DiabloFans

Over the last month, DiabloFans has warped back in time with The Hell for Diablo I, revisited the basics and more in Back to Hellfire for Diablo II, and saw the glory of spell-bindingly fantastic skills and adventures with Median XL for Diablo II, today we will venture forth into the Elemental Planes and beyond with Battle for Elements, an original Diablo II mod by True Mage.

*cue tire screeching sound*

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There are Elemental Planes in Diablo?

Unless you've poured over the Diablo manuals, where even then mentions of the Elemental Planes are scant, you have likely never heard of them before. Battle for Elements takes a pre-existing component of Diablo lore and expertly molds it in to an exciting series of new adventures and areas, with new scenery and terrifying enemies that really makes you feel that you have left Sanctuary for something more elemental.

True Mage had a ball working with pre-existing material in the Diablo universe when he adapted his in-game visuals of the Elemental Planes into Battle for Elements:

Quote from name="True Mage" »

I was interested in developing those things which were just marked in an original game. It opens new sides of the game. Besides that, I always was under a great influence of Might&Magic series. If you have noticed, information about Ancients as a high-tech species which was just noted in an original game, comes from the MM series as well. Elemental planes are like the opening of a new world still staying in the world of Sanctuary, as Elemental planes are exist very close, just behind a thin barrier containing the Elements, themselves.

However, the fun doesn't stop there. Battle for Elements incorporates a new version of runes and runewords, drawing inspiration from traditional Norse mythology. The mod includes thirty-five new runes with unique names and attributes. True Mage reminisces about the percieved short-comings of runes and runewords in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and how he has improved them in Battle for Elements:

Quote from name="True Mage" »

I like the Scandinavian mythology very much. I think it looks like a beautiful and natural combination of war and poetry. My rune system has used a kind of realistic model not only in rune names and aettes. I have also tried to keep runes ingame properties and their traditional mythology meaning. Another step into the realm of realism is my runewords system that passes runes properties to runewords. LoD runewords was one of the most disappointing things as their properties come from nowhere and not related to runes used in them. I have tried to fix this mistake. That's why runescripts has appeared in BfE as things which were reflected in Scandinavian mythology. So the main features are realistic properties and players ability to predict runeword properties based on the rune properties themselves.

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The Norse mythological influence doesn't stop there. True Mage has woven elements of it into other parts of the mod, including an entire region devoted to Fenris, duly named the Lair of Fenris, a name many of you might recognize from its other name, Fenrir, the god-bound colossal wolf of legend.


Lore, locations, and enemies are not all that Battle for Elements embellished vanilla Diablo II with. Two new stats, in addition to Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, and Energy, make their debue in the Diablo world in Battle for Elements: Luck and Endurance. True Mage elaborates:

Quote from name="True Mage" »

I wanted to add more variety to skills mechanics but later these two statistics have become more valuable in other game aspects as well. Endurance was the first one I have placed into the game. It is a DnD concept where the character loses 1 point of Constitution for every resurrection (i.e. death). I wanted this mechanism to have players to be more careful with their characters deaths as losing Endurance is more penalising than losing experience. This stat has eventually started to influence to many skill parameters which could depend on character's life forces and it was only logical to create another stat that would reflect a power of random. So these two stats have born.

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The extensive mod also includes many new items, including Mystery Potions, Ancient Containers, and many new Horadric Cube formulae. New socketable items called Souls serve as a key element in character progression when used in conjunction with Extractors. There's simply too many to include in one post: I encourage you to look for yourself in True Mage's online database.

The future of Battle for Elements is looking bright. True Mage notes that future releases of the mod will include some visual enhancements: "I myself think that game misses modern graphic capabilities, like 24-bit color and resolutions over 800x600. By the way, both of these features are planned for Battle for Elements 1.52."

When asked if he would be extending his modding talent to Diablo III, he replied:

Quote from name="True Mage" »

Yes, I really think it is possible I will make a mod for D3. Most possible it will be a sequel for my saga about Elements. But, as I already said, the coming game should be really good for it. I can't say just now if it will have me to stop BfE support and put all efforts into BfE2. It is possible that I will not leave those players who prefer Diablo II.

So, get ready to face the challenges and intrigue of the Elemental Planes and all that Battle for Elements has to offer: check out the official Battle for Elements website today!

