SPF Technical Support

[maxicek]

SPF Technical Support Thread​

If you are aggravated by ATMA or vexed by the version switcher, here is where you should ask for help. Please don’t make additional threads, read here and have a go. If you are still struggling, post here and wait for a reply. Help requests outside of this thread may get merged into here.

Before asking for help, please read the rules, as asking for help on something not allowed in this forum may get you banned. All permitted modifications are described in the rules, if you have any questions, please contact the forum moderators.

Links to all files are in the SPF Community and Links thread. It is recommended that you only use files linked from this thread as they are known to be working. This thread also includes instructions to various permitted practices.

You can ask for help on any supported topic, such as:

• Running approved versions of D2 in specific operating systems (Linux, Windows 10 etc.)
• Mulling with ATMA or GoMule
• RWM installation.
• Running multiple instances with the DLL files

You may not ask for help on:

• Anything not permitted by the rules

Playing on BNet
Many of the mods permitted here will cause you problems if you try to play on BNet with them installed. Always use a Vanilla shortcut if you want to play on BNet.


Backup
Computer hard drives (even SSDs) have a habit of dying. Most people on this forum have invested significant time into this game, if you don’t want to do an unplanned restart, make backups. Remember to do characters and stashes, and for all versions you play.

Spoiler

Some possible solutions

• Copy files to a USB stick - Sticks do get lost though.
• E-mail yourself the files
• Backup to Google Drive / Dropbox / Microsoft Drive etc.

See also Data Recovery Tips by skiffcz

Frequently Asked Questions
If anyone wants to add items to this section, please PM me the text.

What are all the file extensions?

Spoiler

.d2s - Diablo II save file
.d2x - ATMA / GoMule stash file,
.org - ATMA backup
.ma1 / .ma2 / .ma3 - Map files. This is only the map that you have revealed, removing this does not change the map.

How do I restore an ATMA backup?

Spoiler

Ensure you are restoring the file for the correct reasons before proceeding. Contact both moderators if in any doubt.

Go to the Save folder
Delete the corrupted .d2s (or .d2x) file
Locate the .org file.There may be several for the same character, check the created dates.
Change the file extension from .org to .d2s
Open in Diablo II

How do I restore a GoMule backup?

Spoiler

Ensure you are restoring the file for the correct reasons before proceeding. Contact both moderators if in any doubt.

How do I re-roll a map?

Spoiler

Nightmare or Hell - Change difficulty then return to the difficulty you were playing.
Normal - Go to “Other Multiplayer Games” then “Host Game.”

How do I get RWM/RRM running with Ubuntu?

Spoiler

From @silospen :

3 important steps:

1) Install the mods in the normal way - Note you have to install RWM in the base dir, not a seperate one like the guide suggests.

So you should have something similar to:

D2 dir: /home/you/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Diablo 2
RWM: /home/you/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Diablo 2/data/global/excel/Runes.txt
RRM: /home/you/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Diablo 2/data/local/lng/eng/expansionstring.tbl
/home/you/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Diablo 2/data/local/lng/eng/patchstring.tbl

2) IMPORTANT: Cd to the base d2 directory: cd /home/you/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Diablo 2

If you recall, windows has a box in shortcuts that says "run in". This is not present in Linux, the "run in" variable is taken from the current directory the terminal is in. This is the step I missed and without it, you won't be able to run the mods.

3)
wine Diablo II.exe -direct -txt -ns -w

(Or without the ns and w if you want sound and full screen )

Why is Symantec flagging ATMA as a virus/adware?

Spoiler

It is a false positive. This post and this post shows how to get around it.

The game keeps crashing when I try to start it

Spoiler

Try not installing in the default location, i.e. NOT in C:/Program FIles (Windows) or in /Applications (Mac).

If you have already installed it on a Mac, drag it onto the desktop then try to run it.

 

[Helvete]

OK, I use Bliss Version Switcher 1.3.0 and it sometimes doesn't start the version I want it to. I also discovered this funny thing in my processes:

I wasn't even running d2 at the time.
I've been running 1.00 for a while, and wanted to play 1.13d for once, but something is off...

EDIT: Restarting my system is a workaround to start the version I prefer, however, the switcher still does not cooperate completely. This wasn't a problem when I was still on win7

 

[Dazliare]

Hmmm, I've run into an odd issue

I haven't played SC since 2016, and most of my original stash files got lost in a hard drive crash. I managed to keep the backups though, so I spent some time this morning restoring backups. Everything in Gomule appears to work just fine.

