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DoomEdit/PM - OS/2 PM DOOM MAP Editor [ Beta Release 0.80 ] IMPORTANT: BEFORE USING DEPM, make sure you read the "Tricky Problems" section (1.3); DEPM is very powerful, but there are some tricks to using it. If you do not know about these tricks, you can really mess yourself (and your PWAD) up. CONTENTS: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1.0] A Note from the Author [1.1] Disclaimer [1.2] What's Missing [1.3] Tricky Problems [1.3.1] Left-side Orphaning [1.3.2] Molding and Splitting [1.3.3] Bug Inheritance [1.3.4] Texture Tricks [1.3.5] Build Avoidance [1.3.6] Non-Map Resources [1.3.7] Compression [1.4] Reporting Bugs [2.0] Introduction to DEPM [2.1] Installation [2.2] Starting Up [2.2.1] Parameters [3.0] The Menu Bar [3.1] File Menu [3.1.1] New PWAD [3.1.2] Open PWAD... [3.1.3] Import PWAD... [3.1.4] Extras... [3.1.5] Save PWAD [3.1.6] Save PWAD As... [3.1.7] Quit [3.2] Edit Menu [3.2.1] New Map [3.2.2] Edit Map [3.2.3] Alter ExMx [3.2.4] Drop Map [3.2.5] Close Map [3.2.6] Check Map [3.3] Preferences Menu [3.3.1] BSP Tuning [3.3.2] Map Behavior [3.3.3] Textures [3.3.4] Compression [3.4] Help Menu [3.4.1] Product Information [4.0] Editor Controls [4.1] Radio Buttons [4.2] Zoom [4.3] Grid [4.4] Tools [4.4.1] Thing Template [4.4.2] Vertex Template [4.4.3] Sector Template [4.4.4] Nodes Building [4.4.5] Shredder [5.0] THINGS Mode [5.1] Adding Things [5.2] Deleting Things [5.3] Moving Things [5.4] Changing Things [6.0] LINEDEFS Mode [6.1] Adding Vertexes [6.2] Deleting Vertexes [6.3] Moving Vertexes [6.4] Merging Vertexes [6.5] Adding LineDefs [6.6] Deleting LineDefs [6.7] Flipping LineDefs [6.8] Changing LineDefs [7.0] SECTORS Mode [7.1] Adding Sectors [7.2] Deleting Sectors [7.3] Changing Sectors [8.0] History ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1.0] A Note from the Author "Hello. I'm Gerald Callow. And you're not." I am releasing this BETA to give some of the OS/2 addicts out there a 32-bit PM Doom Map editor. It isn't by any means finished, but it works, more or less. Enjoy! [1.1] Disclaimer DOOM is a trademark of id Software. If you are playing with an illegal copy, please shell out the cash to register. DO NOT distribute maps which will work under the shareware version of DOOM. It's pretty easy to do this: just use "registered" textures in episode 1 maps. I am not disabling the ability to replace E1 maps because there are a lot of "compound" wads out there which do this already. Any damages incurred by using DOOM or DEPM are solely your reponsibility. I have tested and debugged my little brains out in an attempt to make this BETA as stable as possible, but nothing is ever bug-free. No, there isn't any code in here which could hit your DOOM.WAD or format your disk, but if it crashes after a couple of hours of editing, and you have disabled autosave, I'm not going to drive to your house to reconstruct your lost map. Dig? [1.2] What's Missing This BETA doesn't do everything 100%. It's missing pieces, and there are some parts I would like to change. Please do not whine about the following things: Texture Rendering: it's slow. I know this. Right now it just renders textures using the current colour compensators as you select them. Version 1.00 will kick off a separate thread to render textures into bitmaps so that when you want them, they show up instantly. Help: this hasn't been implemented yet. [1.3] Tricky Problems Although DEPM attempts to present an intuitive interface, there are some "tricks" to using it. [1.3.1] Left-side Orphaning When you SPLIT a SECTOR by drawing a LINEDEF, make sure that there are no "sectors within sectors" or "obstacles" on the left side of the line. DEPM creates the new sector by traversing the outside of the sector to reassign the sidedefs to the new sector; it will NOT find sidedefs which are not along the outside wall. Example: o-----o o-----o | A | 1 | B | |o-o o-o-o-o | || | | <-- sector dropped in for "teleporter exit". |o-o o-o-o-o | we want to split this with a door. | | 2 | | o-----o o-----o To split the sector, we will draw a linedef between vertexes 1 and 2. If we go from 1 to 2, the new sector B will be traversed, and everything will work out fine. If we go from 2 to 1, however, the new sector A will be traversed, but the "teleporter exit" will think it's still in the big sector (now sector B). This is BAD. When splitting sectors, MAKE SURE the new left sector does NOT