Cobra Utilities for Doom & Doom II

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_______________ ___________ _____ _____ ___________________ \ ------------\\ //---------\\ //----| |----\\\ --------------// || ||\|| ===========\|| || || || || || || ======= || || ||\_________|| || || || || ============| || || || || || || | || || || || || ||__________| || || || || || ||========/\|| || || || || || || || || || || // /|| || || || || || || || || || || ||=====// / || || || || || ||=========\ || || || || || ||\------/ || || // // || \\ || || // \\|| \\| /===/\ || || // // / || || || ||// //\\\ \\//// ||\\ \\// // / |//============\\ || || |/ // / \\ // / / \\ // / //------------ || || || // / \/ / \ \======/ / | || || || // / \/ \--------/ /\=====\\ || || || // / / \\ \\|| || || // / \ \\ \\| || ||// / DEU 5.1 \ \\ || |/ / >-------< \ \\ // / / DOOM(TM) EDITOR UTILITIES \ \// \/ \__/ INDEX 1 Introduction and DEU Features 2 Starting DEU 2.1 Command line parameters 2.2 DEU.INI Initialization files 3 DEU Main Menu 4 The Level Editor 4.1 Keyboard Commands 4.2 Mouse Commands 4.3 The Menu Bar 5 WAD file description, flags, etc... 5.1 LineDefs attributes 5.2 LineDefs types 5.3 Normal/Upper/and Lower Textures 6 Special DOOM Areas. Lifts, Doors, and more! 6.1 Doors 6.2 Lifts 6.3 Teleporters 6.4 Stairs 6.5 Secret Areas 6.6 Standard Rooms 7 How to try out your new level(s) 8 Troubleshooting 8.1 Video problems 8.2 Pointer problems (mouse, cursor) 8.3 Hall of mirrors (HOM) effect 8.4 Warning Beeps during nodes building 8.x Coming down off a DOOM rush. 9 Tutorial 10 Tips ===================================================================== [1] Introduction ===================================================================== DEU allows you to add your creativity to one of the most exciting PC games on the market... D O O M (c) id software Please read the file README.1ST first. It contains important information about copyrights and trademarks. DEU Features ------------ - Full Function Level Editor - Most doom structures can be edited. - Things, Vertices, Linedefs, Sidedefs, and Sectors. - Create a Level From Scratch. - Modify existing id levels or user created levels. - Special Features - Insert a Pre-defined object - Rectangle - N-sided Polygon - 'Drag-n-Drop' stretching and shrinking of sectors. - Scale and rotate sectors, linedefs, vertices, or things. - WAD File merging capability. - Load and Merge multiple levels into a single WAD file. - Import RAW data into DOOM object and save it in a PWAD. - Renumber Maps to different Episodes and Levels. - Much Much More! - Try it and see. Just DEU it! ===================================================================== [2] Starting DEU ===================================================================== DEU may be started by typing DEU at a DOS prompt. > DEU [options] Start DEU with the default IWAD file, DOOM.WAD and no PWADs. > DEU [options] -file <PWAD file> [<PWAD file>...] Start DEU with the default IWAD file and the PWAD file(s) given. > DEU [options] -m <IWAD file> Start DEU with the specified main IWAD file (DOOM.WAD or DOOM1.WAD). [2.1] Command Line Parameters ------------------------------ -help View command line options without entering DEU. -d Debug mode. Will produce a log file of warning messages to help track down linedefs that have problems. The number of the bad linedef will be listed. This file will be called DEU.LOG. The log file will also have timestamps. -e Expert mode. Doesn't ask for confirmation of some operations (e.g. deleting an object). -i Infobar. Turns off info bar. (default is on) -sb Swaps the left and middle mouse buttons. -q QUIET! suppresses the sound made when you select or mark an object. Use it if your in a library. :-) -z <zoom> ZOOM. Specify initial zoom setting. -c Use the alternate color set for displaying the Things. -m <main wad file> Specify name of main wad file (e.g. DOOM.WAD). -file <pwad, pwad, ...> Load patch WAD file(s), just like with DOOM. Note: Patch wad files may also be loaded from the main menu. -pw <pwad> Add ONE patch file to be loaded. -bgi <video driver name> Use another BGI video driver for hi-res modes (default = "VESA"). -v <video mode number> Set the default video mode for the extended video driver. (default = 2, this is 640x480x256 colors for the VESA driver). -fc Use a "fake" mouse cursor. This option is useful is your mouse driver is not compatible with SuperVGA resolutions (see [8.2]). -config <ini file> Specify an alternate DEU configuration file other than DEU.INI [2.2] DEU.INI -------------- Rather than using command line arguments you may wish to save your typical settings in the DEU.INI file. It's structure is pretty basic, pop into edit and check it out. ALL of the