(A Battle for Elements section of the Wiki is currently in the works. If you would like to help, contact the Wiki Manager PhrozenDragon or any of the other Wiki Sysops on the forum board!)

The ladder reset announced so long ago and official launch of patch 1.13 is upon us! Bashiok has announced that the reset will occur on March 23:


If you missed out on any of our PTR articles, read up:

• Patch 1.13 PTR announcement.
• Detailed 1.13 Analysis
• Suggestions and Wishlist for 1.13.
• Do You Like 1.13 Poll
• Sorceress Discussion thread.
• Paladin Discussion thread.
• Barbarian Discussion thread.
• Necromancer Discussion thread.
• Amazon Discussion thread.
• Assassin Discussion thread.
• Druid Discussion thread.
• 1.13 Skill Calc Builds
• Patch 1.13 Right Around the Corner
• 1.13 in the New Year

The final part of patch 1.13, 1.13c, was announced more than a week ago. The updates that come with it will be minimal:

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Blizzard has tweeted an update at the official fan art gallery at Blizzard.com, which features some pretty nifty new pieces, including subject matter from Starcraft, World of Warcraft (like always!), and Diablo. In particular, a member here by the name of Yngvar now has some of his work hanging in Blizzard's digital vaults!

You may also want to peruse some other work by Yngvar around the DiabloFans Fan Art forum, such as an unforgettably-epic image of the Diablo III Barbarian in all his battle-hardened glory or the Sorceress of Diablo II casting down some baddies in the tombs of Diablo II.


Check out the rest of his artwork at his DeviantArt gallery here! And, if that doesn't satisfy your need for good fantasy art, you may want to look through the Sons of the Storm gallery if you've never seen it before- it contains some awesome and inspirational Diablo-based pieces, although you won't be finding any hidden clues to Diablo III's so far unnannounced fifth class:


Jokes aside, maybe we'll be able to chew on some fifth class scraps as spring at DiabloFans moves quickly to summer and BlizzCon 2010. Fresh art and hopeful speculation- spring is on the horizon- stay tuned to DiabloFans!

Diablo II patch 1.13b has been confirmed to not be the last phase of the latest updates to the nearly decade-old game. Bashiok posted today that a 1.13c is in the works and it is coming to completion, but warns that we will most likely not be seeing any updates from Blizzard until a week before the patch finally hits the official realms.


As has been noted lightly before, the Legacy Team will also likely be working on patches for Diablo II in the future, though no dates or specifics have been provided.


So play up your last-minute cheats on the PTR while you can, we may not be far from the long-awaited ladder reset and finished patch that has dragged us through a long and harrowing year.

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Where [I]The Hell[/I] brought us to the deepest levels of Diablo I, and [I]Back to Hellfire[/I] strove to find Diablo II's roots in Diablo I, [I]Median XL[/I], an acclaimed mod for Diablo II, is something altogether different. Today, Laz tells us important goals and features he set in to [I]Median XL[/I], why it is so successful, and his thoughts on modding for upcoming Diablo III.

[I]Median XL[/I] adds a tremendous amount of new effects, skills, items, and content, making the game we've all played for a near decade take new livelihood that lost its luster over the years. Beyond the basic skill trees, which have seen their fair share of renovation, many skills can only be used by equipping select items. Playable characters have new lore, and special events allow for more button-mashing goodness, making Horadric Cube transmutation more feasible and fun. Laz admits to the challenges he faced making the mod, discovering what he believes to really drive [I]Median XL[/I]'s playerbase:

Quote from Laz »

There are modmakers who strive to improve the balance in the game and create 'the perfect Diablo' while the rest of the world passes them by. No game should be taken that seriously. I admit to making the same mistake in the past, only to discover that the players don't actually want a challenge.

Therefore the main way [I]Median [/I]strives to improve upon d2 is through spectacle. Most skills, items, monsters and levels in d2 are boring. [I]Median [/I]throws in crazy uberquests and fireworks and nuclear bombs and you get to kill angels in heaven and robots in a dystopic city.

[...]

Originally my concerns were to make skills situational, so you could (and had to) switch between skills depending on the situation. This was in the fairytale times when I thought d2 could be tactical and difficult - and nobody played [I]Median [/I]because it was too tactical and difficult.

Nowadays my concerns are simply 'is this skill overpowered enough?'. After years of requests to buff just about anything that isn't already the obvious best choice and some stuff that is (and the corresponding increase in playerbase) it has become clear that many players do not actually want much of a challenge and many others believe that challenge in d2 means that you need to figure out the very best build to farm efficiently.

