Perfect Grailer
Document last updated: 5/30/09
Minor updates and other randomness can be found at Twitter.
Beta 2 Released
Sorry it took forever. I got busy with jobs interviews and was away for a few days. Scroll down for update details.
Overview
Perfect Grailer is an application developed for collectors by a collector. Keeping track of items and their properties can be tedious, and this application seeks to help simplify the process.
Here's a brief overview of the terminology behind it. A grail is a collection that consists of every unique and set item in the game. A perfect item means that all properties are at their maximum values. Thus, a perfect grail consists of every unique and set item, each with maximum property values. Tough to achieve, but a goal to set nonetheless.
Of course, this application can be used by any collector. You can use it to simply keep track of what you have, and you can use the comparison feature later if you choose.
This application was started in late 2006 up until mid 2007, at which point I took a hiatus for a reason I can no longer recall. Sometime during the summer of 2008 I took another look at it and realized my previous work was nearly complete. After a few tweaks and fixes, I finally got it to a much more functional state, built using C# .NET 3.5.
Features
At least for now, all values are manually input, so there’s no game interaction whatsoever.
Simple
-Keep track of item inventory in an organized format
-Comparing item properties is a button click away
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(New in beta 2) New item collections have additional options upon creation, including Expansion, Realms, Ladder (only if Realms), and Version number (if not Realms, since Realms is always the latest version)
Detailed
Items are sorted alphabetically by type (including class-specific), then by name, then by whether it’s a unique or set item. Checkboxes determine if the item is in possession. If the item has no properties with variable values, or the item doesn’t have an ethereal or non-ethereal counterpart, it lets you know.
For an item with variable properties, each property is listed with the highest values previously entered, if any. New values are entered, and at the click of a button it tells you how the two items compare. If it can’t effectively compare the two (such as added damage ranges), the two items appear side-by-side for easier manual comparison.
Item collections are stored in D2L files, which is a made-up extension that I’m pretty sure doesn’t already exist. File associations can be created and removed through an option in the application. With a file association, double-clicking on D2L files in Windows Explorer will automatically open the application and load the item collection. Note that you must be an admin to change file associations.
This application is also single instance, meaning that there can only be one instance of the application running at once.
Future Features
I was originally planning on allowing .d2s and .d2x files (characters and ATMA stashes, respectively) to be read directly for SP players, but I’ve run into a couple issues that will take some time to resolve.
(5/30/09: Not entirely sure how different file reading is pre-1.10, depending on differences it might take longer to implement patch-specific reading)
Grouping set items together instead of mixing them with other item types.
Grouping all class-specific items together, maybe with class subgroups? (not sure, I only mention this because pre-1.10 there was only one unique per class)
System Requirements
Perfect Grailer was developed using the .NET Framework 3.5, so it’ll only run on Windows-based machines. I’m not sure which versions, exactly, but it was developed on XP and will likely work with Vista.
As for hardware requirements, if you can run Diablo II, I’m pretty sure you can run this application given the above criteria. If you really need a better idea on specifics,
this is my development laptop (except I have 1GB RAM). It runs smoothly, so I'm sure performance shouldn't be an issue on machines with lower specs.
I believe the .NET Framework is a required update available through Windows Update, but if for whatever reason you can’t find it,
here it is. I also have .NET 3.5 SP1 installed, but I don’t think it’s required. This is also available through Windows Update as optional software if you decide to get it anyway.
Known Issues
Occasionally access or permission errors pop up when trying to change file associations (and maybe another thing or two) regardless of admin status, and I’m not sure why. Just make sure you’re an admin and it should work.
There might be an issue or two with switching between ethereal and non-ethereal. No idea what, but just a warning.
Some systems might notice that item names in the sidebar blink red when another item is selected. Just a visual thing, but not sure how to fix it.
Suggestions are also welcome.
Version History
Beta 2
-Should load a bit faster
-Selected item in the sidebar now remains highlighted when the sidebar loses focus
-Added a screen to select version options when creating a new collection (see features for details)
-Hellfire Torch has been added
-Cow King's Hooves have been corrected to be Heavy Boots
Beta 1
-Initial release
Here's the zip. Enjoy!
Last Update: 5/30/09
(first release still there in case of unknown catastrophic failure, as I don't have my test machine at the moment)
Another note: I included the DB suffix in case I need to make database changes and upload the single file separately. I'll put it in the application's zip, too, just figured a separate download would be simpler for those who already have it.
Linear Mode
