Was any book about Doom modding ever written? (closed: thread devolves into bickering and isn't worth the time to save it)

[doomlayman]

My native language is not English, nor is it any other Germanic language.

This makes me more prone to cognitive biases when I read long text in English from a computer screen such as an article with around 10,000 words or more, particularly if any such text contains two or more passages with around 375 words each, without using HTML <br> tags to split the passage to two or more sub-passages and possibly other biases such as an overload of abbreviations or technical terms I don't know.
Anyway, my main problem in this context is reading a long, dense article from a computer screen.

I can solve that problem by reading a printed book (if there any book replacing such article) because with a printed book it is easier for me to mark my continuation, say with a marker pen or a note sticker or both.

 

I would prefer to learn how to tweak Doom a little by a printed book which takes the user step by step in any topic. 

I didn't find any such book in Amazon with the search queries "Doom modding" and "Doom mod".

 

The author of such a book could determine which Doom mod file editor the reader will use for tutorials, like Slade, etc.

 

The author will explain phrases like:

 

• ZDOOM
• GZDOOM
• Other DOOM mod launchers
• pk3
• Doom mod file editor such as Slade
• MAPINFO
• WAD
• IWAD
• PWAD
• Mega WAD
• TC
• WADsmoosh
• Episode
• Map
• Modularity: Types of sprites and/or 3D models

 

The book will start with simple tutorials such as:

 

• How to re-sort episodes and maps (for example, reverse the order, change the order etc.).
• How to wrap several maps in an episode; for example, Doom 2 doesn't have several episodes and one might want to wrap some or all of them in two or more episodes.
• How to delete a map or an episode.
• How to change speed of actions like walking/running/shooting as well as opening and closing doors, etc.
• How to change or remove the Doom 1 episodes "intermission" maps which shown the various areas the DOOMGUY visits from above

 

The author will then continue to teach about sprite types and sprite design and how to implement at least one of each in a mod.

The author will then continue to map design.

Phrases like "Room" and "Y-shearing" would be explained along the way.

 

I am sorry if I wrote anything absurd.

At least, I hope I have encouraged someone here to write such a book :)

Edited June 17, 2023 by doomlayman

[FecalMystAche]

The last editing books written about Doom were published back in 1995-1996 and are all out of print. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by FecalMystAche

[D4NUK1]

I don't trink you will find something to buy with thoses topics.

 

But you can try to grab any thread from diferent places like doowiki.com, zdoomwiki.com zdoom forums, doomworld editing forums, and their respectives wads files discussions or manuals.

 

Then you can try to organize to feel better structured and you can print it.

[Gez]

Such a thing could possibly be done on a vanity publisher like Lulu or other print-on-demand service; but I don't see it being a reasonable commercial project otherwise. Printing real physical book is kinda expensive; especially if you want color pictures (e.g. screenshots and diagrams for your tutorials).

 

Furthermore, ports and editors both are frequently updated, so the things you can do change over time, with new additions coming regularly. That's why wikis are usually preferred.

[kalensar]

The modern version specifically for ZDoom and GZDoom is ZDoom WIki. Its my main reference tool. Theres also a GIthub for ZScript as well, but I'm not versed with at all because I don't use it hardly at all for my mod making.

[Metal_Slayer]

7 hours ago, doomlayman said:

 

• WADsmoosh
• Episode
• Map
• Modularity: Types of sprites and/or 3D models

 

The book will start with simple tutorials such as:

 

• How to re-sort episodes and maps (for example, reverse the order, change the order etc.).
• How to wrap several maps in an episode; for example, DOOM 2 doesn't have several episodes and one might want to wrap some or all of them in two or more episodes.
• How to delete a map or an episode.
• How to change speed of actions like walking/running/shooting as well as opening and closing doors, etc.
• How to change or remove the Doom 1 episodes "intermission" maps which shown the various areas the DOOMGUY visits from above

These are literally just the things that you have been asking in every single one of the many threads you have created in just these few days. The problem is that you've been trying to do too much stuff at once without having a minimal understanding of even what vanilla Doom is or how any of it works. And if you can't understand text then you should look for stuff on Youtube.

[Biz!]

If this were an actual book, it would be just as scam-like as those "how to draw" books.

[Shakariki Heisenberg]

closest thing to it is zdoom/doom wiki but it is kinda complicated and theres not alot of slade tutorials out there,how i learned it is by looking at other wads in slade

[Major Arlene]

 

or just write the damn book yourself

Edited June 17, 2023 by Major Arlene

[WorldMachine]

38 minutes ago, Biz! said:

If this were an actual book, it would be just as scam-like as those "how to draw" books.