contain any sectors within it; if it does, you will have to manually reassign the sidedefs to reference the correct sector (in the above example, if we had drawn from 2 to 1 we would need to assign the "exit" sidedefs from B to A. If you don't go in and fix the problem right away, you are just asking for trouble -- splitting an already-confused sector will just confuse it more. A better way to avoid left-side orphaning is to drop in teleporters, crates, etc. AFTER the sectors have been split as desired. That way, you don't have to worry about it. [1.3.2] Molding and Splitting The biggest mistake people make when using DEPM seems to be that they drop in a sector, mess around with it a bit, then want to drop in another sector and connect the two of them. You can DO it, but it means you have to add a sidedef to a line and delete another line and try to keep the sector assignments right. This isn't a BIG problem, but there is a MUCH easier way to do it. Use vertexes to "extrude" your sector to where you want the new sector, then split it by drawing a linedef. Then use vertexes to mold the new sector into the desired shape. Want another sector off that one? Extrude the new sector, split it, then mold the next new sector. Once you become accustomed to this way of doing things, I guarantee you won't want to use ANY other editor that doesn't work this way. Trust me! [1.3.3] Bug Inheritance Make sure you CHECK whatever you are working on OFTEN. Once you create an object that is in error (eg, a one-sided linedef with the 2S flag on), it will be propagated to anything you create from it. For example, if you drop a vertex on a one-sided linedef with the 2S flag on, you now have TWO linedefs with the 2S flag on, and so on. If you build a map from start to finish without making a single error that the checker could have caught, you're much more clever than I am (and id Software, for that matter -- the checker catches all sorts of stuff in the DOOM2 wad). [1.3.4] Texture Tricks Make sure you keep an eye on what textures are getting put where. DEPM takes the last SIDEDEF you saved and uses it to create new ones when you draw a linedef or drop a sector. SO: even if you don't have a sidedef in existence that you want to use for a sector you're going to drop in, change an existing sidedef to be the one you want, drop the sector, then change it back. This saves LOTS of time. It works especially well with stairways; when you draw the steps, it can be applying a LL, LU, RL and RU texture for you, as well as floor and ceiling textures. Then all you have to do is change the heights. Keep in mind that 24 bytes are USED by EVERY sidedef, so having a texture that nobody sees is NOT going to make your PWAD bigger. Example: o--------o | | Step 1 - Floor 16, ceiling 144 o---<A---o | | Step 2 - Floor 24, ceiling 160 o--------o Note that linedef A MUST HAVE RL (right lower) and LU (left upper) textures. If the last sidedef you saved had an upper and lower texture, you will get RL, RU, LL and LU textures. The RU and LL textures are not needed, but they don't hurt anything so you can leave them alone and not worry about it. The checker looks for missing textures, not unnecessary ones. [1.3.5] Build Avoidance Whenever you leave LINEDEFS mode, the node builder starts up. This means that you cannot save, close, quit, or re-enter linedef mode until it has completed. Although the node builder is quite fast, and runs in a separate thread, it's a good idea to avoid getting into the situation where you want to do something, but can't because the node builder is running. I get around this by drawing as many lines and assigning all the textures that I can, before going into sectors or things mode. That way, while I'm setting up my sectors and things, the node builder runs. It usually completes before I want to go back into LINEDEFS mode, so this seems to work OK. The whole idea is to do all your linedef stuff first. For instance, if you test your map and see there is a texture you want to change, and you want to change the ceiling height and add some monsters and a little room at the back that opens up when you walk past, DON'T fix the texture then mess with the sectors. DO fix the texture, draw the lines to make the new sector and split it off and set up its textures, THEN diddle with sectors and things. Not a BIG thing, but just keep it in mind. That way you won't have to minimize DEPM and do something else for a minute or