Doom round-up

[Spalls Hurgenson]

Because what would c.s.i.p.g.action be without some discussion about
Doom mods? Here are a few I've picked up over the past few weeks:


* Super Ultra Modern Doom
https://github.com/sultim-t/prboom-plus-rt/releases
Classic Doom... but with ray-tracing! Generally, I'm not that
impressed with ray-tracing (it often seems a solution in search of a
problem, since old-school rendering methods usually produce effects
that look as good with a heck of a lot less processing required) but
I'll give this effort a pass. The new lighting often results in a
too-dark game but when everything comes together 'just right', it can
be quite impressive. Still, I'm mostly playing this just to show off
the capabilities of my new video card.


* Doom messin' with your head
https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
What looks like a simple tribute mod to a deceased friend turns a lot
weirder the longer you play. It seems uncomplicated at first but keep
at it (hint, keep playing even after it returns you to the regular
doom maps!) and you soon realize things have gotten really strange.
With an incredible grip on map-making techniques and multiple endings,
there's a lot more to this mod than you might think.


* Doom 3 Done Fast
https://www.moddb.com/mods/runners-doom-3/news/runners-doom-3-v141-releasedurgent-for-doom32004-users
I've since come to appreciate "Doom 3's" languid pacing, but when it
was first released my biggest complaint was how it didn't feel like
the Doom games I was used to. This mod fixes that, upping the speed of
both the player and the monsters. It's not quite up to Quake 3's pace,
but it's still a lot faster. Had "Doom 3" released with these
mechanics, I think it would have been better received.


* The Darkest Doom
https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/130478-the-thing-you-can%E2%80%99t-defeat-ultimate-doom-wad-for-gzdoom-8-maps/
Doom-guy takes on the one thing he can't defeat: dementia. This
somewhat depressing mod represents the slow decline of a person in
dementia, as even the most familiar things in life gradually become
unrecognizable. It starts slow - wait, didn't those health pickups
used to be armor? - and gradually builds up until the game becomes
unplayable. It does require a good conversance with the original Doom
maps though; you need to be able to recognize the changes to feel the
mod's impact.


Enjoy these, and add any more Doom WADs/mods to the list that have
caught your eye.

[Zaghadka]

On Thu, 18 May 2023 10:04:52 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>* Doom messin' with your head
>https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
>What looks like a simple tribute mod to a deceased friend turns a lot
>weirder the longer you play. It seems uncomplicated at first but keep
>at it (hint, keep playing even after it returns you to the regular
>doom maps!) and you soon realize things have gotten really strange.
>With an incredible grip on map-making techniques and multiple endings,
>there's a lot more to this mod than you might think.

Hmm. I get this error message when I drop the pk3 into GZDoom using the
Ultimate DOOM package. Also fails on DOOM: BFG Edition.

>Execution could not continue.
>
>R_InstallSprite: Sprite CPOS frame A is missing rotations


Any suggestions? Did you use it with a vanilla install and DOSBox or
something?

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Thu, 18 May 2023 09:20:48 -0500, Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>On Thu, 18 May 2023 10:04:52 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
>Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
>>* Doom messin' with your head
>>https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
>>What looks like a simple tribute mod to a deceased friend turns a lot
>>weirder the longer you play. It seems uncomplicated at first but keep
>>at it (hint, keep playing even after it returns you to the regular
>>doom maps!) and you soon realize things have gotten really strange.
>>With an incredible grip on map-making techniques and multiple endings,
>>there's a lot more to this mod than you might think.
>
>Hmm. I get this error message when I drop the pk3 into GZDoom using the
>Ultimate DOOM package. Also fails on DOOM: BFG Edition.
>
>>Execution could not continue.
>>
>>R_InstallSprite: Sprite CPOS frame A is missing rotations
>
>
>Any suggestions? Did you use it with a vanilla install and DOSBox or
>something?

I didn't experience the same thing... but some research indicates this
is because it requires the Doom II wad, and not the Doom.wad.