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[I]Median XL[/I] also focused on making the single-player experience more rewarding, promising, and accessible, which Laz noted as [I]single-player-friendliness[/I]: "[...] you can actually find decent stuff in single player, instead of becoming useless in mid-Nightmare without the 1-in-10000 unique drop)."

The mod is as true as his word. Nearly any screenshot taken during battle or a skill's use will admit seizure-inducing colors, flashes, and spectacular effects, giving player's the adrenaline rush of god on steroids. Players will battle fiersome beings not formerly seen in Sanctuary, including Baalspawn, terrible new renditions of uber quests, and even the returns of some of the classics.

Laz drew [I]Median XL[/I]'s repertoire of monsters and enemies from, as he stated, an "eclectic mix" of games, some from genres you might not have been anticipating:

Quote from Laz »

I just looked around and threw in stuff that looked like it would work well. The old d1 content was of course easy to find and adapt, but there are influences ranging from Left4Dead to Twisted Metal. When I see a good idea, I use it.

The difference with most other mods is that everything in [I]Median [/I]was adapted to the Diablo lore. When a unique item bears someone's name, this person does exist in the Diablo world. Likewise, imported concepts from other games were modified to fit the Diablo lore. Etc.

However, fantastical skills and flashy effects do not keep players enthralled forever. Laz continued to acknowledge the inevitability of character development in gaming, which we even see in vanilla Diablo II's handful of cookie-cutter builds:

Quote from Laz »

I'm still committed to making all skills viable, as in you can complete most uberquests with them. Unfortunately viable does not mean useful - most players simply go for the 2-3 best builds per class and ignore everything else. This is either because this yields the most l00t per second or else because they made a different build but a few minutes of reading the official forum left them with a dark cloud of impending doom and futility hanging over their head so they respecced.

And there are a few skills that exist mostly to appeal to the rule of cool. Carpet of Spiders? Yes, please.

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The special uber quests, which vary in difficulty and actually function a bit more like quests, lay in wait for players that want even more from [I]Median XL[/I]: "They were intended to be a tactical challenge to complete, what with the shield auras that make the boss immune until you take out other monsters."

In addition to many new baddies, supernova skills, fresh lore, and cool new features, [I]Median XL[/I] has been teetering on the fine line between challenge and godmode for years, especially with the latest renditions. Work on the mod has been a fight for balance between the old-timers and the newer crowd: "[I][...][/I] veterans lament the fact that the game has 'become easier and easier' while newer players reply that the game is actually hard if you don't obsessively twink. I have no idea what the real difficulty is, but I know that people seem to stick around so I suppose it is generally okay."

Quote from "Laz »

[I]Median XL[/I] was also intended to remove all the old cheese from [I]Median 2008[/I'] and add new harder regular monsters and elites - at least, that was the plan. During the lengthy beta, people wept bitter tears over the increased difficulty. It seemed that every new elite caused someone to quit the game. Some players even said literally that they just wanted to run through the game as fast as possible and do ubers instead of wasting time getting killed by hellcats.

Blizzcast 13 has launched into cyberspace. Check out the full transcription and audio of the podcast here! Following the extensive part on Starcraft II came the section we have all been waiting for since the questions submission in early January. Of the Diablo-related fan questions that were answered, half of them came from DiabloFans! Congrats, gals n' guys!


Hardcore Diablo fans rejoice! Our illegitimate fear of any assimilating of World of Warcraft's vices has been temporarily appeased. Oh, wait a minute, Bashiok offers some explanation:


A good phrase is in there: "We’re not a persistent MMO, Diablo III is not a persistent MMO." It signifies what has made and still makes the Diablo series unique and appealing- it's ability to be an online fantasy world without the trappings of being an MMO, unthinkable in a time when the modern consensus of online fantasy gaming is narrowed to a single perceived option.


Respeccing in Diablo III looks to be a compromise of the relative ease of exploitation in Diablo II's latest patch and the concerns of many fans upon its speculation, becoming progressively harder to attain as the game, and your character, continues throughout the world of Sanctuary.


Come on, we all know it's the truth. The community manager is obviously in charge of Diablo III's development.