two. [1.3.6] Non-Map Resources DEPM allows you to load, import, merge and save PWADs containing extra resources such as sounds, wall patches, demos, etc. It also allows you to remove these resources from the PWAD, or to rename them. In the case of wall patches, these will be rendered into walls as you view them. In many cases, the patches do not look the same under the OS/2 palette, but hopefully what you can see of it is enough to twig your memory. It is important to note that some editors produce PWADs with incorrect directory lengths or invalid directory entries. When DEPM encounters an invalid entry, it attempts to salvage the PWAD contents. In some cases this may not work 100% (it SEEMs to work 100% but I haven't seen what every other editor in the world produces), so just make sure you double-check that all the stuff you wanted to import got saved in the finished PWAD (save to a different name and try it out). If everything looks OK, you might want to replace the incorrect PWAD with one generated by DEPM. This will prevent future errors from happening when you are trying to import it (no guarantee the other editor will still read it, though). Corrupted PWADs (entries that point beyond end of file) will still be abandoned without salvaging; it is assumed that these files have been mangled by something and do not contain valid information. [1.3.7] Compression A program exists which produces PWADs in which all redundant sidedefs have been removed (DMCRUSH? DMSQUISH?). Simply put, instead of having two identical sidedefs pointed to by two linedefs, the linedefs both point to the same sidedef. The game works fine if you do this, and the size of the PWAD can be decreased by 10% - 30%. This feature may also improve performance in large PWADs. I have implemented this feature as a preference in DEPM. To read in a "compressed" PWAD, turn on compression and load it in. To save a PWAD "compressed", turn on compression and save it. You can read in a "compressed" PWAD, turn off compression, and save it "uncompressed", or vice-versa. I strongly recommend that you NOT use compression until your PWAD is completed. Compressing the level every time you save it will be a real annoyance. If you can't remember whether you compressed a PWAD on save, or if you don't know whether someone else's PWAD was compressed, load it with compression on (this won't hurt anything if it's not compressed), then save it with compression off. If you load a compressed PWAD without decompressing it, be aware that the following things will happen: o if you edit a sidedef, the change will be reflected by ALL linedefs pointing to it; and o the node builder will very likely produce garbage. In other words, loading a compressed PWAD without decompression and then saving it is OK as long as you didn't go into LINEDEFs mode. [1.4] Reporting Bugs The whole idea of releasing a BETA is to get some feedback on DEPM and have a bunch of people finding my bugs for free. If you find bugs, please let me know what exactly you did, and how DEPM messed up. My Internet mail address is: Gerald.Callow@WPCUsrGrp.MB.CA I can also be reached on the Winnipeg PC User's Group BBS, when the moon is full. I'll get a REAL Internet account when I get OS/2 Warp. [2.0] Introduction to DEPM DoomEdit/PM (DEPM) requires practice to use, mainly because the optimal method of building a level from scratch is completely the opposite to that of other editors. For instance, in other editors you add vertexes then linedefs; in DEPM, you can add vertexes only to existing linedefs. The commands are meant to be intuitive and simplistic. Using the commands properly, however, does take some practice. The BEST way to create a level is to drop ONE sector, add vertexes to the linedefs and drag the vertexes around to form an "outline" within which the other sectors will exist. Next, the outline is split up into other sectors. For example: Step 1. o-----o | | <-- first sector dropped. | | o-----o Step 2. o-----o o-----o | | | | <-- vertexes added to lines and moved to form | o-o-o-o | an outline. | | | o-o-o-o | | | | | o-----o o-----o Step 3. o-----o o-----o | | | | <-- linedefs added to make a "door". | o-o-o-o | | | | | | o-o-o-o | | | | | o-----o o-----o Step 4. o-----o o-----o | | | | |o-o o-o-o-o | || | | | | <-- sector dropped in for "teleporter exit". |o-o o-o-o-o | | | | | o-----o o-----o The main trick to remember is that when a linedef is drawn which will bisect an existing