A Long-Lost Memory
Shade on 24.03.2025 um 10:17 (UTC) | | | It has been many years since I last thought much about Diablo or gaming in general. But last night, I had a dream that transported me back to that chapter of my life. I found myself once again in the depths of Tristram's dungeons, venturing into the dark abyss where demons lurked around every corner, and both death and glory awaited. I felt a deep satisfaction in having a handful of good friends by my side: the fierce rogue, the rampaging sorcerer, and the sturdy warrior who fearlessly led the charge into the unknown.
Even though it feels like a lifetime ago, reminiscing about those times still brings me joy. From 1997 until the end of 2018, I enjoyed this true milestone in gaming history. In the early days, finding a reliable player base was a challenge due to significant flaws in the game's security architecture, making it difficult to meet others who played fairly. It took about a year on the German-speaking Battle.net for a "legit" community to form—a group I proudly called my flock from then on. Over the years, many friendships were forged within the Diablo community, whether in Deu-1, LE, USA-1, X, or later through various forums and Discord channels. Early guilds and clans such as DTFPK, HK, LLH, SM, SS, and SW played a fundamental role in fostering camaraderie and deepening my understanding of the game's intricate mechanics.
Some of my most treasured memories come from the years between 2008 and 2011, when the remaining player base from around the world united for the Freshmeat PVM and IM events. Players from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States, and many parts of Europe dedicated countless hours to friendly competition—testing their dueling skills and seeing who could best the creatures of hell with the greatest efficiency.
Now, in a very different chapter of my life, I look back on those times as a stepping stone toward becoming the person I am today. Managing a community taught me how to resolve conflicts, navigate human emotions, and gain insight into different cultures. It also provided me with a refuge during difficult times—allowing me to momentarily set aside life's burdens and immerse myself in my passion for the game.
As for the FM website, I will keep it online as a tribute to the memories we shared, but I will no longer be updating it. Although it clearly cries out for a refresh—given that the technology is now severely outdated and some features may no longer function properly—its value lies in the nostalgia it holds rather than in its current state.
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the players who shared this classic with me. The friendships formed in this virtual space have been truly cherished, though, sadly, I have lost touch with most of them over the years. Wherever you are, I hope that life has been kind to you and that your journey has been fulfilling. I send my love to all of you, but especially to the following players, whose names remain etched in my memory:
Antihero, Arkain, ArnVid, Asuka, Battle.nerd, Berserker, Blessedknight, Duriel, Emelaldo, Escarot, Esau, FireIceTalon, Gini, Hariel, Jamala, Lighthelm, Nekony, Omar, Petre, Plague, Royal, Rudra, Shinra, Solomon, Taliesin, Terry, Thomas, Usagi, Viper, Wedge, Wotan, Xeen, Zakuro
Thank you for being part of this journey <3
If any of you read this, feel free to get in touch via:
philip.mutschler@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/philip.s.mutschler/ | | | |
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LA2H Tournament - The Pandemoniom Trial - Completed
Shade on 11.11.2019 um 14:06 (UTC) | | | The second edition of “The Pandemonium Trial” Low-AC-2H tournament was completed yesterday.
This is the final Ranking:
#1 Shade - 11min 38sec
#2 Xero - 12min 42sec
#3 Aga - 12min 48sec
#4 Berserker - 14min
#5 Warhawk - 15min 18sec
#6 Constantine - 26min 51sec
#7 D1Legit - n/a
It was a true pleasure to participate for a second time. I want to thank the organizers Aga and Xero for keeping Diablo alive with such events. I hope that we will see many more editions, and maybe even other variants of competitive PVM in the future.
#1 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHws27xQdls&feature=emb_logo
You can find a compilation of all the event recordings on the respective event website:
http://diablo1.96.lt/2.html
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Diablo fully playable in webbrowser
Shade on 01.08.2019 um 20:01 (UTC) | | | Rivsoft has ported the 1996 classic Diablo to its website, which allows you to play it in your webbrowser. As of now, only Singleplayer mode is available. The Diablo.mpq file is required to play the full version. Without it, only the Shareware version is playable.
Rivsoft says that the port has been created using “reconstructed” source code from the original game, from two teams, “GalaXyHaXz” and “Devilution” team.
You can access the game on this website:
https://d07riv.github.io/diabloweb/
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FreshMeat - 10th Anniversary
Shade on 20.03.2019 um 23:07 (UTC) | | | On March 21st 2009 the first ‘Call To Arms’ PVP tournament started. This date marks the beginning of our community efforts. If somebody would have told me back then, that this site would last for a decade I certainly wouldn’t have believed it. Initially we created it to give this one tournament a platform and share one or another guide for Diablo. It's almost a bit surreal to still have it up and running.
I am grateful for all the good memories, friendships and contacts that emerged along the way of hosting and maintaining this site, and the related community events and platforms. I hope that there still will be some interest in the milestone Diablo for another decade. The recent GOG re-release makes me feel optimistic.
I sincerely want to thank the following people who helped, inspired or in another way contributed to this website:
Duriel, Emelaldo, FireIceTalon, Th0mas, Esau, Hariel, Tiron, WildViking, Gore, Maggot, Petre, Rudra, Royal, eiskalt-ger, Blue Scorpio, Xero, Zakuro | | | |
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FreshMeat Forums - reactivated
Thomas on 11.03.2019 um 21:19 (UTC) | | | Since Tristr.am is unfortunately gone and the recent GOG Diablo release increased activity significantly, we’ve decided to reactivate the FreshMeat forums. You can find them here:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/freshmeatbutchery/
As soon as we can find the necessary time, we will overwork the design and give the main-site an update too.
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Diablo re-released on GOG
Shade on 08.03.2019 um 12:27 (UTC) | | | Diablo has risen again. An unexpected re-release on GOG brings back full Battle.net functionality, as well as modern OS support. Blizzard stopped manufacturing it long ago so finding the game has been difficult/expensive/of dubious legality. Now here it is, up on GOG, in both a “vanilla” version with online multiplayer support and a "remasterded" edition which offers resolution upscaling.
Diablo is available on GOG for 7,89£ - 9,99$ - 8,89€ https://www.gog.com/game/diablo | | | |
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