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1994-07-31
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DOOMUTIL
Version 1.04
David Poole, Jr.
PO Box 747
Pacolet, SC. 29372
david.poole@swcbbs.com
DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 1
Table Of Contents
Introduction and Background................................2
Disclaimer:..............................................2
Warning:.................................................3
Using DOOMUTIL.............................................4
Command Line Parameters..................................4
Interactive Use..........................................4
Invoking Menu Selections................................4
Editing Information.....................................5
Hot Keys................................................6
Menu Selections............................................7
Main Menu................................................7
Begin Doom With Current Configuration...................7
Modify Current Game Configuration.......................7
Modify Serial Server Configuration......................8
Modify Network Server Configuration.....................8
WAD File Functions......................................8
Miscellaneous Functions.................................8
WAD File Functions.......................................9
WAD Functions Menu.......................................9
Selection Menu..........................................9
Force Refresh of WAD list...............................9
Rescan Selected WAD files..............................10
Backup selected WAD file(s)............................10
Restore selected WAD file(s)...........................10
List WAD files.........................................10
Build new WAD from selected PWADs......................10
Episode/Mission MENU...................................11
WAD THING MENU.........................................11
WAD SECTOR MENU........................................11
Selection Menu..........................................11
Select wad files for modification......................11
Select All wad files...................................13
Deselect All wad files.................................14
Invert wad file selection..............................14
Change Sorting Order...................................14
Save Selection To File.................................15
Load Selection From File...............................15
Episode/Mission MENU....................................15
Modify Episode & Level for PWADs.......................15
Globally Modify Episode & Level for PWADs..............16
Incrementally Modify Episode & Level for PWADs.........16
WAD THING MENU..........................................16
Invert selected WAD(s) things Death Match Status.......16
Remove selected WAD(s) THINGs Death Match Status.......16
Randomize selected WAD(s) THINGs with computer seed....16
Replace one thing with another.........................17
WAD SECTOR MENU.........................................17
Highlight (Dim Secret, Pulse Trigger) SECTORs..........17
Maximize Brightness of SECTORs.........................18
Remove Damaging SECTORs................................18
Miscellaneous Functions.................................18
Access Dialing Directory...............................18
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 2
Enable Speaker.........................................18
Disable Speaker........................................18
Edit Program Configuration.............................18
Edit MODEM.CFG.........................................19
Run ID's Setup.........................................20
Register DOOMUTIL......................................20
Files created by DOOMUTIL.................................21
Uses of DOOMUTIL..........................................23
Using DOOMUTIL to automate multi-player sessions........23
Using DOOMUTIL to add life to memorized missions........23
Using DOOMUTIL to assist in using external WAD files....24
Evaluating new WADs....................................24
Developing new composite WADs..........................24
Registering DOOMUTIL......................................26
David Poole, Jr. 94/7/31 17:01
DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 3
Introduction and Background.
DOOMUTIL is a utility to originally designed to
facilitate using ID's DOOM when playing multi-player
mode. The setup program that is supplied with DOOM
requires too much effort on the part of the user,
especially when playing via modem. DOOMUTIL was
created to alleviate this problem. Initially,
DOOMUTIL was used to create batch files, which could
then be repeatedly invoked using a menu system or
command history utility. As my co-players and I
discovered external WAD files, DOOMUTIL was expanded
to support these as well, from both a player and a
developer's stand point.
As DOOMUTIL grew in functionality, it was decided to
share the program with the rest of the DOOMing world.
I hope that you will enjoy using this program. I've
enjoyed writing it. If you enjoy it, please register
it by following the instructions in the registration
section of this document.
Please note that this program and documentation, for
the purposes of multi-player mode, are slanted towards
competitive, versus cooperative play. While
cooperative play is interesting, it's not much more
interesting than single player mode, in my opinion.
Getting another player on the grid (any TRON movie
fans out there?) and taking turns blowing each other's
brains out added much life to a game that was about to
get old (after four months...).
You are also encouraged to send any comments,
criticisms, or complaints regarding this program. I
have other ideas to be added, and based on user
support and feedback, these may be implemented and
released. Since this is the first release of the
program, there are likely to be problems encountered
that were not encountered (or noticed) by any of the
initial testers of the program. Please feel free to
bring these to my attention.
Disclaimer:
IN NO EVENT SHALL DAVID POOLE, JR. BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION,
DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION,
LOSS OF INFORMATION, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING
OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM.
This program can make modifications to files used by
DOOM if so instructed by the user. ID Software does
David Poole, Jr. 94/7/31 17:01
DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 4
not provide technical support for DOOM if DOOM has
been modified. It is advisable to make a backup of
DOOM and any WAD files you've obtained for use with
DOOM, before using DOOMUTIL.