command line options may be used in DEU.INI with the exception of "-help" and "-config". Commands in DEU.INI should be completely spelled out (i.e. quiet=true, not q=true) ===================================================================== [3] DEU Main Menu ===================================================================== ? HELP. This command displays a list of commands with their valid command syntax. B <OutIWadFileName> BUILD new IWAD file (all 10+Megs of it) with the given file name. WARNING: Do not name your file DOOM.WAD or you will overwrite the existing DOOM.WAD file and you will have to re-install DOOM to get back your original file. C [episode] [mission] CREATE and edit a new (empty) level. D DUMP gives an hex/ascii dump of any object in the main directory (WAD file). E [episode] [mission] EDIT a level. G <OutPWadFileName> GROUP all opened PWAD files in a compound PWAD with the given file name. Using this option, you may put several levels in a single file. I <datafile> <wad file name for object> INCLUDE a raw binary file in a pwad. You can use this to replace certain doom objects. You should read DMSPEC13 (Doom Specs 1.3) or higher to know what to call the objects. *WARNING* this is NOT for novices! L <OpenedWadFileName> [OutputFile] LIST the structure of the directory of a opened file. If an output file is given it will write the list to that file. M [OutputFile] List the MASTER directory of the IWAD and any PWAD files, all mixed together. If an output file is given it will write the list to that file. Q QUIT to DOS. R [file] READ a previously saved patch WAD file. S <DirEntry> <WadFile> SAVE one object to a separate file. V [Spritename] VIEW Sprites. Spritename is optional. Use arrow keys to scroll through sprite list. Scroll through the bosses fast and see them dance for you!!! WADS List all the opened wad files. ===================================================================== [4] The Level Editor ===================================================================== The level editor displays a graphical "map" of the level showing lines where walls are, x's where things are (Red one are enemies, green ones are player start positions, and the rest are white.) There is an info bar available which displays information about the mode you are in. There are windows to let you know what thing is selected and windows that let you know what you can do to it. There are four different editing modes. They are: Things Mode Change what Enemies, Weapons, Players, Bonuses, and Decorations appear when and where. Vertices Mode Modify points used to set up other doom structures. Linedefs & Sidedefs Mode Set up the lines where walls and triggers are. Sectors Mode Define rooms or areas. [4.1] Keyboard Commands ----------------------- Q Quit, saving changes. You will be asked for the name of the PWAD file. Esc Exit without saving. If you have unsaved changes, a warning message will be displayed. May also be used to CANCEL accidentally selected functions. Arrows Move the pointer. Scroll Lock Turn on/off the autoscroll feature. Space Toggle slow/fast movement speed and the scrolling speed. +, - Change the map scale. ZOOM in or out. Tab Switch to the next editing mode. T Switch to the Things editor. V Switch to the Vertexes (vertices) editor. L Switch to the LineDefs/SideDefs editor. S Switch to the Sectors editor. N, > Jump to the next object. P, < Jump to the previous object. J, # Jump to a specified object (enter number). M Mark/Unmark current object. (See also the 'Shift' key below). C Copy objects. After pressing c move the copy to where you want it and press Esc to drop it there. D Toggle Drag mode. G Show the grid and change its scale. H Hide the grid. I Show or hide the info bar at the bottom of the screen. R Toggle between Normal Cursor and Ruler Cursor. Enter Edit current object or group of selected objects. A menu will pop up and you will be allowed to change attributes in the object(s). Ins Insert a new object at the current cursor position. This will copy the last selected object or insert a default object. There are two special cases: When a group of vertices are selected and you press "Ins": the editor will add new LineDefs between the vertices and will put you in the LineDefs editor. When a group of LineDefs are selected and you press "Ins" a new Sector will be created and one SideDef in each LineDef will be bound to this Sector and the edit mode will switch to the Sector editor. Del Delete the current object or group of objects. All objects bound to the current object will also be deleted. (i.e. if you delete one Vertex, this will also delete the LineDefs that used this Vertex). Except for Things, you will be asked for confirmation before the object is