularly play now is D2.

 

[djmbbandie]

Lurked since 2010. Joined formally February 2012. The current resident bartender in the Bar. Diablo II is still in my list of games but currently on the backburner due to obsession with Torchlight II (now awaiting III)/ Pokémon Go (1 level 40 and a new account only recently started). Is currently doing some dabbling on the PS3 version of DIII.

I'm in SoCal and work for DoD in accounting. Aged 31 (mentally 29).

 

[Nano]

Hi, Nano here. Formerly known as NanoMist back at dii.net, I just go by Nano nowadays.

I started playing D2LoD sometime during 1.09, on Battle.net. I played Ladder on and off for years, even signing up in 2010 to post in the theorycrafting and trading forums. I also dabbled in vanilla single player during this time, making a few self-found Mat/Pats and Guardians as I grew tired of online multiplayer. Then I remembered a certain subforum dedicated to single player and finally made my way in. It wasn't until the untwinked 99er reboot did I go all in on the SPF experience and built up an array of characters and stashes. Truly a great and special community here.