The Phrozen Keep

From what i have read, you are supposed to put the DLLs for the mod in the root dir of D2, does this mean i cannot have more then one mod installed at once? i notice some want to overwrite the DLLs. I noticed i have ES and cryptforge installed at the same time, but since i need the DLLs there i wasn't sure if the effects of one mod wont work because these DLLs are of the other one.



changed thread title and made it sticky
~Myhrginoc

There a little VB script available for download at our file center (files.d2mods.com) that allow you to have multiple mods installed at once.

But I think he meant 'on top of each other' which won't be possible...

Generally, it differs from mod to mod. Some require that you replace the DLLs in the main directory of Diablo2, no matter what the former DLLs where. Other mods create a directory for themselves (from which the game is executed). In the later case you don´t have to worry about the files in the main D2 directory, in the first you should backup the DLLs before installing the mod.
Simply check the mod´s readme file, modmakers usually tell you what you have to do to install the mod without messing files up.

I run mods in their own subdirectories under the Diablo II directory all the time. So far the VB script and subdirectories work fine except as noted below, whether the mod is mpq or -direct -txt and with or without custom DLLs. Even the exceptions have simple workarounds. Some people were having a problem with the older script and unusual Registry settings, but the latest version should take care of that. I do not install modded DLLs on top of Blizzard DLLs in the Diablo II directory, although I believe Sir_General's Rune Mod launcher does before-and-after swaps.

All mod files go into the mod directory. If the mod files are organized in subdirectories (e.g. -direct -txt mods), you put the subdirectories under the mod directory. This is the only way you can have multiple -direct -txt mods installed at the same time. A copy of the VB script goes in the mod directory, it can be run by shortcut. Any shortcut to a mod directory should have that directory in the Start In box.

This arrangement does not affect my ability to join a Blizzard or private realm server.

In all cases I am able to self-mule using the modified d2gfx.dll and a shortcut to game.exe with -direct (not -direct -txt). You use the VB script to start the host game, then the shortcut for each additional instance. I have had up to eight instances running in the same game on my machine for testing (1.8GHz P4 with 512MB RAM, eight instances requires a capable machine).

These are the mods I have tested:

Ancients: The Fury Within (see below)
Baldur's Gate
CryptForge
Demon Trip 2
Eastern Sun
Middle Earth
New Dawn X
Sanctuary in Chaos
Seasons After
Seven Lances (see below)
Sir_General's Rune Mod (see below)
Zy-El

Seven Lances has its own version of the VB script. Because FoxBat addressed the Registry problem slightly differently, and included a DLL (D2Launch.dll) I didn't have in the standard script, his is better to use for the mod unless you know how to edit VB scripts.

Ancients: The Fury Within has its own version of D2Launch.dll. Use their script unless you know how to edit VB scripts.

The Rune Mod has its own launcher which you should use. I wrote a variation of the script which supports the Registry changes required for the dedicated Save directory, which you can copy from between the asterisk lines below. This script doesn't support windowed mode, unlike the standard script; we will have to wait for Sir_General to add that feature to his launcher. Also, this is based on the older script so if you have one of the other Registry configurations, you might need to replace HKCU with HKLM in four places.

