It's such a grey area when dealing with these old games, not even Diablo 2 or the Infinity Engine specifically, but those considered "Abandonware". There are multiple sites that allow for the continued preservation and experience of the DOS-era of video games. If they are sold by GOG, they provide a link for you to buy them. If they aren't available for commercial purpose, they are downloadable for free. Now is this technically "legal"?? Not at all, but no one seems to care, since the idea that anyone could make money on them at this point (or indeed, even WHO would get the money) hasn't been a realistic notion for decades. D2 certainly isn't Abandonware (though I would argue that Diablo 1 is, as you can't get it anywhere that isn't used), the Battlechest is still a fairly good seller even after all these years. But the idea that Blizzard would take issue with a mod increasing stash space in offline play or someone sprucing up the graphics 10 years are the game was relevant just seems silly.
I recall seeing interviews with either D2 or D3 devs, in which they admitted they played and liked Diablo 2 mods, such as with Median XL. So I would say, what the license is saying and what Blizzard employees thinks differ form each other. Or maybe I would put it like this:
Sure, mods are officialy like gray area/illegal thing. But then again, Blizzard ain't going to sue you or do anything against you, unless you try to affect multiplayer experience.
So, I got my battle chest today, but it was the stupidest thing....I searched around on ebay after seeing new ones for $23-24 and I found a used one for 12.25 plus 4.50 shipping, so that looked fine. No kids or pets so if the condition is viable when I get it then it will be the same 10 years from now. Described as "very good" condition. 6 business days for delivery but no problem since I was out of town over the weekend anyways. Well, it still hadn't gotten here (9 business days) and I scroll back through emails and realize I missed one from the guy who sold it. Joker is asking me for more money for shipping since it was more expensive than he thought.... and "very good" condition was kind to say the least when I got it today after work. I reply back and tell him basically T.S. His responsibility for doing proper research and putting up an accurate listing with all related costs. And that what he is doing is against ebay rules. He then admits that he has done it before and that no one else had complained gets increasingly nasty asking for more money to go directly into his paypal account. So I called customer service and the guy there was like "What!?!" when I explained the first bit of it. After he read a couple of the emails he was like "What!?!" again and then said it was going right to their investigations department. At least everything installed and I am patched up and ready to go. @God, will the EE version work with 1.13d and PlugY 11.0?
✓ a valid Diablo II license key issued by Blizzard ✓ a valid Diablo II Lord of Destruction Expansion license key issued by Blizzard
If you hold those, you WILL be able to install Diablo II Enhanced Edition. This I will ensure.
I will provide a step-by-step guide to installing Diablo II Enhanced Edition as soon as the release is ready for download probably tomorrow. In most cases of a pre-existing installation of Diablo II, a reinstallation in accordance with my instructions will be necessary to ensure maximum compatibility. Which is why I also listed patience as a prerequisite
This disturbing remix I decomposed arrhythmically out of assorted musics by Geoff Knorr and Matt Uelmen will welcome you to the main menu of Diablo II Enhanced Edition.
While skill development is out of the scope of the first pre-alpha release, it is something I intend to work on in the (yet indefinite) long term. New skills will likely be released in several consecutive batches to gradually build a near-infinite array. For the moment, there are 358 skills in-game (including monster skills) and while screen space would allow another 1176, code limitations may force me to scale that number down a bit.
At this point, a small explanation of my Enhanced Edition ultraconservative approach to future skill expansions is in order, as it differs drastically from the commonplace let's just mess up everything and make it super flashy modding practice.
It is hereby announced that:
✓ no direct revisions of vanilla Diablo II Lord of Destruction (v1.13c) skills and skill progression are permissible ✓ all character builds possible in Diablo II Lord of Destruction (v1.13c) must remain unchanged, with cheese intact ✓ un(der)used vanilla skills (e.g. Firebolt) may receive optional passive sub-skills (in the lines of e.g. Skeleton Mastery) and further synergies from new Diablo II Enhanced Edition skills to make them great again ✓ unfinished skills that were cut from the original game may be repurposed and reimplemented if possible and if it makes sense ✓ skills derived from and inspired by the content of Diablo I (but not Hellfire), Diablo III (and the Reaper of Souls expansion) and Heroes of the Storm (Diablo universe characters only) may be implemented if possible and if it makes sense ✓ skills that otherwise fit well into the Diablo universe and lore may be implemented if possible and if it makes sense ✓ any and all newly added skills may not interfere with the vanilla skill progression ✓ consecutive skill level requirements must follow the original hexagonal sequence (1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60) ✓ the purview is to sustain the vanilla experience of Diablo II while at the same time unobtrusively expanding upon it, so as to allow the veterans who developed mastery in cookie-cutter builds over the last 15 years to relive the excitement of trying new builds out and rediscover previously unused skills
Should you have any skill suggestions or wishes, feel free to voice them.
