Hmm, i want to finish researching this protocol ASAP and iv started on the C > S packets, but is there anything i have left out in the S > C?
Im not sure if there is a area of the game witch i havent documented yet that needs to be documented for bot development reassions.

I also need some feed back about the 0x9C item packet. Do i research and document anything at all about it?
Some could class this as harmfull/un need infomation!

And what C > S areas to cover that would come under bot develipment?

The sky is the limit, but my willingness to document all of it is almost none existant :(

If you play/played/still play D2 could you possible post your views on areas to cover and if possible express your consern's?

thanks!

I'd help out but I have finals + no bot that connects to battle.net although I just may install D2 and packetlog

You could use this to connect to battle.net.

How will this cause spambots?  I released a guide on getting bots into games forever ago, and it didn't cause any change in the annoying amount of spam bots.  The game is pretty old, you know.

[quote author=OnlyMeat link=topic=11789.msg115285#msg115285 date=1118299219]
I congradulate you on your research (alot of people wouldn't have taken the time). Not to put a downer on it so far, but quite a bit of it is incorrect and alot of the more useful and complex information is missing.
[/quote]
Thanks, you coverd a few of my conserns there, about incorrect useage of the packets, and infomation classed as destructive or usefull, witch is not a downer :)
In regaurds to incorrect packets, every time i pull a unknown clump of packets apart, the puzzle comes together in alot more detail, and the relation between packets can cover wide areas of the game, makeing it very hard for me to document :(
Pritty much every thing in the S > C list from 0x90 and below was freshly researched for this casuse, but i havent had a great deal of time to aply the info to my bot so it can be more mobile and recv char related responces and find more relations with packet types.
In that sence i would be very greatfull if u could point out what you felt was wrong so i can release it from my parser and find out more about it.

hmm, in regaurds to usefull infomation, this is probly the biggest/hardest problem iv come across, so i will try be speciffic in nature.
Blizzard have not left a corner uncoverd when it comes to confusing things, and i expect there soul aim of advancing this confusingness has a valid reassion.
Asigning the ID's to the object and there locations as well as the char, is very important i agree, but i think that would give easy access for abuseive development and would knock all efforts by blizzard to stop game minipulation.
Once a bot joins a game, reads all the infomation and takes note of each ID, there locations and there useage, then continues to do so after joining and continues to reasign new objects when the char changes areas/moves to new sections, would give the develiper almost unlimited possibilties when it came to making a dupe/hack/gamebot or anything of that nature, the only thing missing would be there creative/destructive idea behind there project.

[quote author="OnlyMeat"]
I privately researched all of the in game packets from scratch without a reference of any kind.
[/quote]
Im guessing you share a few conserns in the same fields, or like to keep your research dedicated to the researcher - witch is perfectly fair and i cant argue with that.
But i feel the protocol is like a big, deep, thick forest :)  that many would like to explore/develop but take a 1st look, and change there mind.
My aim is to make a small clearing so people who didnt take a 2nd look can see this clearing and move to it and start developing the sourounding area.
Altho my aim is not to show them how to clear the whole forest for there needs/wants, but to respect the ways of the forest and its relation to the foundation of there/others future injoyment/development.
(Silly example i know ;))


[quote author="OnlyMeat"]
A note as well, that some of the information can not be obtained by simple packet logging. You actually have to disassemble the game binaries.
[/quote]
Hmm, im guessing by this you mean for map section data files, and general codes/values?
I did how ever have a quick look through a few MPQ files, but its quicker/easyer for me to understand the structure of the server and its controll of the game by reading what it is sending a D2 client relating to what is happening/just happened in the game, in the hope to figger out the useage and relation of the packet in order to later figger out what values are being used in what fields.
As for my tool of research, it is not simple and has taken me many solid hours to develop/reconstruct most of what it is recving why in game, altho i do understand where your coming from.
If u have some code lists that will/would be needed, could you post them? thanks.


[quote author="OnlyMeat"]
[Edit]
I missed the bit about 0x9c. Thats one of the key packets in the game, without it you can't tell what items drop etc, you should document it really :). I can see why you left it though, it's probably the most complex packet in the game.
[/quote]
Hmm, i expect this packet is a prime target when it comes to hacks/dupes and identifying an item for collecting with a game bot :(
How detailed should i document it? and if i should, can u post a few item code lists so i have a quick referance for what values to look out for? thanks again.


[quote author="OnlyMeat"]
You have already documented quite a bit of the protocol, so there will be a flood of spam bots in d2 anyways, i cant see how documenting 0x9c can make things any worse :p
[/quote]
A Spam bot can be made by packet logging a few packets in the D2GS Logon, where as that is almost impossible with the S > C packets.

Im greatfull for your views! as they are in short supply at the moment :(

PS: If i was wrong in thinking your idea of usefull infomation was related to obtaining game/object infomation, could you specify witch userfull area to cover?
thanks again!

[edit]
Im going to create a new bot and parse out the packets iv documented so far, one by one i should beable to check if iv gone wrong anywhere, thanks for commenting some could be wrong ;)
If i dont re do this, i dont think i will ever have the motivation to do it again  :'(
I will fix up a new post and build a checked list and i will probly add alot more packets, but PLEASE say if u think u spot a mistake.
thanks

[quote author=OnlyMeat link=topic=11789.msg115324#msg115324 date=1118354641]
I researched each section of the game at a time, so i could create a clientless bot that does boss runs/picks up items/heals/stashes automatically and all the other common functions a human player would peform.

I had that working about 6 months ago. The only thing i still have left to do is decode more of the extended item properities  like stats, and fix a couple of the itemtype socket number offsets.

But like i said, i haven't had much time to do it recently.

There are a couple of reasons why i don't share all of my research. One is that i had to build this information from scratch without any references, so i don't want others leeching. Another is that a multitude of clientless bots would be bad for d2 in general. Thats just my personal opinion though.

You have provided alot of useful information to the public, and thats a good thing, i hope you keep up the good work.

You could release your source code as well, and let other people build on it furthering the spirit of open research/source.


[/quote]

Why don't you release yours open source and let others work off it?  I'm somewhat bored lately when I'm not out anymore, I could help you with some things as I've done this in the past already

[quote author=OnlyMeat link=topic=11789.msg115329#msg115329 date=1118358274]
Personally i will not release my code simply because it took alot of work to get there and just giving it away degrades my efforts.
[/quote]

Just an aside, you won't get far with that attitude in the university.