Quick and easy install instructions (just tested)
1) download gzdoom (at least v4.8.2; I used gzdoom 4.10.0 which is the
latest version)
2) extract to folder somewhere
3) put doom2.wad in same folder
4) download mod file and extract to same folder
5) drag myhouse.pk3 file onto gzdoom.exe
6) remember, there's more (A LOT more) to this mod than first appears.

[Ant]

What about mine from the 90s? http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/doom2/j2doom/j2doom.html

CCed alt.games.doom newgroup. ;)

--
"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people." --Isaiah 10:1-2. RIP, humming bird chick & its unhatched sibbling. Heat melted Celtics down in Boston after a 1.75h nap. A somewhat slammy humpy day.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

[Zaghadka]

On Thu, 18 May 2023 11:12:27 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,

Oh, okay. I have that. I was using Ultimate DOOM (DOOMU.wad). I even went
as far as using DOSBox (which inexplicably will no longer type a
backslash, subbing a "]" instead. Any solution?).

I ran it through GZDoom with DOOM II and it worked perfectly. Thank you.
I will enjoy this.

[Ivan Shmakov]

>>>>> On 2023-05-19, Zaghadka wrote:

>>>>> On Thu, 18 May 2023 11:12:27 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>> I didn't experience the same thing... but some research indicates
>> this is because it requires the Doom II wad, and not the Doom.wad.

[...]

>> 5) drag myhouse.pk3 file onto gzdoom.exe
>> 6) remember, there's more (A LOT more) to this mod than first appears.

> Oh, okay. I have that. I was using Ultimate DOOM (DOOMU.wad).
> I even went as far as using DOSBox

FWIW, I've discovered Crispy Doom last year. Seems like I
won't have to use Dosbox for my Doom et al. games anymore.

> (which inexplicably will no longer type a backslash, subbing a
> "]" instead. Any solution?).

That's in the FAQ (= README):

KEYBOARD: I can't type \ or : in DOSBox.
This can happen in various cases, like your host keyboard layout does not
have a matching DOS layout representation (or it was not correctly
detected), or the key mapping is wrong.
...

FWIW, the fix that worked for me is:

4. Open the DOSBox configuration file and change the usescancodes entry.

--
FSF associate member #7257 http://am-1.org/~ivan/

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Sat, 20 May 2023 16:40:01 -0000 (UTC), Ivan Shmakov
<iv...@siamics.netNOSPAM.invalid> wrote:

>>>>>> On 2023-05-19, Zaghadka wrote:

> > Oh, okay. I have that. I was using Ultimate DOOM (DOOMU.wad).
> > I even went as far as using DOSBox

I'm fairly certain the MyHouse mod won't work with DOS-Doom. It uses
too many non-standard tricks for the original engine to work. Not to
mention the whole mod' disk footprint weighs in two or three times
that of the original game's. It may initially look like a bog-standard
"Timmy's First WAD file" but it's a heck of a lot more than that...

> FWIW, I've discovered Crispy Doom last year. Seems like I
> won't have to use Dosbox for my Doom et al. games anymore.

I've always stuck with GZDoom. It may not have all the
bells-n-whistles, but it seems to be the most compatible with other
mods. I still have - and play - DOS-Doom but that's mostly to scratch
the nostalgic itch rather than any strength of the original platform.
But sometimes it just doesn't feel like 'real' "Doom" unless you type
CD C:\DOOM and then DOOM.EXE first. ;-)

[Ivan Shmakov]

>>>>> On 2023-05-20, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>>>>> On Sat, 20 May 2023 16:40:01 -0000 (UTC), Ivan Shmakov wrote:

>> FWIW, I've discovered Crispy Doom last year. Seems like
>> I won't have to use Dosbox for my Doom et al. games anymore.

> I've always stuck with GZDoom. It may not have all the
> bells-n-whistles,

That's quite the point: Crispy Doom is a slight tweak to
Chocolate Doom [1], and the latter's has /no/ bells nor
whistles: instead, it aims for the as close experience to
the original (sans obvious bugs) as practically possible
on the current hardware.

[1] https://www.chocolate-doom.org/

> but it seems to be the most compatible with other mods. I still
> have - and play - DOS-Doom but that's mostly to scratch the
> nostalgic itch rather than any strength of the original platform.

