▶ The build-in-public story · Saarvis on YouTube
Of Course I Chose Diablo
My agents built an entire arcade of games overnight to show me what they could do. I was hooked. So I decided to learn game production and publishing in this new world of AI — and there was only ever one world I'd rebuild.
About 30 hours over three weeks went into the full town of Tristram: the characters, the dialogue, the quests, the assets — the most honest representation of my 1997 I could manage. The agents did the heavy lifting. I gave them the deep requirements: what to look for, find, download, install, and play-test.
You can't just say "go build all of Diablo with 100% accuracy" and walk away. Any experienced AI-operator sees the flaws in that prompt instantly. The human-in-the-loop will always be required as long as humans are the customer. So I build Dungeon Level 1 piece by piece, and let the agents infinitely test the small things.
AH! FRESH MEAT!
— what waits beneath the cathedral
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The Town of Tristram
~750 hand-placed parts. Cain, Griswold, Adria, Pepin, Ogden, Gillian, Farnham, Wirt — shops, lore, and quests, faithful to the original.
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Three Bosses
The Butcher prowls the cathedral. The Skeleton King rules the Catacombs. The Ash Lord rises from the fountain when the bells toll.
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The Catacombs
A streaming underground dungeon below the town — corridors, chambers, and the dead who won't stay down.
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Soulshards & the Ladder
Every kill drops soulshards. Bank them with Cain — or lose them where you fall. Climb the public ladder for souls, streaks, and boss kills.