02-04-2004, 05:04 AM
I still hold that there's a fundamental difference between general information and specific information.
I think I'm somewhat knowledgeable about D2, but when comparing my own knowledge to the absolute total knowledge about the game, it's nothing.
Now, suppose someone did know everything about the game, having spent enough time to test every possibility, memorize the entire contents of the MPQs, etc. He would then be able to answer any general question about the game. For example, if you asked him to make a list of all possible items for Hell Baal to drop, he could do that (given unbounded time to write the list and unbounded paper to write it on).
However, even the theoretical total of all D2 knowledge wouldn't help in pinpointing the ilvl of an item. If you gave him the exact stats of the item, he still couldn't necessarily find the ilvl. The best he could do is examine the base item, the affixes, the automods, the staffmods, the charges, etc. and give a range of possible ilvls for the item. As stated in this thread, though, these factors may not be enough to narrow it down to a single number, and the range of possible ilvls may potentially be huge.
So that's the difference between the two kinds of knowledge. Given unbounded time and unbounded memory (or unbounded paper for notes) (and unbounded patience ;)), you could learn everything there is to know about D2, but all this knowledge wouldn't help you at all for the specific knowledge given in my examples. The only way to learn that knowledge is through the use of a 3rd party program.
As for ATMA... I myself never used it for muling. I'd already gone to only playing on b.net before I downloaded it, and I only downloaded it because someone had asked me questions about it. That said, I personally don't have a problem with its use for muling. Originally, when I did do my muling, it was done with a second D2 game, elsewhere. I would join it, drop items, join with the other character and pick them up. So the program doesn't enable something that's otherwise impossible; it just means you can mule with your non-realms character without having to ask someone else for help (or having a second D2 computer). I admit, though, that even if I was still playing off the realms, I'd be quite hesitant to use ATMA for muling, both because it is a 3rd party program and because it does give forbidden knowledge.
I think I'm somewhat knowledgeable about D2, but when comparing my own knowledge to the absolute total knowledge about the game, it's nothing.
Now, suppose someone did know everything about the game, having spent enough time to test every possibility, memorize the entire contents of the MPQs, etc. He would then be able to answer any general question about the game. For example, if you asked him to make a list of all possible items for Hell Baal to drop, he could do that (given unbounded time to write the list and unbounded paper to write it on).
However, even the theoretical total of all D2 knowledge wouldn't help in pinpointing the ilvl of an item. If you gave him the exact stats of the item, he still couldn't necessarily find the ilvl. The best he could do is examine the base item, the affixes, the automods, the staffmods, the charges, etc. and give a range of possible ilvls for the item. As stated in this thread, though, these factors may not be enough to narrow it down to a single number, and the range of possible ilvls may potentially be huge.
So that's the difference between the two kinds of knowledge. Given unbounded time and unbounded memory (or unbounded paper for notes) (and unbounded patience ;)), you could learn everything there is to know about D2, but all this knowledge wouldn't help you at all for the specific knowledge given in my examples. The only way to learn that knowledge is through the use of a 3rd party program.
As for ATMA... I myself never used it for muling. I'd already gone to only playing on b.net before I downloaded it, and I only downloaded it because someone had asked me questions about it. That said, I personally don't have a problem with its use for muling. Originally, when I did do my muling, it was done with a second D2 game, elsewhere. I would join it, drop items, join with the other character and pick them up. So the program doesn't enable something that's otherwise impossible; it just means you can mule with your non-realms character without having to ask someone else for help (or having a second D2 computer). I admit, though, that even if I was still playing off the realms, I'd be quite hesitant to use ATMA for muling, both because it is a 3rd party program and because it does give forbidden knowledge.