This is the first thread of it's kind. In here I will detail how to create all monster pages for Diablo II and the tools necessary to do it. Hopefully it will all be of help to you in creating all the monster pages.
The Megademon article acts as the template for all future mosnter files.
Included in this post is Monsters.zip. This archive contains:
Doctor Tester (made by SVR at the Phrozenkeep): A program used to extact .gif files directly from mpq files.
AutoSummint.exe: A program that automatically scans Arreat Summit and pastes the information into a the correct template format to use for creating the articles. (Requires .NET Framework 2.0)
Levels.txt: This details where a monster can spawn and in what form.
MonStats.txt: This file contains general monster values neecssary to know.
More on them later
1. General description
This text describes the monster. In the case of the Megademon article, the text is copied straight from Mount Arreat. While that may not be necessary, the text is as official a description as we're ever going to get, and is very well written.
2. Additional Information
Includes tips and points worth noting. This can be extended as you see fit depending on the monster. Examples of mosnters that could need more info than what Arreat Summit provides would be, but is not limited to:
Oblivion Knights
Burning Souls
Claw Vipers
Fetish
3. Location
This detailes where a specific breed of a monster can spawn in the game.
First, you have to open the file MonStats.txt in Excel. When finding the location of a monster, we only need two columns.
Id: What the game files calls a monster
Namestr: What the monster appears as in game.
If you search for a monster, say VenomLord (no spaces), you will get a hit on row 364, and the Id columsn will tell you that the game refers to Venom Lords as Megademon3, Pit Lord as Megademon2 and Balrog as Megademon1.
Remember those strings, and open Levels.txt. Search for any megademon (1, 2 or 3), and you will get hits in several places This is how they spawn.
The column heads describe what kind of monster it spawns as:
monX: The monster spawns as a monster in Normal
nmonX: The monster spawns as a monster in Nightmare/Hell.
umonX: The monster spawns as a Champion/Unique in any difficulty
The column rows describe which map the monster spawns in. The areas are sorted in order of appearance.
For example, Megademon1 only gives one hit, and that column umon6 in row Act 4 - Mesa1 (Which is the first area in Hell, meaning Outer Steppes.) This means it only spawns as a Champion or Unique in the Outer Steppes.
4. Super unique monsters
This is simple. Look up on Arreat Summit where SuperUnique versions of a monster spawn, and enter their names, as well as their monster types.
5. Monster Stats
It is excrutiatingly difficult and tiresome to manually copy all the info from the Arreat Summit and put it into out wii. So, that's why we have the nifty program called AutoSummit.exe (I didn't make it, kudos to my brother :thumbsup:).
Start the program and type in the Arreat url for the monster. For the Megademon, that url is:
act4-megademon
nothing else. For other monsters, change the act digit and the name of the monster.
The program will create a text document that includes all info except the name and image of the mosnters. Simpyl put it into the article, wrap template tags around it, enter the name and image names and it's all done.
6. Extracting .gifs Fire up Docter Tester and open the file d2data.mpq. In the file MonStats.txt, all monsters have a value in the column "Code". This value, "DM" for megademons, is what we're seearching for, and we're trying to locate the line data\global\monster\DM\COF\...
There are several .cof files, each on showing different animations (attack, run, death, etc.). By clicking the button "Run F", the program will play the animations.
Select the standing still file, and outfit the monster to the right panels called Layer and Class. Here you select weapons, armor, body parts etc.
Last, select the color fo the monster. In the file MonStats.txt, there is a column for each monster called Translvl. Balrog has 0, Pit Lord has 1, Venom Lord 2.
In Doctor Tester, click on the button shift in the lower right corner, locate the palshift file with the same code as the monster, which is DM for megademons. Then, add three to the value, so 0 becomes 3, 1 becomes 4 and 2 becomes 5. This means a Pit Lord has the color
data\global\monsters\DM\COF\palshift.dat, and a value of 4.
When saving the pictures, select save as, keep the picture dimensions, keep it transparent, select Full Scale Animations, and enter a delay of 12.
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
Ok, I haven't been available since 7am, and it looks quite bustling!
1.)Nice to move the thread, I'm guessing for more organization.
2.)I cannot access my master computer from here, and then I will download that file.
3.)Is that help article up?
4.)What do you think about the transparency thing.
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
Autosummit breaks down if the table on Areat isn't exacly right.
For example, one monster has a spelling in it's name, which fucked it up, and Greater Mummies had different block values I think, which also messed it up.
Oh... you mean the slinger and sarcophagus? Sure thing
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
FINALLY! All monster pages are as of this moment done!
