Also, a (really) small update on the project's progress.
It seems like Diablo II's hardcoded skill limit rests at a whopping 32767, so my plan to add 1176 faces no significant obstacles! Now, if I were to spend just 4 hours designing a skill, the time commitment needed to fill the skill arrays to the brim would amount to 196 days of non-stop unpaid development time. So I better get this started and maybe outsource some of it to my underpaid Indian VAs
After some tries I finally got it running and created my first character. Just played until I finished the first quest but I hit a crash to desktop bug whenever I try to access my stash. Is it a known bug @God?, Nevermind... restarting the computer made the error go away.
Thanks for everyone who helped me with finding an old version to install this mod, especially @mf2112 and @God himself
Whoo-hoo, glad you got in on this fun @mlnevese I have a werebear druid in the Dark Woods now, never tried that one before since I played D2 before the expansion pack came out.
I am embarrassed to say, but I was in such a hurry to start his name is tester. I have been playing quite carelessly, remembering the game mechanics. I was intending to start over with someone else whenever @God drops an update on us, but I guess I need to do that this weekend now.
I have successfully installed it on the ver. 1.13c. Here's Yahiko, a future Wind Guardian:
The PlugY doesn't work - it looks like the changes in the ini file are not active in-game (I can't see life and mana points, for example. @God ? is working fine! (you know, after beating the game with a hardcore character but without the PlugY, I'm now starting to think it's OK to use it - the pockemon analogy (about wanting to gather all those set and unique items as a collection) was spot on I will compensate it with NBPlayersByDefault=8.
I double @O_Bruce 's plea to bring 800x600 resolution back. The reason is that I've got used to playing Diablo 2 in that resolution and 1024x768 seems odd to my habits. I play BGEE with a big zoom in, although the game lets to see more. Maybe the same applies here.
This mod is great, simply awesome. Bigger inventory space means I have to use teleports to the camp much rarer, which adds to the gameplay - I'm actually fighting monsters and exploring areas instead of constant teleporting because I've gathered 3 mundane armors and 4 axes.
Being able to change /players is a very, very nice addition. Yes, with /8 I'm levelling faster BUT in the same time fights take much time, thus becoming more dangerous - it's easy to get myself surrounded by hordes of them because I simply don't manage to kill them with 1 or 2 hits. Also, enemies get higher damage and attack rating. It's like a difficulty-enhancing mod, really. The frequency/amount of drops is also increased, thus making this game - to me, at least, even more appealing (as I like finding items in this game the most).
Thank you, @God, the mod is already looking great and I'm loving it. It's a new way of playing this game, precisely what I needed after numerous playthroughs.
I double @O_Bruce 's plea to bring 800x600 resolution back. The reason is that I've got used to playing Diablo 2 in that resolution and 1024x768 seems odd to my habits. I play BGEE with a big zoom in, although the game lets to see more. Maybe the same applies here.
I sure would like to implement Beamdog-esque gameplay area scaling and zooming features but, to be frank, I'd be better off registering a company called Big Lizzard and making a brand new Diabolo game from scratch. The time commitment needed to achieve such complex changes is just way beyond the scope of this project.
However, I hear Seltsamuel, the creator of D2SE Modmanager, is working on some sort of a really huge extension that would allow the Diablo II engine to use more modern rendering methods. When, if at all, such an extension is released, Diablo II Enhanced Edition will aim to use them to the fullest. For now, the game remains what it is: a living artwork 16 years old, limited to weird 256 colour palettes and hardcoded like hell itself.
Will post news on next (small) revision within 24 some hours.
@God Just a quick question. Do you think any of the future updates of your mod will require the player to restart?
@mlnevese I consider it important that characters created in vanilla Diablo II Lord of Destruction are fully compatible with Diablo II Enhanced Edition and will aim to avoid implementing any changes that could interfere with this compatibility. Throughout the pre-alpha stage, whenever I introduce any changes that will require special actions (i.e. if I ever decide to remove a skill, which would require resetting skills on a character that trained in it), I will also provide instructions on how to ensure compatibility with these changes.
Therefore, no. No restarts should normally be required.
Well it's been a while since I posted on these boards but watching this develop just made me want to try Diablo LOD EE. Waiting for SOD on my Android tablet is now starting to really hurt .
@God can't tell you how long it's been since I actually wanted to play a game on a PC. I do most of my gaming on a tablet now - mainly just because if you have a bit of free time you are up and playing instantly, wherever you are.
I loaded up my old LOD v1.12 and installed your mod. Talk about being addicted, can't stop playing, hardcore of course.
Insane, going to play all night. Looking forward to what you have in store for us as this evolves.