Ironically, what many could consider the heart of the Diablo games is the biggest challenge to get right, fighting for balance between breathing worlds and a unique field on (nearly) every roll. The illusion of randomness by non-random computer calculations may be similar to trying to disguise algebra as stereotypical expressionistic painting. (Alright, alright, given, most of my algebraic calculation are actually very random. X = number of dots I can count on the ceiling during math class...)


Could this mean that durability is, indeed, returning in Diablo III?


And, if you have ever wondered what all those highly-professional and stingy psychos look like at Blizzard HQ, their FaceBook recently updated with a homely picture:


Once again, we encourage you to check out the full transcription and audio of the podcast here, including lots of talk about Starcraft II, which recently went to closed beta, and World of Warcraft. We've also got a list of people who PMed us about this the second our automated Blizz Tracker scooped it and/or it hit the servers, so a special thanks to Tsukiyomi, DesmondTiny, and Ivaron for spotting the new Blizzcast information and thanks to enkeria for spotting the staff picture!

Mixing, matching, transmuting, and crafting have been a structured and useful, to varying degrees, part of Diablo II since its release. Now that we're on the verge of another year in the development cycle, we may be getting closer to what exactly crafting, in whatever form it assumes in Diablo III, entails.

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In the past, crafting, or transmuting as it is more correctly called in the context of the Diablo world, was done with the Horadric Cube, introduced in vanilla Diablo II in a quest in Lut Gholein. Various items would be placed inside the Cube, also functioning as extra storage space, and the Transmute button would be clicked. If you knew what you were doing or read some online lists of transmutable items, a new item would be made and the old items would be gone. If you didn't, well, you would experience a fail. (More about transmuting here.)

While some have stated the desire to see the Horadric Cube return in Diablo III, others have been looking for new ways of slanting a possible crafting system. Early last year, when more of the UI was released in snapshots, our forum board went abuzz with talk of the mysterious new "Talisman," as it was called by Bashiok (see right). Was it possible that this was the new crafting system? However, nothing further was revealed, and the Talisman remained what it was: a mystery and an annoying secret. Furthermore, with the UI changes that have assailed the game since early last year, this may not still be on their development platter.


Now, in response to some good ol' fashioned fan inquiry, we have a new but no more helpful update!


Besides confirming that crafting will be in the game, although that could probably have been surmised long ago, it also brings the discussion topic back to the community. What form do you think crafting will take in Diablo III? Is it a welcome sight?


Disclaimer: DiabloFans' Rumors are not the officially recognized positions of the staff, management, and/or administration of DiabloFans.

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Gaming news guru GameInformer recently printed their March 2010 issue, including a short section devoted to Diablo clones until Diablo III comes out. Their brief list included Torchlight, an upcoming free-to-play ARPG/MMORPG hybrid complete with a powerful map editor (see our Torchlight forum), Sacred II, a console and PC MMO, and, of course, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, because you can't beat the classics.

If those three can't satisfy you during the wait, you can prolong your Diablo and Diablo II experience with plentiful and fantastic mods by various developers, such as Back to Hellfire for Diablo II or The Hell for Diablo I. To see some more, check out the Phrozen Keep, a site largely devoted to the modding scene.

And if those can't keep you pacified until release, we invite you to spend some time in our DiabloFans community, using our forum board or Diablo Wiki.

What are you playing during the wait? See what DiabloFans members are suggesting here!

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midgetlove spotted a confirmation of Starcraft II's beta starting this month, in addition to it's likely release this year with World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Get ready for Battle.net 2.0 and the future of Blizzard games- 2010 looks like an exciting year for Blizzard fans!

Also, over at ShackNews it was shown that this will be availible for digital download via the new Battle.net account system.


See the original thread here, and a special thanks to midgetlove and milanv for bringing this information to the site!

The newest rendition of the Battle.net online gaming network announced back in March of 2009, deemed "Battle.net 2.0" by many, had many of its newest features outlined today at starcraft2.com. Prospects are high: "Battle.net is about to undergo the greatest update in its long and storied history as one of the world's most successful online gaming services."

What exactly are all the fancy new bells and whistles with Battle.net 2.0, and how close is the call between Diablo III and Starcraft II as far as it is concerned?

