Dungeon Master Forum

Right, I haven't played DM or CSB for years, and there are a whole lot of new clones/editors around these days it seems.

What I want to do is start a new CSB game with DM characters, at a decent level to stand a chance. I haven't got time to go through DM levelling up, so I thought I would use an editor to make the characters about the same level as the starting CSB characters from the CSB hall of champions.

I downloaded CSB for Windows100, with the DM dat files, started a new DM game and then resurrected my favourites (Halk, Wu Tse, Iaido and Wuuf), then saved the game.

Next I tried to load the file into Dmute1.4, which I used a long time ago to make my own dungeons. But it wouldn't let me load the file (csbgame) ... it said "not a recognised save game file".

Can dmute not recognise CSBwin saves?
What am I doing wrong? Or can anyone suggest an easier way to achieve my aim?

You cannot edit CSBwin files with DMute, the formats are different now for CSBwin (added features)

What you would do is create a new DM game using CSBuild to edit the Dm dungeon and alter the portraits of the DM charatcers to the level you wish. Start dungeon, select charatcers, save and then port over to the CSB dungeon

Ok, I downloaded CSBuild and it looks pretty complicated. I loaded in the dungeon.dat from csbwin (is that right?) but I can't find a way to edit the characters.

You edit the texts infront of the mirrors on the first level. There should be a thread in the CSBwin forum to hint how to do this, but if you click to edit the tile contents, then edit the text in the centre, then click on 'advanced edit' or somethign like that, then you will get a whole load of champion stats.

Experience for each level is detailed on the DM Encylopaedia in the skills section, but you could just play around with figures to get the feel of it (as a guide, each section such as fighter, ninjam etc has four sub-sets, and if the combined score is equal to a set value then your overall rank is as indicated. Each rank takes doubel the experience to get to. So Novice may have been 500XP (I forget), Apprentice 1000XP, Journeyman 2000XP, etc

You assign the experience in the pull-down menu beside the appropriate stat (strength for fighter, etc

Thanks Beowuuf, finally got it sorted! I was clicking everything I could find in CSBwin but just didn't think to click the squares in front of the portraits and edit the text !

Lol, no reason you should think to, it just looks like an aid for the designers to show who is who imn the mirrors, but FTL decided to put the stats of the characters in the text string, infront of the mirror rather than have it be part of the mirror itself (in a way it makes sense, as that way you are reading them from the square the party is standing on)

Have fun playing through CSB!

Still, easiest way to continue characters from DM in CSB is using RTC imho.

True, but CSBwin is much better for a dial up user (0.44 is running at 12Mb right now, is it not?)

It is Beo. And CSBWin still plays better. Though not by as much as it used to 2 years ago.

Lunever wrote:Still, easiest way to continue characters from DM in CSB is using RTC imho.

I will check out RTC.. but the impression I got from reading up on it on the Enclclopedia is that it isn't such an accurate remake ...for example some of the stats/ mechanics have been changed from the original, I believe?

Change is not a bad thing of course, but I want to play old-school CSB the way I remember it from 15 (!!!!!) years ago.
How different it RTC to original DM/ CSB?

RTC is based entirely on feel and guessing, as opposed to real DM formulas-- as such, it gets almost everything wrong, but it's usually close enough that you won't notice unless you're really looking.

There are cases, too, where RTC's "wrong" way makes more sense than DM's "right" way-- ninja skills, anti-fire, and the counting of shields come to mind.

However, there are one oor twoplaces where GG has made some minor alterations to the original. For example, you can overcast light to white yourself out (trainers complain) or for example you gain an item's bonus in if help either hand

Hello to all of you.

I revive this topic because i don't manage to play with my dungeon Master characters even with your explanations.

I played Dungeon Master with CSBwin100_PC_DM

And the saves are named csbgame.dat in both DM and CSB.

But when I try to use utility of CSB with my DM save it says save error.

I also have csbgame.bak files in the DM folder

Thanks a lot for your help !

It failed for me, too.

Try:

http://www.dianneandpaul.net/CSBwin/CSBwin10_101.zip

A new version of CSBwin (many years newer).

It worked for me. If you have trouble,
speak up and I can walk you through it.

Yessss It worked right away thanks a lot Sir !!

Do you know if there is a way to get the cooler portraits for our old guys like it was possible back then ?

Since you appear to be addressing
me, I'll answer so as not to appear
to be ignoring you.

No, I don't know. But people have
asked for the Export/Import feature.
Perhaps someone has managed to
edit or replace the portraits. Maybe
they will speak up.

Thank you for your answers Paul !

I'm not sure if it was part of the import/export feature, but there was a new set of portraits for all the DM characters in the CSB utility that you could use if you wished. It's not in CSBWin though.

Do you know if there is a way to get the cooler portraits for our old guys like it was possible back then ?

To play CSB with original DM chars, it should be possible to replace the chars graphics (thats just one *.bmp in the graphics.dat of CSB) with ADGE (I could do that for you if you wish) and then edit the chars in the Prison stats with CSBuilt (lots of work if you do it with all chars, little done just with your favorite 4).

This way you could select your favorite DM chars from the Prison, train them below (mummys/rockpiles) and then head off into the dungeon.

Another, more direct and simple way would be to simply replace the grapghics.dat of CSB with the one coming with DM. But you'd then have wasps instead of munchers and trollins instead of antmans. But at least the original portraits would be there (whith high char stats from CSB)

Then again...
Can't CSBwin load a savegame from DM as if it was a savegame from the Prison?

TOMi wrote:Can't CSBwin load a savegame from DM as if it was a savegame from the Prison?

No.

Watch out for that double negative

(what if you had asked "Can CSBwin ..."?)

Honestly. I can't tell the difference.
It has a different tone, though. This is where my English fails me.
So if it did sound presumptuous I apologize.

Honestly. I can't tell the difference.

Of course you can tell the difference between:

"Can you swim?" - Answer "yes".

and

"Can you not swim?" - Answer "No".

In both cases I am telling you that
I am a swimmer.

Nothing to apologize for. Just my queer
way of answering negative questions.
The people near me expect it and receive
no explanation. I thought I should warn you.

Be nice to the poor foreigners

We're all foreigners here... This server is hosted in Wales isnt it?

No, Czech Republic!

Ok, everyone apart from Jan is a foreigner here!

Maybe Jan will be able to help us with translation if we ever need to talk with our host?

That won't be cheap

(no, I'm kidding)