sector, the sector is split and a new sector is created on the "left" side of the bisecting linedef. [2.1] Installation Stick DOOMEDIT.EXE somewhere. Create a program object for it. Stick the program object in a folder, or on the desktop. Set the working directory to the directory you want AUTOSAVE.WAD to be in. [2.2] Starting Up Double-click on the DEPM icon to open the program. It will display a file dialog asking for the DOOM.WAD. Find your DOOM.WAD and hit "OK". DEPM saves the location of the DOOM.WAD to its INI file for subsequent runs. If you don't move your WAD or erase DOOMEDPM.INI, you shouldn't have to do this again. Don't be loading the WAD off a network drive, OK? [2.2.1] Parameters There is one parameter only, and it is optional. The parameter is the "profile" you want to use within DOOMEDPM. Only the first eight (8) characters are significant. This key is used to uniquely identify the profile within DOOMEDPM.INI; each time you pass DEPM a unique profile key, a new profile is created. This allows you to create multiple program objects on your desktop (for example, DEPM for DOOM and DEPM2 for DOOM2). One program object can default, the other can explicitly pass a different profile key (for instance, DOOM2). You can have as many different profiles as you wish. The Default is "DoomEdPM". [3.0] The Menu Bar The Menu Bar is almost always active, letting you do stuff. Some of the functions will be disabled if you are doing something which causes them to be disabled. Did that make sense? [3.1] File Menu The File Menu allows you to perform functions at a PWAD level. [3.1.1] New PWAD This wipes the current PWAD out of memory and clears all the patched maps and extras. Like it says! [3.1.2] Open PWAD... This wipes the current PWAD out of memory and clears all the patched levels and extras, then displays a file dialog to select a PWAD. The chosen PWAD is loaded into memory, and can contain multiple maps (up to, uh, 18). The PWAD is also backed-up to filename.BWD in the same directory as the PWAD is in, just in case you mess something up and save it. This can hog quite a bit of disk space, so it's a good idea to go in and delete .BWD files occasionally. [3.1.3] Import PWAD... This displays a file dialog to select a PWAD. The chosen PWAD is merged with the PWAD currently in memory. If there are conflicting maps or extras, you will be prompted as to whether you want to replace the existing patched dilly or not. Once the import has completed, the file dialog is displayed again. This is meant to allow you to import multiple PWADs into the current PWAD. When you are done importing things, hit "cancel". [3.1.4] Extras... This brings up the list of currently loaded "extra" things (sounds, patches, etc.) and allows you to drop or rename them. Multiple selection is enabled for this list to allow you to do multiple drops or renames. [3.1.5] Save PWAD This saves the current PWAD to disk, under the current name. If the PWAD is not named, you must give it a name by using the "Save PWAD As..." menu option. [3.1.6] Save PWAD As... This saves the PWAD currently in memory to a new name, and changes the working name to match. [3.1.7] Quit When enabled, this menu option terminates DEPM. [3.2] Edit Menu The Edit Menu allows you to perform functions at a MAP level. [3.2.1] New Map This allows you to select a map to create. The map selection dialog will be displayed. Maps which have been patched will show up black, unpatched maps will show up dark cyan. Select the map you want to create and hit OK. If the map has been patched, you will be asked if you want to wipe it out. DEPM goes into edit mode and you start off with a blank map. The first thing you should do is add a sector (see far below about adding sectors), and put in a "Player 1 Start" thing. [3.2.2] Edit Map This allows you to edit a map. You can edit a PWAD map or an id map. As with NEW, the map selection dialog will be displayed. DEPM goes into edit mode and displays the selected map in THINGS mode. [3.2.3] Alter ExMx This allows you to change the episode and map # of a PWAD map. The selection dialog will appear twice -- once to get the PWAD map you want to change, then once more to get the episode and map # you want to change it to. [3.2.4] Drop Map This allows you to drop patched maps from the PWAD. The selection dialog will appear and allow you to select the map to drop. You can continue to drop maps until you hit cancel. [3.2.5] Close Map This allows