【Watch 2 Fast 2 Furious Online】

"The Watch 2 Fast 2 Furious OnlineCurse of Tristram" is the kind of inspired, over-the-top modding project that could only be hatched in the mind of a fan.

The idea is straightforward enough: deliver a remastered version of Diablo IIby rebuilding it inside StarCraft II. Nevermind the fact that the latter is a finely tuned strategy game and the former is a loot-focused action-RPG.

For Etienne Godbout, the French Canadian programmer behind The Curse of Tristram, it was really the only choice. He wanted to remake the second Diablo game and the Blizzard-supported modding software for StarCraft IIis the only option for citizen programmers that want to do things with Blizzard games.

The problem is, StarCraft IIEditor was designed for modders looking to tweak a real-time strategy game. Diablo II, however, is an action-RPG with a focus on treasure-hunting.

"To be honest, the biggest challenge is not the coding, but the time required to make it happen," Godbout said in an email. Recreating a game as large as Diablo IIis a commitment on its own, but there's also the not-insignificant issue of making StarCraft IIEditor work for a hack-and-slash kind of game rather than a strategy game.

That's difficult work for anyone, and especially so for Godbout as he juggles the passion project alongside a day job. But just over a year after The Curse of Tristram started making noise online, Godbout is almost ready to let the public have a look at his work.

"For the next couple weeks, I might be able to finish the last push for the beta," he said. "I still have no estimate [for a final release], but I might be able to release the first few zones soon."

Blizzard has already remade the original Diabloinside of the series' latest game, 2012's Diablo III, and many fans believe it is only a matter of time before the studio follows suit with a Diablo IIremake. Godbout is realistic about that possibility, but he also feels that The Curse of Tristram brings something unique to the mix.

"If [a Diablo IIremaster] sees the light of day, it will probably be better than my mod," he said. "So that is why I added my own little magic touches."

One such change: Godbout re-wrote Diablo II's skill synergy system, in which certain skills existed only to enhance the efficacy of other skills. That concept was re-written in Diablo IIIas Skill Runes, but The Curse of Tristram has its own idea.

"I changed how the synergy skill tree system works by adding bonus skill stats with items instead of other skills," Godbout said. "It was tested during the alpha of The Curse of Tristram and people are loving this idea!"

So instead of unlocking special synergy skills or Runes, players will find and equip loot that empowers specific skill builds. It doesn't sound so different from the way many of Diablo III's most sought-after Legendary and Set items bestow game-changing behaviors on specific abilities.

Godbout's take on Diablo IIalso introduces a new category of "Mythic" gear, which combines a random set of stats from Unique items with "set" bonuses for equipping more than one piece at a time. It's a new class of uber-gear that, much like the synergy changes, has been well-received.

The goal here isn't to deliver a perfect recreation of Diablo II, but an update that smooths out the older game for a modern audience. That's why StarCraft IIprovides the perfect platform to work from.

"There is nothing I am unable to do in the [StarCraft II Editor] in terms of coding, except for maybe [holding the left mouse button] to auto-attack," Godbout said. "The engine limits me a little bit for a few things, but I made some minor changes in the gameplay [to accommodate].

"It was quite challenging to balance all this, but I think I did a good job overall."

Godbout is working on this project with Blizzard's full support. His use of the StarCraft IIEditor leaves him in the clear on the copyright side of things, and the studio seems to be into the idea in general.

"They contacted me about the project and everything is fine," Godbout said, adding that he's even run some private playtests with them.

"They are really cool [people] at Blizzard and I have huge respect for their work and the communication they have with their fans."

You can keep up with Godbout's progress with The Curse of Tristram on Facebook.

jrz

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