[03-06] June, 2003
Description: Archived Keep updates.
Categories: Keep Updates
June 30th, 2003
by JBouley
This week, I rather suddenly found myself very lonely at the top. Nefarius has been busy with real-life work issues
for the past few weeks, and Phrozen Heart took an unexpected trip this week and forgot to mention to me when he'd be back.
So, I've had a little more on my plate this week than usual. If the update this week seems a bit unintelligible, that's
probably why. I'm a-hoping my co-admins will be back in action with me before too long.
New Music from Elafar
Elafar sent me several new files recently, though it was really only two songs. He had done some reworking of the tunes
and re-mixing, so I had maybe five different files. The first tune ('Amongst the Nobles') of which there were two versions,
seemed too similar in the two different versions to upload both of them, so I just chose the one.
The second two pieces of music below are from a selection of three different versions Elafar sent me, which he had called
'optimistic' pieces. The first of the two ('Before the Battle') seemed markedly different in tone than the
other two, though obviously the same basic song. The other two seemed very similar to each other, but different enough
from the first that I figured I'd just pick one of them as well, and I gave it a slightly different name than the slightly
more subdued first version, calling it 'Before the Victory.'
Don't know if any of that made sense, but it basically means you have three new pieces of music
to convert to .wav format for your mods if you like, two of which are very similar to each other. Here they are:
Amongst the Nobles
Length: 2 minutes, 14 seconds
I think Elafar originally envisioned this music as town music.
(Get the Music)
Before the Battle
Length: 2 minutes, 40 seconds
Seems energetic and also seems to contain an air of expectation.
(Get the Music)
Before the Victory
Length: 2 minutes, 38 seconds
Slightly different mix of the 'Before the Battle' tune above. Seems a bit more up-tempo in parts.
(Get the Music)
New Mod Is Out to Hurt You
Or maybe just 'punish you.' It's the new version of the Punisher Mod by Hardy, now in version 1.2b. Some of the new
features include the level cap being increased to 200 (but the experience needed for each level has been halved from
the original levels), characters start with the Horadric Cube, 123 new Cube recipes (inlcuding armor upgrading), and
a secret feature. Nope, I don't know what the secret feature is, so don't ask me about it.
(Get the Mod)
New Plugin: Too Much, Too Fast?
Maxx Power has put a twist on the 65,533-level plugin we already had in the File Center. He added one more level. Oh, but
that's not all. He also reduced the experience required for each level-up to be a mere one point. So, you can now level
up to ultra-godly levels, with supersonic speed. Don't let it go to your head, all right?
(Get the Plugin)
Another New Plugin: Too Weird for Words?
NewbieModder has provided a plugin that turns text and item names and such in the game into 'leet speak.' For those not
familiar with this brand of communication, it's a practice by some Internet chat junkies whereby letters, numbers and other
characters are combined in ways that look vaguely like real words but can only be readily understood by those who think
l33tsp43k is cool (I'm sure I wrote that wrong, but I don't care, because I'm proud to say I cannot read leet speak in
most cases). Still, while I may personally not like the 'language,' I find the plugin humorous as all hell, so here it is.
Bear in mind, though, this is only a beta version, and only affects stuff contained in the string.tbl file. For one thing,
that means new items, characters, monsters, etc. added in the Lord of Destruction expansion are not changed.
(Get the Plugin)
New Maps for Modders
I've added three maps from Lord Drekas that I had forgotten weeks ago to upload, and am only now finally getting around to.
My sincrerest apologies to Lord Drekas (if he's still around)...I wish he would have poked me in the head to remind me. These
map plugins have been added to Deathfile's Sanctuary, one of our hosted sites. I'm not sure if deathfile has updated his site
recently or plans to, but I'll contact him to see about getting it updated to reflect these new files. In the meantime, you
can simply visit our File Center, go to the Hosted Sites section, click on Deathfile's Sanctuary, and get them there without
even having to visit deathfile's site right now. And here they are:
Andariel's Lair
Makes the area significantly larger, adds some rooms, and throws in some tougher monsters to help Andy out.
