Chartbusters 14/CD_1.iso/chartb14/dbacku11/dbfaq.txt

Text File | 1997-04-17 | 20KB | 353 lines

DiabloBackup FAQ: (by Kevin Lambert)

*****************************************
 LAST UPDATE - Saturday, April 12, 1997 - Question #25
*****************************************

 Go to http://www.users.lith.com/~kevin/diablo/
 for the latest DiabloBackup FAQ.


Questions:
 1) What is DiabloBackup?
 2) Why develop DiabloBackup?
 3) Isn't DiabloBackup a cheat?
 4) What is the difference between version 1.1 and version 2.0?
 5) My DiabloBackup is expired... Where is the final version?
 6) When in the @$!#% is the version 2.0 final going to be released?
 7) Why do all the version 2.0 betas have an expiration date?
 8) Why is transferring characters so complicated?
 9) How can I tell which character is associated with "Character 0",etc..?
10) Will characters ever change "slots"?
11) I want to move character 2 to my other computer, but my other computer
    has characters 0,1,2,3, and 4 on it... What should I do?  I don't want
    to lose any of those characters.
12) I want to move character 2 from my Windows95 computer named "COMPA" to
    my WindowsNT computer at work which also happens to be named "COMPA".
    Which procedure should I use?
13) What is the difference between the different "Transferring characters"
    buttons in DiabloBackup?
14) What does the "Delete" button do?
15) Do I have to use a floppy disk when I transfer characters?
16) Can I change the backup directory to another computer on my network?
17) Please explain the "Single player <-> Multiplayer Transfer" option.
18) I want to transfer single player <-> multiplayer but I am using the
    the new Diablo patch... what can I do?
19) I transferred a character from single player to multiplayer, but some
    of the items are changed or gone... what's up with that?
20) I want to transfer my characters between 2 windows 95 computers but
    I am using the new Diablo patch... what can I do?
21) I went to play Diablo, and all of a sudden, my characters were all
    gone, and Diablo asked me to create a new character. What happened?
22) What does the "Quit" button do?
23) I got DiabloBackup v2.0b8 and when I run it, I get the following
    error: "Can't get registry settings". What's up?
24) Are you going to make a version of DiabloName that works with the new
    Diablo patch? (Diablo v1.02 and later)
25) OK, I heard that reinstalling Diablo v1.0 on my machine might cause
    my character to lose all his/her inventory.  What can I do about this?

 A) Gee, I really like DiabloBackup... How can I contribute to your
    neverending struggle to be rich and famous?
 B) Who is Kevin Lambert, and why didn't he put a huge picture of himself
    in the about-box of DiabloBackup?
 C) So writing and playing games is cool & stuff, and no offense, but
    other than that, you're just a computer geek with no life then, right?
 D) What's your nickname on battle.net, and how can I find you otherwise?


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) What is DiabloBackup?
   - DiabloBackup is a program made to allow users to backup multiplayer
     characters, restore multiplayer characters, and transfer multiplayer
     characters from one machine to another machine all without losing
     any equipment, items, or diablo dots (on battle.net)

2) Why develop DiabloBackup?
   - In order for players not to have to worry about losing hours, days,
     weeks, etc... of playtime due to a system crash or similar, and to
     allow players to take their characters with them when they want to
     play Diablo on a different machine.

3) But DiabloBackup lets you backup/restore characters... That's cheating
isn't it?
   - Well, yes and no.  There are two ways of viewing DiabloBackup as a
     cheating tool. One is that it allows your to duplicate items. The
     second is that it gives a virtual save-game option where Blizzard
     did not create one.  To address the first issue, Blizzard released
     a patch for Diablo on February 26, 1997 that upgraded Diablo to
     version 1.02.  In this version, duplicated items are destroyed
     when they are detected.  This in effect controls and limits the
     lifetime of duplicated items.  Therefore use of DiabloBackup in
     conjunction with Diablo 1.02 or later should not be considered
     as cheating.  To address the second issue, since I didn't really
     design DiabloBackup to be used to get all your stuff back when
     you die, I can't say much about people who use it for this or
     for similar reasons. So to that effect, certain people have a point.

