Guide: Have PlugY 8.0 + 1.11b AND 1.12 for battle.net

[RudeIota]

The information is available on this site, but I understand that for some, it seems arcane and difficult to follow (especially with the broken image links). This is a simple, straight forward guide geared toward the general public with no extra stuff about multiple mods, using -direct, txt files, registry settings and target folder paths etc... There's no reason to deal with any of that added complexity unless you are managing multiple mods.

The issue:
PlugY 8.0 does not work with 1.12. The 1.12 update is required to play on battle.net. This guide will show you how to keep PlugY working with 1.11b and let you use 1.12 separately.

Short overview of the steps: (Each step will be over-explained below, if you require more detail.

1. Have an existing Diablo II 1.11b install in C:\Program Files\Diablo II with PlugY
2. Create a duplicate of C:\Program Files\Diablo II in your Program Files directory
3. Install the 1.12 update
4. Optional: Explanation of a new feature in 1.12 lets you play D2 without a CD.
5. Create shortcuts to each version of Diablo II
6. Yes, it is that easy

Disclaimer: This has been tested on Windows Vista and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. I had no special mods or custom paths... Just a vanilla D2 LOD install with PlugY. If you have any other than that, your mileage may vary.

Step 1: Have an existing Diablo II 1.11b install in C:\Program Files\Diablo II with PlugY
You should already have a working Diablo II 1.11b installation with PlugY that works.

If you haven't installed PlugY yet, you can download it here. Download and install the "PlugY, The Survival Kit 8.00" version (The self-installing one, not the zip version).

If you've installed 1.12 already, you can downgrade to 1.11b by replacing "C:\Program Files\Diablo II\game.exe" with the one in this archive. FYI, it is an older .exe that makes the installer assume you have an older version of D2 LOD. Next, download 1.11b from here. (Make sure you backup your C:\Program Files\Diablo II\save folder before you uninstall, just in case!). Install it and once you're all patched, install PlugY. Verify it is working before continuing.

Note: Just a heads up... The PlugY installer did not work for me. It installs PlugY to C:\Program Files\Diablo II\Mod PlugY. I had to copy everything inside of (but not the folder itself) C:\Program Files\Diablo II\Mod PlugY to C:\Program Files\Diablo II and run C:\Program Files\Diablo II\PlugY.exe to make it work. Also, to edit the PlugY configuration, I had to edit the following file: C:\Program Files\Diablo II\PlugY.ini.

Step 2: Create a duplicate of C:\Program Files\Diablo II in your Program Files directory
This will take up another 1-2GB on your hard drive, so check your free space first just to be safe.

1. Browse to C:\Program Files.
   To browse your hard drive using Explorer, left-click Start > Run and type in: explorer.exe then left-click OK. Left-click once on My Computer > C: > Program Files
2. Right-click on "Diablo II". A context menu should appear.
3. Left-click on "Copy"
4. Right-click anywhere in between the icons of your files in "Program Files" and another context menu should appear
5. Left-click "Paste"
6. Right-click on the copy of Diablo II and left-click "Rename". Name it anything you want, but I'll suggest "Diablo II PlugY" for reference.
7. Wait until it is finished copying. DO NOT RUN DIABLO II from the new folder until you complete this guide or your save path gets messed up.

Step 3: Install the 1.12 update

1. Download Diablo II the 1.12 updater. Battle.net should be OK too.
2. Install it. It will automatically install to C:\Program Files\Diablo II (not to your copy of the Diablo II folder) and it will run it for you after the install.
3. Exit Diablo 2, when the game comes up

Step 4: Optional: Play 1.12 without the need of a CD or no-cd patch.

Blizzard has removed the CD protection from the game. It no longer *requires* the CD be in your computer to run, but it *does* need some of the files that are on the CD. If you want to take advantage of this, you must copy those MPQ files to your computer. Here's what Blizzard says:

"If all required Diablo 2 '.MPQ' files are installed on the
hard drive, the game will no longer require the CD to play.

For users that originally performed a 'Full Installation'
and wish to run without the CD, all '.MPQ' files should
be copied from the Diablo 2 CDs to the Diablo 2 directory.
Most users will only need to copy D2Music.mpq from the
Diablo 2 Play CD and/or D2xMusic.mpq from the Lord of
Destruction CD. Mac users will need to copy these music
files and rename them to 'Diablo II Music' and
'Diablo II Expansion Music' respectively.

