Cobra Utilities for Doom & Doom II/Cobra Utilities For Doom & Doom II - Disc 2.iso/files/text/dht/dht.txt

PGP Message | 1994-05-19 | 21.3 KB | 478 lines

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                      The DOOM Honorific Titles
                created by Frank Stajano on 1994 05 01
                 this file last revised on 1994 05 19


If you think you're good at DOOM, you'll probably be challenged by the
following. This is a rating system that awards top players with
standardised and universally recognised honorific titles. If you feel
proud and/or silly enough, you can include the relevant letters after
your name in your .sig and impress your fellow DOOM players. Pretty
impressive in the Deathmatch phone directories! Useful with reviews of
new WADs as well: if a DOOM Grand Master says it's hard, then it
really is...


                       DOOM Honorific Titles:

     DOOM Master (DM):               can complete any level on Ultra-Violence.

     DOOM Grand Master (DGM):        can complete any level on Nightmare.

     DOOM Grand Ass Kicker (DGAK):   can complete any level on Ultra-Violence
                                     using only fist and pistol.


The titles are awarded by passing an examination. As with most
examinations, this will only be a random sampling of your
capacity. You won't be required to complete all 27 episodes to prove
that you can do it.

You will be your own judge for the results. You will receive the text
of the examination, which tells you what to do to be awarded the title
you think you deserve; from then on you just have to produce the
corresponding LMPs and upload them to a specific public place in a
specific format to be able to call yourself a DM, DGM or DGAK. There
is no time limit. The LMPs must be produced especially for the
examination -- you can't just send in your old ones. This is because
there is an authentication mechanism which prevents people from
recycling other people's LMPs.


The formal requirements are as follows:

Candidates for the title of "DOOM Master" will have to produce 3
Ultra-Violence LMPs of the required levels (one per episode) with 100%
kills and 100% secrets, plus one "free interpretation LMP" of a level
of their choice (see below).

Candidates for the title of "DOOM Grand Master" must already be DOOM
Masters; they will have to produce 3 Nightmare LMPs of the required
levels (one per episode) with 100% secrets and with every monster
killed at least once. Plus 3 Ultra-Violence LMPs of some other
required levels (one per episode) with 100% kills, 100% secrets, 100
or 199 health, 100 or 200 armour (the lower figure only where the
level does not have the blue sphere or armour respectively).  Plus one
free interpretation LMP.

Candidates for the title of "DOOM Grand Ass Kicker" must already be
DOOM Grand Masters; they will have to produce 3 Ultra-Violence LMPs of
the required levels (one per episode) with 100% kills and 100%
secrets, using only pistol and non-berserk fist OR, at their choice
and where available, using only (normal and) berserk fist and no other
weapon. Plus one free interpretation LMP.


The "free interpretation LMP" is whatever the candidate considers
appropriate to show "style": going chainsaw on big monsters, killing
big monsters by trapping them in crunching walls instead of shooting
them, clearing out a whole level without ever being hit once, killing
all the monsters in a level without firing by persuading them to fight
each other, and so on. The level and skill are chosen by the
candidate. You may even play on an external WAD if you really
wish. There are no constraints at all on this -- it's just an
opportunity to show how good you are: you're getting a DOOM title, so
you must be worth something! This will certainly bring out some pretty
high quality LMPs.


Since the required episodes are assigned at random to candidates, an
examination may be much harder than another. To be fair, an appeal
mechanism is provided. If one of the required levels is found by the
candidate to be terribly hard, it can be replaced with THREE levels
chosen by the candidate from the same episode. Note that only one
replacement is allowed in the whole examination. Example: I get E1M9,
E2M4, E3M4. I really can't manage E3M4 (I always run out of time
before the end), so I swop it for E3M1, E3M2 and E3M5, in addition of
course to E1M9 and E2M4. Yes, in theory an aspiring DM, DGM or DGAK
should be able to do ANY level; but, given that the examinations are a
subsampling and someone could get away by doing just the easier
levels, it seems fair to leave a way out to those that get the harder
ones.



The authentication mechanism:

To ensure that the LMPs have genuinely been made by those that are
claiming the title (and thus to add authenticity and value to the
title itself) the following scheme has been devised.

The candidate sends a request to the DOOM Honorific Titles Centre (ha
ha :-)), in the following format:

    To: [e-mail]
    Subject: Please send me a DOOM examination form

    Name: (...your name or pseudonym...)
    Initials: (...your initials, used to generate the exam file name, see
        below...)
    Candidate for: (...DM, DGM or DGAK...)