Warning:
DOOMUTIL creates files with the extension of .WBU to
minimize the amount of time and space required to
recover WAD files from randomization and other
modifications. Deletion of these .WBU files will
require you to obtain the WAD files from their
original source if you wish to have them in their
original state.
David Poole, Jr. 94/7/31 17:01
DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 5
Using DOOMUTIL.
DOOMUTIL is an interactive program. However, there
are some command line parameters that speed use of the
program.
Command Line Parameters.
RUN Causes DOOMUTIL to invoke DOOM with
the parameters selected by the user
via the menu system. After DOOM
terminates, DOOMUTIL terminates.
RESUME Effectively like the RUN parameter,
with the exception that the last saved
game (if any) is automatically loaded.
This is handy if you're playing multi-
player via modem, and the other player
forgets to disable their call-waiting.
After DOOM terminates, DOOMUTIL
terminates.
Interactive Use.
All interaction with the program is done through three
simple interfaces: a menuing system, a field editing
system, and a hot key system. Familiarity with each
of these is very helpful.
Invoking Menu Selections.
Desired menu functions can be selected by one of three
methods.
The first and fastest method is to press the key that
corresponds to the highlighted character in the text
describing the functions. Pressing the highlighted
key invokes the function immediately. Pressing the
ESCAPE key will exit the menu.
The second method is to use the mouse. Move the mouse
cursor to the desired option and press the left mouse
button. Pressing the right mouse button, while the
cursor is within the border surrounding the menu, will
act as an ESCAPE key press, and exit the menu.
The third method is to use the up and down arrow keys.
The Home and End keys can be used to move quickly to
the top or bottom of the menu list. Once the desired
function is highlighted, press the Enter key to invoke
it.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 6
Editing Information.
Information that cannot be specified through the use
of the menuing system is communicated through the use
of a field editing system.
For the purpose of this section, an editing session is
the duration of the field editor's continual usage.
For example, an editing session begins when the user
selects "Modify Current Game Configuration" from the
Main Menu, and the session ends when either Control &
Enter, or Escape is pressed, to save or discard
changes, respectively.
Movement from field to field is performed with the up
and down arrow, Page Up, Page Down, and Enter keys.
If invalid input is made in a field, then the editor
will not allow the cursor to leave the current field.
To save the changes made for the current editing
session, press the Control and Enter keys
simultaneously. To abandon the changes made for the
current editing system, press the Escape key.
The insert key toggles between character insert and
character overwrite mode.
The backspace key deletes the character to the left of
the cursor, and places the cursor in that position.
The delete key deletes the character under the cursor.
The tab key is used to advance the cursor to the next
word in a given field. The shift tab key combination
advances the cursor to the previous word.
The Home key moves the cursor to the first character
of the field. The End key moves the cursor to the
last character of a the field.
F2 erases the current contents of the field. Shift F2
erases the contents of all fields.
F3 undoes any changes made to the current field,
restoring the field to it's status at the beginning of
the editing session. Shift F3 restores all fields to
their original status. Control F3 restores the field
to it's contents when the cursor last entered the
selected field.
F1 can be used during editing to display a brief
summary of these keys.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 7
In addition, some fields allow browsing or other
special functions. When the cursor enters one of
these fields, a message is displayed at the bottom of
the current window to inform the user of these
possibilities.
Hot Keys
In addition to the menuing and editing system, there
are "Hot Keys" within DOOMUTIL. These keys can invoke
specific functions when pressed. They are available
any time DOOMUTIL is waiting for keyboard input.
ALT-B Begins DOOM with the current configuration.
Note that if you are editing the current
configuration, and have not yet saved it via
the CNTL-ENTER key sequence, ALT-B will
invoke the last saved configuration.
Naturally, this holds true for all factors
that affect game play, such as Modem Server
Configuration, Network Server Configuration,
or Wad file functions. The best time to use
this function is when you are at a menu, but
you're not limited in this respect.
ALT-C Modify Current Game Configuration. Allows
quick access to the Edit Current Game
Configuration screen.
ALT-D Launch DOS Shell. This invokes the system
shell specified by the COMSPEC environment
variable, which, in most cases, is
COMMAND.COM. In this case, returning to
DOOMUTIL is performed by entering "EXIT" at
the command line.
ALT-M Launch WAD editor. This allows you to invoke
the wad modification utility specified in the
program configuration screen.
ALT-X Exit DOOMUTIL immediately. Note that any
changes not saved (as discussed with the ALT-
B text) are not saved for the next DOOMUTIL
session.
ALT-Z Exit DOOMUTIL immediately, invoking the work
command as specified in the program
configuration.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 8
Menu Selections
Main Menu
Begin Doom With Current Configuration
This begins DOOM with the current configuration, as
specified in the Modify Current Game Configuration.