you to cancel editing mode without saving the changed level to memory. You will be asked if you're sure you want to do this. [3.2.6] Check Map This option checks the map in the current editing mode. Things it checks for include: THINGS Mode: ------------ o Unknown Types; o Four Player Starts; o Four Deathmatch Starts; and o DOOM2 things in DOOM PWADs. LINEDEFS Mode: -------------- o Missing SideDefs; o Missing/Invalid Textures; o Incorrect flag settings; o No End Level; o Unknown Types; o DOOM2 Types in DOOM PWADs; o Missing Tags; o Unreferenced SideDefs. SECTORS Mode: ------------- o At least two sectors; o Closure; o Unknown Effects; o Invalid/Missing Textures; o DOOM2 Effects in DOOM PWADs; and o Unreferenced Sectors. [3.3] Preferences Menu The Preferences Menu allows you to change the way some of DEPM works. [3.3.1] BSP Tuning You can adjust the way the node builder picks partition lines by changing the weight (emphasis) given to - avoiding splits; and - balancing the tree. Avoiding Splits will build a tree with fewer segs and less complexity. This will help to avoid problems with HOM effects. Balancing the Tree will build a tree with a closer ratio of left-side nodes to right-side nodes. This will improve performance (slightly). Feel free to experiment with different weight settings to change the way the tree gets built for maps exhibiting odd effects. Most likely you will not notice any difference no matter what settings you use, but who knows? [3.3.2] Map Behavior You can adjust the zoom and scroll behaviors, and change the autosave timer setting by changing: - zoom above threshold; - threshold; - zoom below threshold; - page scroll; - line scroll; - zoom on find; and - autosave. Zoom Above Threshold is the scaling percentage to zoom when the current scale is above the threshold. Threshold is a scale at which the zoom amount will change. Zoom Below Threshold is the scaling percentage to zoom when the current scale is below the threshold. Page Scroll is the percentage of the view to be moved off the screen when the scroll bars are used to scroll up/down/left/right a page. Line Scroll is the percentage of the view to be moved off the screen when the scroll bars are used to scroll up/down/left/right a single line. Zoom on Find is the scale to use when displaying objects found by the map checker. If disabled, the current scale is used. Autosave is the number of minutes to wait between autosaves; this feature can be disabled. The map being edited will be saved to AUTOSAVE.WAD in the DEPM program object's working directory. I don't advise you turn this off, mainly because this is a beta and you're better off being safe than sorry (besides, autosave takes virtually NO time and can save your buns big time). [3.3.3] Textures You can adjust the look of the textures on your system, and change whether textures are rendered as you select them by changing: - red compensation; - green compensation; - blue compensation; and - render on select. Red Compensation is the amount of red added to the translated palette. You can experiment with this amount to find the best compensation for your system. Green Compensation is the amount of green added to the translated palette. You can experiment with this amount to find the best compensation for your system. Blue Compensation is the amount of blue added to the translated palette. You can experiment with this amount to find the best compensation for your system. Render on Select indicates whether you want wall textures to be displayed when you select them. If this checkbox is left unchecked, wall textures will be displayed only when you double-click on them. [3.3.4] Compression When checked, sidedef compression is enabled. When unchecked, sidedef compression is disabled. For the most part, you will only use compression for your final cut of a PWAD. [3.4] Help Menu This menu option will eventually be used to get help for the various functions of DEPM. At the moment it contains one entry only. [3.4.1] Product Information This is the one entry mentioned above. You can see the version number and go to the credits screen to see who we have to thank for this program (other than me). [4.0] Editor Controls When editing a map, there are two sections: one is the editor controls section, the other is the map section. The map section depends on the editor controls section so I will go through it first. [4.1] Radio Buttons The radio buttons in the level identifier group