What comes back is a message similar to this one:

    ---BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE

    This is the DOOM challenge for (...name...)
    aspiring to the title of (...title...).

    Issued on (...date...).

    The required levels are:
    E1Mx, E2My, E3Mz.
    To be completed on skill ..., with ...
    (...plus all the appropriate requirements for this title...)

    The authentication dance is:
    xxxx - xxxx

    Use the file name XXXXXXX.ZIP
        (...this will be something like DM-CBA.ZIP
        for someone whose initials are CBA and who is trying to become a Doom
        Master. I'll add a disambiguating digit in cases where another
        request with the same initials exists...)

    ---BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE
    (...)
    ---END PGP SIGNATURE

The authentication dance is a sequence of eight letters, each of which
can be L (left 90 degrees), R (right 90 degrees) or F (fist). At the
very beginning of the level the candidate must perform the specified
short sequence of movements. This ensures that the LMP was recorded
specifically as a response to the above challenge.

The reason why the authentication dance is done at the beginning and
not at the end when everybody has been killed is so that you don't
risk to forget it or, worse, get it wrong (and have to redo the whole
LMP from scratch). However in some levels (e.g. E3M3) you have a
monster heading for you from the very beginning; in these cases, do
the authentication dance AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after the initial
necessary killing. If you mess it up, restart the recording.
Remember, ALL THE LMPs IN YOUR EXAM FILE must start with the
authentication dance.


When you have produced the required LMPs, write a DESCR.TXT file in
which you describe your setup: what controller do you use, how is it
configured, what computer do you play on etc. You should also say what
is special about your free interpretation file. If you gave up on one
of the levels and changed it with some other ones, say so, and tell
what was the thing that stopped you from completing the originally
required level. Don't forget to say what version of DOOM the LMPs are
good for (allowing versions other than 1.2 is for the benefit of
people with a PS/2 mouse, who still use 1.1; and also for future
compatibility when the new release comes out). If you use an external
WAD for your free interpretation, be sure to mention its original
title and creator.

Having done that, it's time to package everything together. Rename the
free interpretation file as FREE.LMP (possibly including FREE.WAD) and
rename all the others as E?M?-*.LMP (* being either UV or NM). Include
the original examination form, including PGP signature, in a file
named CHALLENG.TXT (this is very important). Zip everything together,
using the name that was specified in the form. And finally upload the
ZIPped exam file to the official repository. If you are posting an
exam file for DGM or DGAK, ensure that your previous exam file(s) are
already present at that site. That's it! From then on you can
rightfully use your new title as and when you like.

I have completed the DOOM Master exam myself so you may have a look at
my own file if you want to see an example of how to package things up.


The "official repository" will be a directory called "dht-exams" on
what currently is the most widely used DOOM ftp site. As of today I
would suggest infant2.sphs.indiana.edu, the heir to the glorious
ocf.unt.edu; and also wuarchive.wustl.edu. But these sites might
change since DOOM things move so rapidly. You are also invited to
upload your file to alt.binaries.doom and you should be prepared to
mail it to whoever requests it from you (and you'll probably be proud
to do it anyway).

- ----------------------------------------------------------------
THE INFO IN THIS PARAGRAPH IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

The official repository as of 1994 05 17 is the following place:
    infant2.sphs.indiana.edu:/pub/doom/incoming/dht-exams/
The secondary repository is
    wuarchive.wustl.edu:/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/games/doomstuff/dht-exams/

Both these places have the latest copy of this text, signed by fms-dht.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------

As can be seen, there is no "certifying authority" issuing those
titles. The titles are self-awarded as soon as the requirements are
fulfilled. Of course one could easily claim to be a DGAK but anybody
may want to verify that, if nothing else to see the supposedly amazing
FREE.LMP; so, all in all, there is no scope for cheating without
looking like a moron to all the other Doom players on the net.

The exams material is obviously there as proof of authenticity, but is
mainly intended as a way of collecting very good quality LMPs. The
main reason for people to download other people's exams will not be
the desire to check whether they really are in good faith, but rather
to watch some amazing DOOM action.

The names of those who requested forms will not be made public. The
names of those who earned honorific titles WILL be public (that's the
whole point -- becoming famous :-)), if nothing else because their
exam files will be in the public place. I am not volunteering to
maintain a directory of decorated players, but I'm sure that someone
else will do that, perhaps even offering a verification and date
stamping service.



