[03-08] August, 2003
Description: Archived Keep updates.
Categories: Keep Updates
August 29nd, 2003
by Phrozen Heart
Boy are you people unlucky to get stuck with your's truly again :-) Jeff's still putting the final
touches on the latest released of his Sanctuary in Chaos mod so hopefully you should be seeing something
from him in the next few weeks.
Interior Design
With Paul Siramy's win_ds1edit tool being an essential piece of equipment in any D2 map maker's kit, his
latest update will come as a welcome treat to some of you and is available
here.
Extra Baggage?
Straight from the Cryptforge camp comes senior forum moderator Zhoulomcrist's 'Giga Inventory' plugin
which increases the size of the player's inventory, stash, cube and multi-Player trade window. Check it
out by clicking here.
Belated Housekeeping
With Incandescent One pretty much absent from the modding scene since before our move to Xfernet, I
designated myself to move Incandescence and it's files across
to the new server. Unfortunately due to me being lazy, I only moved
half the files off of Gamespy and left the site linking to IO's old 'Free Web Space Inc' downloads so when that
account apparently expired it left quite a few dead links. Anyway, all links should be moved over and
working properly now.
Treasure Quest
Not much on the tutorials front this week although I think all of the new ones we've added in the past month
should make up for that. We do however have a short tutorial from Kingpin which explains how to get certain
monsters to use the special quest treasure classes which you can find in our v1.10s tutorials section or by clicking here.
Modders On A Mission
We've got a nice bunch of v1.10s mods for you all including the brand new version of TeknoKyo's
popular Ancestral Recall mod. Anyway, without any further ado, here's the goods:
Archon's Horadric Mod v1.0 by Archon_Aus
Rune With A View v1.0 by Spiral Simian
D2X: Reddot Edition/Swamp Mod v0.011.e.beta by reddot
Simply Charming v1.1 by Mordini
Ancestral Recall v1.08 by TeknoKyo
Balancer Mod v1.20 by Tertsi
Plugging The Void
As a token attempt to try and get back into modding myself, I've updated a handful of really simple plugins
for use with the v1.10s patch:
Bigger Quivers Plugin
Cube Socketing Plugin
Cube Unique Maker Plugin
Double Leveling Plugin
Enchanted Claws Plugin
Generous Vendors Plugin
No Experience Loss Plugin
Enchanted Auric Shields Plugin
Rune Rotator Plugin
Start Cube Plugin
On the Border
And while we're on the subject of plugins and the like, check out the new kit and tutorial by Brigette
which allows you to make your own borders around the 640x480 user interface area.
Click here to grab a copy.
August 22nd, 2003
by Phrozen Heart
Yep you guessed it, it's that English weirdo again AKA me. Still not completely settled down
here just yet but enough to finally give the ever dedicated Jeff a week off for once :-) You'll
have to excuse the void in artistic flare this week (and probably spelling too)...
Feeling talkative?
A group of Phrozen Keep fans have gotten together to setup an unofficial Phrozen Keep IRC chat channel
accessible through an online java client. You can check out what's going on over there by clicking here!
Gothic Showdown
Forum moderator Red Havoc has released another map plugin through our hosted site Deathfile's Sanctuary,
this time in the form of a brand spanking new chamber in which to battle to Countess in act 1. As always,
the plugin is available from our file center or buy clicking here for quickness.
Neverending Knowledge
Another barrage of learning from our forum members this week in the shape of the follow tutorials:
Creating New Magical Modifiers by Drackin
Changing Monster Base Colors by Acromatic Aria
Skill Point and Stat Point Items by RagnarokES
Creating Spawnable Socketed Throwing Weapons by reddot
Out Of The Ashes
Looks like the v1.10s modding machine is finally picking up speed with two new mod releases for Blizzard's latest patch:
Balancer Mod by Tertsi
Punisher Mod 2.11b by Hardy
Exit Music
Okay so I'm not up to Jeff's standard on creative news item titles so sue me. Click here for Elefar's original composition inspired by the popular Zy-El mod.