deleted. Shift Hold the Shift key while moving the cursor to prevent the pointer from selecting a different object. Hold the Shift key while pressing 'M' (or the left mouse button) to drag a selection box and select several objects at once. F1 Help screen. F2 Save level in a PWAD file. F3 Change Episode and Level Number This will allow you to reassign the episode and level number of a map. (Much like MOVELEV and RENWAD utilities) F4 Search for Object (Not yet implemented) F8 Miscellaneous Operations. The options that appear on this key vary depending upon which editing mode you are in. However, the first option is constant, no matter which editing mode you are in. 1. Find First Free Tag This will locate the first tag number which has not yet been used in this map. The number it returns will be the lowest available tag number. The rest of the options available vary by mode and are (by mode): Things Mode ----------- 2. Rotate and Scale Thing(s) Move marked things by the degree of rotation and a percentage scale. This will allow you to rearrange things by spinning them around (change rotation angle) or moving them closer to each other (scale < 100%) or further apart (scale > 100%). Vertices Mode ------------- 2. Rotate and Scale Vertices Move marked vertices by the degree of rotation and a percentage scale. This will allow you to rearrange vertices by spinning them around (change rotation angle) or moving them closer to each other (scale < 100%) or further apart (scale > 100%). 3. Delete Vertex and join Linedef(s) Deletes the marked vertex and joins linedef(s) that were previously connected to it. 4. Merge several vertices into one. Same as #3 above, but with multiple vertices. 5. Add linedef & Split Sector. You must mark exactly TWO vertices from the SAME sector before calling this command. This will add a linedef and a new sector and update sidedefs. Linedefs & Sidedefs Mode ------------------------ 2. Rotate and Scale Linedefs Move marked linedefs by the degree of rotation and a percentage scale. This will allow you to rearrange linedefs by spinning them around (change rotation angle) or moving them closer to each other (scale < 100%) or further apart (scale > 100%). 3. Split Linedef (Add Vertex) Splits the selected linedef(s). 4. Flip Linedef Flips the linedef(s) start and endpoints, thus reversing the side the 1st and 2nd sidedefs are on. 5. Swap Sidedef Swaps the sectors that sidedef(s) 1 and 2 are tied to. 6. Align Textures Align the textures so they look nice. Automatic adjustment of the texture alignment fields. (not yet implemented) Sector Mode ----------- 2. Rotate and Scale Sectors Move marked sectors by the degree of rotation and a percentage scale. This will allow you to rearrange sectors by spinning them around (change rotation angle) or moving them closer to each other (scale < 100%) or further apart (scale > 100%). This will NOT move the "Things" in the sector. After rearranging the sector, you may have to go into things mode and select them and do the same rotation/adjustment on them. F9 Insert a predefined object. This function has two different modes depending upon where the pointer is located. The two conditions are 1. Inside of a sector and 2. Outside of sectors (not inside ANY sector). Outside of sectors ------------------ 1. Insert a Rectangle Enter the width and height (length) of the rectangle and DEU will automatically insert the vertices, lindefs+sidedefs, and sector at the current pointer location. Think of this as adding a rectangular room. 2. Insert a Polygon (N-sided) Enter the number of sides and a radius and DEU will automatically insert the vertices, linedefs+sidedefs, and sector at the current pointer location. You can do anything from a triangle to a 32 sided polygon. Think of this as adding a N-sided room. Inside a Sector ---------------- 1. Insert a Rectangle Same as outside a sector, but first sidedefs will be set to the sector they are contained in. Think of this as inserting a rectangular pillar. NOTE: Pressing "Ins" after inserting the rectangle will create a new sector inside the rectangle and cause the walls to be changed to transparent. Use this to define a new area inside a sector. 2. Insert a Polygon (N-sided) Also the same as outside a sector, but the first sidedefs will be set to the sector they are contained in. Think of this as inserting an N-sided pillar. NOTE: Pressing "Ins" after inserting the polygon will create a new sector inside the polygon and cause the walls to be changed to transparent. Use this to define a new area inside a sector. 3. Door | Insert a door object. (Not yet implemented.) 4. Door - Insert a door object. (Not yet implemented.) 5. Stairs Insert a stairway. (Not yet implemented.) 