Though, StarCraft is one of the few games we've ever played where we've been able to come back years later and still enjoy ourselves just as much, especially when playing with or against friends, we still wouldn't mind seeing an update to the game's controls and display capabilities, to take advantage of some of the advancements in RTS programming in the decade since the original game first hit the streets. StarCraft 2 is on its way, of course, but we're impatient, and we want instant gratification. Fortunately, we're not the only ones: modder night_wolveX took the initiative and ported StarCraft over to the Warcraft III engine. The result is StarCraft 1.5 Conversion Maps, where the units and strategy of the original StarCraft meet the superior 3D graphics and more advanced controls of Warcraft III - with a few additional twists.
Working by himself, night_wolveX has created - to date - nine multiplayer maps, including classics like Big Game Hunters and a few variations on StarCraft's air force-heavy island maps. Despite the name of the mod, all of the maps in StarCraft 1.5 are complete recreations of multiplayer StarCraft maps in the Warcraft III map engine, which means that the game's original sci-fi environments now have a distinctly medieval feel: maps that had the blasted, war-torn terrain in StarCraft now take place on green grass. Warcraft III stalwarts will also recognize some of the audio from Warcraft III mixed into the StarCraft; because of how Warcraft III handles map editing, the mechanics of adding in external elements like models and sounds increase the size of the maps to the point where they're not playable online, which means making certain sacrifices (like having Terran dropships sounding like gnomes).
Rather than limiting himself to a purist recreation in Warcraft III, night_wolveX decided to add a few new elements to his version of StarCraft: first, players can now trade resources, adding a new element of protection that can help a crippled member of a team recover after suffering an early blitz attack. It's an interesting feature, and will no doubt be appreciate by those of you who've ever been frustrated by an opponent's rush tactics - or fallen victim to a strong counterattack after a failed rush of your own. Second, night_wolveX added in two new units, both taken the concepts posted by Blizzard for their stalled console game StarCraft: Ghost: the Protoss Vindicator, which has a large lightning gun on its arm, and a modified Terran Marine, who can now carry flak grenades launched from a grenade launcher.
There's one final twist to this very interesting mod: as Blizzard has released more and more information about StarCraft 2, night_wolveX has evolved his project from a simple homage to the original StarCraft to a concept-style preview of StarCraft 2. In the forthcoming release of version 6 of his maps, he plans to incorporate as many StarCraft 2 elements as possible, giving fans a taste of his vision of how the new game will work.
Cool