Or those non-official Minecraft Handbooks

[eanasir]

Just read the wiki. Besides, I would think it's easier to read text on a flat surface that isn't changed by the light in your room. If you really are having such a hard time understanding English on a computer screen, I think you need to learn the alphabet a little bit more. It's only 26 letters that are not changed in any way by different letters/pronunciations. 

[doomlayman]

5 hours ago, Metal_Slayer said:

These are literally just the things that you have been asking in every single one of the many threads you have created in just these few days. The problem is that you've been trying to do too much stuff at once without having a minimal understanding of even what vanilla Doom is or how any of it works. And if you can't understand text then you should look for stuff on Youtube.

 

That's untrue. I play vanilla Doom almost 30 years now and obviously I can understand text (in several languages by the way); telling to someone "you can't understand text" because of a focal problem with large, dense texts in a language very different from that person's native language and particularly from a computer screen (even if such text don't exist and it's all anxiety) is just illogical or a phrasing mistake.

 

I have opened the decent length threads that you have mentioned because I want people who have the same problem and search in Google would reach these.

Notice that the titles of the threads are quite well phrased questions and they contain a quite well described problem and generally also some research effort done before asking.

• You probably meant that I don't know what editing vanilla Doom is, not vanilla Doom itself.
• You probably had a phrasing mistake in your last sentence.

[eanasir]

10 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

 

That's untrue. I play vanilla Doom almost 30 years now and obviously I can understand text (in several languages by the way); telling to someone "you can't understand text" because of a focal problem with large, dense texts in a language very different from that person's native language and particularly from a computer screen (even if such text don't exist and it's all anxiety) is just illogical or a phrasing mistake.

 

I have opened the decent length threads that you have mentioned because I want people who have the same problem and search in Google would reach these.

Notice that the titles of the threads are quite well phrased questions and they contain a quite well described problem and generally also some research effort done before asking.

• You probably meant that I don't know what editing vanilla Doom is, not vanilla Doom itself.
• You probably had a phrasing mistake in your last sentence.

I'm sure he meant that you don't know anything about Vanilla Doom.

[doomlayman]

7 hours ago, gamingcooler said:

Just read the wiki. Besides, I would think it's easier to read text on a flat surface that isn't changed by the light in your room. If you really are having such a hard time understanding English on a computer screen, I think you need to learn the alphabet a little bit more. It's only 26 letters that are not changed in any way by different letters/pronunciations. 

 

I think you misunderstood me, or I have explained myself badly. I speak English in a near native level. My problem is not with any text in English but with large, dense articles (about 10,000 words or more) that several if not most passages in them exceed 250-500 letters.

 

This post should be enough to cause anyone to know that I know the English alphabet quite well (more than 25 years by the way) but one can also go through my profile and my other posts in the website since I have registered. If after reading any of these you say that I don't know the English alphabet well enough than either you didn't understand anything I and others wrote, or you are lying.

 

That said, I should have better phrased the current post; I have already edited that post.

Edited June 17, 2023 by doomlayman

[doomlayman]

3 minutes ago, gamingcooler said:

I'm sure he meant that you don't know anything about Vanilla Doom.

 

Well, whatever, but I have played vanilla Doom since about 1995 to 2015.

[doomlayman]

I think that there is a dire need for me to better explain myself in the original post.

[eanasir]

1 minute ago, doomlayman said:

 

I think you misunderstood me, or I have explained myself badly. I speak English in a near native level. My problem is not with any text in English but with large articles that many if not most passages in them exceed 250-500 letters.

 

You can go through generally all of my posts in the website since I have registered. If by reading any other you sincerely conclude that I don't know the English alphabet enough than you just didn't understand what I wrote in any of these posts.

 

That said, again, I think that there is a focal explanation problem here from my side, or a focal misunderstanding from your side.

 

May we continue to communicate in peace :)

You never said you were on a near native level. Besides, I don't get how you "can't read articles that exceed 250 to 500 letters" as it's just simple as reading left to right and having a memory lol.

[eanasir]

Just now, doomlayman said:

 

Well, whatever, but I have played vanilla Doom since about 1995 to 2015.

you've been playing Doom on DOS for 20 years?

[eanasir]

1 minute ago, doomlayman said:

I think that there is a dire need for me to better explain myself in the original post.

And, besides, just read the wiki.

[doomlayman]

10 minutes ago, gamingcooler said:

you've been playing Doom on DOS for 20 years?

 

Not only on DOS, often on Windows 95/98, perhaps also on Windows XP, but mostly on Windows 7/10/11 with GZDOOM.

[doomlayman]

1 hour ago, gamingcooler said:

You never said you were on a near native level. Besides, I don't get how you "can't read articles that exceed 250 to 500 letters" as it's just simple as reading left to right and having a memory lol.