The webpage boasts many clean and modern upgrades to the archaic Battle.net system, including a focus on continual connection for news, communication, and content updates through profiles. Intuitive matchmaking technology, previously low-key, arose to prominence in Battle.net 2.0 for Starcraft II:


This includes tiering based on a hundred-player margin to ensure players are gauged in competitive fields that their experience fits in, providing ideal challenge levels and more localized ranking on the ladders. Game modes will include the old and a mix of new options, including:


Communication has seen a positive overhaul, using more advanced features that have been seen in popular communication mediums like xFire. Playerswill be able to talk to one another with friends lists and other popular social features, as well as use these features to get to know one another before playing a game together. Beyond a particular game, Battle.net 2.0 will allow chatting across many of Blizzard's online games using a new future named Real ID:


Is your friend mistakenly playing World of Warcraft instead of Diablo III? No problem! Assail your friend in the new instant-messaging-like interface until he or she switches games in the blink of an eye.

Player-made content, like mods, is supported by new Battle.net interfaces. Unfortunately, this will not likely carry over to Diablo III, with Blizzard's official statement of non-support for modding in Diablo III.

It appears that achievements will also play a major role with Battle.net 2.0, hinted at in earlier Blizzard statements even for Diablo III, a great way of getting players to continue playing well after beating the game. Along with the achievements are rewards through Battle.net. As of now, they seem to be something smaller such as profile pictures but they could also be used for other services Diablo fans want, like renaming characters.

There was no official word on microtransactions in the update, however, which will likely vary, or be entirely gone, depending on the game title. You can see an interview with Greg Canessa, Project Director for Battle.net, and more at the official page here!

---

Thanks goes to zhuge and shadow123 for some quick PMing skills and eyes, and ScyberDragon for his help nailing this info down!

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From [B]The Hell[/B] with Diablo I we now move to Diablo II, but not without a look back to the basics of the franchise. Back to Hellfire, a mod for Diablo II that harkens back to the quests of its predecessor. Onyx, a top-cat at the [B]Phrozen Keep[/B] and creator of Back to Hellfire, spared a few words for DiabloFans on his inspirations, the future of the mod, and his viewpoints on the two installments, Diablo I and Diablo II.

Back to Hellfire features a significant holdout from Diablo I: spell books. Whereas in Diablo II players advanced through diverse skill trees to obtain spells and abilities, Diablo I was much simpler. Spell books were obtained from stands other places, and then were right-clicked and added to a player's spell list; however, in Back to Hellfire there is a twist.

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In keeping with the random spirit of the Diablo franchise, Onyx "didn't provide any way to get books in Back to Hellfire, aside from random monster drops." Though the complaints have rolled in, Onyx claims that this system requires a superior amount of skill later in the game, as opposed to regular Diablo II, and challenges the lazy and uncalculating to "beat the game with what you have, without planning the build in advance." The 105 individual skills spread over seven new character classes ensure that skill planning is an integral part of the Back to Hellfire experience.

The regression to spell books was personal taste, however. When asked if he believed Blizzard North lost a major element of the Diablo franchise when they did away with spell books and embraced skill trees in Diablo II, Onyx replied:

Quote from "Onyx »

No. Creating the so-called character builds draws more player attention then randomized books. My opinion on this is one thing, but Blizzard need to sell. So [B]they do what's best for the franchise[/B]. Actually, getting to plan your skills from the start is the core element of the Diablo games, it [B]just wasn't executed as good in Diablo 1[/B'], where you had to constantly reroll Adria's items in order to get the books you needed.

Back to Hellfire also feeds on the fear of the dark and mysterious, as Diablo II's predecessor did. Before Onyx began work on Back to Hellfire, he had beaten Diablo II a number of times but, when he first played the original, found a bit of the old lost in the new:

Quote from "Interview »

[...] after I completed Diablo II several times, I decided to check the first game. This is when I saw the difference. [B]Diablo II simply lacks the atmosphere in most places, especially the overground areas.[/B] I have never been scared when I play D2, but [B]I will never forget how I jumped out of my chair the first time I opened the Butcher's room in Diablo I[/B']. This is the core difference between the two games.

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When work began on Back to Hellfire, Onyx wanted "to recreate the general feel of the first game." He did so to great acclaim, and the screenshots speak for themselves; however, this is a game you need to play to feel. Onyx did not toot his own horn when he told us that he "[...] did that quite well."


