ACMonster

Submitted by circeus on Mon, 10/09/2006 - 4:35pm.

The following software item(s) are out of date and no longer being developed. Their current level of functionality is no longer tracked, and support for them is not available.

In association with AC Warcry

The Decal Plugin version of AC Monster Guide

Download/Install

ACMonster

Requires Decal

Requires MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 (Microsoft XML Core Services)

Requires Hotfix for MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 - KB832414

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Downloads: 228 | download (1.94 MB)

Release Notes

Program: ACMonster Decal Plugin
Latest Version: 2.3.1.0
Date: 2/2/2005
Copyright: (c) 2001-2005 by Todd D. Perlmutter, all rights reserved

NOTE: You must uninstall any old versions of this plugin before installing the current version.

Datasets

Provided for completeness, these can be downloaded from within the plugin.

Crossroads of Dereth Creatures Compendium

ACMonster Default Dataset

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Downloads: 661 | download (86.37 KB)

Compatibility

The ACMonster Decal plugin is designed to coexist on a machine along with the AC Monster Guide. By default, their respective installers will install into the same directory. It is not recommended that you change this directory, but if you do, the programs are designed to adapt. This coexistence, and corresponding adapting are accomplished through the use of the following registry value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Pyrealware\ACMonster\DataFilePath

Through this value the two programs are capable of sharing the same set of data files. The value contains a directory path where the data files are expected to live. A basic set of the data files is provided as part of the install. Master copies of the data files are kept on line (one maintained by the author and the other maintained by AC Warcry). The programs are capable of downloading updated versions of these datasets that either program can then use.

Functionality/Use

Using the choice controls at the top of the plugin view, the user is able to select the Type and Name of the monster that they wish to view the information for. If a value is unknown for a particular field for the selected creature its value will be displayed as question mark(s).

The top of the window also shows the monster's Level, Experience (the base amount received for killing the monster as reported by the new strategy guide), Melee Defense, Missile Defense, and Magic Defense. These values will also appear in other tabs as per their respective categories.

The ACMonster Decal Plugin can also now remember its last position between Asheron's Call play sessions. See below for more information.

Provided you have turned on the option to do so, when selecting a monster in the Asheron's Call client, the information for that monster will be automatically looked up and displayed for the user (provided an exact text match for that monsters name is found in ACMonster at the time of selection). You will not be able to use Auto-Lookup if you disable the World Object Filter in Decal. See below for more information.

Here's a screenshot demonstrating the Auto-Lookup feature:

Tab Explanations

	The Prot tab should be referenced by Melees, Archers, and Throwers.It has five columns and shows a monster's Protection values sorted in the same manner as the AC Monster Guide (see that page for more information). The columns are: Damage Type Icon Damage Type English translation of the ranking (very often this is a translation of the *Resistance* ranking) A numerical representation of the ranking (again, very often this is a translation of the *Resistance* ranking) The Protection sort ranking
	The Res tab should be referenced by Mages using War Magic. It has five columns and shows a monster's Resistance values sorted in the same manner as the AC Monster Guide (see that page for more information). The columns are: Damage Type Icon Damage Type English translation of the ranking (very often this is a translation of the *Resistance* ranking) A numerical representation of the ranking (again, very often this is a translation of the *Resistance* ranking) The Resistance sort ranking
	The Stats tab is used to display the creature's Level, Experience, and statistics (*Strength, Endurance*, etc.)
	The Skill tab is used to display the creature's Melee, Missile, and Magic offensive and defensive capabilities. This includes Melee Defense, *Missile Defense, and Magic Defense*.
	The Info tab is used to display any additional information about the creature that is known. This includes the creatures *Spawn Type, and Run* skill.
	The CoD Creatures sub-tab of the Data tab is used to download the latest values from the Creatures Compendium at AC Warcry. The *Download* button can be used to download the CoD dataset from the internet. Progress during a download will be displayed in the text area below the buttons. The *Cancel* button can be used to stop an in progress download. The first line of text will show the CoD dataset size and timestamp when not downloading. The second line of text will show the number of creatures in the database, and how many do not have matches in the Default dataset. The Revert and Original functions are used in the advent of a bad download. Using *Revert* will return the chosen dataset to the last known version of the file, and then the last dataset will reload into ACMonster, wiping out the corrupted/bad file (this reversion is only one level deep). Using *Original* will revert to the original version of the file, and then the original dataset will re load into ACMonster, wiping out the corrupted/bad file.
	The Default sub-tab of the Data tab is used to download the latest version of the ACMonster Default Dataset. The *Download* button can be used to download the default dataset from the internet. Progress during a download will be displayed in the text area below the buttons. The *Cancel* button can be used to stop an in progress download. The first line of text will show the default dataset size and timestamp when not downloading. The second line of text will show the number of monsters in the database, and how many do not have matches in the CoD dataset. The Revert and Original functions are used in the advent of a bad download. Using *Revert* will return the chosen dataset to the last known version of the file, and then the last dataset will reload into ACMonster, wiping out the corrupted/bad file (this reversion is only one level deep). Using *Original* will revert to the original version of the file, and then the original dataset will re load into ACMonster, wiping out the corrupted/bad file.
	At the top of the Data tab will be the total number of creatures shown by ACMonster. The Selection sub-tab of the Data tab is used to monitor selections in the Asheron's Call client. Provided the option to do so is turned on (see below), when a monster is selected in the Asheron's Call client it's name will be matched against the list of monsters in ACMonster. If a match is found the monster will be automatically selected in ACMonster thus displaying its data. Most of the fields in this tab only become available in future versions of Decal. NOTE: If you disable the World Object Filter in Decal then the Auto-Lookup feature of will be disabled. The Selection sub-tab of the Data tab will instead have the following two messages: World Object Filter Not Enabled No Auto-Lookup
	The *Tell* sub-tab of the More tab can be used to send the information for a selected creature to your friends using in-game chat features. Using checkboxes, you are able filter this information by the tabs described above. By typing a characters name into the edit box you can use the *Tell* button to send them the information. You can *Say* the information on the open channel or tell the people who are in your *Fellowship. If someone asks you for information you can Reply* to them, and if you need to send them information on multiple creatures, you can use *Retell*.
	The Options sub-tab of the More tab contains two options: *Save View Location on Exit* (on by default). Use this to control whether or not the position of the ACMonster plugin is saved between Asheron's Call sessions. *On Selection Lookup Selected Monster* (off by default). This performs a name only lookup of the monster, in the case of multiple levels for a given name it will show the first one. *On Examine Lookup Examined Monster* (off by default). Since examing a monster can produce its level, this can do a slightly more detailed lookup then the above, so that if there are multiple level entries for the same name it can find the best match. NOTE: *On Selection* and *On Examine* can both be turned on at the same time as they both act independently of each other.
	The ? tab is an about box for the plugin.