Selected WADs are automatically loaded.
Modify Current Game Configuration
This allows the user to specify various aspects
regarding the playing of DOOM. Single player, serial
or network play, episode, mission, skill, presence of
monsters, monster respawning, deathmatch, and the game
to load (if any) are specified here.
Selection of a single player, modem, direct connect
(null modem), or network game is performed with this
screen.
If any legitimate changes are made to the value in the
episode field, the mission field is automatically
changed to the first mission for the given episode.
The mission field can be changed to allow skipping the
earlier levels. This is handy if you're playing
deathmatch, and want to skip to where some of the
bigger toys are.
Note that the game slot menu allows entry of values
from 0 to 6, inclusive. Specifying a 0 in this field
indicates that a new game is to be initiated. A 1
selects the game saved in the first slot, etc.
Placing a "?" in the game slot field instructs
DOOMUTIL to find the most recently saved game and use
it, if any. While the cursor is in this field, the
F10 key can be used to browse the saved games. While
browsing the saved games, the episode, mission, skill
level, and frag summary (if a network game) is
displayed. If a saved game is selected, using the F9
key in this field allows the user to display the
statistics of each of the players in the saved
mission. If a loaded game is specified, the episode,
mission, and skill level are updated to reflect the
loaded game.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 9
Modify Serial Server Configuration
This allows specification of the modem communication
port, the direct connection serial port (for use with
null modems), the number to dial, and the serial
driver to use for MODOOMing.
Modify Network Server Configuration.
This screen allows selection of the network socket,
network driver, and number of players for a network
game when a saved game is not being loaded.
For the network driver, IPXSETUP could be specified.
If this method is used, then you must make sure the
network software is loaded before DOOMUTIL is invoked.
However, a much simpler way to play via the network is
to create a batch file that loads the network
software, then the IPX driver, and finally, terminates
he network software. For example, my NETDOOM.BAT for
running under Lantastic follows:
LSL
NE2000
IPXODI
IPXSETUP %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
IPXODI U
NE2000 U
LSL U
I've used both methods for playing DOOM over the
network; I personally prefer the NETDOOM.BAT method.
The NETDOOM.BAT method poses problems, however, when
selecting external WAD files, all of the parameters
can not be accessed through the parameter list.
WAD File Functions
This allows selection of WAD file modification
functions, described in the WAD File Functions menu
section.
Miscellaneous Functions
This allows selection of various functions that didn't
really have a place anywhere else. These functions
are elaborated upon in the Miscellaneous Functions
menu section.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 10
WAD File Functions
These functions allow modification of the WAD files
(both DOOM and others) for various reasons.
Currently, the only thing that DOOMUTIL modifies
regarding the WAD files are SECTORS and THINGS.
SECTORS are basically contiguous areas of floor that
are of the same height, although these areas can be
divided for various reasons. THINGS are various items
in DOOM, such as barrels, keys, player starting
locations, enemies, etc.
When modifying a WAD file, DOOMUTIL will create an
archive file for each WAD file that it modifies, if
the archive does not already exist. These files will
have the extension of WBU (Wad Back Up). NEVER ERASE
A .WBU FILE UNLESS YOU HAVE RESTORED THE CORRESPONDING
WAD FILE TO IT'S ORIGINAL STATUS. Doing so will
result in a WAD file that is not in its state as
shipped, and your only recourse is to reinstall the
WAD file from its original source. Note that DOOMUTIL
looks for files with the extension of ".BAK" to denote
that a given WAD file is a user modified file. In
this case, DOOMUTIL will not allow certain
modifications, as restoring the file could be
catastrophic.
The archive files are typically a fraction of the size
of the original file, so time (as well as disk space)
is saved for restoring large files (like DOOM.WAD) to
their original status, versus extraction from an
archived source.
When modifying wad files for multiple player usage,
it's important that all players involved restore the
desired WAD files to their original status, then make
the same modifications in the same sequence. Failure
to do so will generally result in consistency failures
after DOOM starts.
WAD Functions Menu
Selection Menu
Allows selection of WAD files for use or modification.
This is detailed below.
Force Refresh of WAD list.
In the event that the WAD list becomes invalid
(unlikely, unless WAD files are added or deleted from
the DOOM directory while shelled out of DOOMUTIL),
this option must be used to recreate the WAD file
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 11
list. The previous selection status for WAD files is
discarded. You are asked to confirm this option, as
information DOOMUTIL maintains about the WAD file
that's not part of the WAD file (times used, last
used) will be lost if you perform this option. If you
do not confirm rebuilding the list, then DOOMUTIL will
rescan ALL files the files in the list for updated
information, as if you had selected all of the WAD
files and used the Rescan Selected WAD files option.