If you really are God, maybe I will go to Church on Sunday.
I have a suggestion, God. Could you highlight/colour the space in the inventory based on the vanilla size, so that players could always see the vanilla size? You know, a bigger inventory offers much more space for charms, and simultaneusly having more charms than it was possible in the vanilla would break the balance. Yes, I know I could compare two inventories myself but it would be much more useful if I could see how many squares the vanilla inventory had just by looking at the new one. And yes, I know not everyone uses all the inventory space for charms but I find them (especially of higher levels, upgrading resistances) essential for a noreload success.
I have a suggestion, God. Could you highlight/colour the space in the inventory based on the vanilla size, so that players could always see the vanilla size? You know, a bigger inventory offers much more space for charms, and simultaneusly having more charms than it was possible in the vanilla would break the balance.
I wouldn't say that the vanilla game is very balanced, but I understand your point. I will mark the size of the vanilla inventory and make it an optional download with the next revision.
I find the pattern very distracting and it makes the screen hard to read.
As I mentioned before, the character stats screen is just a placeholder. It will be entirely overhauled in the next revision. I'm currently working on an ergonomic design that will provide much space for important extra information not available previously (such as e.g. total bonus magic find %) while being readable and ergonomic. The (optional) alternate typeface, which I remarked about in one of the posts above, will also greatly contribute to these goals.
@God It might be late, but I still want to clarify some things from your response to my post.
About resolution: Despite what Julius said, I am not pleading for a option to go back to 800x600. I am aware that higher resolution is required for expanded equipment, stash etc. As for reasons I don't like the highest resolution setting, there are few. First of all, it might be just me but I find it hard to look at the game, my eyes tire very easily. Second, elements on screen are too small for my liking and it makes all the monsters, enemies, areas to look less... impressive. Impactful. That's generally my problem with sprite-based games (it is the reason as to why I am so grateful for zoom-in feature in EEs).
And yes, rendering problems. And yes, it makes game slightly easier in some instances (and the game was easier for ranged characters anyway from the start). Like, instances in which you are able to react better to lightning cast by Burning Souls, because you see them coming earlier than usual. Things like that.
About curses Necromancer's curses works properly? Awesome. But those from charges from wands etc. don't. I was surprised when Lower Resist cast from charges didn't work.
About skills Glad to hear that it's no too early. But I need some time to gather my mind on the topic, so I'll end up sending some feedback in that regard later. But I think that you, from my post in no-reload thread, can already make some guesses. Further on that topic, I'll say I am for upgrading weaker/less used skills than nerfing powerful ones, because giving players more options is not a bad thing in general.
It happens randomly (usually when my character is exloring areas), this time it even happened in the camp (when I was equipping a rogue). After shut down the game, load the save, it usually doesn't remember the latest progress (XP, items, everything).
@JuliusBorisov I see. I will need you to navigate to your D2EE installation directory. Please locate and upload any text files named debuglog(...) present there.
@JuliusBorisov Also, the pdf you shared lists fixes relevant to vanilla Diablo II game.exe. D2EE relies on the D2SE Modmanager and not the original executable.
@JuliusBorisov Will look into the debuglog later and see if I can make any sense of it.
To answer your question: if you already added game.exe, Diablo II.exe and D2SE.exe to the DEP exceptions, then only disabling DEP comes to mind. While I personally use this particular setting, enabling it may be neither necessary nor sufficient to fix the error's underlying issue.
Since the error did not occur when you were playing Diablo II Enhanced Edition earlier and Diablo II Enhanced Edition itself did not receive any updates since then, it is most likely that the issue is connected with a change in your system, such as a software or driver update. Another possibility is that you've enabled a (currently) incompatible feature of PlugY. I'm unable to explicitly denote which of the disabled-by-default features are prone to causing errors at this time, because I'm really hoping PlugY's many bugs will receive fixes from the community (it's been open source for a while) before Diablo II Enhanced Edition's final release, and decided against formally testing them all until then. A further option is that this specific error is something very rare and limited to the 1024x768 resolution, as I didn't really playtest it as extensively as 1280x768 just yet. Or it may even be a combination of all of the above. With c0000005, possibilities are endless, including a conflict with another program that might be running in the background.
For now, here are some actionable troubleshooting suggestions and general guidance which will hopefully help resolve a vast majority of issues with Diablo II Enhanced Edition:
✓ Verify D2SE compatibility settings
The following settings are recommended:
✓ Reboot the computer
If you haven't rebooted your computer in a longer while, leftover data in the system's memory may cause errors in the operation of older programs, such as Diablo II. It is generally recommended to perform a system reboot before launching Diablo II Enhanced Edition.