This being said, I should probably mention my hardware difficulties have been dealt with. And that means the initial pre-alpha release is happening tomorrow.
Frankly, it's the UN International Day of Non-Violence and the birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. I really couldn't think of a more fitting date to re-release a game primarily concerned with the violent extraction of blood and gore. After all, Gandhi himself said that it is better to be violent if we have violence in our hearts.
Also the real reason why he keeps nuking the hell out of people in the Civilization series
Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (version 1.13c or older)
1. If you intend to update the game to play on Battle.net, create a copy of your Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory, otherwise proceed with original Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory. 2. Download and install D2SE Modmanager by Seltsamuel in the (copied) Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory. 3. Download and install D2EE-Tainted, ensuring that the installation is a subdirectory of your D2SE MODS folder (e.g. Diablo II 1.13c\MODS\D2EE). 4. To play Diablo II Enhanced Edition: run D2SE, select Diablo II Enhanced Edition Pre-Alpha and click Start Plugin
No Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation or an existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction newer than 1.13c
1. Uninstall any pre-existing Diablo II files. 2. Install Diablo II and Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.12 by following instructions in this video. Note: Do not update to 1.13d. 3. (Optional) Install Diablo II Lord of Destruction patch 1.13c available from Blizzard. 4. Proceed with the installation instructions for Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (versions 1.13c or older)
When I attempt to start the Plug-In it simply closes D2SE every time without doing anything. I seem to remember having this exact same problem in the past with this program.....
@jjstraka34 Changing D2SE's compatibility mode to Windows XP Service Pack 2 and forcing it to run as admin usually fixes the problem. It is also very important to reboot the computer from time to time for older programs to work correctly, and a common issue with the more recent Windows releases is that, rather than powering off, they hibernate by default.
The new resolution definitely adds more color and I am seeing details I haven't noticed before at 800x600. If I may make one suggestion, the number 5 in the stat menu has always been eternally annoying, and looks like a six far more than it does a 5. Been that way since release. Is there any way to change to font for that number in all situations to look like what it actually is??
Couple questions....what options do you have enabled from PlugY. Does it simply take from my PlugY installation that I have, or did you pick and choose?? I'm specifically referring to Ladder-only Runewords and the World Event simulators.
Also, I've always thought that having a different color for gem drops (much like the dark orange for Runes) would be a nice addition.
Couple questions....what options do you have enabled from PlugY. Does it simply take from my PlugY installation that I have, or did you pick and choose?? I'm specifically referring to Ladder-only Runewords and the World Event simulators.
Diablo II Enhanced Edition is preconfigured with a custom PlugY.ini file which is read by D2SE upon launching. Ladder runewords are enabled by default. The World Event is disabled, as it makes no sense lore-wise, but may be enabled in the PlugY.ini configuration file found in Diablo II Enhanced Edition installation directory. This is the complete set of default configuration parameters for reference.
Also, I've always thought that having a different color for gem drops (much like the dark orange for Runes) would be a nice addition.
As of now, rune names are rendered in white which is the standard 1.10f behaviour. This will be changed in the next revision and I may extend colour changes to gems as well.
Although the character record sheet was a bit odd in layout.
The character record sheet as it is now is just a messy placeholder I quickly stitched together. It will be reorganized in future revisions to accommodate a much wider array of stats as well as properly redesigned for readability and ergonomics.
Diablo II Enhanced Edition barely set first steps in its pre-alpha stage, this release being but a playable preview of what I'm working on. It goes without saying that it is not feature-complete; most of its aspects are subject to ongoing change and improvement.
