Kudo's and question for devs

[Haytrid]

So I wanted to say hell of a job keeping this going. I wish I could program. . . or had money to donate. . . or pretty much anything that didn't make me a completely useless leecher but the fact is, that's what I'm doing

I think it's amazing the progress you've made with this and although I never play anything but Shandalar (which you never work on, damn you!), I was curious with all these releases on the DARK side (non-shandalar) version of Microprose MOM if you can actually play multiplayer sealed decks yet or if that was even in the cards (pun intended).

Hell, I'm thrilled I can play Shandalar in Windows 7 64-bit flawlessly, that alone is impressive.

Thank you for all of your efforts, you are appreciated.

[CirothUngol]

If Shandalar is all you play, then you've really seen nothing new because Shandalar was only lightly hacked. Mok (the original hacker) returned for a short time at the end of 2011 (after a 10 year abscence) and did some work to the executable so it would load bmp\png images in the Duel and be more stable under Win7... but that was the first update since July of 2001. Without Mok (or an equally talented\interested assembly programmer) the current developers hands are tied where Shandalar is concerned, and that doesn't seem likely to change. *sigh*

As for MultiPlayer, Mok was also the guy who originally released an update to the online portion of Microprose's MtG (called Manalink) so you could connect to other players using an IP address instead of the TEN Network. Although MultiPlayer currently works in Manalink 3.0, it requires disabling virtually all options in the Manalink.ini and the exclusion of many problem cards (the worst offenders are cards that search\manipulate\look at any library). Even then, Networked MultiPlayer was only ever available for standard Duel Mode... never for SealedDeck, Gauntlet, Shandalar, or anything else. Check out this thread for the most current info.

Incidently, I wish I could do more as well.
I assembled the MediaFire Download Folder and have done some investigation\documentation of the Manalink.csv and Cards.dat files. Perhaps you could help define the use\purpose of some of the other files. Usually all it takes is time, observation, and a good HexEditor.
In addition, I've recently attempted to seperate Shandalar and Manalink from each other and weed-out all unnecessary files from their program folders. If you'd like to help you can snag the files in the .\Manalink 3.0\Bare Install\ folder and help me to verify that all of the needed files are there, and that any unneeded files are not.
I also dabble in programming and was able to produce the Manalink Playdeck Analyser using Carl Gundel's fun, easy and absolutely free JustBASIC language (and a few months of free time ^_^). Believe me... if I can do it, so can you. Go grab it, install it, do the tutorials, and then think of a need to fulfill. Lately I've been thinking about a SkinChanger for all the UI graphics in Manalink... if one already existed, I'd certainly be using it.

If nothing else, just being active in the forums and wanting to help is great. If you come across an unanswered question that you know the answer to, answer it. If you come across a bug in the software, search the Bug Reports Forum and post it if it isn't there.
In the end, time and effort are usually the best resources to contribute.

By the way, if Shandalar is your thing be sure to check out the Shandalar Deck Injector and the Shandalar Enemy Decks Overhaul... you'll be glad you did.

Question:
Are you playing Shandalar using the current executable and Manalink 3.0 setup (i.e. is Shandalar.exe dated December 2011 and there's a "CardArtShandalar" folder in your Manalink Program Folder)? If so, are the Power\Toughness fonts tiny for CardsInPlay during the Duels? Are they missing the Abilities Symbols, Counters, Summoning Sickness Symbol, etc? I've been playing Shandalar with the new setup quite a bit lately and those few missing parts are the only issues I've uncovered... just wondering if they're working for anyone else.

[Sarlack]

Shandalar.exe only loads the .pic format, so any file that is named filename.bmp can be copied to a new file and then change the extension to filename.pic
Magic.exe loads a mix of .pic and .bmp, that is why abilities.bmp and cardcounters.bmp are in the CardArt folder and the rest are .pic files.
so if you make a copy so there are both abilities.bmp/cardcounters.bmp & abilities.pic/cardcounters.pic in the CardArt folder, either .exe will load the graphic file.
All the .bmp file in the DuelArt folder will have to be copied and renamed as well for Shandalar.