(Get the Map)
Duriel's Lair
Minor changes, including the addition of some animated dead.
(Get the Map)
Arreat Summit
Makes the Ancients' Mountaintop home larger, with narrow trails and some champion and superunique monsters scattered
about.
(Get the Map)
June 24th, 2003
by JBouley
Something very new and exciting to offer this week: original music. No, not something taken from another game other than
D2, but something actually composed by a human being who's involved with D2 modding. Elafar, who composed music for
the latest version of Zy-El, has made four soundtracks from that project available, which are in the
Music portion of our Audio Plugins
area of the File Center. He and I worked to give each tune a title, based on the mood and theme of the music, which means
the titles of the music below may have nothing to do with their placement in the Zy-El mod.
Elafar also sent me several newer items that didn't appear in Zy-El, but I'll get those uploaded between
now and the next home page update. (And yes, as several people have reminded me, I'm late again this week. Life is hectic
right now, but I'm keeping up with the home page as best I can.)
Without further ado, here are Elafar's musical contributions to our modding world:
Onward to Adventure
Length: 2 minutes, 50 seconds
(Get the Music)
Rumors of the East
Length: 3 minutes, 20 seconds
(Get the Music)
Sense of Dread
Length: 1 minute, 58 seconds
(Get the Music)
The Coming War
Length: 2 minutes, 27 seconds
(Get the Music)
Hosted Site News
Acid Reign
Brother Laz closes his Acid Reign preview site, as Blizzard still implementing new functionality into v1.10,
not to mention still doing QA testing, so the patch could still be a ways off. It looks like he'll be working on a
simpler project while we all wait impatiently for 1.10, so thankfully, it looks like Brother Laz hasn't abandoned D2
modding.
Zy-El / Myrada
Many of you have probably already noticed this in our File Center, or heard about it in the Zy-El forum, but let me
repeat it here: Zy-El vesion 2.7 is out, in a 'normal' sized version and a much larger one that contains the music from
Elafar, as noted earlier. Because of the size of the mod (even without music), downloads are broken down into
separate pieces (.mpq file, .dll files and documentation). Here are the links:
(Visit the Zy-El/Myrada site)
(Get MPQ for v2.7)
(Get DLLs for v2.7)
(Get documentation for v2.7)
(Get MPQ with music for v2.7)
Sir_General's site
Sir_General releases first beta of his Heaven Storm mod for testing.
(Visit the site)
(Get the Mod Beta)
Times of Heroes
Oh, this one doesn't sound familiar? That's because its brand-spanking-new. From out of nowhere, a mystery modder
named Mausus Atlas approached me about his mod and site, both of which he's been working on for about two years
now. Check 'em out.
(Visit the Site)
(Get the Mod)
New Plugins
Books of Lore plugin
A new version of the cool plugin from Myhrginoc that works for version 1.09D of D2
(Get the Plugin)
Custom Tables plugin
Created by afj666, for use with v1.09B and v1.09D. Allows you to add new .tbl files to the game.
(Get the Plugin)
Coming Next Time...
There were other things I intended to upload, but that will have to wait. I'll get to them over the next couple days, I
hope, and then I'll officially announce them in the next week's update. In addition to more music from Elafar, I'll be
adding a funny 'leet speak' plugin from NewbieModder, a super-fast super-high level plugin from Maxx Power, and some maps
that Lord Drekas sent me a while back (and which I completely forget about, idiot that I am), which I'll probably add
to the 'Deathfile's Sanctuary' part of the Hosted Sites area of the File Center. If deathfile's still around, I'll let
him know I'm adding them so that he can update his site accordingly, but you'll still be able to find them regardless
via our File Center once I get them up.