*****************************
'Bonescythe's MOD LAUNCHER Script
'Enhanced by Myhrginoc 4/7/02
'Slightly Enhanced by FoxBat 8/26/02
'Revised again for SG Mod by Myhrginoc 5/9/03
'This script will launch the SG Rune Mod in a Diablo II subdirectory in full screen mode.
'
Dim ErrorFlag
'Create a shell object
Set Shell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
'Get path to Diablo II EXE from registry
D2Path = Shell.RegRead("HKCU\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Diablo II\InstallPath")& "\"
'Create a file system object
Set FSO = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'Get the current directory folder object
Set Folder = FSO.GetFolder(".")
'Ensure script gets to clean up if setting up and launching the mod fails
On Error Resume Next
'Get full pathname of current directory and append save dir name
FolDir = Folder.Path
Dir = Foldir & "\Save\"
'Make new save dir if necessary
If (FSO.FolderExists(Dir) = False) then
Set f = FSO.CreateFolder(Dir)
If Err.Number > 0 Then
MsgBox ("Unable to create a new Save directory. Create manually and try again.")
WScript.Quit(3)
End If
End If
'Get current save folder
SaveDir = Shell.RegRead("HKCU\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Diablo II\Save Path")
'Write our new save directory in the registry
Shell.RegWrite "HKCU\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Diablo II\Save Path", Dir, "REG_SZ"
'Launch Diablo II normally and wait for it to finish
Result = Shell.Run(chr(34) & "SGRuneMod.exe" & chr(34), 1, TRUE)
On Error GoTo 0
'Restore previous save directory setting in registry
Shell.RegWrite "HKCU\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Diablo II\Save Path", SaveDir, "REG_SZ"
WScript.Quit(0)
*****************************

[quote=Joel";p="99644"]There a little VB script available for download at our file center (fiels.d2mods.com) that allow you to have multiple mods installed at once.[/quote]

change the url, please...might add some unesscary discussion...

files.d2mods.com

The information in my earlier post is out of date somewhat anyway, as the links point back to older servers.

File Center

VB Launching Script

Modified d2gfx.dll - this is v1.09 but it works in v1.10 too.

heck i do things differently i use a ms dos batch file which came with Ancestral Recall and unzip the mod into its own folder in diablo and copy that ms dos batch file into the new mod folder (only works if the mod supplys a mpq file) but if any1 wants this file just giz a buzz on YIM (as botham82) and i'll send it cos its only 24 bytes in size.

Hi everyone, I think it's the right topic for my questions since I have problems running them vbscripts . For example I downloaded Seven Lances, I run RunModDirect.vbs, it seems to work (no error message) but it doesn't start the game . I wonder if there's a sort of security on my win that prevents vbscripts to do certain things, but I dunno where to look . I know it's not my antivir since I tried disabling it .

you may lack the Visual Basic Script Runtime. You can search for it on the Microsoft site.

I have the runtimes 60sp5, anyways I think I got it working, I modified the line with result= like this
Result = Shell.Run("..\game.exe", 1, TRUE)
and it runs this time

I really do not feel like doing anything with the script thing but I was wondering if anyone knew of a program (i used to have it I know it exists) that can switch you between mods, as long as they're .mpq only mods?

Boy its been a long time since I've been to Phrozen Keep. Now I have to figure out what mods are good and what the latest breakthroughs in modding are. Please PM me or something I you know where i can find that program.

You might check the File Center, here is a category of mod managers and launchers. Including my infamous scripts, which aren't as bad as they might seem. (Just install mod per modmaker's instructions, copy script, double-click in Windows Explorer, answer "No" twice" and play.)

So I was wondering.. I gotta admit first off to not being too familiar with the capabilities of .vbs scripts, but I was wondering if it would be possible to make it more compatable with the muling d2gfx.dll.

So what I'm wondering is if it would be possible to make a seperate, smaller version to go into the mod directory so I could easily run 2 copies of a mod (rather than the above method). I was also thinking it'd be really cool if it could be made to have a directory selection dialog (for the game save dir) so that I could take characters from standard D2 and other mods too to mule stuff (also maybe it could have an option to read/write protect the save files so they wouldn't get saved in a version incompatable w/the mod or standard D2).. Btw I know I can just copy the saves into the mod directory, but this would be better (I don't know exactly how things work, but isn't the above method gonna give me the wrong save directory?).. I was also thinking (hoping) that this would allow me to mule stuff between different versions of the same character (since it seems like there is no way to change a character's name w/o messing things up)..

Where do you find the DLL?
Just right click and go to properties right?

That is one way, but tedious for more than a few files at a time. You might have Windows Explorer in default mode, with registered file extensions turned off. Go to Tools | Folder Options, click the View tab, and uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types." Or, if you don't want to see extensions, use the Details view and look for "Application Extension" in the Type column. (I find sorting by type is useful for Diablo II and mod folders.)

