Diablo was named the 1996 Game of the Year by both CGW and GameSpot in part because of its seamless Internet play and multiplayer support. While the multiplay was good, it was overshadowed by incessant cheating.
Blizzard says it is committed to addressing the problem, and co-designer Eric Schaefer promises, "We will solve the cheating." Schaefer won't reveal details though, partly because the team is still working on solutions and partly because Blizzard doesn't want to give away its plans to prospective cheaters.
Blizzard says it will increase the maximum number of players, possibly up to eight. Most important, the entire game will be available in multiplayer games. Every quest will be playable in single- and multiplayer modes. Difficulty levels will be taken out of the multiplayer game. Since each successive town gets progressively harder, Blizzard sees no need to add difficulty levels.

Altered States

Aside from making high-concept changes, Blizzard's development team is also overhauling the engine and interface. The new engine is already running, and it looks better than the original. There was some talk of a new 3D engine, but that was scrapped in favor of the more familiar 2D engine. While the perspective remains the same, the graphics are now much cleaner and more detailed. The lighting will be blended better for more realistic shadows. Also, the environment is being enlarged. You'll remember that the walls and doors in Diablo were only slightly taller than your character, but in Diablo II the walls will loom, giving the entire dungeon a more foreboding appearance. Blizzard has also implemented true transparencies (rather than dithering) when a character walks behind a wall.
Characters will now enjoy true line of sight. Only the objects in the character's direct line of sight will be visible. No more seeing through doors or walls, even if they are directly in front of you.
Blizzard says that dungeons will be more interactive, with more traps and breakable objects, including stained glass windows. The graphics will also shift away from being tile-based, to give you true point-and-click freedom of movement (in contrast to Diablo's eight directions of movement). Blizzard has also heard gamers' cries and will add a "run" feature to your character's movement options.

Hell to Raise

There are still some things that Blizzard is keeping secret. Of course, this early in the development cycle, there is much that still hasn't been finalized. As more details are revealed, we'll bring you updates. For now, the Blizzard team is working hard on the first act, and promises that each successive act will only get better. It's also mindful of the shipping pains of Diablo and has built in plenty of months for play testing. At this point, the team's got great ideas and an impressive-looking engine and first dungeon. The rest remains to be seen, but the folks at Blizzard have never let us down before.

Character Class Spells and Abilities

Here's a sampling of the new spells that some classes will possess:
Whirlwind: Wind attack that strikes all squares around character
Zealotry: Lowers speed, but boosts attack strength and hit points
Enchant: Makes target sword flame, and makes other weapons magical
Glacial Spike: A cold spike that freezes target
Summon Blood Golem: Blood golem fights to the death for you
Wall of Bone: An impassable wall with tough hit points
Control Monster: Temporarily turns a monster into an ally.