...Except for Super Unique pages. And there are still some act 5 monsters (the ones that come from other acts originally) that need to be added. But other than that, it's all done :cool:
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
FINALLY! All monster pages are as of this moment done!
...Except for Super Unique pages. And there are still some act 5 monsters (the ones that come from other acts originally) that need to be added. But other than that, it's all done :cool:
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
The Megademon article acts as the template for all future mosnter files.
Included in this post is Monsters.zip. This archive contains: More on them later
1. General description
This text describes the monster. In the case of the Megademon article, the text is copied straight from Mount Arreat. While that may not be necessary, the text is as official a description as we're ever going to get, and is very well written.
2. Additional Information
Includes tips and points worth noting. This can be extended as you see fit depending on the monster. Examples of mosnters that could need more info than what Arreat Summit provides would be, but is not limited to:
Oblivion Knights
Burning Souls
Claw Vipers
Fetish
3. Location
This detailes where a specific breed of a monster can spawn in the game.
First, you have to open the file MonStats.txt in Excel. When finding the location of a monster, we only need two columns.
Id: What the game files calls a monster
Namestr: What the monster appears as in game.
If you search for a monster, say VenomLord (no spaces), you will get a hit on row 364, and the Id columsn will tell you that the game refers to Venom Lords as Megademon3, Pit Lord as Megademon2 and Balrog as Megademon1.
Remember those strings, and open Levels.txt. Search for any megademon (1, 2 or 3), and you will get hits in several places This is how they spawn.
The column heads describe what kind of monster it spawns as:
monX: The monster spawns as a monster in Normal
nmonX: The monster spawns as a monster in Nightmare/Hell.
umonX: The monster spawns as a Champion/Unique in any difficulty
The column rows describe which map the monster spawns in. The areas are sorted in order of appearance.
For example, Megademon1 only gives one hit, and that column umon6 in row Act 4 - Mesa1 (Which is the first area in Hell, meaning Outer Steppes.) This means it only spawns as a Champion or Unique in the Outer Steppes.
4. Super unique monsters
This is simple. Look up on Arreat Summit where SuperUnique versions of a monster spawn, and enter their names, as well as their monster types.
5. Monster Stats
It is excrutiatingly difficult and tiresome to manually copy all the info from the Arreat Summit and put it into out wii. So, that's why we have the nifty program called AutoSummit.exe (I didn't make it, kudos to my brother :thumbsup:).
Start the program and type in the Arreat url for the monster. For the Megademon, that url is:
nothing else. For other monsters, change the act digit and the name of the monster.
The program will create a text document that includes all info except the name and image of the mosnters. Simpyl put it into the article, wrap template tags around it, enter the name and image names and it's all done.
6. Extracting .gifs
Fire up Docter Tester and open the file d2data.mpq. In the file MonStats.txt, all monsters have a value in the column "Code". This value, "DM" for megademons, is what we're seearching for, and we're trying to locate the line data\global\monster\DM\COF\...
There are several .cof files, each on showing different animations (attack, run, death, etc.). By clicking the button "Run F", the program will play the animations.
Select the standing still file, and outfit the monster to the right panels called Layer and Class. Here you select weapons, armor, body parts etc.
Last, select the color fo the monster. In the file MonStats.txt, there is a column for each monster called Translvl. Balrog has 0, Pit Lord has 1, Venom Lord 2.
In Doctor Tester, click on the button shift in the lower right corner, locate the palshift file with the same code as the monster, which is DM for megademons. Then, add three to the value, so 0 becomes 3, 1 becomes 4 and 2 becomes 5. This means a Pit Lord has the color
data\global\monsters\DM\COF\palshift.dat, and a value of 4.
When saving the pictures, select save as, keep the picture dimensions, keep it transparent, select Full Scale Animations, and enter a delay of 12.
That's it! :thumbsup:
If anything is unclear, ask, and I shall clarify
Transparent
Black
However I still think it looks much better with transparent backgrounds if applicable.
1.)Nice to move the thread, I'm guessing for more organization.
2.)I cannot access my master computer from here, and then I will download that file.
3.)Is that help article up?
4.)What do you think about the transparency thing.
And say what? I just said I liked transparency better than a black background when it works out without strange moving backgrounds
Should there be nav bars for acts they are located in? I'm pretty sure one with their breed in it would be fine.
For example, one monster has a spelling in it's name, which fucked it up, and Greater Mummies had different block values I think, which also messed it up.
Oh... you mean the slinger and sarcophagus? Sure thing
...Except for Super Unique pages. And there are still some act 5 monsters (the ones that come from other acts originally) that need to be added. But other than that, it's all done :cool:
I think Hell Bovines are missing as well