✓ Reboot the computer and disable PlugY in D2SE
(uncheck Use PlugY option under System Features)
If this eliminates the error: The issue is caused by PlugY. If you have modified Diablo II Enhanced Edition PlugY settings, try reverting to the default settings to determine if the issue is caused by a specific adjustment or by the PlugY files being corrupted. In case of PlugY file corruption, it is recommended to reinstall D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory). If the error persists: The issue is likely unrelated to PlugY.
✓ Reboot the computer and disable sound in D2SE
(check -ns disable Sound option under System Features)
If this eliminates the error: The issue is likely caused by a sound error. Try reinstalling D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory). If the error persists: The issue is likely unrelated to sound.
✓ Reboot the computer and enable windowed mode in D2SE
(check -w Windowmode option under Display Options)
If this eliminates the error: The issue is likely caused by a display error. Try reinstalling D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory). If the error persists: The issue is likely unrelated to display.
✓ Check if the error started occurring after a Windows update
The issue may be caused by system changes applied in a Windows update. Try reinstalling D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory).
✓ Check your drive for errors and fragmentation
The issue may be caused by file system errors and disk fragmentation. Uninstall Diablo II (remember to back up any saves, including those found in Diablo II Enhanced Edition directory), and then proceed with Blizzard's support article on disk care Note that Solid State Disks should not be defragmented (consult your machine's manufacturer if in doubt). Once you have ensured that your disk is in suitable condition, follow Diablo II Enhanced Edition installation instructions.
✓ When Diablo II Enhanced Edition causes errors on a fresh installation
(make sure you have verified your compatibility settings and rebooted the system)
If the error can be reproduced in vanilla Diablo II as well: The issue is likely with Diablo II itself. Blizzard is going to have a bad time. Don't mention using mods while contacting their support team, as they may deny you help. If the error can be reproduced in other D2SE Modplugins as well: The issue is likely with D2SE itself. Seltsamuel & others at Snej.org forums may be able to help you resolve it. The community at MedianXL forums is also knowledgeable about D2SE issues. If the error is specific to Diablo II Enhanced Edition only: Seems like I am going to have a bad time. Due to my time constraints and the way changes to Diablo II are implemented, it may take a long while before I can replicate, analyze and address an isolated issue. In some extreme cases, where an error is not realistically replicable and/or relevant only to a very small group of users, it may be classified as WNF (Will Not Fix). As one can get hold of an old, used computer readily capable of running Diablo II Enhanced Edition for a couple of quid, I hope no bugs can ever exclude anyone from playing.
TL:DR
Errors with Diablo II basically amount to this: if a reboot didn't fix the issue, a reinstall most likely will. If not, then somebody is going to have a bad time
@God, thank you for detailed instructions, I will try them when I have time and report back. But I can assure you there were no changes in my system at ALL (for the last several months, not only days:)
I have never encountered this problem playing the unmodded Diablo 2, this is for sure. Now I will have to understand if it's the PlugY the reason or the D2SE.
@mlnevese In my case, adding Game.exe and D2SE as exceptions in data execution didn't solve the problem.
Comments
There were two download links below the video last time I checked. Are you sure neither of them works?
It seems like Diablo II's hardcoded skill limit rests at a whopping 32767, so my plan to add 1176 faces no significant obstacles! Now, if I were to spend just 4 hours designing a skill, the time commitment needed to fill the skill arrays to the brim would amount to 196 days of non-stop unpaid development time. So I better get this started
and maybe outsource some of it to my underpaid Indian VAsI hit a crash to desktop bug whenever I try to access my stash. Is it a known bug @God?, Nevermind... restarting the computer made the error go away.Thanks for everyone who helped me with finding an old version to install this mod, especially @mf2112 and @God himself
I have successfully installed it on the ver. 1.13c. Here's Yahiko, a future Wind Guardian:
The PlugY
doesn't work - it looks like the changes in the ini file are not active in-game (I can't see life and mana points, for example. @God ?is working fine! (you know, after beating the game with a hardcore character but without the PlugY, I'm now starting to think it's OK to use it - the pockemon analogy (about wanting to gather all those set and unique items as a collection) was spot onI double @O_Bruce 's plea to bring 800x600 resolution back. The reason is that I've got used to playing Diablo 2 in that resolution and 1024x768 seems odd to my habits. I play BGEE with a big zoom in, although the game lets to see more. Maybe the same applies here.
This mod is great, simply awesome. Bigger inventory space means I have to use teleports to the camp much rarer, which adds to the gameplay - I'm actually fighting monsters and exploring areas instead of constant teleporting because I've gathered 3 mundane armors and 4 axes.