That said, when I put any items from these stashes onto a character, they dont appear in game. I was worried I might have accidentally deleted said items by accident, but when I S&E in game, the items still appear on the character in gomule. Screenshots:



The same character in game:



Any ideas?

 

[maxicek]

Are you certain you are acessing the same character file? i.e. is the same file also somehow in a second location?

 

[Dazliare]

Well this is interesting. Instead of opening the character from the gomule list, I went to add character. There wasn't a duplicate, but I opened a copy of it, put the gear on the copy, and that worked. Dunno what the issue was, but we're good now. Thanks Maxicek

ETA - Just deleted my chains of honor and eth andy's with 40/15 They were on the mercenary of the "original" character file. I transferred over the character gear but not the mercenary before I deleted the origial .d2s. Those don't back up right?

Additional edit - according to the Flavie dump, CoH still exists on a character, but I can't find it. Is there a way to search gomule directories for it to see if I can find it?

 

[maxicek]

Open the all stash at the bottom. Locate it there and you can see where it is.
You should be able to find the Andy’s on a backup. Just be very careful that you don‘t create duplicates.

 

[jimsfriend]

I copied the 1.09b folder from the trenshadow link and replaced game.exe with the one for 1.09b from the no cd patch pack and get this error when trying to launch the game. Both 1.07 and 1.00 still work correctly.

 

[d2lover]

How I run multiple instances with 1.14d no sandbox or the like.

just need the dll for that, but can't find it

 

[Vildecor]

I think most people use Singling for multi-instance in 1.14.

 

[d2lover]

ok i downloaded that, but why is there a patchmpq in it? is it runewordmod too?

there are only 2 files game.exe and *patch.mpq

 

[Vildecor]

I just did a quick check, and all you need is to use the modified game.exe. I haven't messed with Singling for awhile, so I don't remember what the patch.mpq was included for.

 

[Babyhell]

Well after my mess up last time, I would like to try 1.07 - next year, 1.14D play shall be XP grinding/MFing with current characters, and few Guardians to complete the Sept.

So, is 1.07 possible on Windows 10? I looked at the dedicated thread, and the step by step is for Win7, not sure it fully applies to Win10.

Is Trenshadow mandatory, or can it be set up as separate installations like I do with Bnet and SPF versions?

Thanks for any input!

Spoiler: backup

I already saved everything and backup'ed a clean version (the one used for B.net with @ioupain/@Vildecor and @intersilva) and a FAM version for SP, including GoMule content and characters, and even ATMA 1.07 stuff traded but not forwarded (hopefully I won't have to).

 

[d2lover]

@Babyhell if you only play 1.07 and 1.14d then great news for you, they use a different savepath in the registry

and yes it can be done in win 10, but dont know if its other than in win 7

 

[Beckkeyi]

Hey guys, just installed Diablo 2 again, along with the singling mod. Whenever I try to open D2, the title screen looks like it's going to give me a seizure. Running the game in windowed mode fixed the problem, but I really don't want to play windowed. Apparently using glide wrapper fixes this, and I've also read that it's included in singling though I have no idea how to activate it. Can anyone help me please? Thanks!

 

[Vildecor]

Glide was not included in the download file of Singling I got from the Community & Links thread, but the glide download is listed near the top of page 2 there. It should have 4 files, a .dll file, a german and an english readme, and the initializer executable file. These should be dropped in your base Diablo 2 folder. All you'll need to do is run the executable and choose whichever options you prefer.

I also prefer running full screen. Here are the settings I use in the settings tab:



Then, in the Diablo 2 shortcut, I include the command lines -w (to run in "window mode", which prevents cursor jumping while using the glide wrapper when opening the inventory/character screens), and -3dfx (to enable glide while using -w mode):



(the -direct -txt is there due to using the Runeword Mod)

Hope this helps!

 

[Vildecor]

Well after my mess up last time, I would like to try 1.07 - next year, 1.14D play shall be XP grinding/MFing with current characters, and few Guardians to complete the Sept.

So, is 1.07 possible on Windows 10? I looked at the dedicated thread, and the step by step is for Win7, not sure it fully applies to Win10.

Is Trenshadow mandatory, or can it be set up as separate installations like I do with Bnet and SPF versions?

Thanks for any input!