> But sometimes it just doesn't feel like 'real' "Doom" unless you
> type CD C:\DOOM and then DOOM.EXE first. ;-)

Yeah; I have a dedicated Am386-40-based machine for that kind
of thing. Though I mostly play Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of
Destiny there, rather than Doom. (Which would be a tad slow
there, I'd think.)

--
FSF associate member #7257 np. To Tame a Land by Iron Maiden

[rms]

> * Doom messin' with your head
> https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292

A long video about this level:
MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod
https://youtu.be/5wAo54DHDY0

rms

[Spalls Hurgenson]

I don't know if I'd call this Doom's most terrifying mod... it's
creepy sure, but it never really goes beyond that. Most unsettling,
perhaps? The way the map subtly shifts around the longer you play it
can be a bit unnerving, but it never really becomes all that scary.

I tend to admire it more for the designer's skill with the engine,
using portals to create rooms-over-rooms and non-Euclidean geometries,
and doing it all so seamlessly that you don't even notice it unless
you make an effort. Like, "Wait, there's no way this room can fit
there!". And the cleverness of anticipating people who try to noclip
their way out of the house.

But it's hard to elevate your game to "scary" when the protagonist is
armed with an arsenal of weapons powerful enough to take down
demigods. Scariness requires a certain powerlessness, and while you
may be frustrated and confused by the mod, you'll never feel impotent.

But it's still a great mod, for all that.

[Ant]

In my Da Kills mod
(http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/doom2/j2doom/j2doom.html), I also
recreated my friend's small house area. :D It was one floor so it was
perfect for old Doom's engine.
--
"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." --Philippians 1:4-5. Quiet warm weekend with 8.8h of Z & biological bugs! Lakers suck like Celtics. :P

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Sun, 21 May 2023 23:34:21 +0000, a...@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>In alt.games.doom rms <rsqui...@mooflashmoo.net> wrote:
>> > * Doom messin' with your head
>> > https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
>
>> A long video about this level:
>> MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod
>> https://youtu.be/5wAo54DHDY0
>
>In my Da Kills mod
>(http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/doom2/j2doom/j2doom.html), I also
>recreated my friend's small house area. :D It was one floor so it was
>perfect for old Doom's engine.

I think everyone who started Doom-modding began with a map of their
house. It's only to be expected; it's an environment you're intimately
familiar with, so you can easily see if the dimensions are off.

Which is why the MyHouse.wad is so fun; at start, it feels like one of
this sort of mod, but then it very subtly subverts your expectations
as things start getting... weird.

[Zaghadka]

I think my favorite DOOM mod of the original era is the Trinity College
mod. Nicely textured, good level design.

[Xocyll]

Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

Mine was the Aliens Total Conversion - utterly exceptional.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr

[Ant]

Xocyll <Xoc...@gmx.com> wrote:
> Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
> the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

> >On Mon, 22 May 2023 10:44:41 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
> >Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> >
> >>On Sun, 21 May 2023 23:34:21 +0000, a...@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:
> >>
> >>>In alt.games.doom rms <rsqui...@mooflashmoo.net> wrote:
> >>>> > * Doom messin' with your head
> >>>> > https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
> >>>
> >>>> A long video about this level:
> >>>> MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod
> >>>> https://youtu.be/5wAo54DHDY0
> >>>
> >>>In my Da Kills mod
> >>>(http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/doom2/j2doom/j2doom.html), I also
> >>>recreated my friend's small house area. :D It was one floor so it was
> >>>perfect for old Doom's engine.
> >>
> >>I think everyone who started Doom-modding began with a map of their
> >>house. It's only to be expected; it's an environment you're intimately
> >>familiar with, so you can easily see if the dimensions are off.
> >>
> >>Which is why the MyHouse.wad is so fun; at start, it feels like one of
> >>this sort of mod, but then it very subtly subverts your expectations
> >>as things start getting... weird.

Yeah, it's impressive works. It completely not what you expect.

> >I think my favorite DOOM mod of the original era is the Trinity College
> >mod. Nicely textured, good level design.

> Mine was the Aliens Total Conversion - utterly exceptional.