Being able to change /players is a very, very nice addition. Yes, with /8 I'm levelling faster BUT in the same time fights take much time, thus becoming more dangerous - it's easy to get myself surrounded by hordes of them because I simply don't manage to kill them with 1 or 2 hits. Also, enemies get higher damage and attack rating. It's like a difficulty-enhancing mod, really. The frequency/amount of drops is also increased, thus making this game - to me, at least, even more appealing (as I like finding items in this game the most).
Thank you, @God, the mod is already looking great and I'm loving it. It's a new way of playing this game, precisely what I needed after numerous playthroughs.
However, I hear Seltsamuel, the creator of D2SE Modmanager, is working on some sort of a really huge extension that would allow the Diablo II engine to use more modern rendering methods. When, if at all, such an extension is released, Diablo II Enhanced Edition will aim to use them to the fullest.
For now, the game remains what it is: a living artwork 16 years old, limited to weird 256 colour palettes and hardcoded like hell itself.
Will post news on next (small) revision within
24some hours.I consider it important that characters created in vanilla Diablo II Lord of Destruction are fully compatible with Diablo II Enhanced Edition and will aim to avoid implementing any changes that could interfere with this compatibility. Throughout the pre-alpha stage, whenever I introduce any changes that will require special actions (i.e. if I ever decide to remove a skill, which would require resetting skills on a character that trained in it), I will also provide instructions on how to ensure compatibility with these changes.
Therefore, no. No restarts should normally be required.
@God can't tell you how long it's been since I actually wanted to play a game on a PC.
I do most of my gaming on a tablet now - mainly just because if you have a bit of free time you are up and playing instantly, wherever you are.
I loaded up my old LOD v1.12 and installed your mod. Talk about being addicted, can't stop playing, hardcore of course.
Insane, going to play all night. Looking forward to what you have in store for us as this evolves.
If you really are God, maybe I will go to Church on Sunday.
Truly Excellent Work.
@oldguy You're free to share your adventure in https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/59698/diablo-minimal-and-no-reload-thread-spoilers
Btw, I'm starting to like playing in 1024*768 more as I keep trying - with this mod the game feels very nice visually.
The (optional) alternate typeface, which I remarked about in one of the posts above, will also greatly contribute to these goals.
It might be late, but I still want to clarify some things from your response to my post.
About resolution:
Despite what Julius said, I am not pleading for a option to go back to 800x600. I am aware that higher resolution is required for expanded equipment, stash etc. As for reasons I don't like the highest resolution setting, there are few. First of all, it might be just me but I find it hard to look at the game, my eyes tire very easily. Second, elements on screen are too small for my liking and it makes all the monsters, enemies, areas to look less... impressive. Impactful. That's generally my problem with sprite-based games (it is the reason as to why I am so grateful for zoom-in feature in EEs).
And yes, rendering problems. And yes, it makes game slightly easier in some instances (and the game was easier for ranged characters anyway from the start). Like, instances in which you are able to react better to lightning cast by Burning Souls, because you see them coming earlier than usual. Things like that.
About curses
Necromancer's curses works properly? Awesome. But those from charges from wands etc. don't. I was surprised when Lower Resist cast from charges didn't work.
About skills
Glad to hear that it's no too early. But I need some time to gather my mind on the topic, so I'll end up sending some feedback in that regard later. But I think that you, from my post in no-reload thread, can already make some guesses. Further on that topic, I'll say I am for upgrading weaker/less used skills than nerfing powerful ones, because giving players more options is not a bad thing in general.
Many thanks for your input. Will check out the charged skill issue and look for fixes if it can be reproduced.
(video removed)
More information about the upcoming release coming soon.
It happens randomly (usually when my character is exloring areas), this time it even happened in the camp (when I was equipping a rogue). After shut down the game, load the save, it usually doesn't remember the latest progress (XP, items, everything).
(now I will try to fix it by following the instructions here - https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14640170/dealing_with_d2c00005_v4.pdf)
I see. I will need you to navigate to your D2EE installation directory. Please locate and upload any text files named debuglog(...) present there.
Also, the pdf you shared lists fixes relevant to vanilla Diablo II game.exe.
D2EE relies on the D2SE Modmanager and not the original executable.
Edit: yep, the problem stays. Is there way to add it to the OS's DEP list, @God?
Here's the debuglog
Will look into the debuglog later and see if I can make any sense of it.
To answer your question: if you already added game.exe, Diablo II.exe and D2SE.exe to the DEP exceptions, then only disabling DEP comes to mind. While I personally use this particular setting, enabling it may be neither necessary nor sufficient to fix the error's underlying issue.