4) What is the difference between DiabloBackup version 1.1 and
version 2.0?
   - Version 1.1 is simply a backup/restore tool. If you use version 1.1
     on one and only one machine, you can backup and restore your
     multiplayer characters without losing any items, diablo dots (on
     battle.net), etc... Version 2.0 adds the ability to transfer
     multiplayer characters from one machine to another (among a few other
     features.)

5) When I run DiabloBackup, I get a message saying that it has expired,
and to get the final version from your web page. But I only see another
BETA version on your web page... What's up?
   - First, the latest version expires at the end of March. If you
     downloaded the latest version, and you are getting an expired
     message, then the date on your computer is set incorrectly.
     Second, until I finish the final version, I will release
     another beta that will give a longer expiration date.  You should
     download and use the latest version that is on my web page now.

6) When in the @$!#% is the version 2.0 final going to be released?
   - GOOD NEWS!!!  I have the Win95 to Win95 machine transfer problem
     solved! Not only that, but the transfer procedure for ALL machines
     will be the same, any only 2 steps instead of 75 steps. :-)  Keep an
     eye out for the next beta, (which might even be the final version).
     As soon as I get some free time, I will release the next version.

7) Why do all the DiabloBackup version 2.0 betas have an expiration date?
   - This is my way of maintaining version control.  If I fix a bug in
     version 2.0 beta 5, I don't want to be receiving e-mail 6 months
     later asking me why people are experiencing that bug in version 2.0
     beta 4 or eariler...

8) Why is the procedure for transferring characters from one machine to
another so darn complicated?!
   - Well, at first I automated as much of the procedure as I could...
     Then I realized that if anything went wrong, your computer's name
     could remain changed without you knowing it, which could lead to
     very bad results... Rather than explain how to fix a problem that
     might occur, I figured I would feel safer if I walked users through
     the procedure, so that they know exactly what is going on in case
     of a problem.

9) Character 0,1,2... dlinfo_0,1,2... what the heck do those mean? I made
a rogue named Xena, how am I supposed to know which character she is?
Can't you just show the names of the characters?
   - The reason that DiabloBackup works where most other cheats,
     trainers, and other backup programs fail is that DiabloBackup does
     not ever read or write ANY of Diablo's memory.  Since DiabloBackup
     does not read memory, and does not decrypt the save files, there is
     no way for DiabloBackup to know the name of the character associated
     with a particular file...Sorry about that... :-(  If you want to know
     which character Xena is, then just play her in any type of multiplayer
     game.  Then quit the game, but look at the date and time on your
     COMPUTER when you quit.  Then run DiabloBackup and click all the
     "Info" buttons next to each character number.  Look for a "Modified"
     date and time that matches the date and time when you quit the game.
     When you find a match, you have found which character number Xena is.

10) Hrmm.. so now I know that Xena is character 2. Will that ever change?
   - As long as you simply backup and restore characters on that machine,
     characters will never change "slots".

11) Ok, so now I want to move Xena (character 2) to my other computer.  My
other computer has characters 0,1,2,3, and 4 on it... What should I do?  I
don't want to lose any of those characters.
   - When you transfer a character to another machine using the proper
     procedure, DiabloBackup will automatically place your character into
     the first available "slot" on the destination machine. (If there are
     no available "slots" on the destination machine, DiabloBackup will
     tell you before any characters get transferred. In this case all you
     need to do is follow the transferring characters to another computer
     procedure, and Xena will end up as character 5 on the destination
     machine. :-)

12) Ok, check this out: I want to move Xena (character 2) from my
Windows95 computer named "COMPA" to my WindowsNT computer at work which
also happens to be named "COMPA".  Which procedure should I use?
   - If two machines have the same name, you ALWAYS want to use the
     "Transferring characters between two machines with the same name"
     procedure, no matter what operating system they are running.


13) What is the difference between the "Transfer to other..." buttons and
the "Transferring characters to another computer" button?
   - The "Transferring characters to another computer" button gives you
     instructions on how to transfer characters from one computer to
     another using DiabloBackup.  The "Transfer to other..." buttons
     should only be used when you are following these instructions.
     (Hence the warning message that comes up when you click them) :-)

14) What does the "Delete" button do? (Flatter me)
   - Well, delete will remove selected characters from Diablo without you
     having to start diablo and manually delete each character.