Those two were good.
--
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." --Acts 1:8. Quiet warm weekend with a lot of Z, biological bugs, watching, & eyePhone gaming. Lakers & Celtics suck again. :P

[Spalls Hurgenson]

"Aliens TC" doesn't really hold up all that well. It was memorable for
its time because for a couple of reasons. First, it was one of the
earliest "total conversions" that changed everything about Doom; most
WADs and MODs of the era gave you a few maps, or changed the guns, or
the monsters or altered the graphics... but it was usually only one or
two of those things. "Aliens TC" did it all, making it one of the most
comprehensive user-mods for Doom created, and introducing many to the
very idea of a "total conversion".

(It was, in fact, the first TC I ever played)

"Aliens TC" was also memorable because the first part of the first
level had you wandering the halls NOT fighting anything. "Half Life"
would later gain fame for doing something similar with its
introductory level, but you can see it prototyped with this mod. Given
how the most mods threw you into over-the-top combat from the start,
this slow burn felt amazingly novel; it was slow, tense, terrifying.
You heard the growls and skittering of the xenomorphs everywhere but -
out of sight - you couldn't do anything about it.

Playing today - where many of the advancements put forward by the TC
are now commonplace - the mod lacks a lot of the impact it once had.
Once the aliens actually appear, the game doesn't play too differently
from regular Doom (with the crucial addition of acid-damage from dead
or injured aliens). Its weaknesses are much more apparent because what
once were its strengths are now taken for granted. The mod actually
starts getting boring and repetitive as the levels progress; the
underlying Doom mechanics become more obvious.

But when it was new? "Aliens TC" was like nothing seen before...
certainly like no other fan-made mod.

[Ant]

Yep. Same for this MyHouse. It was wow never done before from a modder.
I am sure someone else will be able to beat it in the future.

--
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." --Acts 1:8. Slammy Mon. since after 3:14:15... AM PDT. Thanks God 4 no No. CA trip & dang Lakers again.

[Luc Lan]

But do you remember Doom with Mod Smiley Face/Chicken?

[Ant]

Luc Lan <swi...@gmail.com> wrote:
...

> >> But when it was new? "Aliens TC" was like nothing seen before...
> >> certainly like no other fan-made mod.
> >
> > Yep. Same for this MyHouse. It was wow never done before from a modder.
> > I am sure someone else will be able to beat it in the future.
> >
> But do you remember Doom with Mod Smiley Face/Chicken?

No, but do you remember Barney, the purple dinosuar, mod? :)
--
"Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." --Acts 28:31. Slammy weeky & summer break already? Thanks God 4 no No. CA trip. Dang Lakers (Celtics need 2 B swept 2), colony, issues, humans, bodies, winter, $, & Max.

[Xocyll]

Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the

I haven't played it since the 90s.

But when it was new, wow, a fan mod that was better done than all too
many commercial games.

Really kind of set the bar for modders from then out.
Wonder how much all the Bethesda mods owe to Aliens_TC showing just how
far a fan could push the envelope?

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Tue, 23 May 2023 19:27:02 -0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@gmx.com> wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
>entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
>say:

>Really kind of set the bar for modders from then out.
>Wonder how much all the Bethesda mods owe to Aliens_TC showing just how
>far a fan could push the envelope?

Not very much, I'd think. The growth of fan-mods has more to do with
how powerful editing tools have become, and the increased
interconnectivity between modders (and end-users, for that matter). It
wasn't even the first TC (even it it may have been the first one many
people, like myself, encountered). I think that, had "Aliens TC" never
been created, we wouldn't see much difference in the modding community

I do wonder what influence "Aliens TC" had on the LEGAL side of
things, though. Prior to that, most mods were fairly sophomoric
fan-projects - adding the Teletubbies to Doom, or whatnot - that could
be easily ignored. But "Aliens TC" - even if it was still utilising
the underlying Doom engine - was competitive against "real" games of
its era. They were no longer something that could be ignored,
especially if you were the holder of a valuable IP and maybe had
interest in using it on the same platform. Had "Aliens TC" not been so
good, I doubt that Fox would have been so quick to wield the
ban-hammer against the "AliensQuake" mod a few years later, for
instance.