However, Onyx did not have only accolades for Diablo's roots, namely Hellfire, the expansion by Sierra Entertainment that he derived his mod's name from:

Quote from Interview »

[B]DiabloFans:[/B] Blizzard has denied Hellfire as official game canon numerous times in the past, especially with the dawn of the Monk class in Diablo III, a character that shares a name with that of Hellfire. Do you believe there are things which Hellfire did that the development team for Diablo III could learn from?

[B]onyx:[/B] [B]The way Hellfire was created was wrong from the start.[/B] Sierra developed the expansion, but it wasn't supported on the Blizzard realms and Blizzard kept patching the original game, while the expansion was left behind. So it's only natural that Hellfire isn't considered cannon and it has many flaws. But, on the other hand, it offered 2 new sets of dungeons with numerous new monsters and items - that's what matters to me. More entertainment, more places to explore, new things to do.

[B]I wouldn't say Blizzard have anything to learn from Sierra.[/B] The expansion was composed mainly from material that was left behind from Blizzard in the game release, including monsters and game mechanics. It's not widely known that most Hellfire monster graphics were originally created by Blizzard, but didn't make it in the final game. The code behind unlocking the Na-Krul room, the Celia quest, the Nest quest and others was also originally written by Blizzard to support planned quests that never made it in the final product. So what Sierra did was basically take the leftovers and use them.

Now, all this sounds like I don't like Hellfire. This isn't the case. [B]Hellfire added a lot to the entertainment value of Diablo I and I still enjoy playing it from time to time.[/B]

Unfortunately, so ends the legacy of Back to Hellfire. Onyx stated in our interview that "[...] v1.02 turned out to be the last patch for Back to Hellfire. I haven't stated so explicitly, but this mod is completed and will no longer be developed." However, he noted that he has not abandoned the mod's players and followers, promising he still supports it and responds to feedback. Check out all that Back to Hellfire has to offer you at the [B]official website[/B].

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[B][/B]

DiabloFans will be going down between 8AM and 12PM PST, Monday February 8th (today), for server upgrades. The downtime should not last any more than an hour, and these upgrades hopefully will fix the lag and server outage problems we've been experiencing recently. The downtime will also affect the DiabloWiki. Thanks guys!

~A la Sixen

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[/hr]
EDIT 2:00PM PST: Some server-side changes were made regarding the downtime. When the actual server is upgraded, the change will go unnoticeable. So as far as everyone is concerned, this can be safely ignored.

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Episode two of the Jace Hall Show aired today, bringing with it some more meat to gnaw on that its predecessor (see Jace Hall Show Episode 1 Recap). Aside from the numerous fan interpretations of the female Monk, scant information has been released (see More Progress on the Monk); however, the tide may have turned for the better.

That's right, folks. Get ready for what might be the female Monk!


(Click to enlarge.)

Complete with the promised pixie haircut (see Diablo III, the Female Monk), could this really be the character we've been waiting for, or is this just part of the Jace Hall act? It certainly looks authentic. What do you think?



UPDATE:

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The last few days have seen their share of fresh concepts and livid illustrations, as well as a return to the beginning of Diablo II. Let's take a quick trip back through the week to wrap-up any artistic ends you may have missed.

Last week, Blizzard put up a note on their Twitter site to see what fans dreamed of for the unreleased female version of the Monk (see Blizzard Launches Monk Art Challenge). It was greeted with no small response, some more serious than others (see right, by El-pistolero).

The list that Bashiok kept on the Battle.net forum board was extensive, including over thirty-five submissions:

1. tedknaz: http://yfrog.com/4euwup
2. _Mjollnir_ http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/SilverFenrir/UF-Diablo-F-Monk.png
3. Lytus http://twitpic.com/zqr72
4. Pinuxette http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinuxette/4304948168/
5. redaction00 http://twitpic.com/zrmjb
6. kasuturo http://twitpic.com/zrlpa/full
7. besonderheit http://twitpic.com/zsx00
8. _h8u http://twitpic.com/ztsnl
9. The_Dragon_King http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Hunter_Wolf/Female_Monk.jpg
10. The_Dragon_King http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Hunter_Wolf/Female_Monk_2_v2-resized.jpg
11. The_Dragon_King http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Hunter_Wolf/Female_Monk_2_v3-resized.jpg
12. Brettabra http://twitpic.com/zxwmp http://twitpic.com/zxwvohttp://twitpic.com/zxwyy
13. zsersh http://sergiof.deviantart.com/art/monk-female-final-151915128
14. udany http://bit.ly/aWiXL2
15. _Melkisedek_ http://twitpic.com/zz9jm http://twitpic.com/zz9qm
16. MonkHalel (by friend) http://leugi.deviantart.com/art/Female-Monk-151938604
17. _Mjollnir_ http://unshackledfenrir.deviantart.com/art/Diablo-F-Monk-Concept-151990114
18. JRedmerski http://twitpic.com/103ojq
19. egregory25 http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab24/lordicem/01280001.jpg
20. captain_vangore http://el-pistolero.deviantart.com/art/Female-monk-152024507
21. panaer http://panaer.deviantart.com/art/Female-Monk-152032497
22. d3bn http://i50.tinypic.com/316q4js.jpg
23. artdrawnbyjelly http://i47.tinypic.com/9kb5gg.jpg
24. HolyMane http://holymane.deviantart.com/art/diablo-s-female-monk-151762496
25. Beonarri http://www.wolflog.com/2010/01/diablo-3-monk-fan-art-sketch.html
26. pastuh http://twitpic.com/10ber8
27. DynastyGraphics http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n6/dynastygraphics/FemaleMonkConcept.jpg
28. aehbon Diablo http://twitpic.com/zynor
29. stevesavoy http://stevesavoy.deviantart.com/art/Diablo-3-Female-Monk-152376866
30. _k_z_ http://www.lab.envirex.cz/other/temp/fmonk.jpg
31. Raute88 http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/2912/monkfemale.jpg
32. Coldworm http://twitpic.com/10ou7w
33. MissGlori89 http://buhuohnek.bu.funpic.de/pics/female%20Monk.jpg
34. Laloo617 http://twitpic.com/10uuya
35. besonderheit http://twitpic.com/10tslb
36. Krazed89 http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8139/skanuj0001oj.jpg
37. Sezar1 http://twitpic.com/10h3qs
38. Gladius333 http://goliatgladius.deviantart.com/art/My-version-of-Female-Monk-D3-152569523

http://diablofans.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=55&pictureid=964&thumb=1

Overall, it was a great response to a light-hearted challenge. Great work, guys and gals! Here's to hoping that we will see the true female Monk before BlizzCon 2010, after Blizzard makes a few changes seeing all this awesome work, of course.


Today, that mysterious Twitter guy showed us some shots of a face most of us can recognize. An old Diablo II boxart was shown from the olden days of yore by a fellow named Brom (see left).

If you have that urge to create, we encourage you to let DiabloFans be your creative outlet. See our designated Fan Art, Fan Fiction, and Roleplaying forums to catch up on the musings of our humble community!

With all this stress on upcoming Diablo III and the patching mania of Diablo II, sometimes we forget about the root of it all: Diablo I. Mordor's Diablo I mod, The Hell, takes us back to the nostalgic days of dungeon-crawling, loot-grabbing, blood-spilling pandemonium of the Diablo series' forbearer, specifically Sierra Entertainment's Hellfire expansion. Stressing incredibly challenging gameplay, The Hell will confront players with an enormous bestiary, new skills, and many hours of additional play time.

Work on The Hell has not been easy, however. Historically, Mordor began modding Diablo I in 2005. He faced some real-life challenges of his own, and the going was tough:

Quote from "Mordor" »

[...] due to family circumstances I had no access to [a] computer and had to work at that time from early morning til late night. This kind of activity [was] destroying all creativity.

The Hell underwent many forms before it got on the track it is on today, including a period of time when it was named Gothic. Another impetus struck, however, as Mordor noted that "two weeks later it became so unstable that crashes occured every few minutes. So, Gothic had to be abandoned." The unfortunate experience was not without its merit, however. Mordor noted that he "learned from this experience and made a commitment to document all the changes, so that everything [could] be reverted for debugging purposes."

Finally, on April 14, 2006, The Hell really picked up speed. The mod recieved a moderate amount of acclaim and before long an official website was founded in its honor.

Quote from "Mordor" »

Technically, it's the second version of the mod. I started with version 0.01, and slowly progressed. First version to be released was 1.09 as far as I remember. It happened in October 2006. And it happened on another mod's forums. In May 2007, some people were familiar with The Hell already, and started begging for the website. And I created it. [The] first official public release on our website was announced somewhere in May 2007, about a year after the starting of development.

