New Editing Standards Resource Megathread

[Ralphis]

With the advent of multiple new standards for classic Doom format mapping, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a comprehensive resource that covers this information quickly. The intent with this thread is to pull information for the new standards together and make players aware of these cool new features, modders to get an idea of what is available to them, and source port authors to test these additions to their engines.

 

If you have a resource or release that is not listed below, please post and I will attempt to add it timely.

 

 

DEHEXTRA

What Is It?

• DEHEXTRA is an extension for DeHackEd patches. It is not considered a new lump, but an extension to the existing DeHackEd framework.
• It provides a significant increase in the number of things and sprites that can be utilized, in addition to the inclusion of 2,910 new states or codepointers.
• New states can be used to:
  • add new map object types
  • add new non-replacing monsters
  • add new non-replacing decorations
  • add additional frames to existing actors for smoother animations

 

Knowledgebase

DoomWiki Article

Doom Retro DEHEXTRA Spec Sheet

Doomworld DEHEXTRA Thread

ZDoom Wiki Article

 

Releases Using the Feature

Black Ops (Smooth Weapon Mod) - Conversion of "PerK's Smoother Weapon Animations Enhanced (Black Gloves Edition)", by VGA. 

Experimental Mixed Bag Salad - 5-Map pack featuring extended dehacked features, by Redead-ITA.

Pact of the Damned - 4-Map pack featuring new monsters and a modified arsenal. By Blue Phoenix.

SMOOTHED (Smooth Monster Mod) - Conversion of "Gifty's Smooth Doom ZDoom", by VGA.

 

Tools

DECOHack - Part of DoomTools editing suite. Uses a DECORATE-like language scheme for creating DeHackEd patches. By MTrop.

WhackEd4 - Can read/modify any Doom Dehacked patches for versions 1.9 and up. Supports modern feature sets, including DEHEXTRA. By Exl.

 

DSDehacked

What Is It?

• Specification and standard aimed at removing several limitations as imposed by DeHackEd.
• It is an extension to the MBF21 specification regarding raising the limits of things, states, sprites and sounds in DeHackEd, but it can also be supported separately.

 

Knowledgebase

DoomWiki Article

DSDHacked Spec Sheet

 

Releases Using the Feature

 

Tools

DECOHack - Part of DoomTools editing suite. Uses a DECORATE-like language scheme for creating DeHackEd patches. By MTrop.

 

MBF21

What Is It?

MBF21 is a modern spec built on top of additions made to the Boom and MBF line of source ports. It introduces a range of new features that seek to improve the capabilities available in levels and mods. 

 

Some of the key new features include, but are not limited to:

• New actor flags, exposing a whole ton of previously-hardcoded actor behaviors (e.g. splash damage immunity and boss death triggers), plus a few new things like ripper projectiles and low gravity
• Weapon flags, make your weapons silent, customize autoswitch-on-pickup behavior, etc.
• A lot of new DeHackEd codepointers, with up to 8 customizable args. This allows mods to feature custom weapons and monsters easily
• Granular control over monster infighting and projectile/splash damage susceptibility (e.g. you can make barons and knights infight, or make imps immune to cacodemons and barrels, and all sorts of funky combinations)
• A proper "ammo per shot" field for all weapons, not just the BFG
• Improvements and additions to sector and linedef specials
• Extension of MBF's OPTIONS lump. Allows wad authors to set a series of variables that affect engine behavior.

 

Knowledgebase

DoomWiki Article

MBF21 Information Page - Includes specifications for both editors and source port authors

Doomworld MBF21 Thread

 

Releases Using the Feature

Ad Mortem - 18-Map Halloween themed pack featuring new enemies and weaponry. By 4chan's /vr/ board.

Axolotl - 11-Map Pack. Cool blue and purple palette. By Xyzzy01.

Elysium's Curse: Episode 1 - Cool 6-map pack utilizing MBF21 features. Maps are generally short, tough and fast-paced.

Fun With Platforming - 3-Map Pack demoing some of MBF21's features. Focuses on "aerial experiences". By Kraflab.

Heretic Invades Doom - 2-Map pack bringing Heretic monsters and weaponry into doom. By Harpax.

Herschel Spaceport - Single map with new weaponry and custom monsters. By Moustachio.

Judgment - 33-Map megawad. Modifies existing monsters and adds new ones as well. By Rayziik.

Lunar Laceration - 9-Map episode on the moon! Features 5 new enemies and modified weaponry. By finnks13.

NoReason's Speedmaps 3 - 33-Map pack! By NoReason.

Temporal Tantrum - 19-Map pack with 6 episodes and new monsters. By Brxyz, EnragedEggplant, Lunch Lunch and WashingMachineEnthusiasts.

Zzul Bases - 4-Map pack 

 

Tools

DECOHack - Part of DoomTools editing suite. Uses a DECORATE-like language scheme for creating DeHackEd patches. By MTrop.

 

UMAPINFO

What Is It?

UMAPINFO is a cross-port standard, designed to allow engines to read a lump containing meta-data associated to levels (such as their name, music, sky texture, par time, etc.).

 

Knowledgebase

DoomWiki Article

UMAPINFO Specification - via PRBoom+ Github.

 

Releases Using the Feature

Fork in the Road - "10-Map" pack made to experiment with the added flexibility provided by UMAPINFO. Each map has multiple exits leading down different paths.