Since the error did not occur when you were playing Diablo II Enhanced Edition earlier and Diablo II Enhanced Edition itself did not receive any updates since then, it is most likely that the issue is connected with a change in your system, such as a software or driver update. Another possibility is that you've enabled a (currently) incompatible feature of PlugY. I'm unable to explicitly denote which of the disabled-by-default features are prone to causing errors at this time, because I'm really hoping PlugY's many bugs will receive fixes from the community (it's been open source for a while) before Diablo II Enhanced Edition's final release, and decided against formally testing them all until then. A further option is that this specific error is something very rare and limited to the 1024x768 resolution, as I didn't really playtest it as extensively as 1280x768 just yet. Or it may even be a combination of all of the above. With c0000005, possibilities are endless, including a conflict with another program that might be running in the background.
For now, here are some actionable troubleshooting suggestions and general guidance which will hopefully help resolve a vast majority of issues with Diablo II Enhanced Edition:
✓ Verify D2SE compatibility settings
The following settings are recommended:✓ Reboot the computer
If you haven't rebooted your computer in a longer while, leftover data in the system's memory may cause errors in the operation of older programs, such as Diablo II. It is generally recommended to perform a system reboot before launching Diablo II Enhanced Edition.✓ Reboot the computer and disable PlugY in D2SE
(uncheck Use PlugY option under System Features)
If this eliminates the error:The issue is caused by PlugY. If you have modified Diablo II Enhanced Edition PlugY settings, try reverting to the default settings to determine if the issue is caused by a specific adjustment or by the PlugY files being corrupted. In case of PlugY file corruption, it is recommended to reinstall D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory).
If the error persists:
The issue is likely unrelated to PlugY.
✓ Reboot the computer and disable sound in D2SE
(check -ns disable Sound option under System Features)
If this eliminates the error:The issue is likely caused by a sound error. Try reinstalling D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory).
If the error persists:
The issue is likely unrelated to sound.
✓ Reboot the computer and enable windowed mode in D2SE
(check -w Windowmode option under Display Options)
If this eliminates the error:The issue is likely caused by a display error. Try reinstalling D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory).
If the error persists:
The issue is likely unrelated to display.
✓ Check if the error started occurring after a Windows update
The issue may be caused by system changes applied in a Windows update. Try reinstalling D2SE and Diablo II Enhanced Edition (remember to backup your saves, located in the mod's directory).✓ Check your drive for errors and fragmentation
The issue may be caused by file system errors and disk fragmentation. Uninstall Diablo II (remember to back up any saves, including those found in Diablo II Enhanced Edition directory), and then proceed with Blizzard's support article on disk careNote that Solid State Disks should not be defragmented (consult your machine's manufacturer if in doubt).
Once you have ensured that your disk is in suitable condition, follow Diablo II Enhanced Edition installation instructions.
✓ When Diablo II Enhanced Edition causes errors on a fresh installation
(make sure you have verified your compatibility settings and rebooted the system)
If the error can be reproduced in vanilla Diablo II as well:The issue is likely with Diablo II itself. Blizzard is going to have a bad time. Don't mention using mods while contacting their support team, as they may deny you help.
If the error can be reproduced in other D2SE Modplugins as well:
The issue is likely with D2SE itself. Seltsamuel & others at Snej.org forums may be able to help you resolve it. The community at MedianXL forums is also knowledgeable about D2SE issues.
If the error is specific to Diablo II Enhanced Edition only:
Seems like I am going to have a bad time. Due to my time constraints and the way changes to Diablo II are implemented, it may take a long while before I can replicate, analyze and address an isolated issue. In some extreme cases, where an error is not realistically replicable and/or relevant only to a very small group of users, it may be classified as WNF (Will Not Fix). As one can get hold of an old, used computer readily capable of running Diablo II Enhanced Edition for a couple of quid, I hope no bugs can ever exclude anyone from playing.
TL:DR
Errors with Diablo II basically amount to this: if a reboot didn't fix the issue, a reinstall most likely will. If not, then somebody is going to have a bad timeIf I create the character in Diablo and then copy it to the mod save folder it works normally.
PS I just tried PlugY 11 and I get the same errors. Now I'm getting the same error when accessing the stash as well.
PS 2 Adding Game.exe and D2SE as exceptions in data execution in the system seems to have solved the problem.
I have never encountered this problem playing the unmodded Diablo 2, this is for sure. Now I will have to understand if it's the PlugY the reason or the D2SE.
@mlnevese In my case, adding Game.exe and D2SE as exceptions in data execution didn't solve the problem.