Plugging Away Regardless
I've been having a play with the new patch updating a handful of basic plugins from the Keep's file center which should
hopefully be ready by the next update but in the meantime here's a couple of visitor-submitted ones:
300-Level Plugin by Forsaken
250-Level Plugin by Thulsadoom
Dropping Like Flies
New from Char is a great looking Excel spreadsheet to help with determining probability of weapon and armor 'automatic treasure class' (e.g. armo36, weap87) drops from each treasure class. Grab yourself a copy by clicking here.
Forum ToS Update
Please review the following update to the Phrozen Forums Terms of Service agreement:
XIII) Member signatures shall be limited to 256 screen characters (including spaces), on up to five lines (including blank lines). Additionally, BBCode characters may be used for links and formatting, for a total of 700 display and non-display characters. In the past, there have been issues with people who post relatively small amounts of meaningful text in contrast to a very large signature, which not only is irritating but also detracts from the message of your post.
That's All Folks!
Well that's all we have for this week but tune in same time, same channel next week for the (completely un)exciting conclusion to our (not so) thrilling story...
August 15th, 2003
by JBouley
EDIT: Made a correction to the news about Joel's new offerings and about the 1.07 file additions (both
corrections performed on August 17).
Just a reminder that we do like to know when we have mistakes on the site. Case in point: Roland gave me a heads
up on some missing information in one of our 1.09 file guides that should have been filled in ages ago. Specifically,
it's an update to the 'MonWndr' column information in the Levels.txt fileguide (click here
to view the guide). We don't always get around to corrections right away, but if no one ever tells us when something needs
to be corrected, it probably won't get fixed.
In hosted site news, Joel's been busy over at the Cabal Wars site.
He's put together a bunch of sound packs from Neverwinter Nights for your modding needs
(Get Them Now) and an item image pack
with Neverwinter Nights and Ultima Online images (produced with the help of Untamed) in the same area
(Get It Now).
In forum-related news, we added a new section to the addendum portion of the forum's
Terms of Service to suggest people be patient and wait for an
answer. Lately, it seems like there have been a few folks who think the 'experts' are browsing 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, and they get a bit impatient. But these forums are not real-time chat boards and members live in different time
zones around the world. We modders do like to help each other, including the newbies, but y'all need to remember not to
spam the boards thinking you'll get an answer sooner (you won't) or getting indignant when you still don't have an
answer a couple hours after posting.
Old-School Stuff
Myhrginoc noticed a little something recently: the absence of a package of clean .txt files from version 1.07 of the
Lord of Destruction expansion (from d2exp.mpq). He fixed that little problem...if indeed anyone should need them for
their personal modding needs.
(Get the Package)
A New Mod in Progress
Newly added to the mod archives is the 'Star of the Dark Mages' mod from Lord of Shadows. It's a still a bit rough around
the edges, but check it out if you like and give the modder some feedback to keep developing it and smoothing out the
kinks.
(Get the Mod)
Animations Away!!!
We now have a slightly updated version of the DR Tester tool in the
Animation Editing portion of the
Mod Making Tools section of the File Center. This new version is actually the same version number as the 'original' DR Tester,
which is still in the File Center, but they have different dates in the title field so that you can tell which is which, and
the documentation link can tell you what's different about this 'new' version.
(Get the Tool)
Plug It In, Plug It In
Got music and animations for you ready in the
Plugins section of the File Center.
From the Music Plugins Section
>> 'The Weeping Vallenwoods' by HashCasper (Get it Now)
>> 'Sanctuary in Chaos' (updated) by Elafar (Get it Now)
From the DCC Plugins Section
>> WarCraft 3 Elf
To Replace Rogue Hirelings (Get it Now)
Note: Was re-uploaded on Aug. 11 to correct a spelling error in one of the .dcc files. If you downloaded it before then, you
will need to correct that yourself or download the new file.
Learning From Each Other
Some more tutorials for you to use in your 1.10 modding. So much to learn, so little time...
Adding Hirelings (Ranged/Monster) by inhalantnut
(Read the Tutorial)
Making Werebears/Werewolf Hireling Barbs by reddot
(Read the Tutorial)
How to Move NPC Out of Town by kingpin and afj666
(Read the Tutorial)
August 8th, 2003
by JBouley
OK, lots of news this week, so let's get straight to it. Highest priority: We have a new beta patch out, with some bugs
fixed...and some still around. But it's forward progress, thank goodness. You can get Beta patch v1.10s for the PC or
Patch v1.10 beta 3 for the Mac by clicking here.
