My2000 & custom version - user guide

by **0rion79** » 18 Oct 2011, 19:00

My2000 is a software created by Jatill after reaching the 2000 cards limit, that forced card coders to replace old cards with new ones. Its purpose is to create an easy-to-use tool which would allow players to create their own Custom selection of cards in Microsoft version of Magic the Gathering PC game.
Those cards will be stored in a new "version" of Magic, called "Custom", that is accesible through the "Switcher" option in Constructed or Limited main screen (swamp icon) or browsing within your magic Directory for MagicCustom.exe.

My2000.exe is quite easy to use. Usually, it is found within Magic main folder: just double-click for it and, after some minute (it is quite slow), a screen will appear and will allows players to replace cards stored in the default/your Custom version with the ones of your choice.

My2000 uses the the file “customSetEditor.txt” which may be edited to tell the program where to find cards, in case that new Limited versions (as Golden Year mod) are released.
Here is a sample: as you can see, I’ve created my own directories to get cards from Golden Years mod too.

Code: Select all: File format: [source|dest];name of exe;name of csv;name of art directory Copy from limited and constructed into custom source;magic;manalink;cardartnew source;magicLimited;manalinkL;CardArtLim source;MagicGY;ManalinkGY;CardArtGY dest;magicCustom;manalinkC;cardartCus Copy from limited to constructed 'source;magicLimited;manalinkL;cardartLim 'dest;magic;manalink;cardartnew

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Known issues:

My2000 doesn’t allow to replace cards tagged by Jatill as hard-coded.

My2000 doesn’t allow to use slot 1999, which is good.
Occasionally, My2000 doesn’t automatically refresh the CSV & dat file, which store the non-exe information about cards. (see below)

My2000 does not always see "tokens" or "effect" cards, so it doesn't show them in the left column. As result, manual adjustments must be done to include such cards in Custom version. (See below)

My2000 has a rare bug that may occasionally cause the program to replace a card’s exe part with another cards’ exe part while switching other two cards. It depends from slots in the exe and My2000, not from the card that is going to be added to Custom version. Eg., I remember that I couldn’t had at the same time Thelon of Havenwood and Necrite because, when I added Thelon, Necrite’s code was switched with another vanilla creature (maybe Headless Horseman) and, vice versa, when I tried to update Necrite, Thelons’ code was replaced with an instant or sorcery spell, so I had to fix it manually (see below).

My2000 takes hours to automatically refresh cards: something like 20 hours.
This process is damn risky since, at first sight, the program looks unable to interact with hardcoded slots and with cards that are no longer included in any other version. When this occurs, My2000 tends to “jump” slots, losing any correspondence among cards ID in CSV and in the exe. In other words, after an automatic refresh, 40% of the cards in the exe have artworks from other cards and exe code from even other cards and thus becomes unplayable.
Also, if a card in other versions isn’t up to date or is included in more versions (Constructed & Limited), My2000 may copy the card from the older version rather than the new one.

Doran, the Siege Tower is the only card that doesn’t work in Custom version because it has a function that is included in the Constructed version only. Thus, it works as a vanilla 0/5 creature.
I’ve given it Marton Stromgald’s ability just because I didn’t wish to get rid of it.

Editing strategies using SkyMagic Editor

There are several cards tagged as “- -“. Those cards are usually (but not always) hardcoded and replacing them may cause weird behaviors. Jatill was too strict with this decision: cards for “ante”, as well cards needed to activate special games as Momir, if you already know that you won’t use them, are better replaced with tokens or effect cards. Usually, if a slot is hardcoded, the card copied in that slot won’t work and the best solution is to restore the original card and place the wanted card in another slot.

The best way to replace hardcoded cards is to use Skymagic Editor and Microsoft Ecxel.

Use Excel to copy & paste the wished string from one version to another one of the CSV file: remember to re-number that string or it will mess up the game. Then move the saved CSV file (MagicC.csv) to desktop, rename it as “Magic.csv”, double-click on “csv2dat.exe” file (included in Magic directory) and rename the obtained file from “Cards.dat” as “CardC.dat”.

Then, you need to create different folders, as many as the “versions” you want to use as pool for cards, containing the following files:

Where Magic.exe and Manalink.csv are the renamed version of the Custom, Limited, GY versions and so on. You don’t need to do the same with Constructed version, since the SkyMagic.exe in Magic main directory already has the needed files, of course.

Open the SkyMagic.exe in the main Magic directory or the one in Limited or GY folder that you have created; then open the SkyMagic.exe in the Custom folder that you have created: resize windows so that you can see both programs at the same time and go to both programs’ Magic.exe sub-window. Now, simply search for the card that you want to copy, then manually copy & paste each single information from one editor to the other, in the desired slot.
Use the “Save Record” option after editing each single card and "save Magic.exe" (by clicking on Save button): if you don't, SkyMagic editor won't save your progresses and cards won't appear in your Custom version. Also, before "Save Record" is clicked, card info has to be refreshed by double clicking on added/changed card.
Using SkyMagic editor is the most secure way to copy the exe part of cards in your MagicCustom.exe file and to fix My2000 bugs described above. Then, you have to copy arts from the original folder to desktop, rename them and paste them in your CardArtCus folder.

If you see that, by mistake, your Custom version has cards that work with other cards’ exe code, there is a nice tool that may be of aid. Within the same sub-window (Magic.exe) there is an icon that is like WinXP “go to desktop” button. It is “Card list” function: copy it, pate it to notepad, use the “replace” function to quickly delete all “numbers, x and _ “, then paste it to an empty Excel sheet. Sort all cards by name and search for duplicates: if you find any, then it means two things:

1 – My2000 has screwed up and you have to use SkyMagic editor to add the right code.
2 – you have found old-coded cards, where Fran Avalon, Jatill or me has forgot to edit the cards’ name in the exe since it does not affect the card’s behavior. EG: you may still find a card name Wall of H2O (wall of water!) that is a white 2/2 with first strike, the Silver Knight. Check the values and you may guess.
Note that, if there is a card that has the same coded repeated twice, the game will use the one that is listed above in the exe.

Things needed to enhance the program:

1. Allow the editing of 1999 slot
2. Mark hardcoded slots and ante slots but allow their editing
3. Disable default options as “load picture from internet”
4. Allow the saving of program’s options
5. Include the options “refresh all arts”; “refresh exe only”; “refresh CSV only”
6. Try to fix the above bugs
7. If possible, an option to “convert” a Magic.exe file to a MagicCustom.exe file would be very appreciated.
Those files have different information: it is not enough to rename a Magic.exe file to a MagicCustom.exe in order to play a Custom game but this also prevents Custom users to play Doran, the Siege Tower. So there is the need of a way to keep up to update the MagicCustom.exe file.

Last Note for developers

If one day we shall be able to overcome the 2000 cards limit, I would suggest to include ALL cards coded until now using their original slots, to prevent messes with hardcoded slots. Then, disable all cards that are really ugly (set “coded” value as 0 in CSV), but leaving active the ones that are still good but not that good anymore (as Serra Angel) that may be used in EDH game, tribe decks or special combo decks. Then, get rid of Custom version and use Limited with ALL cards active for sealed decks purposes.

Since it would be a traumatic change, a program to automatically “convert” decks would be very appreciated. That program should simply open all the files storing decks and update the cards’ ID to match with the new selection of cards. That program should be able to set aside decks that host cards not included in any other version without crashing.
EG: in some of my decks I’m sure that there is still an Abbey Gargoyles somewhere or a Darkslick Drake or Yavimaya Dryad that I’ve coded for myself since they are improved versions of very lame cards from Legends or 8th Edition sets that had no reason to exist.