wathombe
19-08-2004, 03:42
Weekly runeword search update
Greetings from the stat forum runeword search team. Many posters who have stopped by our main thread have admitted to being a bit daunted by its 500+ post length. We've decided to post a short weekly update to summarize our efforts and entice people to join the cause without having to wade through all 25+ pages. I will post the basic info every Monday along with an update on our progress during the previous week.
Basic Information
main thread (http://forums.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=220217)
wathombe's runeword spreadsheet (http://home.comcast.net/~wathombe/diablo2/wathombes_runeword_database.xls) (updated 18 Aug 04)
shaft's runeword spreadsheet (http://home.comcast.net/~wathombe/diablo2/shafts_runeword_database.xls) (updated 12 Aug 04)
player matchup thread (http://forums.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=239239) (for in-game cooperation)
Main Theories
Inactive 1.07 runewords
As some of you may be aware, there exists a list of inactive runewords (and recipes therefor) culled from the runes.txt file in the .mpq for version 1.07. Three of the four new runewords from the last ladder season came from this list, so it stands to reason that some or all of the 23 new runewords for this ladder season could come from this list. We have tested about half of the 100+ runewords on this list, mostly involving runes Lem and below.
Kenny-Z clues
Kenny-Z, one of the mods on the b.net forums, posted a sequence of twelve trivia questions over the course of a few weeks in late July and early August. As these questions seemed to have no real purpose, many players (us included) guessed that these might be hints to the new runewords. In response, we have theorized many possible runeword recipes based on acronyms, anagrams, et cetera. Only a few of these have been tested, owing to the vague nature of the clues.
Blanket 2-socket testing
We have reasoned that at least a few of the new runewords must contain only two runes. As such, we have been rigorously testing 2-rune permutations for all sixteen known runeword item-type tags. Because this initiative makes use of a great deal of low runes, we have made a great deal of progress in this area, having now tested several hundred permutations, including every possibility south of SolSol in armors and many, many possibilities in helms and shields. Here is where we can use the most help, as anyone can pick their favorite item type and start testing with low runes. Obviously the testing of permutations involving higher runes is progressing more slowly, but we're getting there.
Other theories
There are a number of other theories which we are pursuing with somewhat less vigor, including:
--possible clues from the World of Warcraft sites;
--possible clues from artwork on b.net; and
--possible clues from in-game graphics.
I'm sure there are several others I'm forgetting, but I'm also sure my fellow searchers will remind me. ;)
How you can get involved
--Head over to the main thread, which is where we discuss theories, report testing, and post updates. Read the most recent page or two instead of all 25+. If you have any ideas, throw them out; all the posters are very open and friendly, and all suggestions are encouraged and discussed in great detail.
--If you have extras of some of the low runes clogging up your stash, download the spreadsheets or check the ascii grids in the thread, find a permutation that hasn't been tested, and try it.
--Head over to the player matchup thread and find some players on your realm whom you can help with rune runs, levelling, questing, or whatever.
Thanks
Otherwise, thanks to everyone here at rpgforums for all the support you've been giving us. Mods and forum members alike have been great. Thanks also to all the dedicated testers and posters in our main thread (you know who you are; I won't list you here for fear of leaving someone out). Hopefully we'll reward you by bringing you the first discovered Ladder Season 2 runeword recipe.
Greetings from the stat forum runeword search team. Many posters who have stopped by our main thread have admitted to being a bit daunted by its 500+ post length. We've decided to post a short weekly update to summarize our efforts and entice people to join the cause without having to wade through all 25+ pages. I will post the basic info every Monday along with an update on our progress during the previous week.
Basic Information
main thread (http://forums.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=220217)
wathombe's runeword spreadsheet (http://home.comcast.net/~wathombe/diablo2/wathombes_runeword_database.xls) (updated 18 Aug 04)
shaft's runeword spreadsheet (http://home.comcast.net/~wathombe/diablo2/shafts_runeword_database.xls) (updated 12 Aug 04)
player matchup thread (http://forums.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=239239) (for in-game cooperation)
Main Theories
Inactive 1.07 runewords
As some of you may be aware, there exists a list of inactive runewords (and recipes therefor) culled from the runes.txt file in the .mpq for version 1.07. Three of the four new runewords from the last ladder season came from this list, so it stands to reason that some or all of the 23 new runewords for this ladder season could come from this list. We have tested about half of the 100+ runewords on this list, mostly involving runes Lem and below.
Kenny-Z clues
Kenny-Z, one of the mods on the b.net forums, posted a sequence of twelve trivia questions over the course of a few weeks in late July and early August. As these questions seemed to have no real purpose, many players (us included) guessed that these might be hints to the new runewords. In response, we have theorized many possible runeword recipes based on acronyms, anagrams, et cetera. Only a few of these have been tested, owing to the vague nature of the clues.
Blanket 2-socket testing
We have reasoned that at least a few of the new runewords must contain only two runes. As such, we have been rigorously testing 2-rune permutations for all sixteen known runeword item-type tags. Because this initiative makes use of a great deal of low runes, we have made a great deal of progress in this area, having now tested several hundred permutations, including every possibility south of SolSol in armors and many, many possibilities in helms and shields. Here is where we can use the most help, as anyone can pick their favorite item type and start testing with low runes. Obviously the testing of permutations involving higher runes is progressing more slowly, but we're getting there.
Other theories
There are a number of other theories which we are pursuing with somewhat less vigor, including:
--possible clues from the World of Warcraft sites;
--possible clues from artwork on b.net; and
--possible clues from in-game graphics.
I'm sure there are several others I'm forgetting, but I'm also sure my fellow searchers will remind me. ;)
How you can get involved
--Head over to the main thread, which is where we discuss theories, report testing, and post updates. Read the most recent page or two instead of all 25+. If you have any ideas, throw them out; all the posters are very open and friendly, and all suggestions are encouraged and discussed in great detail.
--If you have extras of some of the low runes clogging up your stash, download the spreadsheets or check the ascii grids in the thread, find a permutation that hasn't been tested, and try it.
--Head over to the player matchup thread and find some players on your realm whom you can help with rune runs, levelling, questing, or whatever.
Thanks
Otherwise, thanks to everyone here at rpgforums for all the support you've been giving us. Mods and forum members alike have been great. Thanks also to all the dedicated testers and posters in our main thread (you know who you are; I won't list you here for fear of leaving someone out). Hopefully we'll reward you by bringing you the first discovered Ladder Season 2 runeword recipe.