6. Hidden Stairs Insert a hidden stairway. (Not yet implemented.) F10 Check level consistency (diagnostics) 1. Check if all sectors are closed. This will test all sectors and make sure they are closed. If they are not closed it should report the number of the unclosed sector. 2. Check cross references Verify the integrity of the level and help locate possible problem areas. If a problem is found this function should report the problem area. 3. Check for missing textures. Report any sidedefs that may need to have a Normal/Upper/or Lower texture defined. [4.2] Mouse Commands -------------------- If you have a mouse, the following actions are available: Left button : Mark/Unmark object (same as "M"). Middle button : Edit object (same as "Enter"). Right button : Drag object (like "D" when you press or release the button). Move mouse : Move the pointer. You can change the buttons using the -sb (swapbuttons) switch when starting DEU or in the DEU.INI file. Swaps the left and middle buttons [4.3] The Menu Bar ------------------- Along the top edge of the Level editing screen there is a Pull-Down menu bar with a number of options including File, Edit, Search, Modes, Objects, Misc, and Help. These menu options can be selected by either pointing and clicking on them or by holding down the ALT key and pressing the Underlined letter from the menu bar. (Usually the first letter of the Menu option, but not always). MOST OF THE MENU BAR FUNCTIONS ARE AVAILABLE AS SINGLE KEY KEYBOARD COMMANDS. The functions on the Pull-Down menus are as follows: File [ALT-F] Save Save the level as a WAD file. Print (Not yet implemented) Print a picture/description of the map. Quit Exit the level editor. Save file if changes have been made. Edit [ALT-E] Copy Object (not yet implemented) Add Object Same as "Ins" key. Delete Object Same as "Del" key. Next Object Go to next object. Prev Object Go to previous object. Jump to Object # Go to a specific object number. Search [ALT-S] Find/Change (not yet implemented) Search for a specific object type. Repeat last find (not yet implemented) Perform the search again to find the next match. Modes [ALT-M] (Changes current editing mode.) Thing Mode T Linedef & Sidedef L Vertices V Sectors S Next Mode Tab Last Mode Shift-Tab Misc [ALT-I] (Same as F8 keyboard command. See above.) Objects [ALT-O] (Same as F9 key in Keyboard commands. See above.) Check [ALT-C] (Same as F10 key in Keyboard commands. See above.) Help [ALT-H] Keyboard & Mouse Same as F1 key. Info Bar Turn on/off Info Bar at bottom of screen. This bar displays editing modes, grid size, and zoom levels. About DEU... (not yet implemented) Brief Info about the DEU programmers and the contributed work from the net. ===================================================================== [5] WAD file description, flags, etc. ===================================================================== The DEU works by editing the database that DOOM uses to store its information about each of the levels. These database files are called WAD files. There are two types of WAD files. IWAD File: This is the main data base file. It contains all the information about the graphics, sound, level maps, etc of the game. There is only one IWAD file called DOOM.WAD and it must be in the current directory when DOOM is run. PWAD File: This is a special patch of the IWAD file. It contains updates about the IWAD file. PWAD files created by DEU will contain an updated map of a game level. PWAD files can be called anything. When running DOOM, DOOM must be told to load a PWAD file. This is done with the -FILE parameter. PWAD files are small so they can be easily shared. [5.1] LineDefs attributes ------------------------- Some abbreviations have been used for the LineDef attributes: Im (bit0) Impassible by players and monsters. Mo (bit1) Monsters cannot cross this line. 2S (bit2) Two-sided wall/may shoot through. Up (bit3) Upper texture is "unpegged". Try it with moving ceilings or doors. Lo (bit4) Lower texture is "unpegged". Try it with moving floors or lifts. Se (bit5) Secret. This line appears as normal on the map. So (bit6) Blocks sound. The sounds won't travel past this line. In (bit7) Invisible on the map. Even with the "computer map" power-up. Ma (bit8) Already on the map at startup. [5.2] LineDef types ------------------- The first two letters in each LineDef type give its features. The first letter may be: D Door. Press the spacebar to open it. S Switch. Press the spacebar to activate this LineDef. W Walk. Walk across this LineDef to activate it. G Gun. You need to shoot that LineDef to activate it. Except for doors ("D") and the "end level" LineDefs, all linedefs that activate a sector need a "Sector tag" number and at least one Sector with the same tag number to operate. The second letter may be: R Repeatable. 