The Diablo 4 beta meant we had to swing into action pretty quickly a few weeks ago and there’s a lot going on behind the scenes here at PureDiablo.
The first Beta weekend was nuts for the few of us working on site projects. One thing it did Highlight was we needed some more hamsters running the wheels in the the server. Between the two beta weekends, we migrated all the content onto a new server which was quite a task. The good news is we had it up and running before the second beta went live which meant the slow-downs we saw on the first weekend didn’t materialise.
Running the site and community is not an easy task when you are working on a non-profit basis. Everyone who helps the site and the PureDiablo community volunteers their time to make it better and their dedication really shines during moments like a beta test.
With all that in mind, a few shoutouts are in order. Thanks to Nekro for his coding wizardry, Thortok2000 for reappearing after years of absence only to dive head first into the map project, the forum mods for doing such an excellent job, the Discord mods for holding the fort over there, Angzt for datamining bits and pieces, the Podcast team HCXanth, Neinball, N3rdwards (and all our other guests). and Elly for pushing in funds to facilitate the server upgrade. Finally, all the PurePremium supporters who subscribe and support us directly. You guys are amazing.
We are always on the lookout for more help whether it’s coding (js, Node, PHP), datamining, news writing, etc so do get in touch if you’re interested in helping.
Mapping Crazy
Despite being rushed off our feet, we managed to get our first major Diablo 4 project off the ground with the Diablo 4 Interactive Map. Since our first test of the map last weekend we have worked on lots of stuff in the backend as the beta got underway on Friday.
This week Nekro and myself were joined by long-time site visitor Thortok2000 who went mapping mad. New categories were added, new markers, zones added, images added, it’s now mobile-friendly, the menus slide away for full screen, and a load of backend changed for admins. It’s been a big project to get done in under 2 weeks.
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on the map and we aim to make it the most extensive map/guide out there when the game launches on 6 June.
PureDiablo App Goes Diablo 4
Just ahead of this weekend’s beta we also updated the PureDiablo Overwolf App to now include Diablo 4 content from the Diablo 4 Wiki and the new map system. We were quite rushed in getting this out but we wanted to make sure it was live for open beta. Expect some further tweaks to the app in the weeks ahead.
Future
Now we’ve had a taste of the game. there’s a lot of work to do ahead of launch. The Diablo 4 Wiki will see extensive updates in the coming days and weeks (anyone can help us update the content) and we’re also working on some new tools ahead of the launch which will hopefully benefit players when the game goes live on 6 June.
Also, make sure you venture into the forums and get the Diablo 4 forums rocking. Our old Diablo 2 forums were a wealth of information for players and were invaluable. I hope the same enthusiasm for chat and sharing ideas spills over to Diablo 4.
The community on our old site had been amazing and it’s great to see old faces resurface after years of not playing Diablo. Most of you are probably surprised we’re still here! We’re here all right, once Diablo flows in your veins it’s impossible to remove it.
it’s a real cliche to say a website is “by gamers for gamers” but that really is the case here, there’s no corporate entity overseeing PureDiablo, we are simply doing what we love and we hope you continue to enjoy the output.
~Rush & Elly