1. First of all - PlugY doesn't work for some reason. The game crashes when I try to get access to my stash. The game works fine, when launching with PlugY disabled, however.
2. Nerfed Stygian Dolls - yay!
3. Even without plugY, more stash size and inventory size is a win. I think I won't even really need a plugY
4. I don't recommend playing on higher resolution than 1024x768.
5. Potions of regret seems too cheap. I mean in price.
6. I visited Chaos Sanctuary and found out that some curses doesn't work, while some, like Amplify Damage works just fine. This could be game-breaker for necromancers!
7. New SFX for Diablo are quite nice, but he speaks too often for my liking.
8. I would like to give some suggestions about skill revision, but I am afraid it's too early for that.
My game (1.13c) was able to load fine with plugY enabled, but I agree, with the increased stash and inventory size I don't think I will really need plugY.
Ok, tried it and that's what I have to say. 1. First of all - PlugY doesn't work for some reason. The game crashes when I try to get access to my stash. The game works fine, when launching with PlugY disabled, however.
Does the error code (should be shown in a popup window) begin with c and continue with lots of zeros to end in a 5? I had this issue with PlugY several times over the years. The general consensus among modders is that it's an unexplainable error of death and cannot be fixed but, usually, rebooting the computer, reinstalling the game and then rebooting again fixes it for me. It is also important to note that PlugY causes errors with 1.13d, so if you downgraded from it this may be another reason for this error to pop up.
3. Even without plugY, more stash size and inventory size is a win. I think I won't even really need a plugY
I still recommend using PlugY for the other functionalities it provides. In case the above fix doesn't work and/or you don't feel inclined to do it, multi-page stash and shared stash can be disabled in PlugY.ini located within Diablo II Enhanced Edition installation directory. This should eliminate the error as well, without disabling the remaining PlugY features.
4. I don't recommend playing on higher resolution than 1024x768.
Any specific resons? Too easy for ranged characters? AI range issues? Or perhaps it's Blizzard's screen rendering that bothers you? Note that Diablo II is designed to work in 640x480 and the 800x600 upgrade pushed the game to its rendering limits. For it to render flawlessly in 1280x768 requires code modifications as well as extensive editing of specific tilesets to fill the black spaces you can currently see while near the border of an area. Due to the required time commitment, this is currently very low priority on the Diablo II Enhanced Edition wishlist. Will be fixed eventually, though.
Also, as a side note, 1024x768 currently suffers from a minor issue with PlugY stash buttons being dislocated and tricky to use. Will fix later, as this will likely require modifying PlugY itself.
5. Potions of regret seems too cheap. I mean in price.
It is cheap primarily for testing purposes (especially with future skill testing in mind) and will be made much more expensive in the final release. Also, will be added as a very rare/quest drop somewhere to balance it out. Or perhaps as a quest reward (e.g. instead of the crappy ring Akara offers for saving Cain), though this would require code modification.
6. I visited Chaos Sanctuary and found out that some curses doesn't work, while some, like Amplify Damage works just fine. This could be game-breaker for necromancers!
Necromancer curses are unaffected. This behaviour is due to the current Doom Knight workaround. Unfortunately, their AI is hardcoded to use a weird hardcoded MonsterCurse spell which, in 1.10f, allows them to cast Iron Maiden, among others. Overriding this skill with Lower Resistance set their MonsterCurse level to 0, therefore whenever the AI calls upon that skill, its effects don't trigger. Amplify Damage triggers correctly because it is invoked via the Necromancer skill, unlike Iron Maiden which uses the MonsterCurse skill. I will be testing better solutions to the issue in the future but, for now, you have to live with Doom Knights' curse impotency issues
7. New SFX for Diablo are quite nice, but he speaks too often for my liking.
Again, this behaviour is primarily intended for testing, as it would take too long to test if all the voiceovers trigger correctly otherwise. Lines will be more spaced out in the final release, but for now they are still subject to edits. The same is true for The Summoner and, uh, Griswold the Welsh guy I'm proud of how Diablo's lightning now sounds like the ultimate laser of death that it is. Blizzard did a good job with the HotS sfx but it took a looooot of time to get this effect right in the Diablo II engine.
