How do I compile a map?

[Silhouette 03]

Hello all, How do I compile a map, or make it so that custom textures show up in my map? I apologize if that is not the right term to use. I'm still very new to all this. Thanks in advance!

[Hitboi]

If you're talking about only adding custom textures and then using them in your map: first, you need to get an editor that can add textures like SLADE3 or XWE ^{(those are the most popular ones, but SLADE3 is the most recently updated one)}, second, open the editor and open up the map's wad file: you'll find the contents of the map, add the images of your custom textures and convert them to Doom's palette if needed, add empty lumps and name them P_START and P_END (for wall textures) and/or F_START and P_END (for flat textures), put those lumps between the textures' images and add a TEXTURE1 (and TEXTURE2/x but they're optional) and PNAMES lump. Open up your map in your map editor, browse the textures tab and you'll find the custom textures you added.

Sorry for not elaborating further like how I didn't explain how to add the TEXTURE1 and PNAMES lumps, but you can take a look at this Doomwiki article for adding custom textures or watch a tutorial video like this one by Doomkid:

 

[Silhouette 03]

 @Hitboi, I'm using 32 in 24-15. How do I extract the textures I want and then put them into my wad in slade? Apologies if this was already elaborated and I didn't notice.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Silent Wolf

[Hitboi]

8 minutes ago, Silent Wolf said:

I'm using 32 in 24-15. How do I extract the textures I want and then put them into my wad in slade? Apologies if this was already elaborated and I didn't notice.

This is easier than what I explained before, open up 32 in 24-15's resource pack, select everything in the contents of the resource pack, copy, and then paste it into your map's wad file.

[Silhouette 03]

1 minute ago, Hitboi said:

This is easier than what I explained before, open up 32 in 24-15's resource pack, select everything in the contents of the resource pack, copy, and then paste it into your map's wad file.

Shouldn't I just extract the textures I used? Won't it bloat the file size?

[MFG38]

33 minutes ago, Silent Wolf said:

Shouldn't I just extract the textures I used? Won't it bloat the file size?

 

SLADE has built-in tools to clean up the WAD of any unused textures and whatnot. You can use those to get rid of the stuff that's not needed.

[Hitboi]

1 hour ago, Silent Wolf said:

Won't it bloat the file size?

if you mean the textures you didn't use, it will bloat the filesize depending on how big the textures are and the amount of textures, rely on @MFG38's advice

[Silhouette 03]

1 hour ago, Hitboi said:

if you mean the textures you didn't use, it will bloat the filesize depending on how big the textures are and the amount of textures, rely on @MFG38's advice

I can't drag my cursor over the texture. How do I select the whole pack, and what tools was MFG referring to?

[Hitboi]

6 minutes ago, Silent Wolf said:

I can't drag my cursor over the texture. How do I select the whole pack

In the Entries section, there's a small white space on the very right of the section where you can drag your cursor, you can't drag while your cursor is on the texture's file.
 

6 minutes ago, Silent Wolf said:

and what tools was MFG referring to?

I don't know, I use the WTexScan/WTexPort utilities from DoomTools to do that but I didn't know that SLADE3 can automatically remove unused textures, looked around SLADE3 and couldn't find these tools.

[Silhouette 03]

10 minutes ago, Hitboi said:

n the Entries section, there's a small white space on the very right of the section where you can drag your cursor, you can't drag while your cursor is on the texture's file.

Okay, so I have the texture set open. What do I do now? Do I copy and paste the textures from the set into my map?

[Hitboi]

2 minutes ago, Silent Wolf said:

What do I do now? Do I copy and paste the textures from the set into my map?

Yes, don't forget to also include: TEXTURE and PNAMES, P_START, P_END, F_START and F_END.

[Silhouette 03]

8 minutes ago, Hitboi said:

Yes, don't forget to also include: TEXTURE and PNAMES, P_START, P_END, F_START and F_END.

Must I copy textures between  P_START and P_END? What is the function of F_START and F_END? 

[Hitboi]

1 minute ago, Silent Wolf said:

Must I copy textures between  P_START and P_END?

Yep.
 

1 minute ago, Silent Wolf said:

What is the function of F_START and F_END? 

These are for flat textures, P is for walls, F is for floors/ceilings. If you want to include flats, then you need these.

[Silhouette 03]

2 minutes ago, Hitboi said:

Yep.
 

These are for flat textures, P is for walls, F is for floors/ceilings. If you want to include flats, then you need these.

Okay, thanks for the help. It's much appreciated. Same goes to @MFG38.

[Doomkid]

On 6/19/2022 at 12:17 AM, MFG38 said:

 

SLADE has built-in tools to clean up the WAD of any unused textures and whatnot. You can use those to get rid of the stuff that's not needed.

Please don't use this function - it absolutely destroys custom texture packs and makes your wad unplayable in most ports.

 

If you're only using about 20 textures, the best thing to do is:

 

1) open up the texture pack wad,

2) find the TEXTURE1 lump,

3) go through the list of textures and find the ones you want, right click and export them as PNGs,

4) then import them into your wad (just as shown in that little YT video),

5) make sure they're between P_START and P_END markers, just as HitBoi mentioned,

6) select them all at once, right click and "convert to Doom palette" (after making sure you've set your base resource archive as doom2.wad),

7) select them all again, right click and "add to patch names" and once more and "add to TEXTUREx".

8) As you do this, it's going to ask if you want to create or import a texture list, click YES, and then click "import from base resource archive".

 

You should now have a small, curated selection of custom textures, without a ton of bloat, or having to use potentially destructive tools.