Okay, I know before when I was playing D2 that I was able to use shortcuts with "start in" in somewhere, but since I stopped playing D2 for about a year or so, I kind of forgot how. Could someone please explain this to me?

If I remember correctly, I make a folder in my D2 directory, calling it whatever (but the mod name works best). I place the .mpq file or whatever the mod is requiring inside there. I make another folder in the D2 directory, calling it "original" or something to that extent, and put whatever original versions of the files I put in the mod's folder in there. Now I make a shortcut for each (if I plan on playing D2 normally) and there's a line in the shortcut's properties somewhere that I change to "start in" somewhere.

Please help.

Right-click on the shortcut and choose Properties. The Start In field is there

i was hoping someone could help with easy instructions for adding a second mod. i have eastern sun already. but ive never tried any other mods so i was thinking i might try something new. so i figured anti-balance might be a good choice since i wont have to downgrade from 1.11 to 1.10 or 1.09 like other mods. but im clueless how 2 go about installing a 2nd mod. ive read the other post on this thread but im a little lost. some advice would be appriciated. thanx!

The best way, so you don't have to go swapping out .mpq files every time you want to switch playing mods, is to make folders in your diablo 2 directory. For ease, name each of them the name of the mod. Make another one for the original file as well (like D2 Normal or whatever).

This way, you'll have 3 folders (from what I could see): Eastern Sun, Anti-Balance, and D2 Normal.

Place the .mpq file from each of the mods (or in the case of D2 Normal, the original .mpq file) into their respective folders.

Now, right-click on the Diablo 2 .exe, click "Send To..." and click "Desktop (Create Shortcut)". If you already have a shortcut for it, that's even better.

Copy and Paste the shortcut for each mod you want to have (you can do an extra one for the original one here too).

Rename the Shortcuts to the name of the mod (leave the original one the same, if you're using the original). Going off of what you stated before, this would give you three shortcuts:
Diablo 2 - Eastern Sun
Diablo 2 - Anti-Balance
Diablo 2

Right-click on each of these, and select "Properties". Under the "Start In" field, add the folder name and the end, before the quotation marks. Some examples:
The original "Start In" field would look like this:
"C:\Program Files\Games\Blizzard\Diablo 2"
The new ones would look like this:
"C:\Program Files\Games\Blizzard\Diablo 2\Eastern Sun"
"C:\Program Files\Games\Blizzard\Diablo 2\Anti-Balance"
"C:\Program Files\Games\Blizzard\Diablo 2\Original"

Your directory is probably going to be different from mine. Just change it accordingly.

[quote=mstieler";p="275977"]The best way, so you don't have to go swapping out .mpq files every time you want to switch playing mods, is to make folders in your diablo 2 directory. (...) Your directory is probably going to be different from mine. Just change it accordingly.[/quote]

One nit: this will only work for mods that are .mpq-based.

Granted, I can't name any mod that works in 1.11 and is not .mpq-based (I only know about four 1.11 mods; ES, Median, XIS and 'Anti-Balance' whatever that is, and they are/appear to be .mpq-based; unsure about the current status of TFW), but it could be something to keep in mind for future mods.

It certainly doesn't work for mods with code editing or with .vbs scripts, which would narrow it down to 1.11 only, because most or all 1.10 mods use code editing (which is the reason they're still 1.10 to begin with).

TFW is heavily code based, uses d2mod and has plenty of work ahead for the near term without versioning too. It will be D2 1.10 for quite some time.

Shortcuts on the desktop work fine with mods that use our Mod Running Script. You put the mod files in their own directory, including the script file. Then make a shortcut for the script file and put it on the desktop and/or your start menu.

Sorry about that. I haven't kept up on D2. I didn't realize there were mods that went off of more than the .mpq's. I think it's been about a year or so since I played (i.e. when I posted the question before).