15) All the instructions in the transferring characters from one computer
to another talk about transferring to and from a floppy disk or other
removable drive.  Do I have to use these?
   - Nope.  DiabloBackup will always backup to and restore from the
     current backup directory.  It's easier to use a floppy disk, but
     feel free to use some shared directory on some computer somewhere in
     the universe. :-)

16) Can I change the backup directory to another computer on my network?
   - Yes, but you will have to map a drive to it.  For example, if you
     want to change the backup directory to "\test" on a computer called
     "somecomputer", you can use "h:\test" (where h: is the mapped drive
     to "somecomputer", but you cannot use "\\somecomputer\test".

17) I don't understand this "Single player <-> Multiplayer Transfer" deal.
What's up with that?
   - Well, this feature may end up getting the axe soon, but for now, and
     assuming that you are running the original version of Diablo, here's
     the deal... What you are going to do is transfer a character from a
     Windows95 machine to another Windows95 machine... Yes they are the
     same machine, and yes they have the same name, but for this case, you
     MUST follow the instructions for "FROM a Windows95 machine" and "TO
     a Windows95 machine"... I hope that sheds more light on the subject.

18) I want to transfer single player <-> multiplayer but I am using the
new Diablo patch. DiabloBackup says that this feature doesn't work with
Diablo v1.02. What can I do?
    - See the answer to question 20. (just kidding)
      Since a couple of features of DiabloBackup are not yet working with
      the new Diablo patch, the only way to use them presently is to
      reinstall Diablo from the CD (Diablo v1.0), use the feature, then
      re-upgrade to v1.02 by running the patch. Everything should work
      fine in this case.

19) I transferred a character from single player to multiplayer, but some
of the items are changed or gone... what's up with that?
    - The way Diablo stores items in a single player game is different
      from how it stores items in a multiplayer game.  Because of that
      difference, you will experience strange changes in some of your
      items when you transfer a single player character to multiplayer or
      vice versa.  There is nothing that can be done about it... Some
      single player items don't even exist in a multiplayer game.  It is
      perfectly normal to be wearing a sword on your head for example when
      you transfer a single player character to a multiplayer character...
      Well, I guess not TOTALLY normal, but please don't freak out if it
      happens. :-)

20) I want to transfer my characters between 2 windows 95 computers but I
am using the new Diablo patch and DiabloBackup says that this feature does
not work with Diablo v1.02. What can I do?
    - See the answer to question 18.

21) I went to play Diablo, and all of a sudden, my characters were all
gone, and Diablo asked me to create a new character. I am positive that I
had characters on this machine, and they just disappeared. What happened?
    - The only way your characters can "disappear" from Diablo is if your
      computer name changes. Maybe you installed new net software,
      reinstalled Windows95, reformatted your hard drive, whatever. The
      fact is that somehow, your computer name got changed. All you need
      to do is change it back to what it was. You can see/set your
      computer name in Control Panel/Network/Identification.  If you don't
      know what your computer name was before you lost your characters,
      the only way you can be helped is if you used DiabloBackup v2.0b7 or
      later, or if you have a backup of your Windows registry somewhere.
      (send me e-mail if you need your computer name retrieved in either
      of those 2 cases)  If you do not have a DiabloBackup 2.0b7 or later
      save file, and do not have a backup of your Windows registry, then
      unfortunately, I cannot help you. :-(

22) What does the "Quit" button do?
   - OK, so nobody ever asked this... I'm just seeing if anyone is still
     paying attention.  :-)

23) I ran the latest version of DiabloBackup and I get the following
error: "Can't get registry settings".  What's up?
   - Oops... a small bug in the first beta 8 I put on my website... Get
     Beta 8 from my website again (even if you alread had it) and run the
     following from the command line: DiabloBackup -fix
     That should fix the problem.

24) Are you going to make a version of DiabloName that works with the new
Diablo patch? (Diablo v1.02 and later)
   - I don't think so. If you want to change your character's name,
     reinstall Diablo from your CD (this will get you Diablo v1.0), then
     run DiabloName and change your character's name, then re-upgrade
     Diablo by logging on to battle.net or running the patch.

