BNETDocs Redux

Server Checker

If you have ever been to this website before, you should have noticed the BNLS Server Status panel on the right, along with the Battle.net Server Status panel. These two panels contain servers that you can use with your Battle.net bots.

Now what most people probably knew, these servers do not get updated periodically, so servers would appear online when they are truly offline, and vice versa. This is no more.

I have created a simple program that connects to any MySQL server, retrieves the table full of servers, connects to each server individually, and then updates its online/offline status. I also enabled a timer that I can set to any interval I want (I can make it every 30 seconds, or even once every day if I want).

So basically all I am saying is that these server panels are now periodically checked for uptime status and will be updated accordingly. Right now I have that interval set to every 5 minutes, but I may variate it occasionally for my own reasons without notice. I would also like to stress that these servers are checked from my computer using my internet, this means that if I cannot connect to them or an error occurs while connecting, the server will be marked offline, even if you are able to successfully connect. If such a case occurs however, to where my internet does not function properly, then I probably would not be able to update the servers anyway, so you shouldn't worry about this.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Patch 1.0.3

Bug Fixes:

- Fixed an issue preventing some players from accessing offline play from the login screen.

Minor updates

I had taken notice that all (most, anyway) the BNLS packets were still on the Raw-setting, meaning they were new and documentation for them was changing often.

I have since then updated all of them to the Normal-setting, which means they are documented and nothing is changing anytime soon; they are considered final and any revisions will be made in a new packet id. While I was doing this, I had also noticed that the format of most of the packets were not formatted conveniently and the related links were not given or were wrong, so I also updated the formats so they display conveniently and I added the proper related links.

I also added a new BNLS packet that is not really part of the official documentation, but was necessary to add since it can be received on some servers running BNLSWarden. The packet id is 0xFF, which indicates that your IP has been restricted. All BNLS-enabled clients will operate normally without recognition of this packet, but if a client wishes to support it, they are more than welcome to. It will never be received unless the server sends it to you after you connect. More information about the packet can be found in its remarks section.

Along with that new packet, I also added the BNLS_WARDEN packets, but I did a poor job. Anyone with editor access: feel free to revise it.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Patch 1.0.2

Bug Fixes:

- Fixed an issue where campaign mission victories would not always trigger properly.
- Fixed an issue where some players were unable to access single-player features.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Patch 1.0.1

For those who live under rocks and have not come out recently: StarCraft 2 has been released and has been out for sale since July 27th.

Via Blizzard:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Patch 1.0.1

To get the latest news and interact with the community, visit our brand new StarCraft II website (http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/). Be sure to check out our Game Guide for an in-depth look at StarCraft II gameplay. We wish you all the best on your journeys through the embattled Koprulu Sector!

Bug Fixes:

-Campaign saves have been optimized.
-Fixed an issue with sound not playing on some 7.1 systems.

StarCraft II Beta is now closed

The upcoming StarCraft II sequel was running in a closed beta (users had to have a beta key to get on Battle.net) open to selected players by Blizzard to be tested on their new Battle.net v2. Single-player was disabled unless you used the Galaxy Editor or used hacks/mods.

That beta (now nicknamed Phase 1) was shutdown, and later reopened with the title of Phase 2, and they said they would only run it for a few days. Well those few days are now up and the beta has been shutdown officially. Now all players can do is wait for the retail release on July 27th, 2010 or continue to play single-player via the Galaxy Editor or by using hacks/mods; Battle.net v2 will tell them to shove off.

At that time, StarCraft II Retail will hit stores with millions of fans and players eagerly waiting to buy the game, or pick up their pre-ordered package (assuming that pre-order is not being shipped). Battle.net v2 will await the new players, being prepared for the bombardment of internet connections and packets.

In other recent news (off-topic), BnetDocs v3 is still a work-in-progress. Kyro and I have been working every day to what seems like every other day making sure bugs are fixed, features are implemented, and surprises are kept secret until release. In the past week, we were fiddling with the SQL tables and we ended up messing some up, so we had to go back to a backup, so we apologize if there is anything missing that was here before.

Starcraft II Beta Phase 2 Open

Phase Two of the Starcraft II Beta was launched today.

The recent debate over Real ID is still open for discussion, however the new character code has been introduced in Patch 16, the opening patch for the just-launched Phase 2. A character code is a unique code tied to your SC2 character. It is created when you create your character and cannot be changed nor chosen by you.