For those who do not know a thing about PGP, it is a cryptographic
program that allows, among other things, to prove that a message (in
this case CHALLENG.TXT) has not been tampered with.

Given my "public key", which is included at the end of this message,
anybody can "check my signature" on any of the CHALLENG.TXT forms I
issue. And PGP will spot if anything has been changed in the text
since I signed it. It's conceptually similar to a checksum, only much
harder to forge.

There is no need to use PGP to claim a title (i.e. to produce an exam
file) and there is no need to use PGP to view someone else's exam
file. Nothing is encrypted. PGP is only required when one wants to
verify that a CHALLENG.TXT from an exam file has not been modified to
make things easier for the candidate or to use someone else's
authentication dance.

Public key "fms-dht":

(this is not my normal public key; it is a low security key that is
only used for stuff related to the DOOM Honorific Titles and that
lives on the Unix system at the office. Paranoids may verify the key
on a server, but I would consider this useless for this application.)

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 [WHAT FOLLOWS IS NEW STUFF SINCE THE ORIGINAL RELEASE OF THIS TEXT]

After issuing some 30 certificates and receiving some comments about
all this business, I thought it better to clarify some points that I
had taken for granted but that may confuse some readers.



Q: Do I have to start with a pistol or can I start from a saved game?

A: You have to start with the "standard results after death". No saved
game. Record your lmps with
  doom -devparm -record exmy-zz -warp x y -skill s



Q: Isn't it a bit wimpy to change one episode with some others?

A: No. If one guy gets E1M1, E2M1, E3M1 and the next gets E1M9, E2M9,
E3M9, then there is an obvious disparity in the challenges. I have no
control over what the random number generator pours out, and it is my
policy to ALWAYS stick to the first thing that comes out when making a
certificate. I *NEVER* remake a certificate saying "oh this one would
be too easy, it's almost offensive" or "oh this one is just plain
impossible". So there needs to be a backup systems that evens out the
difficulties. Changing one of the levels is a perfectly legitimate
thing to do. It's within the rules. Of course, if you can do without
it, so much the better. If you realise that you got very easy levels,
try to do them at your best, possibly even surpassing the required
specs: people will be inclined to say "oh yes but he got the easy
ones", but you can show them that you really are a master by doing
them with style.



Q: Isn't it unfair that I got these very hard episodes while people
can call themselves DM's and they've only done much easier ones? I
would be able to do the ones THEY've done! Can you send me another
challenge please?

A: Sorry, but you can't change the challenge you received. The
substitution has been introduced just for this purpose. The rules are
the same for everybody. In theory the owner of a title should be able
to do EVERY ONE of the 27 levels at the stated conditions. If someone
did it on the easier ones, be assured that they didn't choose the
levels for their exam: they were prepared, like all of us, to do it on
any possible level. Feel free to use the allowed substitution if it
helps you.
*NOVELTY*: to help enforcing the fact that only one challenge per
title per person is allowed, signed challenges issued after 1994 05 19
will include the e-mail address of the candidate as well as whatever
you put in the "Name:" field.



Q: Can you substitute more than one level?

A: No. Even for the DGM challenge (6 mandatory levels) you can only
change one of them.



Q: Do I have to pick up all the health potions, helmets etc?

A: No. You don't have to finish with 100% items. Who cares about this?
DOOM is an action game!



Q: How do I tell if I've really ended with 100% kills, 100% secrets
and all that? When the recording finishes, DOOM just dumps me to DOS!

A: There is no 100% reliable method. Ensure that you know the level
very well, so that you won't miss out any secrets. Ensure that you
have killed everybody when you leave an area for the last time. When
you've finished recording, try to watch your LMP with someone else a
bit later: they might spot that you missed the odd monster.  Of course
it would be so nice to have a "stats" screen at the end of a LMP. I've
mailed help@idsoftware about this, without reply so far (they're
obviously very ____ as usual). Mail them as well if you feel like it.



Q: DGM and DGAK are impossible! Just look at <favourite level>, how
could one ever do this on NM (or with fist and pistol)?