25) OK, I heard that reinstalling Diablo v1.0 on my machine might cause
my character to lose all his/her inventory.  What can I do about this?
   - Well, with the latest version of DiabloBackup (v2.0b9 and later),
     the only reason you would ever need to reinstall Diablo v1.0 on your
     machine is to transfer a single player character to a multiplayer
     character (or vice-versa).  Sometimes, when you reinstall Diablo v1.0
     on your machine to perform a multiplayer to single player transfer,
     your multiplayer character will lose all his/her inventory.  This
     is due to new character file formats between the different versions
     of Diablo and there is really nothing you can do about it.  Look at
     it this way, at least you can transfer your character, and sometimes
     he/she will keep the inventory, and sometimes not.  The good news is
     that if you keep a backup of your multiplayer character, you can
     restore him/her after you re-upgrade Diablo and all his/her inventory
     will be back.  So to sum this all up, when you transfer a multiplayer
     character to single player mode, you might end up with a naked single
     player character, but just make sure you have a backup of your
     multiplayer character, and you'll be ok.  (Confused yet? I am.) :-)
  -  NOTE: I haven't released beta 9 yet... coming in a couple of days.


 A) Gee, I really like DiabloBackup... How can I contribute to your
neverending struggle to be rich and famous?
   - Hmm... I'm glad you asked. :-)  DiabloBackup is and will always
     be freeware... However, if liked DiabloBackup, and you want to
     contribute any form of monetary donation, etc... feel free to send
     anything you deem appropriate to:

     Kevin Lambert
     4315 Lake Washington Blvd. NE #3106
     Kirkland, WA. 98033

     Anyone who actually does send a donation can look forward to being
     first to hear about and try any Diablo (or other game) utilities I
     release (or even don't release). THANKS!! :-)  Since being famous is
     also up there on the priority list, if anyone wants to promote
     DiabloBackup by posting it on their website, adding a link to my
     page, or doing a biographical essay on the mystery that is: Kevin
     Lambert, that would be great also. :-)

 B) Who is Kevin Lambert, and why didn't he put a huge picture of himself
in the about-box of DiabloBackup? :-)
   - I am a game programmer working for Monolith Productions Inc.
     (http://www.lith.com).  I love to play great games such as Diablo,
     and I will do anything I can do to create great games, and to make
     already great games like Diablo even more enjoyable.  And, the reason
     I didn't put my picture in the DiabloBackup about-box is because...
     ummmm... er...uh... well, we just won't talk about that one. :-)
     (Just jokin around there...)

 C) So writing and playing games is cool & stuff, and no offense, but
other than that, you're just a computer geek with no life then, right?
   - Actually, no. I am very competitive in many sports.  I played soccer
     for 14 years as a child, was ranked in the state of Texas in tennis
     in highschool, I snowski twice a year at Whistler (Canada) or Aspen
     (Colorado) I have competed in numerous 2-man sand volleyball
     tournaments, I have won several racquetball tournaments, I play
     "hackey-sack", I play table-tennis, I have been a member of the Texas
     all-region and all-state choirs, I presently drive a red 1995 Chevy
     Camaro (it's automatic...shaddup), I rollerblade at least 3 times a
     week, I play competition air-hockey, I compose music on the
     keyboard/piano, I was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi social
     fraternity at the University of Texas at Austin, I have been to
     Germany, Switzerland, and Cyprus (near Greece), I go to Las Vegas
     once every two or so years, and up until just recently, I had a
     girlfriend that I had been dating for almost 2 years, and that puts
     me where I am now at the age of 24, having a blast in Seattle,
     working for the coolest game company in the world... Monolith
     Productions Inc.!!! (Not to mention that I just wrote what must be
     the longest run-on sentence in existence) :-)

 D) What's your nickname on battle.net, and how can I find you otherwise?
   - My nickname on battle.net is Hologram and I usually hang out in the
     "open technical support" channel.  I have never seen another
     Hologram on battle.net, but just in case, you may want to verify
     that I am indeed me.  My nickname on IRC is |GPFault| (yes, with
     the vertical pipes on the ends), my e-mail address is [e-mail],
     and my home phone number is (206)95...er... nevermind...

Thanks for reading... if you have a question that isn't on here, just
e-mail it to me, and I'll reply (and possible add it to the FAQ).

Ciao.