If you add or remove WAD files from your directory,
it's best to exit DOOMUTIL and start over. In this
manner, DOOMUTIL's times used and last time used
information is maintained.
Rescan Selected WAD files.
This causes DOOMUTIL to update it's database of
information for each of the WAD files that are
selected. You can perform this option if you've
modified any of the WAD files since the last time
DOOMUTIL scanned it. The last time of use, and the
number of times used for each WAD scanned will be
retained.
Backup selected WAD file(s).
Creates a .WBU file for each of the corresponding WAD
files, if the file does not already exist. Only the
THINGS & SECTORS portion of the WAD are backed up.
Restore selected WAD file(s).
If a selected WAD file has been modified, then the
modifications are removed with this option. Only the
THINGS & SECTORS portion of the WAD are restored.
List WAD files.
This creates a file with the extension "LST" for each
WAD file, containing a dump of the various objects
encountered in the WAD file. Not that this is useful
to your average bear, but during the development of
these functions, this information can sometimes be
handy, so I left the option in due to laziness on my
part. You may or may not find the information useful,
depending on your own level of dementedness and
curiosity.
Build new WAD from selected PWADs.
This function allows you to combine all of the
selected WAD (PWAD or IWAD) files into a new PWAD
file. All directory entries from each selected WAD
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 12
file are copied into the new WAD file specified by the
user. Note that no checking is performed for
duplication of directory entries.
This is handy for linking sound or texture WADs with
custom levels. It's also handy for creation of one WAD
file when you desire to play more wad files than will
fit on the command line due to the 128 character limit
imposed by MS/DOS.
This function will not allow you to overwrite an
existing file.
After the wad file has been created, the WAD file list
will be rebuilt.
Episode/Mission MENU
Allows modification of episodes and missions for
selected WAD files. This is detailed below.
WAD THING MENU
Allows modification of THINGs in selected WAD files.
This is detailed below.
WAD SECTOR MENU
Allows modification of SECTORs in selected WAD files.
This is detailed below.
Selection Menu
Select wad files for modification.
This allows selection of individual WAD files for
manipulation. Selecting the individual WAD files is
done as follows:
The Up and Down arrow keys allow moving from WAD to
WAD. Moving the mouse cursor to a WAD moves the
highlight bar to the corresponding entry.
Pressing the Space bar, or left mouse button while the
mouse cursor is on an entry toggles the selection
status of the highlighted WAD file.
Pressing Enter, or the right mouse button while the
mouse cursor is within the selection window border
exits the selection system, saving the selections
you've made.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 13
Pressing Escape, or the middle mouse button (if
present) while the mouse cursor is within the
selection window border exits the selection system,
discarding selections in changes that you've made.
Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End effect scrolling
through the listing (if it requires more than one
page). Mouse users can scroll the display by moving
the cursor to either the top or bottom border of the
window. Pressing the left mouse button will scroll
the display by one line. Pressing the right mouse
button will scroll the display by one page. Pressing
the middle mouse button, if present, will scroll the
display to the respective end of the list.
Pressing [F10] invokes the configured WAD
viewer/editor on the highlighted WAD, if one has been
configured. See the program configuration section for
details. Pressing [ALT-F10] will perform the same
operation, and automatically launch DOOM with the
current selected WADs. THIS IS VERY HANDY FOR WAD
DEVELOPERS.
Pressing [F9] displays detailed information regarding
the WAD file.
Pressing [F8] displays a summary of the episodes and
missions selected. Using this summary, you can
determine if you have selected WAD files that
conflict; i.e., two WADs contain maps or songs for
E1M1, or the selected WADs are not contiguous, i.e.,
you've selected a WAD for E1M1 & E1M3, but none for
E1M2.
Pressing [F3] displays the current sorting scheme.
Pressing [F2] displays the color scheme, outlined
below.
WADs displayed with a red or brown background have
been modified, and need to be restored in order to be
used in a multi-player game. Wad files with yellow
text have been selected.
For each WAD in the list that contains missions, the
first episode and mission encountered for the wad is
displayed, followed by the number of missions found in
the WAD. Finally, if there are 4 death match starts
for each mission, there will be a "DM", indicating
David Poole, Jr. 94/7/31 17:01
DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 14
that the level is suitable for death match play[1].
This will prevent rude interruptions in your death
matches when a new level is loaded where the developer
overlooked this important THING. If an exclamation
mark is displayed, then DOOMUTIL has found something
about the WAD that may cause problems with playing
multiple player sessions. These factors are: No
exit, not enough (or too many) player starts, or not
enough death match starts FOR EACH MISSION in the
given WAD file.
For each WAD in the list that contains music as
opposed to sound, the episode and mission for which
the music is assigned to is specified. The message
"SONG" to the right of the episode and mission
indicate that this WAD contains music as opposed to a
missions.