are used to change between the different editing modes. These are: - things mode; - linedefs mode; and - sectors mode. Things Mode is used to edit a map's THINGS, and will be explained later in a section devoted to it. LineDefs Mode is used to edit a map's LINEDEFSS, and will be explained later in a section devoted to it. Sectors Mode is used to edit a map's SECTORS, and will be explained later in a section devoted to it. [4.2] Zoom This control is used to change the scale of the map being displayed, and is described as a percentage of the map's pixels to the screen's pixels. To zoom in, press the up arrow to increase the percentage. To zoom out, press the down arrow to decrease the percentage. [4.3] Grid This control is used to display and/or change the grid. If a grid is displayed, things and vertexes added or moved will be snapped to it. The grid is described as the number of map pixels from one grid line to the next. To get a denser grid, press the down arrow to decrease the number of map pixels between lines. To get a sparser grid, press the up arrow. The grid progresses from none to 8, to 16, to 32, to 64, to 128, to 256, to 512, to 1024, to none (if using the up arrow). The reverse is true when using the down arrow. [4.4] Tools The Tool Bar thing isn't really a tool bar, but it is convenient for me to call it that because it includes three items which behave as templates, one that acts as an indicator, and one that behaves as an object. The icons in this group include: - thing template; - linedef template; - sector template; - nodes building; and - shredder. [4.4.1] Thing Template Used in THINGS mode, the thing template works just like an OS/2 template. To create a new THING, position the mouse pointer over this icon and then right-button-drag to the desired map location. When you "drop" the new thing, it will be created. [4.4.2] Vertex Template Used in LINEDEFS mode, the vertex template works just like an OS/2 template. To create a new vertex on an existing linedef, position the mouse pointer over this icon and then right-button-drag to the desired position on the target linedef. Make sure the linedef is identified before dropping the vertex, or the operation will be aborted. When a new vertex is dropped onto a linedef, the linedef is split. [4.4.3] Sector Template Used in SECTORS mode, the sector template works just like an OS/2 template. To create a new sector, position the mouse pointer over this icon and then right-button-drag to the desired location on the map. If you drop a new sector inside another sector, the linedefs will be made two-sided, and the appropriate sector assignment made to the left sides. If you drop a new sector outside other sectors, the linedefs will be created impassable. NOTE that when dropping sectors "outside", try to do so close to another sector in one of the cardinal directions: DEPM goes a-hunting for the closest linedef in the NSEW directions to determine whether the new linedefs should be made two-sided. [4.4.4] Nodes Building Visible only when the node builder is running, this icon is there just to let you know that your map is being rebuilt. Each time you leave LINEDEFS mode, the level will be rebuilt. In theory this sounds like a pain. In practice, it works very well. This is because the node builder runs as a separate thread, allowing you to continue working in THINGS mode or in SECTORS mode (with the restrictions that you cannot add or delete sectors). By the time you've done whatever you left LINEDEFS mode to do, the build is complete. The nodes builder is based on BSP12x with some alterations. Kudoes to Colin and Raphael. NOTE that you CANNOT SAVE or CLOSE the map while BSP is running because the nodes and stuff are in a transient state. [4.4.5] Shredder Used in all modes, the Shredder behaves much like the OS/2 shredder. If you drop a THING, VERTEX, LINEDEF or SECTOR on it, it will be deleted. [5.0] THINGS Mode DEPM is meant to be as OS/2-like as possible. In many cases, operations you use on the OS/2 desktop will work on the DEPM map section. NOTE: before trying to change, move, clone or delete a thing, make sure that DEPM has identified it before pressing the mouse button. [5.1] Adding Things You can add new things in one of two ways: - create a new thing from the Thing Template; or - clone a thing from the map. To create a new thing, position the mouse pointer on the Thing Template and right-button-drag to the desired map location. The new