8. I would like to give some suggestions about skill revision, but I am afraid it's too early for that.
It's never too early. I'm continuously growing a Diablo II Enhanced Edition wishlist which is being sequentially implemented, with the enhancements easiest to accomplish getting the highest priority. Skills are low priority mainly due to the substantial minimum scope of work required for release. The number of skills per class must be equal else the game will crash, hence if I e.g. add a single sorcerer skill, I must also add a skill to the other 6 classes. But it doesn't mean I'm not working on them.
Yeb it goes straight to 1.14b and then battlenet updates to 1.14d
Unfortunately, version 1.14 has a different file structure than 1.13 and the downgrade trick is no longer applicable. To install Diablo II Enhanced Edition, proceed as follows:
No Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation or an existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction newer than 1.13c
1. Uninstall any pre-existing Diablo II files. 2. Install Diablo II and Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.12 by following instructions in this video. Note: Do not update to 1.13d. 3. (Optional) Install Diablo II Lord of Destruction patch 1.13c available from Blizzard. 4. Proceed with the installation instructions for Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (versions 1.13c or older)
Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (version 1.13c or older)
1. If you intend to update the game to play on Battle.net, create a copy of your Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory, otherwise proceed with original Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory. 2. Download and install D2SE Modmanager by Seltsamuel in the (copied) Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory. 3. Download and install D2EE-Tainted, ensuring that the installation is a subdirectory of your D2SE MODS folder (e.g. Diablo II 1.13c\MODS\D2EE). 4. To play Diablo II Enhanced Edition: run D2SE, select Diablo II Enhanced Edition Pre-Alpha and click Start Plugin
Just a quick word on recent progress, this time for @jjstraka34 and others annoyed by the horribly six-like five in Diablo II typefaces.
As it happens, I suddenly remembered something and had to refer to the much wow amazing Sora mega update by @O_Bruce in the No Reload thread to verify, and... and...
Hell yeah, that's a pretty damn crisp 5 in the corner there!
But... how?
Well, that's quite a story, actually. The few who invested really heavily in arcane gamedev knowledge will know that CD Projekt (now known as the Witcher guys) had a hard time preparing the Polish localization of Diablo II for Blizzard. The typographer Jonathan Barnbrook and/or his legal rep is said to have been really bitchy about extending his license to allow adopting the hallmark Exocet font for Polish diacritics. The Irvine crowd were not too inclined to help, likely ignorant of the fact that, in Polish, these are vital to rendering nearly any text. As the deadlines were unrelentingly drawing close, it was ultimately decided that Exocet is to be ditched in favour of an alternative, if very similar, typeface. This other font turned out pretty awesome, and so it became a part of the product for years to come, even though it could have been replaced when the Lord of Destruction came around. Little wonder, since its readability is quite often superior to Blizzard's poorly-rendered Exocet, especially in terms of those notoriously illegible numerals.
A side-by-side comparison of the alternative (left) vs original (right)
Now, this font, tailored specifically to the slightly different Polish key setup, has a few quirky issues when used in conjunction with ASCII-like text, but I will get it all working like a charm. I will also ensure the game still uses Exocet whenever it's not an issue, and maybe even mix&match the two if I find cases where it would look prettier, so that you can have the very best of both worlds.
Downgrading does not work and the link in the video says my free bandwidth quota is exceeded. Any other place I can download 1.13c that does not involve a pirated copy?
Downgrading does not work and the link in the video says my free bandwidth quota is exceeded. Any other place I can download 1.13c that does not involve a pirated copy?
You have your keys right? I can post the iso images of my install discs then you can install with your keys? I don't believe that is piracy.
Comments
Sure, mods are officialy like gray area/illegal thing. But then again, Blizzard ain't going to sue you or do anything against you, unless you try to affect multiplayer experience.
Nostalgia escalates.
(image removed)We need release!
I reply back and tell him basically T.S. His responsibility for doing proper research and putting up an accurate listing with all related costs. And that what he is doing is against ebay rules. He then admits that he has done it before and that no one else had complained gets increasingly nasty asking for more money to go directly into his paypal account. So I called customer service and the guy there was like "What!?!" when I explained the first bit of it. After he read a couple of the emails he was like "What!?!" again and then said it was going right to their investigations department.