If a WAD does not contain missions or music, then no
level or episode information is specified. Text
describing what was found is displayed.
Selected WADs are used when DOOM is invoked. If the
Auto Build WAD file feature is not enabled (described
under Program Configuration), it's possible to select
more WAD files than will fit on the command line.
This is due to the wonderful 128-character limit on
command lines that the folks at Microsoft have imposed
on us. In this event, all of the selected WADs will
not be loaded by DOOM.
NOTE: During the selection process, the currently
displayed selection is considered to be current,
whether or not the user has used ENTER to confirm the
selection. This means that the hot key functions will
work with the currently displayed selection as opposed
to the last confirmed selection. If DOOMUTIL is
terminated via the ALT-X or ALT-Z sequence, the
current selection is stored in the configuration file,
as opposed to the last confirmed selection.
Select All wad files.
Automatically selects all of the WAD files for
manipulation.
1 It amazed me that this had to be included. During
development and playing, er, testing DOOMUTIL with
selected WADs, I was astounded at the number of WADs I
had that could not be played with Death Match. Is it
just me, or is something wrong here?
David Poole, Jr. 94/7/31 17:01
DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 15
Deselect All wad files.
Automatically de-selects all of the WAD files for
manipulation.
Invert wad file selection.
This reverses the order of the selection status of
each WAD file you have installed in your configured
DOOM directory.
Change Sorting Order
Allows selection of the sort method of the listed WAD
files. There are three levels of sorting that may be
specified. Files that are considered equal for the
purposes of the first level of sorting are submitted
to a second test. Files considered equal for the
second test are submitted to a third test. In this
manner, you can usually arrange the WAD file listing
to suit your needs, which may change, depending on
what you're doing with DOOMUTIL.
Sorting options are:
Name: The listing is sorted alphabetically according
to file name.
Episode & Mission: The listing is sorted according to
the first episode and mission in each file. If a WAD
file is found that contains a level, and another
contains a song, and they are for the same episode and
mission, they will appear together, with the WAD
containing the level appearing before the WAD
containing the music.
Times Used: The listing is sorted according to the
number of times each WAD has been used. The most
frequently used WADs are displayed first.
Last Used: The listing is sorted according to the most
recently used files, which appear first.
Modification Date: The most recently modified files
appear first. Note that if you modify a WAD outside
of DOOMUTIL, DOOMUTIL will not be aware of the updated
file date. To make DOOMUTIL aware of the changed file
date, you can either: <1> Select the WAD, and use the
Force Refresh of Selected WAD files option of the WAD
Functions menu, or <2> Use the Force Refresh of all
WADs, and press a key other than F10 at the warning.
Selection Status: Selected WADs are listed first.
Note that the list is not sorted during the selection
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 16
process. To resort the list, exit the selection
process and reenter it.
User Modifying: WADs that are being modified by the
user appear first. NOTE: DOOMUTIL considers a WAD to
be one that is being modified by the user if a file
with the same name as the .WAD file exists, with an
extension of .BAK.
Save Selection To File.
This allows the user to save the names of the
currently selected WADs to disk for later use with the
Load Selection From File option. In this manner,
multiple selections can be maintained easily.
When this option is selected, the user is given the
chance to enter a file name to save the selection
under. During entry of the name, pressing the [F10]
key browses all files in the DOOM directory with an
extension of .SEL. An extension of .SEL is
automatically assigned to the specified file name if
one does not exist.
Load Selection From File.
This allows the user to restore a selection saved
previously with the Save Selection To File option.
When this option is selected, the user is given the
chance to enter a file name to load the selection
from. During entry of the name, pressing the [F10]
key browses all files in the DOOM directory with an
extension of .SEL. An extension of .SEL is
automatically assigned to the specified file name if
one does not exist.
Episode/Mission MENU
Modify Episode & Level for PWADs.
This allows changing the episode and mission for
individual WAD files, so that custom scenarios can be
created. If a given WAD file contains more than one
mission, then the episode and mission numbers are
sequentially assigned. This affects both missions and
music.
NOTE: Episode and Mission number for a WAD file are
not backed up! Changes made to the episode and
mission number are permanent.
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DOOMUTIL 1.04 User's Guide Page 17
Globally Modify Episode & Level for PWADs.
This works as Modify Episode & Level for WADs, with
the exception that the specified episode and mission
is used for the first episode and mission for all of
the selected WAD files.
NOTE: Episode and Mission number for a WAD file are
not backed up! Changes made to the episode and
mission number are permanent.
Incrementally Modify Episode & Level for PWADs.
This works as Globally Modify Episode & Level for
WADs, with the exception that the specified episode
and mission is used for the first episode and mission,
and incremented for the remainder of the selected WAD
files. This allows you to select specified WAD files,
and quickly create a sequential list of missions for
play.