Also have some more staffing news. Alkalund is our new co-admin, joining Myhrginoc, Phrozen Heart and myself. It looks
like Nefarius (also a fairly recent admin addition) might not be back to the D2 modding world because of real-life
responsibilities...but we hope that turns out to be a false alarm. Also, 54x and RexxLaww are new moderators in
the General Modmaking Forum.
New Hosted Site
Char is the proud owner of a hosted site with us, which is called d2:elements. I should have mentioned the arrival of
this new site a week ago, but got caught up in a bunch of things and just plain forgot. Hardly the best way to welcome a
new site. Sorry, Char, and welcome aboard! Go check out his site and find out what's cooking with his mod, currently in
development.
(Visit the Site)
And We Have More Mods, Too
For version 1.09 of D2, we have the Gorgon's Wrath mod. And for 1.10 (the first patch beta), we have a beta re-release
of Ancestral Recall and the newly arrived Swamp Mod.
Gorgon's Wrath for D2 v1.09 by Dark Gorgon
This mod generally makes a few small changes to make gameplay much more challenging. But there are other changes as well,
including the fact that you cannot get skills unless you have certain required stats; your level isn't enough. Among some
of the smaller changes are things like necromancer skills on daggers and assassin skills on claw weapons.
(Get the Mod)
Ancestral Recall for BETA 1.10 by TeknoKyo
Back from a long hiatus, TeknoKyo has brought us a new version of Ancestral Recall. Well, OK...it's a beta version of
AR-CS (classic skills) 1.07 that's in the works for patch 1.10. Many things are still in progress, but if you'd like to
see how the mod is shaping up so far, check it out and let the author know what you think.
(Get the Mod)
Swamp Mod for BETA 1.10 by reddot
Here are a few of the changes in this mod: Maximum char level now 199 and required skill levels are 1, 10, 20, 30 and 50,
with maximum skill level being 30. Also, sorc skills on masks and spiked shields; necro skills on bone helms, bone
shields, knives and scytches; paladin skills on auric shields; assassin skills on katars; and druid skills on maces and
clubs. Some of the many other changes include 55 runes, seven gem types that are character-specific, better champion/unique
drops, and more...much more.
(Get the Mod)
Paul Comes Through Again
One of our more prolific toolmakers (among his other skills), Paul Siramy brings us an updated win_ds1edit to help you in
your map-making work in your mods.
(Get the Tool)
Listen to Your Tutor, Now
With the 1.10 patch in beta testing, and a new version of that beta already released, there is plenty for even the most
seasoned modder to learn now. Here are three new tutorials to bring you up to speed.
Item Graphic Conversion Tutorial by Wafflemaster
More of a basic tutorials rather than something 1.10-specific, but still useful for newbies especially.
(Read the Tutorial)
Giving Items to Minions/Monsters by Joel and kingpin
Want your summons, or your enemies, to have a little extra 'boost?' Well, here's your chance to give them more powers.
(Read the Tutorial)
Creating New Summonable Monsters As Skills by thulsadoom
Shouldn't everyone be able to call up a little extra help? You can, by making new summoning skills.
(Read the Tutorial)
Laugh Your Arse Off (We Hope)
We have several new entries in our Humor Section.
Battle.net Morons by Joel
(View It Now)
Battle.net Terminology by Brother Laz
(View It Now)
Keepaholics Anonymous by Various Members
(View It Now)
The Many Faces of the LoD Player by Creideamh
(View It Now)
Installers, Clean Patches and TXTs to Make Your Day
We have all sorts of stuff related both to the first 1.10 beta patch and also the second one that recently came out,
1.10s.
Patch Installers
>> PC Lord of Destruction v1.10 beta (7/3/03) Patch Installer (Get It Now)
>> PC Lord of Destruction v1.10s beta (8/4/03) Patch Installer (Get It Now)
>> Mac Lord of Destruction v1.10 beta 1 Patch Installer (Get It Now)
>> Mac Lord of Destruction v1.10 beta 2 Patch Installer (Get It Now)
>> Mac Lord of Destruction v1.10 beta 3 Patch Installer (Get It Now)
Patch File
>> Clean Patch File (patch_D2.mpq) for 1.10s beta (Get It Now)
Unmodded Text Files
>> Clean TXT files package for 1.10s beta (Get It Now)
August 1st, 2003
by JBouley
Ah, forget it! Let's just skip the Monday/Tuesday update thing and skip straight to a new schedule. Fridays (or something
close to Friday). Life conspired to keep me away from a Monday or Tuesday update. Hell, I couldn't even get around to
a Wednesday or Thursday update. I won't tire you with the travails of my life recently. But since it's been so hard to get
back on what had become a regular schedule, we'll just start a fresh one.