Anyone who did not perform a 'Full Installation' will need
to re-install from CD again to ultimately play without the CD.
In this case, a 'Full Installation' is required, followed by file
copy step noted above." -- Blizzard patch notes

Step 5: Create shortcuts to each version of Diablo II

1. Browse to your copy of the Diablo II folder (C:\Program Files\Diablo II PlugY).
2. While inside of this folder, right-click on "PlugY.exe" (If you patched D2gfx.dll, right-click on "Diablo II.exe" or your no-cd patch). A menu should appear.
3. Left-click "Send to" > "Desktop"
4. You now have a new icon on your desktop for your 1.11b PlugY copy of Diablo II. You can right click on it and rename it to whatever you'd like. I named mine "Diablo II PlugY".
5. Browse to C:\Program Files\Diablo II.
6. While inside of this folder, right-click on "Diablo II.exe". A menu will appear.
7. Left-click "Send to" > "Desktop"
8. Rename the new shortcut on your desktop to whatever you'd like. This shortcut will be used to access your 1.12 install for battle.net and is PlugY-free. You should also be able to update it again in the future, if say, 1.12b comes out, without issues.

Yes, it is that easy
Your save games and shared stash (_LOD_SharedStashSave.sss) will still be stored in C:\Program Files\Diablo II\save and 1.11b will use this folder as well, effectively sharing your saved heroes and shared stash between both versions of Diablo II. If you've specified a custom path for your save folder in PlugY.ini, then change it to C:\Program Files\Diablo II\save. I haven't tried this, but it should work.

Quick test: You can rename or even delete "C:\Program Files\Diablo II PlugY\save" to test this. If you rename the Diablo II PlugY "save" folder to "save.old", you will still see your characters. That's because your 1.11b installation doesn't used the save folder in "C:\Program Files\Diablo II PlugY". If your 1.11b install were using its own "save" folder, renaming or deleting Diablo II PlugY's save folder would have gotten rid of your characters.

I'm glad to report I've had no issues with this, but again, your mileage may vary. Enjoy and good luck!

[Necrolis]

That is the long was to do it... Just copy out the 1.11b dlls and game.exe and put it in a sub folder and install plugy to this folder, rename the game.exe, then dl Myhrginocs mod launching script and put them in the dir, open it with notepad and replace all the refs to game.exe with the name of your renamed game.exe, then patch to 1.12(i'm using this method to run 1.09, 1.10, 1.11 and 1.12), or you can just use one of the MANY version switchers, saves hdd space

[HaCkZJuaNN]

is there any way to make the plugy version work without CD???

[Necrolis]

Yes, use an image of your disc, or make a mini image if your low on space

[HaCkZJuaNN]

sorry if i should not ask this here, but how do i do a image of my disc?

Thanks.

[Necrolis]

[quote=HaCkZJuaNN";p="399008"]sorry if i should not ask this here, but how do i do a image of my disc?

Thanks.[/quote]there are too many tools and techniques for a simple answer, so rather google it[though for image mounting use deamon]

[RyanFialcowitz]

Where would one find this Myhrginocs script?

-Ryan P. Fialcowitz

[Necrolis]

In our filecenter, where all our other downloads are(just search for mod running scripts)

[RyanFialcowitz]

I checked there before posting, searched after your suggestion and then tried the author's name and I couldn't find it. I searched through several pages with the criteria you provided and none of it seemed to terribly relevant. If it's not too much trouble could you provide a link?

-Ryan P. Fialcowitz

[Necrolis]

File search appears to be broked(it worked last week...), anyway heres what you need: http://phrozenkeep.18v.biz/dload.php?ac ... ile_id=194

[Engel]

Running Win XP - plain no mod D2 LoD and followed to the letter. When I try to run PlugY I get "Wrong version of the library D2gfx.dll" I've tried placing a fresh copy in of everything in "Diablo II PlugY" (saved on the clipboard) A fresh copy and installing plugy in it and tried to make sense out of the suggestion to use the mod loader scripts.. Nothing seems to work. I can access B-Net just fine with the "regular" install, but plugy ist kaput! Suggestions, work arounds, fixes?

[Kabraxis]

I have the same problem. Followed instructions exactly, and my plugY version worked fine out of the copied folder, but after upgrading to 1.12 (in the non-plugy folder) it won't work anymore. I get the same "Wrong version of the library D2gfx.dll"

[Necrolis]

thats cause its using the 1.12 d2gfx, rather just use plugy 9, it works on 1.12a