NOTE: Episode and Mission number for a WAD file are
not backed up! Changes made to the episode and
mission number are permanent.
WAD THING MENU
Invert selected WAD(s) things Death Match Status.
This modification causes THINGs that appear in death
match mode ONLY to appear in normal play, and THINGS
that appear in normal play to appear only in
DEATHMATCH. This is handy for newcomers to the
deathmatch arena to learn the location of the weapons.
The status of the key cards, skull keys, and teleport
exits are not modified.
Remove selected WAD(s) THINGs Death Match Status.
This causes all THINGS that appear only in DEATHMATCH
mode to appear in normal play. Typically, this
provides extra ammunition, weapons, and health.
Randomize selected WAD(s) THINGs with computer seed.
This allows for randomization of THINGS in the
selected WADs. This makes playing a WAD a little more
enjoyable, after you've learned the exact location of
everything in a particular WAD the way it's shipped.
The only THINGs that are changed are the locations of
the non-boss enemies, ammo, health, weapons, death-
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match player starts, "passable furniture" (this
includes barrels), and artifacts (super charges,
armor, spheres of invisibility/invulnerability).
There are some drawbacks to this. Some THINGs are
place into locations that can not be accessed, such as
super charges place in areas that are inaccessible, as
well as death match starts where a player is trapped
in a room that is sealed until the other player
activates the trigger event.
Also, I've noticed occasions where E1M8 could not be
finished, as something is being moved that prevents
the walls in the baron area from being opened when the
baron(s) are killed. Still working on this one.
Another problem exists when using randomized THINGs in
a scenario. DOOMUTIL doesn't know the width of the
various THINGs that it's moving around, so it's
possible (actually, highly likely) that a wide enemy
such as a Cacodemon will be placed where something
small (such as shot gun shells) were. This means that
the enemy is significantly handicapped, since it's
usually stuck to the wall. The only time such an
enemy is a threat is when you walk close enough to it
to physically (virtually?) touch it. This problem
will be addressed in a future version, if user support
warrants it.
However, this is still useful, especially when all
players have the weapon locations memorized.
This is also useful when one of the players is a
relative newcomer with respect to another. Since the
weapons and deathmatch starts are in varying places,
each player has a closer to equal chance.
Replace one thing with another.
Non-functional at this time. This feature, if and
when implemented, will allow users to change various
THINGs for other THINGs. This will allow in changing
the ratio of weapons/monsters/ammo/health/etc. for the
particular scenario.
WAD SECTOR MENU
Highlight (Dim Secret, Pulse Trigger) SECTORs
This option travels through the SECTORS in a WAD file,
maximizing the brightness of each sector, so that no
areas are dark. Then, any sector that is found to be
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considered a secret is dimmed to half-brightness.
SECTORs found that trigger events are set to flashing.
Note that there are some SECTORs that appear to be
modified internally at run-time, such as the room
containing the blue key in E1M3, that change when an
event is triggered.
Maximize Brightness of SECTORs.
This maximizes the brightness of all SECTORs in the
WAD file. Read the "Highlight (Dim Secret, Pulse
Trigger) SECTORs" section for information regarding
events that may alter brightness.
Remove Damaging SECTORs.
This removes the aspect of areas that cause damage
when you stand in them, such as areas with "slime".
Miscellaneous Functions
Access Dialing Directory
This allows the user to maintain a list of frequently
dial numbers for quick use when playing DOOM via
modem.
Enable Speaker.
Use this to enable the various beeps that the DOOMUTIL
makes from time to time.
Disable Speaker.
Use this to disable the various beeps that the
DOOMUTIL makes from time to time.
Edit Program Configuration.
This allows for configuration various aspects of
DOOMUTIL.
The text editor entry is used when the Edit Modem
Configuration command is invoked.
The WAD editor entry is used when the Launch WAD
Editor function is invoked.
The Path To Doom entry is used to specify the location
of DOOM. By using this, you can place DOOMUTIL
anywhere in your path, and invoke DOOM without
changing directories to it.
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The Swap to EMS/XMS fields tell DOOMUTIL where to swap
itself when it's shelling an external program, such as
DOOM, the WAD editor/viewer, etc. If neither of these
contains a Y, then a temporary file will be created on
disk to store the information. If you have plenty of
available EMS or XMS, you may wish to use this, as
program swapping is much faster with one of these
options enabled.
The Enable BEEPS field enables or disables the
annoying beeps that occurs frequently in the program.
The Boss Mode informs DOOMUTIL to invoke the command
specified by the next field, Boss Command, when one of
the following conditions occurs: Exiting DOOM (press
<F10><y>, and you're out of DOOM quickly), exiting
DOOMUTIL, or using one of the boss hot-keys (ALT-Z,
any F11 or F12 combination).