Despite developing for an archaic game, Mordor persevered with his work on a Diablo I: Hellfire mod. Diablo II was found less appealing in his eyes for a number of reasons:

Quote from Mordor »

[...] I played Diablo II: LOD for about 3 years. And I realised that comparing these two games, I really felt that Diablo II was (for me) about looting, with no particular enjoyment from the process of fighting. On the contrary, Diablo I rewarded you every time you killed another Goatman/Knight/Succubus with their brutal dying sounds, it felt more... realistic. I really can't come up with a better description for that. I think that Diablo 1 is more dynamic and has more potential than D2. Modding-wise.

Also, Diablo II lost a lot of its prequel's atmosphere, and I personlly dislike things like that. I think if there was a choice for me to mod Diablo I or Diablo III today, I'd prefer original Diablo. If the game is older, it doesn't mean it's worse.

The Hell did not disappoint in contrast to Diablo II, however. Featuring a fresh bestiary in the hundreds, countless new items, and creative new spells, the The Hell team pushed Diablo I to the limit. And Mordor is not alone with the development, boasting a team that would even make some professional game development companies pale in comparison: "[...] several hundred people helped The Hell become better, more than 20 people helped a LOT, and currently we have about 7 people working on the game and its sequel: The Hell 2."

Mordor continued to show his value of teamwork, saying "I found out that no man can do everything without others helping him, and the best way to get something done without it taking forever is to attract talented individuals, and cooperate their work." Though many would label all of this as mere volunteer work, Mordor would disagree:

Quote from "Mordor" »

Technically, they are not working for free. Their skill grows, they improve the game and, as a result, enjoy a better quality product. I think it was said by Ford that "it's better to make 100 people do 1% of the job than it is to make 1 man do all 100% of the job". I really like this idea. In this case, everyone wins, so why not?

Comparing The Hell to Diablo I's original PvP and PvM style, Mordor told us "[...] PvP is not that well balanced in The Hell, it's not a disaster, too. Just worse than PvE."

Quote from Mordor »

The original Diablo was not balanced perfectly. It was a pretty damn good game, but it wasn't as good as I saw it becoming in my mind. I wanted it to be more gritty, scary, addictive, and less bugged. My main objectives were to increase replay value beyond possible, and strecth the lifespan of characters.

I think that in the latest versions of The Hell, the balance is incommensurably better than in original Diablo PvE fighting. I personally spent so much time planning, and revising various formulas for PvE and implemented so many interesting features that the old game feels just dull to play at this point. I did this countless times, listening to feedback from players very carefully. And I keep receiving many emails from delighted players of The Hell. Everytime I open a new letter and read there "Dear Mordor! I can't describe how thankful I am to you and TH team for this mod." and so on, I feel good about it. I guess it's those letters that keep me going these days.

Progress continues on The Hell's PvM and PvP balance, and Mordor estimates that within a year it will see some real polish. The Hell features another bonus that goes beyond the norm of even the best mods of the Diablo universe, however. Music.

Quote from Interview »

DiabloFans: Your mod features new music add-ons, an area that could be viewed as overlooked for many mods. How influential do you believe music is in modern video games and how did you choose what music to involve with The Hell?

Mordor: Extremely high level of importance! The music is THE factor that directly changes your mood when you're playing. If you pay attention next time you watch a movie, you'll notice that the feelings you have while watching, are mostly triggered by the background music. Turn the sound off and notice how big that void suddenly is...

I didn't want to replace Matt Uelmen's fantastic pieces, I wanted to expand. When you play, you can notice that there are several level-coloring palettes in the game. That's basically what we're doing to the music also: adding more without removing the old one. So that there is more randomness, which is really the heart of this game.

Reflecting his devotion to the original Diablo, Mordor said that "[music]'s supposed to help players dive deeper into the game, so I make sure that it's structured tight (to prevent boredom), sounds pleasant, doesn't attract attention much. It just keeps playing in the background, doing its work - improving the atmosphere."

With The Hell a long-standing Diablo I: Hellfire mod, Mordor is now turning his focus to The Hell 2. He noted that he is looking for composers for the next soundtrack, and doubtless would love some inspiration for the coming installment. Check out The Hell's official website here for more information.

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If you're itching for some Diablo I magic and don't have the time to play yet, forestall your craving with Let's Play videos of both vanilla Diablo I and Diablo I: Hellfire. Check out EclipseTen's YouTube channel for more. (Original Thread)