A: Well, don't say that too early... And remember that there can be
one substitution. These titles are *not* supposed to be easy to
earn. Maybe there are a couple of levels that are TOTALLY impossible
under the specified conditions, but I'm not even sure of that. And
it's unlikely that one gets them all together in the exam
challenge. And if you get a level that you consider impossible, you
may substitute it. And yes, there is a luck factor. And yes, one could
become DGM just because they get the E1M1 E2M1 E3M1 challenge, without
really being able to do the other levels on NM. So what? These cases
happen in life too. But they are a statistical minority. I believe
that the rules are fair as they are, and that it would be much worse
if I allowed other subcases and escape routes like the ability to
request another challenge for the same title.



Q: I can finish level XXX when playing normally, but if I record a LMP
then I can't any more because it bombs out after 15 mins!  So what?

A: Sorry, I can't do a thing about it, I'm stuck with it just as you
are. DOOM works this way and we have to live with it. Consider it an
additional challenge. You have to end with 100% this, 100% the other,
AND in time to produce a LMP.



Q: Do I have to end the level alive on the free interpretation?

A: No. There is no constraint whatsoever. Do what you feel is
interesting. Obviously you will be judged by your peers based on what
you do and on how you do it, but there are no rules. Some of the
original id demos are pretty amazing even if the guy dies after
all. Not that I recommend it, but it's not forbidden.



Q: Do I have to end the level alive in the other LMPs?

A: Yes *please*! :-) Not that anybody asked that, of course; but be
extra careful when you package up your exam file. You probably have
lots and lots of exmy.lmp files in your doom directory, so be sure to
pick up the right ones and not the ones where you failed. This is
unfortunately quite easy to do. After zipping up the exam, clean your
DOOM dir of all LMPs, unzip it there and view the LMPs again. It pays
to be careful. It's much better if YOU spot it, rather than someone
else who just downloaded your file to see how good you are supposed to
be.



Q: I'm on a level where I really can't do the authentication dance
before the end. What do I do? Also, while playing I picked up the
chainsaw so I have no fist when I dance.

A: No problem, do the dance at the end then. Provided you remember to
do it and don't rush off to the switch, that's fine. The dance is just
something that adds value to your title, because it certifies it as
not bogus, but it's not supposed to make the challenge more
difficult. And yes, use chainsaw instead of fist if you have to. The
only advice is this: make it clear that you're doing the dance. Pause
for a while before it, then switch to 1 (fist or chainsaw), then do
the first four movements, then a short pause, then the remaining four
movements, then another short pause before rushing off. If the dance
is not at or near the beginning, please mention it in your DESCR.TXT:
"here on E2M9 I do the dance straight at the end, before pressing the
switch, and I use chainsaw instead of fist".



Q: Why don't you add <another, even harder new title> after DGAK?

A: I think it's enough of a challenge as it currently is. And,
besides, I think that whoever achieves DGAK deserves the honour of
having conquered "the highest possible title" (at least as far as the
DHT rules are concerned).



Q: What's this stupid exam thing? Who gave you the right to judge
others anyway?

A: Calm down mate, I am judging absolutely nobody, as you can see if
you read the rules carefully. The only thing I do is running the
program that issues the randomly selected challenges and signs them
with my PGP public key. Everybody who wants to participate is their
own judge -- THEY will know if they've done it or not. I don't certify
results in any way, nor do I issue scores. Actually, the reason why
these titles may be considered worthy of trust is exactly because they
are based on a well-defined, non-subjective procedure that anybody can
verify.



Q: The thing I'm good at is deathmatch. If I beat a DOOM Master at
deathmatch, do I become one?

A: No. The only way to earn a title is to pass the exam. You earn a
title because you proved you could beat a specific
challenge. Obviously it is conceivable that, after this, someone else
once beats you in a deathmatch challenge, but this does not *prove*
that he would definitely be up to the same exam challenge as you
did. There is some correlation, but certainly not an
implication. Thus, beating a decorated player at deathmatch, while
certainly a good performance, does not and should not imply that one
gets the title without passing the exam. And deathmatch battles are
not consistent for ratings, because the next time the results might be
reversed.  Besides there is another marginal point, which is that the
exam stuff has been designed to be very easily and unquestionably
verifiable by anybody. One can only claim to be a DM because they can
show you the exam file, with authentication dance and all. If they
falsely claimed to be a DGM, you could very well ask to see the exam
file and it would then be obvious that they're cheating. So the titles
are worth something because they can be authenticated by anybody who
wants to. You don't have to trust any central authority or committee.
"Proving" that you have beaten a DM would be much more cumbersome.


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