The Auto Build PWAD name field allows you to specify a
WAD file that will be created immediately before DOOM
is invoked. By using this feature, you decrease the
length of the command line that must be passed to DOOM
or the appropriate multi-player driver. If you are
only playing one or two PWAD files, then this is not
usually a problem, but when you add many levels,
sounds, music, and graphics, then this may be
necessary. The built PWAD (the "target") will only be
created under the following circumstances: (1) One or
more of the selected PWADs have a newer modification
date than the target PWAD, (2) The target does not
exist, or (3) The WAD selection has changed. If you
have the memory, specifying a RAM disk as the
destination of the target will greatly speed the
creation process, although the target will have to be
recreated after each system boot.
The View WAD Command field allows you to specify the
command to be used to view a WAD file while selecting
WADs in the WAD selection function. You must supply a
"%s" (omit the quotes, and the "s" must be lowercase)
in the command line. For example, I use DEU to view
my wad files, so my command is "deu -file %s.wad"
(again, quotes are to be omitted).
Edit MODEM.CFG
This invokes the user specified editor on the
MODEM.CFG file. The editor is specified in the
program configuration option of the miscellaneous
functions menu.
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Run ID's Setup.
No matter what, there are still times when you have to
run this thing. That's why this function is here.
Register DOOMUTIL
This is described in detail in the section for
DOOMUTIL registration at the end of this document.
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Files created by DOOMUTIL.
DOOMUTIL creates and uses files for various functions.
These files, and the functions that create or use them
are described below.
.WBU Wad Backup File. These files contain the
directory entries for the THINGs & SECTORs found
in the corresponding .WAD file, if 1 or more
levels exist. These files are created when ever
you select WAD files that contain levels, and
either select the BACKUP function, or select a
function that modifies the THINGs & SECTORs in a
WAD. These files are typically a small percentage
of the size of the entire WAD file, and allow
DOOMUTIL to quickly restore a WAD file to it's
original status.
Due to the dynamics of user modified WAD files,
WAD backup files are not created for these files.
This is not a problem, as DOOMUTIL will not allow
modification of THINGs & SECTORs in a user wad,
anyway.
These files are stored in the same directory with
the WAD files.
.BAK Backup of WAD file. DOOMUTIL checks for the
existence of a file with the extension of .BAK for
each .WAD file that it finds. The existence of
such a file informs DOOMUTIL this is a WAD file
that is being modified by the user.
DOOMUTIL will also create a .BAK file when
building a composite WAD from selected WAD files,
if the user specified name of the target already
exists. This allows recovery in the event of a
mistake when building a composite WAD.
These files are stored in the same directory with
the WAD files.
.LST Listing of WAD file. When List Selected WADs is
invoked, the output for each WAD file is created
in a file name with the name of the WAD, and an
extension of .LST.
These files are stored in the same directory with
the WAD files.
.SEL WAD File selection. These files are used to store
the names for selection sets. This allows the
user to save and restore selection sets at will.
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.CFG Configuration file for DOOMUTIL. Unless DOOMUTIL
is renamed, or copied, the only file that will be
created is DOOMUTIL.CFG. If DOOMUTIL is renamed,
then DOOMUTIL will use the path and new name of
the program. By copying DOOMUTIL to other
directories, or to other names, then multiple
configurations for DOOMUTIL can be maintained.
This file will always exist in the directory in
which DOOMUTIL is located.
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Uses of DOOMUTIL.
If you're just going to play out-of-the-box DOOM, then
there is not much of a reason to use DOOMUTIL.
DOOMUTIL doesn't have much to offer the casual DOOM
player, but then again, I don't know too many casual
DOOM players.
DOOMUTIL is meant for the serious player, who wants a
quick and easy way to make the most of DOOM.
Using DOOMUTIL to automate multi-player sessions.
This is why DOOMUTIL was originally written. I was
tired of having to constantly select the options with
SETUP supplied with DOOM. This was especially
cumbersome in the beginning of my MODOOMing days,
since I was having to fight both the modem
configuration and the SETUP program simultaneously.
That's why there is three separate configuration menus
with DOOMUTIL. Once you have the serial and network
configuration selected, there's no reason you should
ever have to modify it again. Unless you change the
communications port for your modem or null modem, the
number of players in a new network game, or network or
serial drivers, you don't have to modify these
parameters once they are set.
Selection of single player, modem play, direct
connect, or network play is done along with the
selection of the episode, mission, skill, monsters,
and death match is all in one convenient location. My
fellow doomers & I have developed a quick method of
communication of the game parameters. Reading off the
value for the episode, mission, skill, monsters,
respawn, and deathmatch fields is quick: "Hey Ted,
let's 1-1-4-Y-N-Y", and we're on the way.