1 Works only once. Abbreviations are also used in the type name. They refer to what happens to the Sector when triggered by this LineDef: O Stays Open. Used only for doors. N Neighbor. Usually, this means that the floor rises or lowers until it reaches the floor height of an adjacent sector on its way. In the menus, I have used "Ne." instead. T Texture and Type change. Same as above, but the texture and type of the Sector are also changed. C Ceiling. This means that the floor rises until it reaches the ceiling height of one adjacent Sector. <,> Used as modifiers for the above letters. "<N" means that the floor will stop just below a neighboring floor. [5.3] Normal/Upper/and Lower Textures These are the Three parts of a sidedef. Upper Texture is used to account for variations in ceiling height. The sidedef facing the sector with the higher ceiling must have an upper texture defined. Lower Texture accounts for variations in floor height. The sidedef of a line that faces a sector with a lower floor height must have a lower texture defined. The Normal Texture is used for the surface of the sidedef which is below the ceiling height and above the floor height. NEW FOR DEU 5.1+: The LineDef/SideDef editor now displays upper/lower texture boxes in RED if they are transparent and shouldn't be. They will be grey if they are not visible and should be left transparent. If they are visible they will be black (transparent or not). This will be very helpful in eliminating the Hall of Mirrors effect caused by missing texture assignments. ===================================================================== [6] Special DOOM Areas. Lifts, Doors, and more! ===================================================================== Tag numbers are used to uniquely identity a structure within the level. There are tag numbers for both sectors and for linedefs. For example, if a switch is used to activate a Sector, then both this Sector and the LineDef with the switch will have the same tag number. [6.1] Doors ----------- A door is a Sector which usually starts with its ceiling at that same height as its floor (door closed). When the player presses the spacebar, the ceiling will rise, opening the door. On both sides of the door, you need one of the "D" LineDefs types. You don't need to give a tag number to the Sector or the LineDefs. If you want to be able to open this door with a switch, then you need to give the same tag number to the Sector and the switch. Pick any number that is not used by another LineDef or Sector. Front and Back sides of Door: The lines that you walk through on the door should be "passable" (not Impassable), and two-sided (flags = 4). The Sidedefs that are on the outside of the door should NOT have a Normal or Lower texture. They should have an Upper Texture. The Sidedefs on the inside of the door should not have any textures (Normal, Upper, or Lower). Left and Right side of Door: Nothing special here. You may want to pick a Door-like texture for the sidedefs like "DOORTRAK". [6.2] Lifts ----------- A lift is a sector surrounded by LineDefs with the "Lower lift" or "Raise lift" type. All LineDefs between the upper floor and the lift will have the "Lower lift" type. All LineDefs between the lower floor and the lift will have the "Raise lift" type. Usually, you also have some "Lower lift" LineDefs on the lower floor, a few steps away from the lift. The "Raise lift" type is a special case: when you cross this line, the lift will go up. If the lift is already up, it will act as a switch that lowers the lift. In the editor, you will see a short line on one side of the LineDef when you select it (this is the normal vector). In the game, the player must come from this side or else the lift won't work. Don't forget to give a tag number to the Sector and the LineDefs! [6.3] Teleporters ----------------- You need two things to make a teleporter: - One LineDef with the "Teleport" type and a Sector with the same tag number. - A special Thing in this sector, called "Teleport exit"/ "Teleport landing". You may have several LineDefs that point to the same Sector, but you must have one and only one Sector with the same tag number. This only works if the line is crossed from the right side (see [6.2]). If the teleporter worked on the two sides of the LineDef, you wouldn't be able to exit from it! [6.4] Stairs ------------ Raising staircases are activated by some LineDef. The first step (Sector) needs to have the same tag number as the LineDef. The following steps alternate between 0 and any unused tag number. Most stairs use the "special" values 99, 999 or sometimes the original tag number. [6.5] Secret areas ------------------ All you need to create a "secret" area is to give the special type "Secret" to some Sector. When the player steps on that Sector, the players secret ratio will be credited. If the secret sector is behind a secret door (one that has nearly the same color as the other walls), you probably don't want the door to be shown on the map (the automap uses different colors for walls and doors). You will need to toggle the "Secret" flag in the LineDef attribute. Then the door will be shown as a normal wall on the map. [6.6] Standard Rooms -------------------- We already hear you say: "All this stuff about doors, lifts and so on is great, but how do I create a new room in my level?"