So, what's new? First off, good news for mod players who don't like to play alone: You have options other than open
Bnet with Blizzard, or TCP/IP or LAN play. Newly arrived on the scene is United Realms.
The concept behind this is to unite all the private realms that currently host Diablo II: LoD mods through a single gateway.
Check out the site and see what they're up to. This would also be a good time to mention a well-established private realm
at the D2Maniacs Web site, also known as BnetD (no official connection with
Blizzard), which hosts several mods. My own mod recently got added there, though it's currently in a test phase, so there's
no way of knowing at this point whether it will be popular enough to 'stick.' Still, there are three other mods over there
currently active for multiplay action, so I suppose there is plenty of fun to be had regardless.
;-)
New Mods, Too!
We've got a re-issued and updated version of the Punisher Mod for beta patch 1.10; the new WolfeRider's Mod, also for 1.10;
and and oldie-but-goodie, the Slaughter mod...which I think is for 1.09 but could be for an even earlier version (the file
I received lacks documentation, so it's hard to know).
Punisher Mod v2.1b by Hardy
Sadly, the 2.0b version I uploaded several days ago had a big problem: The .zip file couldn't be uncompressed. No worries,
though: Hardy whipped up a slightly improved version of the mod and this time, the .zip seems to be fine. For those of you
who noticed it in the File Center (even though I hadn't officially announced it yet) and downloaded 2.0b should now go
back and grab the new version so that you can actually play it.
(Get the Mod)
WolfeRider's Mod by WolfeRider
From the author: 'This is just a little mod I decided to whip up to add/get back some 'features' I have in
1.09d.' For more information, follow the link below and click on the documentation link of the download page.
(Get the Mod)
Slaughter Mod
I don't have the slightest clue who the author of this mod is, though the file was sent to me by one of our forum members,
indigo2, shortly before he shipped out to Iraq. There has been a few calls for this mod recently, so I am glad to be able
to offer it. If anyone can clear up who the author is, that would be great. Also, I am assuming it is for 1.09; if I am
wrong and it is for an earlier version of D2, please let me know.
(Get the Mod)
Drawing on Animation Power
We now have the Animdata_edit utility in our File Center
(Under Animation Editing Tools).
This valuable little tool from Paul Siramy extracts data from animdata.d2 so you can edit it to make a new animdata.d2
(Get Animdata_edit)
Enjoy the Melodious Sounds of...
...HashCasper. Give him a round of applause, folks. We've add a new tune from him in the
Music portion of the Audio Plugins
area of the file center. It's titled the 'Dungeons of Darkness,' and the composer recommends using the tune in the Graveyard, Crypt
or Mausoleum of Act 1, or in the Act 3 jungles. But you can be your own judge of where it works best (even if I do happen to
agree with HashCasper on this). So, that's two people now (HashCasper and Elafar) who've come up with new compositions.
Any other budding musicians out there?
(Get the Tune)
Class Is Once Again in Session
The furious exploration of the 1.10 beta patch has led to some nice little tutorials, and we have several to offer you
right now, and some more to come next time as well. Hopefully, they won't stop any time soon.
Items To Morph Characters Into Monsters by LiNkIn_PaRk
(Read the Tutorial)
Adding New Superuniques by Paul Siramy
(Read the Tutorial)
Summoning Multiple Golems by RagnarokES
(Read the Tutorial)
Adding New Hirelings by RagnarokES
(Read the Tutorial)
Skill Text Displays With Mouse-Over Hover by Drackin
(Read the Tutorial)
Linking Outdoor Areas Together by kingpin
(Read the Tutorial)
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[url=https://www.d2mods.info/forum/kb/viewarticle?a=151]Knowledge Base - [03-08] August, 2003[/url]