Using DOOMUTIL to add life to memorized missions.
After you've played a mission a few times, it looses
it's excitement, as you've learned where everything
is. Using the randomization feature of the WAD file
functions breathes a little life into tired old
missions. By randomizing the THINGs in a WAD file,
you change the location of all of the enemies (except
for the bosses), ammunition, weapons, health, and the
like. Keys are left in their original position, as
are "furniture" that can not be circumnavigated, such
as pillars.
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This is also handy for death match games.
Randomization of weapons means that neither player
knows the initial locations before hand. This helps
to cut down on the "guard the weapons" problem
encountered when one player dies and the other(s)
guard the weapons that he or she needs. JUST MAKE
SURE THAT ALL PLAYERS ARE USING THE SAME WAD FILES, OR
CONSISTENCY FAILURES WILL OCCUR.
Using DOOMUTIL to assist in using external WAD files.
DOOMUTIL's handling of external WAD files makes
evaluating new WAD files in either single or multiple
player easier. It's also handy for the developer who
is using resources from multiple WAD files that are
being changed frequently.
Evaluating new WADs.
DOOMUTIL makes it easy to track which WAD files have
been evaluated. Upon receipt of new WAD files, copy
them into your DOOM directory and invoke DOOMUTIL.
When you select the WAD functions menu, DOOMUTIL will
scan the new WAD files for the information it
maintains. Then, using the Set Sort Order function of
the WAD functions menu, set the first level of sorting
to sort by times used. The WADs that have not been
loaded into DOOM by you will appear at the bottom of
the list.
Developing new composite WADs.
If you're developing multiple WADs with the goal of
building them into a single composite WAD for
distribution, DOOMUTIL can automate the testing (and
building) process.
During development and testing of each of your
component WADs, use the Set Sort Order function of the
WAD functions menu and set the first level of sorting
to either Sort By Modification Time or Sort By User
Modifying. This will move the WADs you're developing
towards the top of the list. Using the Auto Build WAD
File option described in the program configuration
option will cause DOOMUTIL to create a composite WAD
on the fly when you invoke DOOMUTIL. This composite
WAD is persistent, in that it will not be recreated
unless the time and date of one of the component files
changes, or you modify the selected set of WADs.
Then, from the WAD selection screen, highlight the WAD
you're modifying, and use either the F10 or ALT-F10
key sequence described in the WAD selection section
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when the WAD you wish to edit is highlighted (and
selected). If you use F10, then you can launch DOOM
with the modified files using the <ALT-B> sequence.
If you use ALT-F10, then DOOM is automatically invoked
when the editor/view terminates. This allows for
extremely quick testing of your WAD files, regardless
of how many individual WAD files are being developed.
Since DOOMUTIL stuffs a carriage return into the
keyboard buffer before launching DOOM in single player
mode when using external WAD files, modifying and
testing either single or composite WADs is extremely
fast (of course, depending on the speed of your
machine)[2].
2 I use DEU to create and modify my levels. I've also
created some custom sounds and textures for use with
these levels. While it's possible to use DEU to build
all of these into one WAD for testing, it's much easier
to allow DOOMUTIL to do this, using the Auto Build WAD
function described in the Program Configuration
section. Using a RAM drive as the destination of the
auto-built WAD, I use the ALT-F10 sequence from the WAD
selection menu. When I have to rebuild my nodes,
reject, and blockmap entries due to modifications
(which is lengthy), I type q, press Enter, type q, and
press Enter again, then go for a soda or whatever.
When DEU finishes building the information, it
interprets the commands stuffed into the keyboard
buffer, and exits. Upon return to DOOMUTIL, a new
composite WAD is built for me, and DOOM is invoked for
this WAD. If I am away for too long, DOOM's ready for
testing upon my return. It doesn't get much easier, at
least in my opinion.
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Registering DOOMUTIL
To register DOOMUTIL, select the Miscellaneous
Functions from the Main Menu, and then select the
Register DOOMUTIL function. Enter your name in the
first field, leaving the other fields blank. Save your
changes with the Control-Enter key sequence as
described in the Editor documentation. This will
produce a file called "DOOMUTIL.FRM" in the current
directory, or in the configured DOOM directory if one
exists. Copy the DOOMUTIL.FRM file to your printer
using whatever method you use to print text files.
Mail the printout along with a check or money order
for $15 in US funds to:
David Poole, Jr.
PO Box 747
Pacolet, SC 29372
When the funds have cleared, I will mail to you a
serial number and registration key. Upon receipt of
these, you must re-enter the information supplied
exactly as it as printed. After performing this task,
your copy of DOOMUTIL will be registered.
Thank you for using DOOMUTIL!
David Poole, Jr. 94/7/31 17:01