Dead But Dreaming - 12-Map pack in a occult setting. By Doomer Boards Krew

Pact of the Damned - 4-Map pack featuring new monsters and a modified arsenal. By Blue Phoenix.

 

Tools

UMAPINFO Designer - By JadingTsunami. 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Ralphis
Added Elysium's Curse

[P41R47]

Thanks for this, Ralphis.
This should be pinned as is totally relevant for the times ahead.
It will be probably expanded on the following months as new tools and features are appearing as people start experimenting with this new resources.

[Bauul]

Great post, thank you for summarizing it all!

 

A useful addition might be what ports and port versions currently support each of the above, so mappers know which ports they can target if they wish to take advantage of them.

[rfomin]

3 hours ago, Bauul said:

A useful addition might be what ports and port versions currently support each of the above, so mappers know which ports they can target if they wish to take advantage of them.

Below are just the ports that I personally test/use. Please comment if you know more.

 

MBF21:
DSDA-Doom (since 0.19), Woof! (since 6.0.0), GZDoom (since 4.7.0 - unfinished/buggy)
In development: Eternity Engine, Doom Retro, Odamex

 

DEHEXTRA:
Doom Retro, PrBoom+, Crispy Doom, GZDoom, Eternity Engine, DSDA-Doom, Woof! and probably more.
Please note that there is no spec, most ports increase the number of things and sprites, but may not add new fields from Doom Retro.

 

DSDEHACKED:
"Unlimited" states, sprites, sounds, and things in dehacked (until you run out of memory).

Doomwiki article: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/DSDHacked
Spec: https://github.com/kraflab/dsda-doom/blob/master/docs/dsdhacked.md
 

Supported by:
DSDA-Doom (since 0.21), Woof! (since 7.0.0)

 

UMAPINFO:
PrBoom+, GZDoom, Eternity Engine (latest devbuilds), DSDA-Doom, Woof!, Doom Retro (partially)
In development: Odamex

[Gez]

11 hours ago, Ralphis said:

Releases Using the Feature

For MBF21, there's a rather exhaustive list here:

 

[boris]

DECOHack supports MBF21 and DSDHacked

UDB supports MBF21 (the config is not yet enabled by default) and DEHEXTRA, and DSDHacked.

[CodeImp]

Not that new (since 2008) but worth to include for reference:

 

UDMF

What Is It?

UDMF is a map format which extends the features of mapping in various ways. The new features depend on sourceport implementation, but are all supported in a unified format, such that all editors can support the features without the need for yet another map format. UDMF consists of several lumps that make up the map data in similar fashion as the original, standard sequence of map lumps. Sourceports that implement UDMF at this time of writing:

• Eternity
• (G)ZDoom
• 3DGE
• Vavoom
• Skulltag
• Zandronum
• I'm probably missing some here, I haven't kept track very well.

Some common new features that sourceports add through UDMF are:

• Floating-point precision of vertex coordinates.
• Flat (floor/ceiling) texture alignments.
• Flat and wall texture scrolling direction and speed.
• Individual brightness for ceiling, floor or sidedef parts (high/mid/low).
• Colored lighting for individual parts.
• Transparent rendering of textures.
• Sloped floors and ceilings.

Knowledgebase

DoomWiki UDMF Article

UDMF 1.1 technical specifications

ZDoom UDMF Article

ZDoom UDMF implementation specifications

Eternity UDMF implementation specifications

 

Releases Using the Feature

Verdant Citadel - Large stone fortress map by Exl.

Paradise - 7 map episode by Tango.

Hell-Forged - Reboot/sequel to Demon Eclipse's second episode by Amuscaria.

Bastion of Chaos - An epic slaughter map by Bridgeburner.

Ar Luminae - A large and vibrant Doom 2 map by Aurelius and Kaito.

Faithless Trilogy - A Heretic/Hexen megawad by Jimmy.

Probably a bazillion more, I haven't kept track.

 

Tools

All doom map editors that have recently been in active development support this, I think, but you know, I don't keep track that well. Please fill me in.

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by CodeImp

[QuotePilgrim]

First off, apologies for responding to a dormant thread, but considering that it's stickied thread I think this is fine. Also, this is a resource that really belongs here and more people should be aware of.

 

BCS

What Is It?

BCS is an extension of ACS. BCS is mostly compatible with ACS and provides many interesting and useful features, including the following:

• Structures
• Enumerations
• Namespaces
• Preprocessor
• Strong types
• Block scoping
• Optional function parameters
• Object and function references
• && and || operators are short-circuited
• foreach loop
• ?: operator

Knowledgebase

ZT-BCC Wiki

 

Tools

ZT-BCC - The BCS compiler. It compiles BCS scripts to the same bytecode as the ACS compiler and should work fine with the vast majority of existing ACS scripts, so chances are you can use it as a drop-in replacement and start using it for your new scripts without worrying about updating the old ones.

 

On a side note, since this isn't mentioned anywhere: if you use SLADE you can modify the contents of "slade.pk3" so it'll recognize files with the "bcs" extension as ACS scripts and automatically enable syntax highlighting for those files. The relevant file is config/entry_types/text.cfg; just look for the line that says «match_ext = "acs";» and change it to «match_ext = "acs", "bcs";».

Edited December 4, 2023 by QuotePilgrim