How does the -seed thing work?

[ogot]

Can someone tell me how I can use it (step-by-step)?

I'm using an original Diablo 2 Expansion, v.1.10... Does the patch have anything to do with it? How do I make it work?

[Slasher]

Step 1: Right-click on the shortcut you use to launch D2 and select 'Properties'
Step 2: Cligk on the Shortcut tab
Step 3: You should see something like "C:\Program Files\Diablo II\Diablo II.exe" in the target box. All you have to do is put -seed### after it, ### being any number (I used 666), so the entire target will be similar to: "C:\Program Files\Diablo II\Diablo II.exe" -seed###
Step 4: Click apply and then ok.
Step 5: Have fun. :P

When I took the screenshot I was using 1.10b. I recently tried to replicate the situation, but couldn't get it to work. My guess is that they removed it in the final version of 1.10. Someone else might be able to shed some light on why it no longer seems to work for me.
Good luck.


Edit: Missed some stuff.

[ogot]

I did Step 1 to Step 5, it still didn't work... I tried 5, 10, and 50...

Oh well, thanks for the help!

Someone else might be able to shed some light on why it no longer seems to work for me.

Makes me regret downloading 1.10... :(
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Edit:

Just uninstalled my Diablo 2, reinstalled it (now it's 1.00 again)... I haven't reinstalled LOD... I tried again, but it didn't work... Any info from what version to what version it can be used and if it's LOD specific?

[ogot]

I'm too tired to edit...

Okay, I just downloaded 1.09d for Original D2... Tried the -seed thing, it worked! Cool!

Right now, my sorceress just arrived at the Cold Plains, Level 10... Using a Level 6 Charged Bolt, and Level 3 Warmth...

Just a question... Does the -seed thing make the Den of Evil...? You know what's next...

[Stolb3rg]

What exactly does seed command do?

[AssA]

It jampacks every single map square with monsters, that's what :)

[Thrugg]

That isn't actually what it is supposed to do.
In 1.10 it now works properly, which is why you don't see it working buggedly like it did in 1.09.
It actually sets the game's global seed to a certain number (the one you type in as the parameter). The game's random number generator creates each subsequent random number from the previous one, hence a "random stream". By setting the seed, you will get the same random numbers for that game each time.
This is not to say the same things will happen, because the game generates random numbers all the time, and so if you do things in a different order you will use the same numbers at different times for different results. Still, it is a generally non-sensible way to play if you are playing single player seriously.

[Stolb3rg]

That isn't actually what it is supposed to do.
In 1.10 it now works properly, which is why you don't see it working buggedly like it did in 1.09.
It actually sets the game's global seed to a certain number (the one you type in as the parameter).  The game's random number generator creates each subsequent random number from the previous one, hence a "random stream".  By setting the seed, you will get the same random numbers for that game each time.
This is not to say the same things will happen, because the game generates random numbers all the time, and so if you do things in a different order you will use the same numbers at different times for different results.  Still, it is a generally non-sensible way to play if you are playing single player seriously.

Ok, Thanks but i dont know what you mean by numbers. The chances oif the item drops you mean? the place monsters are located?

[Thrugg]

Almost everything in the game is driven by random numbers in some way. When you hit a monster with a Short Sword doing 2-7 damage, it gets a random number and turns that into a percentage to see if you hit, then if you do, it gets the next random number and scales that between 2 and 7 and that's how much damage you do. If you then try to hit the monster again it will get the next random number. If you do something else, like stand back and let the monster hit you instead, the monster will get that same next random number to work out whether it hits you. The random numbers follow one after another in a list, they are not truly random.

If you use the -seed command, you start this stream of random numbers in the same place each time. So, if you go and do the same thing first each time you will get the same "random" result, and, if you were careful enough, you could conceivably duplicate an entire game every time, down to the drops.

OK, before Jarulf jumps on me, that is hopelessly unlikely past the first couple of actions unless you have 1-frame reflexes :)

It is possible though to do things that pull random numbers out much more slowly and controlled, such as walking out of town and opening the first chest you see, before you even go near a monster. If you do that while using the -seed command, that chest is likely to drop exactly the same items every time.

There's no sensible reason to use the command in normal play. It was a debug code left in accidentally by Blizzard (it is of course very useful for debugging to have the game act the same every time).

[Nightwind]

Wasn't the odd number of creatures ment as a penalty for enering an invalid seed?