... Each room consists in one or several Sectors surrounded by impassable LineDefs. If you want to have dark and bright zones in your room, then you will need to divide the area into several Sectors. The LineDefs between these Sectors should have the "two-sided" bit set and have a transparent texture ("-"). The easiest way to add a new sector is with the 'F9' key. Select the kind of shape that you want to insert, then enter its dimensions. Note that the position of the pointer is important when you press 'F9'. If the pointer is inside an existing Sector, then you will add an obstacle (i.e. the new object won't have a Sector inside it - only walls). If the pointer is outside, then you will add a real room (with a new Sector inside it). You can use the "obstacle" type and add a new Sector inside it. Just press 'Ins' while the LineDefs are still selected. ===================================================================== [7] How to try out your new level(s) ===================================================================== To Run DOOM with your new level: > DOOM -FILE E1L1.WAD will load the normal doom game and the use the E1L1.WAD file to patch the data base. More than one PWAD file can be loaded. E.g.: > DOOM -FILE E1L1.WAD E1L2.WAD BRENDON.WAD RAPHAEL.WAD ===================================================================== [8] Troubleshooting ===================================================================== [8.1] Cannot switch to graphics mode. ------------------------------------- If the program crashes with the following error: "mode not supported on this card", or simply hangs after having displayed the message "switching to graphics mode", then you have a problem with your video driver. If your card's BIOS is not VESA-compatible, then you will need the UNIVESA driver, available on many FTP sites. This TSR provides a good VESA emulation for the most common VGA and SuperVGA cards. If that still doesn't work, try using a different BGI driver or video mode (the command line parameter "-v 0" forces DEU to use the standard VGA modes only). [8.2] Pointer is not displayed. ------------------------------- Your mouse driver is not compatible with SuperVGA resolutions. Try the following, in that order: 1) Upgrade your mouse driver, if possible. 2) Add "fakecursor = true" to the DEU.INI file (or whatever config file you use). 3) Add "video = 0" to the DEU.INI file. [8.3] Hall of mirrors effect (HOM). ----------------------------- The hall of mirrors effect is an indication that something is wrong with your map. Two common causes of this problem are: - You forgot to give a texture to one part of a wall. - You have a transparent line which is shared by two sectors, but you forgot to set the "two-sided" (2S) flag for the LineDef. [8.4] Warning beeps during nodes building If you are receiving warnings when the nodes are being built it is possible that: You have a reversed linedef, where the first sidedef is on the wrong side. The "Check if all sectors are closed" function will help you find the reversed linedefs. You may also have some "lost" sidedefs which are not bound to a linedef. A sidedef may become lost if you are editing linedefs and change the first or second sidedef number. The way to fix this is to use the "Check cross references" function. It will delete any lost sidedefs. [8.x] Can't relax after playing DOOM? (Coming down off a DOOM rush) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch a Bob Marley concert video and have a smoke. 