 

I have rephrased the original post to better explain myself. 

 

It's not just reading such one passage (that's not a problem for me). it's reading long articles with say 10,000 words or more, which contain two or more passages of around 375 words or more.

 

Yes, it's hard for me personally. I do realize that for other people it's not :)

Edited June 17, 2023 by doomlayman

[INfront95]

I wanted at some point to make a comprehensive guide on vanilla heretic modding but im still gathering the notes. Shoutout for Ettingrinder for his HHE guides. 

[doomlayman]

4 hours ago, gamingcooler said:

Just read the wiki. Besides, I would think it's easier to read text on a flat surface that isn't changed by the light in your room. If you really are having such a hard time understanding English on a computer screen, I think you need to learn the alphabet a little bit more. It's only 26 letters that are not changed in any way by different letters/pronunciations. 

 

I have broadly edited the original post to better clarify the problem I am having.

 

What do you understand from it now?

Edited June 17, 2023 by doomlayman

[eanasir]

55 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

 

I have rephrased the original post to better explain myself. 

 

It's not just reading such one passage (that's not a problem for me. it's reading long articles with say 10,000 words or more, which contain two or more passages of around 375 words or more.

 

Yes, it's hard for me personally. I do realize that other people it's not :)

ig you're right

[Gez]

If you have a printer, you can always print the stuff on your computer.

 

That said,

17 hours ago, doomlayman said:

This makes me more prone to cognitive biases when I read long text in English from a computer screen such as an article with around 10,000 words or more, particularly if any such text contains two or more passages with around 375 words each, without using HTML <br> tags to split the passage to two or more sub-passages and possibly other biases such as an overload of abbreviations or technical terms I don't know.

Could you link a few examples of such overly long, overly dense articles without breaks and too many technical terms?

[Csucskos]

OK, so I think the OP has been flamed enough. There are no such books. Case closed.

[Shepardus]

Most of the terms you listed are explained in one or two lines on this wiki page.

[Metal_Slayer]

What I said still stands, going through the threads you have created at least three of them are "how do I load this simple mod?", a few of them are about 3D mods and it seems like you don't understand that loading a mod that replaces sprites with models isn't a a full remake of the game nor it changes the basic functioning of it. If you wanted to learn about all that stuff you could have already searched it somewhere, it's not like all tutorials are like those long paragraphs you mentioned, but you seem to want people to do it for you.

[Gentlepoke]

Unfortunately, there isn't much of a market to creating what you are requesting, especially as you have https://www.doomworld.com/forum/53-editing-tutorials/, https://www.doomworld.com/forum/58-editing-questions/, the DoomWorld search feature as well as the DoomWiki which can be referred to for any of the individual questions, and then the ability to create a thread on anything which hasn't been covered prior.

When it comes to modding, you'll be wanting to start small, and then slowly but surely learning newer and newer aspects. Start with making a stock map, and from there slowly but surely try new additions such as new textures and the like.

 

ZDoom - Source port for Doom (no longer supported)  [https://zdoom.org / more guidance @ https://forum.zdoom.org/]

GZDoom - Fork source port of ZDoom (supported) [https://zdoom.org / more guidance @ https://forum.zdoom.org/]

Zandronum - Multiplayer source port of Doom  https://zandronum.com/]

pk3 - Alternative extension for ZIP files, alternative for WAD [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/PK3]

Slade - Editor for game assets for Doom-engine based games [https://slade.mancubus.net/ / more details - https://slade.mancubus.net/index.php?page=wiki)

MAPINFO - Lump for map information [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/MAPINFO]

WAD - Where's All the Data? - This is all the data for a Doom MOD [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/WAD]

IWAD - Internal WAD (doom.wad / doom2.wad) which is the core game files, and are typically loaded first [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/IWAD]

PWAD - Patch WAD which are generally the WAD files that have been created, and are applied to the IWAD and typically contains custom levels, textures, etc [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/PWAD]

Megawad - Typically more than one level in one PWAD file, usual definition is 15 or more levels [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Megawad]

TC - Total Conversion, this is where the levels, textures, weapons, enemies, etc have been replaced [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Total_conversion]

WadSmoosh - What? [https://jp.itch.io/wadsmoosh]

Episode - The original Doom game uses the episode system, and the maps are self-contained while usually being a set of nine maps [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Episode]

Map - Do you mean the Automap [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Automap] or a level [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Level]

 

I hope the above answers some of your questions.

 

[xScavengerWolfx]

14 hours ago, Major Arlene said:

 

or just write the damn book yourself

Smart ass comment in 3...2...1: Ok but which wiki scrub? There's two of then.