June 19th, 2003
by Phrozen Heart
Just in case anyone's interested, I've posted up the official private fansite chat Blizzard had on battle.net earlier
today. Check it out here
June 16th, 2003
by JBouley
Still painting. You never realize just how much square footage of wall and ceiling you have until you have to paint
the damned things. But, I also have responsibilities here, so here are some updates to keep y'all going until next week.
Corrupted Death Updated...and Updated Again
After releasing his mod last week, ChaoticDeath has already been updating. Recently, it went from 1.2c to 1.3, but if you
grabbed 1.3 during the brief time I had it up, you might want to reconsider. There were bugs in that version of Corrupted
Death, and it was updated to 1.3a very shortly thereafter. And 1.3a is what you'll find in our File Center in the
Hosted Sites area...at least until
ChaoticDeath updates it again.
(Visit the Corrupted Death site)
(Get version 1.3a)
More Updating...
It's been a long time coming, but the Economy Mod by RelliK has been updated to version 1.10. You can find it in our
Mod Archives, or use the link below.
(Get the Mod)
Also, the Necropolis by No1Necr0 has been updated to version 0.05.
(Get the Mod)
And a New Mod
There is also one new addition to our
Mod Archives. It's the Renegades Mod, version 1.0, by Strykout. I wish I could tell you something about the mod, but
the author apparently neglected to provide documentation. So, your guess is as good as mine
;-)
(Get the Mod)
Updated Tool, Too
In our Modmaking Tools area,
we have a new version of the Peer Table Editor by Evil Peer, bringing it up to version 3.37. It looks like the link to
the last update, 3.36, was broken, and probably was for weeks. My apologies for that. But, I have to ask: Why don't
people tell me when these links break?
(Get the Editor)
Phrozen Heart Shows He Has a Heart
Well, we all knew Phrozen Heart was a good guy. Heck, we wouldn't have this site if not for him. But to show a little
extra love for the modding community, he has provided you with a couple new plugins for you to use, or to learn
from for your own modding. And they are:
Starting Cube plugin
Yes, it allows your characters to start with the Horadric Cube.
(Get It Now)
New Amulets plugin
Allows 7 new class-specific amulets to spawn with comparable drops to the original amulets.
(Get It Now)
June 10th, 2003
by JBouley
A day late and a dollar short...OK, I missed the Monday update due to repainting the house. But my arms are still
tired from yesterday and I need a few more minutes to recover and do the next phase, so I'm here now to get this
update a'rockin'.
Just a word to y'all: We're still looking for candidates for staff inteviewer. Dojo has done one for us and has
expressed an interest, but we're looking for as many candidates as we can to make an informed decision, and even if he
gets the job, we'd really rather have two staff interviewers than just one. Just so you know, we are looking for people
who are willing to do in-depth, subject-specific interviews...something a little more than just the same questions that
always get asked (this may require interviewing in 'real time' via AIM or IRC or something, or multiple e-mail interviews
with follow-up questions to get just the right questions and answers). Two good examples of interviews that are
subject-specific instead of generic are Prozen Heart's interviews with Jarulf
and with the V&K Modding Team (Varaya and Khan).
Also, in a little bit of site maintenance, Phrozen Heart fixed the 'gemapplytype' description in the
armor.txt file guide. Thanks to Alkalund for the heads-up on that error.
Corrupted Death...Not Just a Concept Anymore
ChaoticDeath has finally released his Corrupted Death mod, which is currently beta version 1.2c. So, it's not just a
preview site anymore, folks. The mod has begun to take shape, and it needs some play time to find any bugs (and so that
people can tell ChaoticDeath they like it, so that he'll actually put out the official version soon).
;-)
You can visit his site by clicking here.
(Get the Beta)
Two More Mods to Announce, Too
We've got a couple new additions to our
Mod Archives. One is the Runeword Mod, which apparently we had once upon a time but lost in the move to Xfernet. Now
it's back. The other is a new one from a beginning modder, the Punisher Mod.