On the Battle.net forums, this post by Zarhym details what Patch 16 brings to Starcraft II. The 'General' patch information:

StarCraft II Beta – Patch 16 (version 0.19.0.15976) 

General

Rally points now behave as a move command, instead of an attack move command. 
Enabled the ability to manually add a StarCraft II character friend using the player's character code.
- Character code is a server-assigned numerical code that is displayed within the Add Friend panel. 
Battle.net Achievements & Rewards have been updated. 
All Quick Match modes are now available: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, and Free For All. 
All A.I. difficulties are now available for play. 
Cooperative matchmaking versus A.I. players is now available as a play mode. 
Enabled cross-game social features between World of Warcraft and StarCraft II.

WarCraft III Update

There is a new patch available for WarCraft III Reign of Chaos and WarCraft III The Frozen Throne.

Version: 1.24.4.6387

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patch 1.24e
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIXES

- Fixed an exploit rendering buildings non-interactable (\"tower hack\"). 
- Fixed an exploit allowing a player to bypass a summon ability's 
cooldown (\"summon/cooldown hack\"). 
- Fixed a client crash related to workers failing to build in an 
unintended way (\"new crash hack\"). 
- Fixed an exploit allowing the Blood Mages's Phoenix to be resurrected 
instantly (\"phoenix hack\"). 
- Fixed a bug allowing players to select an invalid matchmaking race 
resulting in all the player's units and buildings becoming sheep 
(\"sheep hack\").

WarCraft III Update

There is a new patch available for WarCraft III Reign of Chaos and WarCraft III The Frozen Throne.

Version: 1.24.3.6384

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patch 1.24d
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIXES

- Fixed a client crash related to queuing too many invalid build commands
  (''crash hack'').

Updates Needed?

It is evident that BNETDocs Redux is old and requires a little more updated information.

Some packets remain "Research required" and others remain even undocumented but known. If you know of a packet that needs more information added to it, or of any packet(s) that are not added to the documentation, please contact Jailout2000 at ValHalla Legends. He can help get it sorted out.

When you contact him, make sure you provide information such as your username, a website linking to the information if possible (proof of your information), and your own input on the packet if you have any. This will make it possible for him to compile all the data and post it up to the packet's documentation page.

BNETDocs is still alive and, well, not so active. By helping update the documentation, perhaps it can become an active place once more. Due to the vast knowledge and accuracy, it is impossible for one person to update it all by them self.

BNETDocs Continues

Just wanted to let ya'all know the BNETDocs domain was expiring on Oct 31, so I've gone ahead and renewed the domain. So BNETDocs will continue to exist. Not much news to many of you, but there were some who were inquiring due to lack of updates on the BNETDocs core itself.

I realize that I've been slow in updating, and I apologize. It hasn't been quite easy since I've been quite busy (I work 50 hours a week at my job as tech support for a telecommunications company, recent acquisition of PoliteTalk.com, and also started up my own corporation in marketing). But rest assured, work has most definitely NOT stopped on BNETDocs v2-- it is my goal to release BNETDocs v2 **BEFORE** Blizzard releases Battle.net v2!

Just an update as to whats happening with BNLS

Most of you, if you use BNLS, should know that ValHalla Legends stopped hosting BNLS long ago. And now with JBLS going offline also, we are forced to depend on our own servers, or other peoples servers that we may not trust.

There is a large list of servers available at the BNLS Checker website. You can use this large list to find one that works for you. This list provides online/offline counts, percentage of uptime, owner, and even where it is located.

Another list, but is not updated as much as the above, can be found at this website.

New WarCraft III Patch

There is a new patch available for WarCraft III Reign of Chaos and WarCraft III The Frozen Throne.

Version: 1.24.0.6372

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patch 1.24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

PC WORLD EDITOR CHANGES

- Added new JASS hash table functions to replace the lost functionality from 
   fixing unsafe type casting.
   - Hash Table - Save Item Handle
   - Hash Table - Save Unit Handle
   - ...
   - Hash Table - Load Item Handle
   - Hash Table - Load Unit Handle
   - ...
   - Hash Table - Get Handle ID

FIXES

- Fixed an exploit related to unsafe type casting that allowed users to 
   execute arbitrary code in maps.
- Fixed the JASS unsafe type casting exploit (\"return bug\").
- Fixed several World Editor crashes.

WarCraft III Warden Update

WarCraft III, as of April 14th, 2009, has an updated warden system. Most bots these days don't know how to handle the warden packet correctly, or don't know how to handle it at all.