At least everything installed and I am patched up and ready to go.
probably tomorrow.In most cases of a pre-existing installation of Diablo II, a reinstallation in accordance with my instructions will be necessary to ensure maximum compatibility. Which is why I also listed patience as a prerequisite
(video removed)
Isendra thinks it's not enough
While skill development is out of the scope of the first pre-alpha release, it is something I intend to work on in the (yet indefinite) long term. New skills will likely be released in several consecutive batches to gradually build a near-infinite array. For the moment, there are 358 skills in-game (including monster skills) and while screen space would allow another 1176, code limitations may force me to scale that number down a bit.At this point, a small explanation of my Enhanced Edition ultraconservative approach to future skill expansions is in order, as it differs drastically from the commonplace let's just mess up everything and make it super flashy modding practice.
It is hereby announced that:
✓ no direct revisions of vanilla Diablo II Lord of Destruction (v1.13c) skills and skill progression are permissible
Should you have any skill suggestions or wishes, feel free to voice them.✓ all character builds possible in Diablo II Lord of Destruction (v1.13c) must remain unchanged, with cheese intact
✓ un(der)used vanilla skills (e.g. Firebolt) may receive optional passive sub-skills (in the lines of e.g. Skeleton Mastery) and further synergies from new Diablo II Enhanced Edition skills to make them great again
✓ unfinished skills that were cut from the original game may be repurposed and reimplemented if possible and if it makes sense
✓ skills derived from and inspired by the content of Diablo I (but not Hellfire), Diablo III (and the Reaper of Souls expansion) and Heroes of the Storm (Diablo universe characters only) may be implemented if possible and if it makes sense
✓ skills that otherwise fit well into the Diablo universe and lore may be implemented if possible and if it makes sense
✓ any and all newly added skills may not interfere with the vanilla skill progression
✓ consecutive skill level requirements must follow the original hexagonal sequence (1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60)
✓ the purview is to sustain the vanilla experience of Diablo II while at the same time unobtrusively expanding upon it, so as to allow the veterans who developed mastery in cookie-cutter builds over the last 15 years to relive the excitement of trying new builds out and rediscover previously unused skills
This being said, I should probably mention my hardware difficulties have been dealt with. And that means the initial pre-alpha release is happening tomorrow.
Sunday, October 2, 2:33:33 PM Irvine time (PDT)
Why 2:33:33?
23333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333
Suck that, Prime Evils.
Why October 2nd?
I really couldn't think of a more fitting date to re-release a game primarily concerned with the violent extraction of blood and gore. After all, Gandhi himself said that it is better to be violent if we have violence in our hearts.
Stay tuned!
Initial Pre-Alpha Release
revision: Tainted
Quick installation instructions
Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (version 1.13c or older)
1. If you intend to update the game to play on Battle.net, create a copy of your Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory, otherwise proceed with original Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory.2. Download and install D2SE Modmanager by Seltsamuel in the (copied) Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory.
3. Download and install D2EE-Tainted, ensuring that the installation is a subdirectory of your D2SE MODS folder (e.g. Diablo II 1.13c\MODS\D2EE).
4. To play Diablo II Enhanced Edition: run D2SE, select Diablo II Enhanced Edition Pre-Alpha and click Start Plugin
No Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation or an existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction newer than 1.13c
1. Uninstall any pre-existing Diablo II files.2. Install Diablo II and Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.12 by following instructions in this video. Note: Do not update to 1.13d.
3. (Optional) Install Diablo II Lord of Destruction patch 1.13c available from Blizzard.
4. Proceed with the installation instructions for Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (versions 1.13c or older)
Changing D2SE's compatibility mode to Windows XP Service Pack 2 and forcing it to run as admin usually fixes the problem. It is also very important to reboot the computer from time to time for older programs to work correctly, and a common issue with the more recent Windows releases is that, rather than powering off, they hibernate by default.
The new resolution definitely adds more color and I am seeing details I haven't noticed before at 800x600. If I may make one suggestion, the number 5 in the stat menu has always been eternally annoying, and looks like a six far more than it does a 5. Been that way since release. Is there any way to change to font for that number in all situations to look like what it actually is??
Also, I've always thought that having a different color for gem drops (much like the dark orange for Runes) would be a nice addition.