thing will have the attributes of the last thing you saved. To clone an existing thing, position the mouse pointer on the thing you want to clone and hold down the ctrl key while doing a right-button-drag. Drop the new thing in the desired location. [5.2] Deleting Things To delete a thing, position the mouse pointer on the thing you want to delete and right-button-drag it to the shredder (in the Tools group, not on the OS/2 desktop, yutz). [5.3] Moving Things To move a thing, position the mouse pointer on the thing you want to move and right-button-drag it to the desired location. Then let go. [5.4] Changing Things To change a thing, position the mouse pointer on the thing you want to change and left-click. Note that this is NOT like OS/2 properties menu. It's a "select". [6.0] LINEDEFS Mode DEPM is meant to be as OS/2-like as possible. In many cases, operations you use on the OS/2 desktop will work on the DEPM map section. NOTE: before trying to change, move, clone or delete a vertex or linedef, make sure that DEPM has identified it before pressing the mouse button. [6.1] Adding Vertexes You can add new vertexes in one of two ways: - create a new vertex from the Vertex Template; or - clone a vertex from the map. NOTE that the two methods produce identical results. To create a new vertex, position the mouse pointer on the Vertex Template and right-button-drag to the desired linedef location. To clone an existing vertex, position the mouse pointer on the vertex you want to clone and hold down the ctrl key while doing a right-button-drag. Drop the new vertex at the desired linedef location. [6.2] Deleting Vertexes To delete a vertex, position the mouse pointer on the vertex you want to delete and right-button-drag it to the shredder (in the Tools group, not on the OS/2 desktop, yutz). This will delete any linedefs/sidedefs which are connected to the vertex. If this causes any other vertexes to be "disconnected", they will be deleted also. If the linedef is to be retained, merge the vertex with another one instead (see Merging Vertexes below). [6.3] Moving Vertexes To move a vertex, position the mouse pointer on the vertex you want to move and right-button-drag it to the desired location. Then drop it. Be careful when using the grid; sometimes the "snap" causes the vertex to move onto a linedef you don't want it to move onto. [6.4] Merging Vertexes To merge two vertexes, position the mouse pointer on the vertex you want to get rid of and right-button-drag it to the vertex you want to merge it with. Any linedefs will be moved as well. This can produce odd results when linedefs from different sectors all converge on a single vertex, so be careful. This is mainly intended to remove vertexes from a linedef without deleting it. [6.5] Adding LineDefs To add a new linedef, position the mouse pointer on the vertex you want the linedef to be "from" and left-click. The pointer will become a pencil, to indicate that you are drawing a linedef. Move the mouse pointer to the vertex you want the linedef to be "to" and left-click. The linedef will be drawn. If the linedef bisects a sector (it always will, if you're using DEPM the way it's meant to be used), the sector will be split into two sectors and the linedef will be made two-sided. If the linedef does NOT bisect a sector, it is assumed that it is an "outside" wall and is made one-sided. [6.6] Deleting LineDefs To delete a linedef, position the mouse pointer on the linedef you want to delete and right-button-drag it to the shredder (in the Tools group, not on the OS/2 desktop, yutz). This will delete any sidedefs which are connected to the linedef. If this causes any vertexes to be "disconnected", they will be deleted also. If this linedef is the final two-sided linedef dividing two sectors, the sectors will be merged and the "left" sector will inherit the properties of the "right" sector. [6.7] Flipping LineDefs To flip a linedef, or to swap its sidedefs, position the mouse pointer on the desired linedef and right-click. A little menu will show up with buttons on it which allow you to: - flip; - swap; or - abort. Flip allows you to swap the sidedefs as well as the "from" and "to" vertexes, effectively reversing the linedef's "direction". Swap allows you to swap the sidedefs without changing the linedef's "direction". Abort allows you to do nothing to the line. Note that this is kind of like a "properties" menu. Since some of the bugs in DEPMV070 have