Here is a log received from FooLOps 1.9.9 logged on as JailBot@Lordaeron:

[17:02:05:593]BNET: Unknown packet ID:5E
[17:02:05:609]0000:  FF 5E 29 00 40 B8 FE B2 42 60 35 D6 C1 64 87 0E   ÿ^).@¸þ²B`5Ö‡
              0010:  77 4E 88 EF F4 27 B9 33 D1 9E 19 C4 2E 84 84 CC   wNˆïô'¹3ÑžÄ.„„Ì
              0020:  DA DC 94 E3 4F 46 9D CF 5A                        ÚÜ”ãOFÏZ.......

Warcraft III Patch 1.23

Starcraft Patch 1.16.1

Starcraft and Brood War Patch Information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- patch 1.16.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feature Changes

- In-game Speed Options menu now has a \"Enable CPU Throttling\" checkbox. 
  Enabling this option will allow StarCraft to consume fewer CPU cycles. By 
  default this option is off.

Bug Fixes

- Fixed an issue with the reply feature where any character followed by a \"r \"
  was being treated as a reply.
- Removed an unnecessary delay when processing palette cycling updates.
- Lessened the imposed delay in the CPU Throttling feature.

New Patch for Starcraft/Brood War

SEXP_IX86_1152_1153.mpq

Starcraft and Brood War Patch Information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- patch 1.15.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Bug Fixes
- Fixed a communication bug affecting third party leagues.
- Alt-F6 no longer stalls the game on Windows.
- Game now works correctly on versions of Mac OS X which do not support 256-color
  mode.

Diablo II 1.12a (New Patch)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Patch 1.12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Downloadable Installer Support

- If all required Diablo 2 '.MPQ' files are installed on the
  hard drive, the game will no longer require the CD to play.

   For users that originally performed a 'Full Installation'
   and wish to run without the CD, all '.MPQ' files should
   be copied from the Diablo 2 CDs to the Diablo 2 directory. 
   Most users will only need to copy D2Music.mpq from the
   Diablo 2 Play CD and/or D2xMusic.mpq from the Lord of
   Destruction CD.  Mac users will need to copy these music
   files and rename them to 'Diablo II Music' and
   'Diablo II Expansion Music' respectively.

   Anyone who did not perform a 'Full Installation' will need
   to re-install from CD again to ultimately play without the CD. 
   In this case, a 'Full Installation' is required, followed by file
   copy step noted above.
 
     Bug Fixes

- Fixed an incompatibility between Rosetta and OpenGL mode on Intel Mac.

Server Move Completed

Server move has been completed. And to save Hdx the effort of having to re-edit the packets/documents, I took the liberty of making another copy from the older server and moved it here.

So it's all up to date. :-)

Thanks for your patience during the transfer!

Server Move

In light of the frequent downtimes we've been experiencing lately, I've procured a new server and will be moving all domains/customers to that new server.

What this means for BNETDocs is some downtime. This is due to DNS propagation, which will take up to 24 hours, depending on your ISP.

This also includes the BNLS redirection server. I apologize for any inconvenience, but believe me, this is the best course as I believe in reliability. If there are any issues and you're unable to report it to me via BNETDocs, feel free to contact me by sending me a PM at BNETDev.net. Make sure the PM is sent to DonCullen.

Once more, thanks for your patience. :)

Happy Holidays!

Been quite busy with work, apologies! LordVader, Leaky, and I have all been quite busy with work.

[Edited on 12-25-07]
Merry Christmas!

[Edited on 1-1-08]
Happy New Year's!

Still working on the new version of BNETDocs. :)

Vivendi Games / Activision Merger

Vivendi Games and Activision have merged into a single company called Activision Blizzard. While the name has Blizzard in it, make no mistake, Vivendi Games is the parent company of Blizzard, and while the name has 'Blizzard' in it, it is Vivendi Games that has merged.

Blizzard posted on their forums to the effect of saying that there will be no changes to their games, their staff, their offices, nor their development teams. Blizzard Entertainment will continue to function as a division -- the only difference being that their parent is no longer named Vivendi Games, but now Activision Blizzard.

So to those wondering: no, there will be no changes to Battle.net as a result of this merger. Battle.net will operate as usual.

Yes, I already have sent a direct request for comment to Blizzard in regards to how Battle.net will be affected, but most likely their response will be similar to their post on their forums. If there is any different information than that posted on Blizzard's forums, I'll make sure to let you know.

