Back to Hellfire with Diablo II



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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 DiabloWiki.com - skill trees 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 DiabloWiki.com - Hellfire Hellfire, the expansion by DiabloWiki.com - Sierra Entertainment 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].

[/hr]
[B]
Back to Hellfire requires Diablo II: Lord of Destruction version 1.10
See here for a guide on working with your game's version and be sure not to install a mod over an existing mod.
[/B]

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