been fixed, I haven't used this at all; however, it may come in handy when you have to go in and mess around with lines manually. [6.8] Changing LineDefs To change a linedef, position the mouse pointer on the linedef you want to change and left-click. Note that this is NOT like OS/2 properties menu. It's a "select". [7.0] SECTORS Mode DEPM is meant to be as OS/2-like as possible. In many cases, operations you use on the OS/2 desktop will work on the DEPM map section. NOTE: before trying to change or delete a sector, make sure that DEPM has identified it before pushing the mouse button. [7.1] Adding Sectors You can add new sectors in one of two ways: - create a new sector from the Sector Template; or - split an existing sector with a linedef. To create a new sector, position the mouse pointer on the Sector Template and right-button-drag to the desired map location. To split an existing sector, draw a new linedef bisecting the sector. The sector will be split into two sectors. This is the preferred method for creating new sectors unless the sector is to be totally disconnected from all other sectors. [7.2] Deleting Sectors To delete a sector, position the mouse pointer on the sector you want to delete and right-button-drag it to the shredder (in the Tools group, not on the OS/2 desktop, yutz). The sidedefs pointing into this sector will be deleted. If this leaves any linedefs with no sidedefs, they will be deleted also. If this leaves any vertexes "disconnected", they too will be deleted. Note that if the linedefs were two-sided, they will be made one-sided and impassable and may be flipped to ensure that the remaining sidedef is on the right side -- when this happens, the upper or lower texture is applied to the normal texture (which used to be "-", probably), with the lower texture being given preference. This makes it very easy to create pillars or other obstacles -- just drop a sector in an existing sector, then delete it. The remaining sidedefs pointing into the sector are now an obstacle. Before doing this you will likely want to save a sidedef to set up the textures for the obstacle (remember, lower texture is given preference). [7.3] Changing Sectors To change a sector, position the mouse pointer on the sector you want to change and left-click. Note that this is NOT like OS/2 properties menu. It's a "select". [8.0] History Pre-DEPM - Kev says "Write an OS/2 doom editor or I'll break your face." I say "Um...yes, I will do this thing." Version 0.00 Implemented basic skeleton, file dialogs and menu progressions for WAD files. Version 0.10 Implemented skeleton routines and dialogs for map selections and dialogs for editing. Most window routines defined. Basic IWAD recognition and palette loading. Most menu functionality put in place and coded. Version 0.2 PWADs can be loaded and saved. Version 0.3 WAD menu functions fully implemented and crash-tested. Everything seems to work fine. NEW, OPEN, IMPORT, SAVE, SAVE AS, QUIT, DROP, and ALTER now work correctly. Large multi-level PWADS can hog quite a bit of memory and will cause the SWAPPER.DAT to grow. Version 0.4 Map functions (except sectors) have been implemented. These include drawing IWAD and PWAD maps, fully-functional scroll, zoom, grid, and snap. Map elements (things, vertexes, linedefs) are identified by pointing to them with the mouse. Linedef direction indicators have been implemented. Mouse performance becomes impacted when moving over active map elements, due to object correlation. I'm not sure how sectors will work yet. Version 0.5 Drag and drop editing has been implemented. Linedef drawing is in place. Some polishing needs to be done on the UI behavior, but this can wait until a functional beta is in test. Version 0.6 Worked bugs out of texture rendering. Implemented multiple drops and imports. Implemented Autosave and the Nodes Builder. Version 0.7 Implemented preferences dialogs and released as Beta 0.70. Version 0.8 Implemented compression, checking and support for extra stuff and Doom2. Released as Beta 0.80. Future Versions --------------- Version 0.9 - Should contain complete help. Release Version 1.0 - Should be a fully-functional dilly! About the Author ---------------- Gerald Callow is a professional programmer who rushes home from work every night to continue programming. His interests include drinking ludicrous amounts of coffee, playing DOOM, writing OS/2 stuff, and sending mail to asian women. So how the hell are ya?