If you'd like more information on this, feel free to email Blizzard at support@blizzard.com.

Reference Link
Blizzard's forum post
Activision Blizzard Press Release

Interesting statistics...

I just checked the stats for the visits to BNETDocs, what I saw was interesting. Here's a list of unique visits per nationality for the month of October:

1. United States 352
2. Germany 63
3. Australia 53
4. Canada 46
5. Hungary 27
6. Poland 7
7. France 4
8. Mexico 4
9. Netherlands 3
10. Norway 3

Personally, I was surprised to see Germany ranked second in most visits. If you're a visitor from one of the countries where English isn't the main language, my apologies BNETDocs Redux isn't in your main language. We're looking for translators, so if you'd like to volunteer to translate the documentation, feel free to make an account at our forums, and PM me about it!

Server Crash

There was a server crash while I was conducting maintenance, and the backup file got corrupt. Fortunately, I had an older copy of backup. So with the assistance of Leaky, I was able to do a full server wipe and restore.

So if you see anything that's broken, point it out so I can fix it! I've created a document called 'To Fix', so post a comment there so I can get the heads up.

Comment Scripts Complete

Users now can comment on packets and documents. Editors and administrators also now have ability to delete comments. Enjoy.

CSS Themes

CSS Themes will be now rendered as external CSS files rather than internal. What this means for you is that if you make use of one of the pre-set themes, such as the Dark Redux theme, and changes are made to it, your CSS Theme will automatically reflect the changes.

However, due to the old CSS system, users' CSS Themes were saved as internal CSS, so if you'd like to switch over to the current CSS pre-set Themes and have your CSS pre-set Theme automatically reflect the changes, just go to CSS Theme Editor, and select the pre-set you'd like to use. The CSS Theme will reflect all changes from that point on.

If you decide to stay with a pre-set, I'd like to remind you: if you make changes to the CSS, it effectively becomes a custom theme, which means if the pre-set you were using is updated, changes will not show for you since you're using your own custom theme.

I'm working on setting it up so members can "subscribe" to other members' custom CSS Themes. Expect to see this implemented by tomorrow night!

If you do not want to use a pre-set, but want to switch your CSS over to the new system so when I implement the member-css subscription code, other members can subscribe to your custom CSS Theme, just go into CSS Theme Editor, and click "Save Custom". This will result in your switching over to the new system.

0x5E Warden Packet Reactivated

(08/22/07) Usually, if you connected to battle.net via a bot emulating Starcraft, you'd be disconnected for failure to properly respond to the 0x5E Warden packet.

It appears that that very packet has been muted for now, so people can connect to battle.net via bots emulating the Starcraft game client. There is currently no estimate on how long the packet will remain muted.

I've run tests, and am able to confirm the packet has indeed been muted.

(08/29/07) Edit: The 0x5E Warden packet has been reactivated. All users emulating/using the Starcraft client will be disconnected after two minutes of not completing the correct Warden logon challenge sequence.

StarCraft Patched to 1.15.1

StarCraft was patched to 1.15.1, information on known changes to StarCraft below. No verbyte change. The new offset for the byte to change for No-CDs to work on battle.net is 0x1502F6FB as reported by Andy.

-------------------------------
Patch 1.15.1
-------------------------------
   
   Bug Fixes
   
 - Fixed a replay saving bug that occasionally crashed games.
 - Fixed a bug where the map download progress was not shown.
 - Pressing alt-f4 while in Starcraft and logged into a league now 
logs you out of the league.
 - Updated some of the localization for the league page.
 - Fixed an exploit that allowed nukes to fall anywhere on the map.

BNLS Redirector Service Upgraded

I have news for those who make use of the redirective domain of bnls.dementedminds.net.

For those who prefer a short and sweet/simple notice:

The service is upgraded to be 100% automated, and no longer manually redirected.

For those who like details:

I originally was updating the domain to redirect to the next available bnls system manually, as a result, if a server went down, there'd be a considerable delay before I found out about it being down, and updated it to redirect to another server. This was tedious, and also annoying for people who made use of the domain.

But now, that should be no longer an issue. I've coded a script that'll automate the entire process. When a server goes down, the dementedminds.net server will identify the loss and automatically seek out the next available bnls server. Once one is found, it updates the DNS.