8-}' ===================================================================== [9.0] Tutorial ===================================================================== Unzip the file DEUTUTOR.ZIP for a sort of step-by-step instruction booklet to creating a level from scratch. Print the TUTOR.DOC file and follow along with the wad files. ===================================================================== [10.0] Tips ===================================================================== SAVE YOUR WORK! SAVE YOUR WORK OFTEN (with different file names) and test it every so often to make sure it's looking like you want it to. DEU makes a .BAK file but if things get really messed and you saved twice you may lose your work. Inserting Linedefs When marking vertices to add linedefs, do so in CLOCKWISE order. This will make sure that the Normal (or first) side of the line is on the inside of your sector. DEU likes this better and so will you! Texture Alignment All the texture sizes (Ceilings, Floors, and Walls) are based on multiples of 8 pixels. You can use the grid feature to help align the length of linedefs. You might even try mathematics (I know, it's scarier than Doom... ;-) See the TUTOR.DOC file for an example of using the texture alignment fields. Tag Numbers Sectors may have a Tag number associated with them. A linedef that has the same tag number can be used to activate the sector by walking across it or pressing it like a switch. The tag numbers are an independant table that is used to link the actions of linedefs and sectors together. The fact that the Tag numbers are independant means that a single tag number can multiple lindefs to a sector. Things (what order) Add a player 1 start as soon as you've built your first sector. WAIT until your done building all the sectors before you add enemies and weapons. This way you won't have to waste time killing them every time you go to test out your creation. Decorations should also come before the enemies. (This WILL save you time, but, if you feel the need to kill something every time you test your level, go ahead and satisfy your desire for carnage.) Vertices, Linedefs, and Sectors... suggested order to do them in. First add all major rooms using F9 menu. The use F9 menu to insert obstacles or different areas inside these rooms. Connect the rooms by selecting two vertices from each (in clockwise order) and press "Ins" twice. Now go ahead and add more walls or sectors using the vertices method. Then set the textures of walls and ceilings and height of sectors. Add a player 1 start thing and compile it and take a walk through it. Then go back and fix things and add decorations. Add enemies last so you don't have to deal with them every time. Remember to add enemies based upon difficulty level. Stairs The maximum difference between floor heights for stairs is somewhere close to 24. Typical values for the height differ by 16 units. Most of id's stairs use 16. Some of id's stairs go by 8. General Good things come to those who.... WORK! It takes TIME to build a good wad file. The first really cool wads we've seen produced with DEU took in excess of 15 hours. Granted, that included time to learn the latest release of DEU, but we expect that it will take somewhere between 6-20 hours to churn out a really good level. Don't be discouraged. You can start out with a simple level and expand on it as time permits. Theme! Theme I tell you! And a little continuity wouldn't hurt either. We've made a couple wads without any continuity and found that they looked, well... amateur. The sample levels in the tutorial have little continuity and are in no way meant to demonstrate what a good level looks like, rather, these were built to show how things work. Including your own demo in a PWAD. > doom -devparm -record e1l1 -file E1L1.Wad > deu > R E1l1.WAD > I E1l1.LMP DEMO1 > R DEMO1.WAD > G MYLEVEL.WAD > doom -file MYLEVEL.WAD Special Tag Numbers The only special tag number we now of yet is tag number 666. It is used to lower a sector after all the barons of hell have been eliminated on E1M1. We haven't tested to see if that works on any other ExMx levels. Let us know! Death of Bosses ends level This is only true at the End Levels (ExM8). When all of the bosses that are tougher than a baron of hell die, the level ends. File names (rumor has it that) DOOM will only work on pwad filenames that are 4 characters or longer. DEU/DOOM Limits.... Maximum size of a wad file created with DEU 5.1: Used to be 150k in version 5.0, it should be much larger now. X,Y locations of vertices: somewhere in excess of -10,000 to +10,000. It could be -32768 to + 32767. Note however that DEU might get a little weird if your vertices are too far apart. Maximum number of sector tags: 255 Maximum number of enemies/things that can be displayed at a time: Unknown, but we've seen that when there are too many some of them will disappear and reappear from view. Looks stupid. Floor/Ceiling heights MAX 400, MIN -400. The Maximum 2S linedefs that you can see from any point before DOOM engine limit causes HOM (Hall of Mirrors effect): Somewhere near 16. Maximum stair you can climb: 24 units. Minimum floor to cieling distance that you can walk through: Near 60 units. Minimum wall distance you can squeeze through: 34 units That's all we've got for now...