Whether you can get 1.07 to run depends more on what base installation you're starting from than it does for Windows version. I have access to both physical discs (which I believe install as 1.07 LoD) and the digital version (which installs as a 1.12 1.14b version). The digital install will not work with Trenshadow, due to the changes made in the MPQ files with the digital download.

Separate installations should work just fine if you have access to an older installation.

 

[Beckkeyi]

Glide was not included in the download file of Singling I got from the Community & Links thread, but the glide download is listed near the top of page 2 there. It should have 4 files, a .dll file, a german and an english readme, and the initializer executable file. These should be dropped in your base Diablo 2 folder. All you'll need to do is run the executable and choose whichever options you prefer.

I also prefer running full screen. Here are the settings I use in the settings tab:

View attachment 61786

Then, in the Diablo 2 shortcut, I include the command lines -w (to run in "window mode", which prevents cursor jumping while using the glide wrapper when opening the inventory/character screens), and -3dfx (to enable glide while using -w mode):

View attachment 61787

(the -direct -txt is there due to using the Runeword Mod)

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for this!

 

[Babyhell]

Whether you can get 1.07 to run depends more on what base installation you're starting from than it does for Windows version. I have access to both physical discs (which I believe install as 1.07 LoD) and the digital version (which installs as a 1.12 version). The digital install will not work with Trenshadow, due to the changes made in the MPQ files with the digital download.

Separate installations should work just fine if you have access to an older installation.

Ok...well. I do have install discs, but iirc it's a 1.13 version. Well I'll try with that too, maybe there's something specific to digital install, explaining the last failure.

Thanks!

 

[Vildecor]

Ok...well. I do have install discs, but iirc it's a 1.13 version. Well I'll try with that too, maybe there's something specific to digital install, explaining the last failure.

Thanks!

I do remember that I got 1.07 to work with Trenshadow with only the digital install, but not the later versions (1.09, 1.10, etc.) due to it not recognizing the new format of d2exp.mpq. I'll have to dig through my old discord posts to remember what I did. I can give you an update on that later tonight.

 

[Vildecor]

OK, I found out the steps I used to get Trenshadow to run 1.07 with the digital install version of the game:

1. I highly recommend a separate installation path, so run the installers and install to a new directory (you may need to temporarily rename your regular D2 folder to get the option to "Install" rather than "Play" from the installer. For purposes of clarity, we'll call this folder "Diablo 2 Time Travel" in the steps below for clarity.
2. Download the files for 1.07 Trenshadow. Extract them into a 1.07 folder under the Diablo II installation you just did (Diablo 2 Time Travel/1.07).
3. Copy all the .dll files from this 1.07 folder and paste them into the main folder you installed (Diablo 2 Time Travel). You do not need to replace any that are already there, you just need those that are missing.
4. Download the No-CD Pack, and replace the Game.exe file in the 1.07 folder (Diablo 2 Time Travel/1.07) with the Game.exe file in the Expansion/1.07 folder out of the No-CD Pack.
5. Launch the game using LaunchModGame.vbs (in the Diablo 2 Time Travel/1.07 folder), select yes when it asks to generate bin files, and yes/no for windowed mode (probably yes!).

If the steps are followed correctly, the 1.07 version of D2 LoD should launch. Character saves will be stored in the Diablo 2 Time Travel/1.07/save folder. Do NOT just run the game/make a shortcut to Game.exe from the 1.07 folder, as this will mess up your save path. LaunchModGame handles issues with the registry keys to get the files stored in the above location.

I tested this out earlier and was able to make a character, exit the game, and he showed up when I launched it again. I'll just have to assume everything else should work fine.

Unfortunately, with the digital installation (I believe post 1.12), you won't be able to use Trenshadow Version Switcher to play anything other than 1.07 (1.00 Classic works as well, and Classic up to 1.07 may also work), due to changes made to MPQ files. Trenshadow will give you an error saying your data is corrupt, which looks like this:

I copied the 1.09b folder from the trenshadow link and replaced game.exe with the one for 1.09b from the no cd patch pack and get this error when trying to launch the game. Both 1.07 and 1.00 still work correctly.

You'll also get a corruption error if you try to manually patch the game to the version you want from the patch files in the Trenshadow Version Switcher download list. The only solution to this is to get your hands on physical discs of the game (pre 1.12) and copy the MPQ files over (or install from the discs), as it is against forum rules to share these files.