[Ant]

I also remember that id Software wanted to license Fox's ALiens series
for its Doom from its book.

--
"In faithfulness [God's Servant] will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope." --Isaiah 42:3-4. Slammy weeky so far & summer break already? Thanks God 4 no outings. Dang NBA (Lakers, Celtics, & Heat), colony, issues, humans, bodies, weather, break, $, Max, etc.

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Thu, 18 May 2023 10:04:52 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>Because what would c.s.i.p.g.action be without some discussion about
>Doom mods? Here are a few I've picked up over the past few weeks:

>* Doom messin' with your head
>https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
>What looks like a simple tribute mod to a deceased friend turns a lot
>weirder the longer you play. It seems uncomplicated at first but keep
>at it (hint, keep playing even after it returns you to the regular
>doom maps!) and you soon realize things have gotten really strange.
>With an incredible grip on map-making techniques and multiple endings,
>there's a lot more to this mod than you might think.

Just a follow-up:

If you can't get enough John Romero or the MyHouse mod, you can watch
the former play the latter on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIl_TqFJNO8

Don't watch it if you don't want spoilers about the mod. Honestly, I
was hoping for more reaction from Romero regarding some of the tricks
used by the mod's developer. He didn't even notice that Doom had been
hacked to do room-over-room 3D.

Anywhere, there's a thing to suck up an hour of your life, if you
want.

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Thu, 18 May 2023 10:04:52 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:

>* Doom messin' with your head
>https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
>What looks like a simple tribute mod to a deceased friend turns a lot
>weirder the longer you play. It seems uncomplicated at first but keep
>at it (hint, keep playing even after it returns you to the regular
>doom maps!) and you soon realize things have gotten really strange.
>With an incredible grip on map-making techniques and multiple endings,
>there's a lot more to this mod than you might think.

Just a follow-up:

If you played the MyHouse.Wad above and wondered just HOW it was all
done, there's a series of videos that explain its tricks in detail.

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq1-TZXz9xo (27m)
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBhpF-4MK9o (22m)
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaMNS9RSuAQ (27m)

I strongly, strongly,STRONGLY recommend you play the mod /before/ you
watch these videos, since - more so than any other videos about
MyHouse.wad you may find on YouTube - this one will absolutely spoil
the mystery of the mod. If you must know how it works but haven't
explored the mod entirely (there are so many endings!) then only watch
the first video, which gives a good overview of what the mod is about
and explains most of its tricks without giving away too many spoilers.

But a TL:DR of the videos is the mod uses two different types of
'silent teleports' (the second of which acts like a portal where you
can see through it), a handful of clever scripts, and lots of hidden
walls that raise and lower to hide (or expose) new art, objects or
entrances. Technically, it isn't that innovative (in fact, the video
points out some of the techniques used are somewhat clumsy and
outdated) but it puts it all together so cleverly that you can be
forgiven for thinking it's a lot more complicated than it really is.

Of course, the cleverest part of the mod was how it kept you from
bypassing all its tricks with the no-clip cheat; unfortunately, to
find out that secret you'll need to watch through to the third video.

[Ant]

Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 18 May 2023 10:04:52 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
> <spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:

> >
> >Because what would c.s.i.p.g.action be without some discussion about
> >Doom mods? Here are a few I've picked up over the past few weeks:


> >* Doom messin' with your head
> >https://www.doomworld.com/vb/thread/134292
> >What looks like a simple tribute mod to a deceased friend turns a lot
> >weirder the longer you play. It seems uncomplicated at first but keep
> >at it (hint, keep playing even after it returns you to the regular
> >doom maps!) and you soon realize things have gotten really strange.
> >With an incredible grip on map-making techniques and multiple endings,
> >there's a lot more to this mod than you might think.


> Just a follow-up:

> If you can't get enough John Romero or the MyHouse mod, you can watch
> the former play the latter on YouTube
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIl_TqFJNO8

He needs to play more! :P
--
"O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord." --Jeremiah 22:29. Fell behind from a ~19 hrs. local beach vacation trip with the extended colony, didn't have time 2 hang out with old buds, hurt da old body (flying stingy social insect's stinger & fall), & getting hot. :(