Runeword Mod by Zachs
(Get the Mod)
Punisher Mod by Hardy
(Get the Mod)
Tool Time !!!
Got two bits of news from our
Modmaking Tools area.
WinMPQ by Shadowflare
Updated from version 1.61 to version 1.62
(Get It Now)
Rheikon's Character Editor
Another tool that's been recently updated to a new version
(Get It Now)
A Help? Or a Pain in the Butt?...
...You can decide. In the
Downloadable Resources area of our File Center, I have added a 90+ page document (a .zip file with both Word and
text-only versions) full of tidbits I've copied and pasted from the forums so that I could refer to it later for
modding purposes. It's not the best-organized collection in the world, but several people have asked me for it to help
them in their modding. So far, no one said it was a waste of their time, so the latest version of my 'rough notes' is
now available to all of you.
(Get It Now)
Old School
Just added to our Patches area is one
of the D2 version updates that was missing in our collection: Patch 1.02 for 'classic' Diablo 2 (non-expansion). Granted,
not many people will need it, but I'm sure someone will, someday, and now we've got it.
(Get It Now)
June 2nd, 2003
by JBouley
Things are still a little slow, but I think we all know what's to blame for that: School years are coming to a close,
from the middle schools to high schools to universities, and a lot of folks have exams on the brain right now. But, we
do have some new stuff to let you know about, and I'm pretty sure things will pick up again really soon.
In the meantime, the forums are always hopping. Seems like folks cannot stop coming up with new knowledge and modding
tips. See you there once you've finished the news here
;-)
Zy-El Gets a Boost
It isn't merely a mod in our archives anymore. Finally, Zy-El has a site, and we proudly announce that we are hosting that
site. Give Kato a hearty welcome and visit him over there to find out about updates to the Zy-El mod and upcoming Myrada
mod. The link to his site is in our nav bar, or you can just Click Here. Oh, and
visit his forum, too, over in the
Phrozen Forums.
Can't Get Enough of Kato?
I see...hosting him isn't enough. You guys probably want to get to know the author of the Zy-El mod too, don't you?
Well, those of you with inquiring can read the interview that Dojo105 conducted with him just this week. Head to our
Interviews area or just Click Here.
From Reviewing 'Em to Making 'Em
Maxx Power used to be our staff reviewer. Now he's taking a crack at releasing a mod himself. He described the mod
as an 'anti-god' mod...one that stands in contrast to mods that give you too much power, too soon. Everything about this
mod, Maxx says, is harder...with the exception that rune drops are more generous than in 'vanilla' D2. He recommends it
only for the most hardy...or foolhardy...players. And he advises: 'My recommendation is to play with people online,
and make sure you all have mercs. You'll need all the help you can get.' Think you're up to the challenge? If so...
(Get the Mod)
The Necro Gets a Sex-Change
...and a big change of species as well. Garmsarmy brings us the Necro-to-Andariel plugin. It's in the
Plugins area of our
File Center, in the 'DCC Plugins' portion of 'Animations.' It's a good-sized download
(11+ megs) and will definitely pump up the size of your mod...but if you've ever wanted to let your spidery,
scorpion-like female side out, here's your chance.
(Get the Plugin)
Another Calculator to Simplify Life
Inhalantnut brings us a Excel file that act as a Hit Shift Calculator. It's in the
Downloadable Resources
area of our File Center, and it's there to help make your modding life a little easier.
(Get It Now)
News From the Mountain
Some interesting news from the Arreat Summit.
First, Mana potions will be buyable in Patch 1.10. Wonder who
already tried that idea? Modders, of course...and lots of them. Check out that bit of news by
clicking here. Also, new recipes to
upgrade normal/exceptional/elite items will be in 1.10. Sounds familiar, too? You bethca. Check that out by
clicking here. Glad we modders could help
spark some ideas in Blizzard HQ.
;-)
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[url=http://d2mods.info/forum/kb/viewarticle?a=149]Knowledge Base - [03-06] June, 2003[/url]