Multiple texture packs in SLADE

[Thelokk]

So, I'm compiling a WAD in SLADE and I'm having big trouble when it comes to using multiple texture packs. 

As long as it's a single pack (let's say, 32in24) that's no problem at all - copy and paste the entirety of the pack, textures and lumps, and all's fine and dandy, right? As soon as I do the same with a second texture pack (let's say GOTHICTX) all kinds of issues crop up: switches won't animate, there will be missing textures from the second pack, and so on. 

Now, intuitively I'm pretty sure that the problems are caused by having multiple non-texture stuff in my WAD - each pack's SWITCHES, TEXTURE, PNAMES lumps and so on. Problem is, which ones can I safely remove without borking everything into oblivion? can I merge them somehow? do I have to make my own lumps and copy each pack's items in there (ie make a new SWITCHES and copy all content from the packs' SWITCHES in there)? I'm very confused, found some tutorials on the topic but nothing a moron with barely two months mapping experience like me can understand. Halp. 

[Doomkid]

This tool should help you all out - 

 

Here’s a direct link to 2 different versions and there’s a small text file explaining usage - https://doomshack.org/~doomkid/Utilities/wadmerge1.1.zip

[Thelokk]

9 minutes ago, boris said:

Just use DoomMake and let that handle all your texture WADs.

 

Thanks for the tip, would try but I'm literally stuck on page one. From the project's web page:

 

"add that directory to the list of directories in your PATH environment variable"

 

This is literally unitelligible gibberish to me. I can't figure out where to even begin to install these DoomTools, let alone DoomMake.

[Thelokk]

4 hours ago, Doomkid said:

This tool should help you all out - 

 

Here’s a direct link to 2 different versions and there’s a small text file explaining usage - https://doomshack.org/~doomkid/Utilities/wadmerge1.1.zip

 

Doomkid to the rescue! thanks as always ;)

[Womp the Cat]

Hey! Thelokk, I am also fairly new to mapping, and there maybe better solutions than mine, so take this with a pinch of salt.

 

Your intuition is correct. 

 

Basically you will need to copy textures from the one wad into the other (you may or may not have to convert them to doom format if they are pngs and you are doing stuff outside of gzdoom). then in the case of Wall textures only right click em and add them to pnames and texturex! (DON'T ADD FLATS to PNAMES and TEXTUREX).

Now! test the texture wad in doombuilder see if everything shows up (sans switches and animations)

if everything is there, you should be good to go. (make sure you only have the one texture pwad loaded with your iwad in the builder)

 

NOW MAKE A BACKUP (if the switches or anim lumps break your wad you will be thankful you still have the base resource archive trust me, nothing is more disheartening than spending hours putting together a resource wad for it to break on first test.)

 

You will have to set up the animations and switches from the new texture pack manually but the first texture packs animations and switches should work fine.

You will just have to add these entries to the animations and switches lumps, open them up, + a new entry, and then you only insert the first and last names of the textures to be animated in their respective fields,https://zdoom.org/wiki/ANIMATED. 

 

See below for an example of a new animated entry

Spoiler

Type refers to whether to animated texture is a flat, a texture or a texture that allows decals ie: SLADRIP1-3. then you copy the names of the last and first entry as I said before into the two respective fields and the last field is the speed at which the animation plays.

 

Switches is kinda similar. 

 

Spoiler

Here you don't define the speed. because it's just two frames on and off. and the 'type' field is now at the end and refers to which release version of doom the texture belongs to. just set it to 3 (commercial) don't worry about the other types. I don't personally understand the difference. and this works for me. 

 

Maybe do some testing and fiddling in a new test resource wad. if you don't feel comfy, till you get the things to work and you feel like you understand what's cracking. 

 

I hope this was helpful.

[Rymante]

It's my understanding that WADs will only load the first ANIMATED/SWITCHES/TEXTURE1 or 2/PNAMES lump it finds, so the only way to combine textures & animated textures from multiple sources is to use one of each lump as a base & manually add the remaining entries from the other packs yourself.

 

If anyone knows of an easier, more convienent way to do this please chime in!

[Thelokk]

5 minutes ago, Womp the Cat said:

Hey! Thelokk, I am also fairly new to mapping, and there maybe better solutions than mine, so take this with a pinch of salt.

 

Your intuition is correct. 

 

Basically you will need to copy textures from the one wad into the other (you may or may not have to convert them to doom format if they are pngs and you are doing stuff outside of gzdoom). then in the case of Wall textures only right click em and add them to pnames and texturex! (DON'T ADD FLATS to PNAMES and TEXTUREX).

Now! test the texture wad in doombuilder see if everything shows up (sans switches and animations)

if everything is there, you should be good to go. (make sure you only have the one texture pwad loaded with your iwad in the builder)

 

NOW MAKE A BACKUP (if the switches or anim lumps break your wad you will be thankful you still have the base resource archive trust me, nothing is more disheartening than spending hours putting together a resource wad for it to break on first test.)

 

You will have to set up the animations and switches from the new texture pack manually but the first texture packs animations and switches should work fine.

You will just have to add these entries to the animations and switches lumps, open them up, + a new entry, and then you only insert the first and last names of the textures to be animated in their respective fields,https://zdoom.org/wiki/ANIMATED. 

 

See below for an example of a new animated entry

  Reveal hidden contents

Type refers to whether to animated texture is a flat, a texture or a texture that allows decals ie: SLADRIP1-3. then you copy the names of the last and first entry as I said before into the two respective fields and the last field is the speed at which the animation plays.

 

Switches is kinda similar. 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Here you don't define the speed. because it's just two frames on and off. and the 'type' field is now at the end and refers to which release version of doom the texture belongs to. just set it to 3 (commercial) don't worry about the other types. I don't personally understand the difference. and this works for me. 

 

Maybe do some testing and fiddling in a new test resource wad. if you don't feel comfy, till you get the things to work and you feel like you understand what's cracking. 

 

I hope this was helpful.

 

5 minutes ago, Rymante said:

It's my understanding that WADs will only load the first ANIMATED/SWITCHES/TEXTURE1 or 2/PNAMES lump it finds, so the only way to combine textures & animated textures from multiple sources is to use one of each lump as a base & manually add the remaining entries from the other packs yourself.

 

If anyone knows of an easier, more convienent way to do this please chime in!

 

Whoa, thanks for helping me out! Will check these out step by step and see if I can manage my way out of this empasse. Much appreciated.

[boris]

Just use DoomMake and let that handle all your texture WADs.

[Astronomical]

17 hours ago, boris said:

Just use DoomMake and let that handle all your texture WADs. 

I wouldn't recommend it, the tools aren't worth the hassle, especially when I have never actually had any luck with them working. 

[Redneckerz]

On 3/11/2022 at 4:53 AM, Astronomical said:

I wouldn't recommend it, the tools aren't worth the hassle, especially when I have never actually had any luck with them working. 

The bolded strikes me as curious because the tools are meant to be powerful and thus worth the hassle. But just because you had no luck, you disavow them.

 

What strikes you as difficult with @MTrop's tools?