[LAUNCHING] Param= Library=PlugY.dll [GENERAL] ActivePlugin=1 ActiveLogFile=0 DllToLoad= DllToLoad2= ActiveCommands=0 ActiveCheckMemory=0 [LANGUAGE] ActiveChangeLanguage=0 SelectedLanguage=ENG [SAVEPATH] ActiveSavePathChange=0 SavePath=Save\Mod PlugY\ [MAIN SCREEN] ActiveVersionTextChange=0 VersionText= ColorOfVersionText=0 ActivePrintPlugYVersion=0 ColorOfPlugYVersion=4 [STASH] ActiveBigStash=0 ActiveMultiPageStash=1 NbPagesPerIndex=10 NbPagesPerIndex2=100 MaxPersonnalPages=0 ActiveSharedStash=1 SeparateHardcoreStash=1 displaySharedSetItemNameInGreen=1 MaxSharedPages=0 ActiveSharedGold=0 [STATS POINTS] ActiveStatsUnassignment=1 KeyUsed=18 ActiveShiftClickLimit=0 LimitValueToShiftClick=5 [STAT ON LEVEL UP] ActiveStatPerLevelUp=0 StatPerLevelUp=5 [SKILLS POINTS] ActiveSkillsUnassignment=0 ActiveSkillsUnassignmentOneForOne=0 [SKILL ON LEVEL UP] ActiveSkillPerLevelUp=0 SkillPerLevelUp=1 [WORLD EVENT] ActiveWorldEvent=0 ShowCounterInAllDifficulty=0 ItemsToSell=The Stone of Jordan MonsterID=333 OwnSOJSoldChargeFor=100 InititalSOJSoldMin=200 InititalSOJSoldMax=3000 TriggerAtEachSOJSoldMin=75 TriggerAtEachSOJSoldMax=125 ActiveAutoSell=1 TimeBeforeAutoSellMin=0 TimeBeforeAutoSellMax=1200 [UBER QUEST] ActiveUberQuest=0 [INTERFACE] ActiveNewStatsInterface=0 SelectMainPageOnOpenning=1 [EXTRA] ActiveLaunchAnyNumberOfLOD=0 AlwaysRegenMapInSP=0 NBPlayersByDefault=0 ActiveDisplayItemLevel=0 AlwaysDisplayLifeAndManaValues=0 EnabledTXTFilesWhenMSExcelOpenIt=1 ActiveDisplayBaseStatsValue=1 ActiveLadderRunewords=1 ActiveCowPortalWhenCowKingWasKilled=1Diablo II Enhanced Edition barely set first steps in its pre-alpha stage, this release being but a playable preview of what I'm working on. It goes without saying that it is not feature-complete; most of its aspects are subject to ongoing change and improvement.
1. First of all - PlugY doesn't work for some reason. The game crashes when I try to get access to my stash. The game works fine, when launching with PlugY disabled, however.
2. Nerfed Stygian Dolls - yay!
3. Even without plugY, more stash size and inventory size is a win. I think I won't even really need a plugY
4. I don't recommend playing on higher resolution than 1024x768.
5. Potions of regret seems too cheap. I mean in price.
6. I visited Chaos Sanctuary and found out that some curses doesn't work, while some, like Amplify Damage works just fine. This could be game-breaker for necromancers!
7. New SFX for Diablo are quite nice, but he speaks too often for my liking.
8. I would like to give some suggestions about skill revision, but I am afraid it's too early for that.
My game (1.13c) was able to load fine with plugY enabled, but I agree, with the increased stash and inventory size I don't think I will really need plugY.
It is also important to note that PlugY causes errors with 1.13d, so if you downgraded from it this may be another reason for this error to pop up.
Note that Diablo II is designed to work in 640x480 and the 800x600 upgrade pushed the game to its rendering limits. For it to render flawlessly in 1280x768 requires code modifications as well as extensive editing of specific tilesets to fill the black spaces you can currently see while near the border of an area. Due to the required time commitment, this is currently very low priority on the Diablo II Enhanced Edition wishlist. Will be fixed eventually, though.