If you notice that the bnls.dementedminds.net redirector service isn't working for you, try the following troubleshooting steps (applicable for windows, if anyone can port those steps to the mac/*nix distros, feel free:

1) Go into the command prompt, and type: ipconfig /flushdns

That should solve the problem, Windows tends to cache the DNS for servers recently accessed, so when the DNS is flushed, Windows will then query for the new DNS information.

2) If that still doesn't work, check the right side of this website for the status of the servers:

3) If the status indicates that the following servers are down:

- valhallalegends.com
- bnls.valhallalegends.com
- jbls.org
- hdx.jbls.org

Then that pretty much means the redirector service ran out of alternate servers to redirect to. As soon as one of those alternate servers come back up, the redirector service will recognize it, and automatically redirect to that corresponding server.

4) If the JBLS website indicates that one or more of the previously mentioned servers are up, give the bnls.dementedminds.net redirector service some time -- the service does a query every half hour to check the status of the servers, and as soon as it realizes the current server it has been redirecting to is down, it'll automatically seek out an alternate server and divert the flow to that server.

5) If even after a half hour, bnls.dementedminds.net STILL isn't working (shouldn't ever happen, but you never know!), contact me and I'll check into it ASAP.

Hopefully the automated redirector service will help alleviate downtime of bots everywhere when a server goes down.

P.S.

An user of bnls.dementedminds.net asked me about pings being redirected. Originally, pings were NOT redirected, only traffic for the BNLS ports were. But when he queried me about it, I thought it was a quite good idea, and have re-configured my server to from now on redirect all incoming pings to the server it is redirecting to. So in other words, all responses you receive from your pings to the bnls.dementedminds.net server are from the server it's redirecting to. Example:

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner>ping bnls.dementedminds.net

Pinging bnls.valhallalegends.com [64.183.189.104] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 64.183.189.104: bytes=32 time=106ms TTL=108
Reply from 64.183.189.104: bytes=32 time=101ms TTL=108
Reply from 64.183.189.104: bytes=32 time=97ms TTL=108
Reply from 64.183.189.104: bytes=32 time=96ms TTL=108

Ping statistics for 64.183.189.104:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 96ms, Maximum = 106ms, Average = 100ms

Starcraft/Brood War Patch 1.15

Game: Starcraft, Starcraft: BroodWar
Version: 1.15
VerByte: 0xD1
Archive: SEXP_IX86_114_115.mpq

-------------------------------------------------
- Patch 1.15.0
-------------------------------------------------

  Feature Changes

- Approved organizations can now operate StarCraft leagues. See
  http://www.battle.net.
- Replays are automatically saved as LastReplay.rep.


  Bug Fixes

- Fixed a bug that allowed burrowed units to be stacked.

  Exploits

- Fixed a vulture exploit that crashed games.
- Fixed an exploit that allowed the rally points of others to be set.
- Fixed a multicommand hack that crashed Macintosh players.

BNLS Updates

BNLS has been upgraded for the latest "lockdown" changes on the Battle.net servers. Bot developers may now use it for requesting fast version checks on all supporting products. At this time, Diablo II, WarCraft III, and their expansions do not make use of the latest updates.

The documentation has been updated with BNLS messages BNLS_VERSIONCHECKEX and BNLS_VERSIONCHECKEX2 to support the changes.

Re: The Lockdown Update

As most of you will know, Blizzard recently updated their Checkrevision procedure for WarCraft II, StarCraft, Brood War, Diablo I and StarCraft Shareware. This new method, dubbed "Lockdown", is considerably more complex then the previous ix86ver method which is still used by other Battle.net-enabled products.

We fully intend to update BNETDocs with as much information about Lockdown as possible, however, much of this material has not yet been made public. BNETDocs has always relied on information volunteered by the community and will continue to be updated with information as and when it is received.

In the meantime, your best available options are to reverse engineer the new system yourself -- this is not a light undertaking -- or to use BNLS.

We're still alive!

Yes, we're still here for those of you who still wander across the documents. Just last night and this morning I had updated many of our already existing packets with more information/better descriptions/correctness, etc. It sure has been quiet around here, but trust me, BNETDocs still lives :)

Diablo 2/LoD 1.11

Most of the packets have been updated for patch version 1.11. However, I'm still counting on the public to comment in any way, shape or form on the accuracy of the information.

StarCraft 1.13 released

Sorry guys for the late post on this, but just to keep everyone informed: sometime last week a patch was released for StarCraft and Brood War. BNETDocs and BNLS have been updated for the changes.