Also, as a side note, 1024x768 currently suffers from a minor issue with PlugY stash buttons being dislocated and tricky to use. Will fix later, as this will likely require modifying PlugY itself. It is cheap primarily for testing purposes (especially with future skill testing in mind) and will be made much more expensive in the final release. Also, will be added as a very rare/quest drop somewhere to balance it out. Or perhaps as a quest reward (e.g. instead of the crappy ring Akara offers for saving Cain), though this would require code modification. Necromancer curses are unaffected. This behaviour is due to the current Doom Knight workaround. Unfortunately, their AI is hardcoded to use a weird hardcoded MonsterCurse spell which, in 1.10f, allows them to cast Iron Maiden, among others. Overriding this skill with Lower Resistance set their MonsterCurse level to 0, therefore whenever the AI calls upon that skill, its effects don't trigger. Amplify Damage triggers correctly because it is invoked via the Necromancer skill, unlike Iron Maiden which uses the MonsterCurse skill. I will be testing better solutions to the issue in the future but, for now, you have to live with Doom Knights' curse impotency issues
Griswoldthe Welsh guyI'm proud of how Diablo's lightning now sounds like the ultimate laser of death that it is. Blizzard did a good job with the HotS sfx but it took a looooot of time to get this effect right in the Diablo II engine. It's never too early. I'm continuously growing a Diablo II Enhanced Edition wishlist which is being sequentially implemented, with the enhancements easiest to accomplish getting the highest priority. Skills are low priority mainly due to the substantial minimum scope of work required for release. The number of skills per class must be equal else the game will crash, hence if I e.g. add a single sorcerer skill, I must also add a skill to the other 6 classes. But it doesn't mean I'm not working on them. Unfortunately, version 1.14 has a different file structure than 1.13 and the downgrade trick is no longer applicable. To install Diablo II Enhanced Edition, proceed as follows:
No Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation or an existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction newer than 1.13c
1. Uninstall any pre-existing Diablo II files.2. Install Diablo II and Diablo II Lord of Destruction 1.12 by following instructions in this video. Note: Do not update to 1.13d.
3. (Optional) Install Diablo II Lord of Destruction patch 1.13c available from Blizzard.
4. Proceed with the installation instructions for Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (versions 1.13c or older)
Pre-existing Diablo II Lord of Destruction installation (version 1.13c or older)
1. If you intend to update the game to play on Battle.net, create a copy of your Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory, otherwise proceed with original Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory.2. Download and install D2SE Modmanager by Seltsamuel in the (copied) Diablo II Lord of Destruction directory.
3. Download and install D2EE-Tainted, ensuring that the installation is a subdirectory of your D2SE MODS folder (e.g. Diablo II 1.13c\MODS\D2EE).
4. To play Diablo II Enhanced Edition: run D2SE, select Diablo II Enhanced Edition Pre-Alpha and click Start Plugin
As it happens, I suddenly remembered something and had to refer to the much wow amazing Sora mega update by @O_Bruce in the No Reload thread to verify, and... and...
Hell yeah, that's a pretty damn crisp 5 in the corner there!
But... how?
Well, that's quite a story, actually. The few who invested really heavily in arcane gamedev knowledge will know that CD Projekt (now known as the Witcher guys) had a hard time preparing the Polish localization of Diablo II for Blizzard. The typographer Jonathan Barnbrook and/or his legal rep is said to have been really bitchy about extending his license to allow adopting the hallmark Exocet font for Polish diacritics. The Irvine crowd were not too inclined to help, likely ignorant of the fact that, in Polish, these are vital to rendering nearly any text. As the deadlines were unrelentingly drawing close, it was ultimately decided that Exocet is to be ditched in favour of an alternative, if very similar, typeface. This other font turned out pretty awesome, and so it became a part of the product for years to come, even though it could have been replaced when the Lord of Destruction came around. Little wonder, since its readability is quite often superior to Blizzard's poorly-rendered Exocet, especially in terms of those notoriously illegible numerals.A side-by-side comparison of the alternative (left) vs original (right)
Now, this font, tailored specifically to the slightly different Polish key setup, has a few quirky issues when used in conjunction with ASCII-like text, but I will get it all working like a charm. I will also ensure the game still uses Exocet whenever it's not an issue, and maybe even mix&match the two if I find cases where it would look prettier, so that you can have the very best of both worlds.