What Doom port could I use to run my first Doom map? [Read Description{

[DiceByte]

I was just wondering what source port for Doom I could use to make my first wad/map. I want I port that I can download on my Mac and I want the port to play just like the original Doom game (except with crosshairs) I also want to know a good map maker that works with that port. And, maybe you could tell me how to run it. Or not. Maybe a YouTube tutorial could teach me that.

Edited January 13, 2024 by DiceByte
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[s4f3s3x]

It's good to start from a basic question: what kind of levels would you like to make?

 

For example, I like to make vanilla limit-removing stuff, so I mostly test my maps in Crispy Doom + Woof / DSDA. I'm also a Mac user, so I use SLADE3 to create them. Mind you that the very fact of working on MacOs limit your options greatly: either SLADE3 (which allows you to make vanilla and Boom maps) or Eureka (same, plus I think ZDoom stuff). GZDoom, MBF, MBF21 are already out of range.

 

If you just want to start simple and practice, I'd recommend you SLADE3 also because you can straight-up edit your wad files at the same time you're creating the map, and it's very easy to use (3D mode expecially). Test your map in DSDA as it comes with a native version for MacOs and it's an excellent and faithful port all-around.

If you're fond of the low-res, classic look, install either Crispy or Woof through Homebrew.

Edited January 2, 2024 by s4f3s3x

[plums]

1 hour ago, s4f3s3x said:

GZDoom, MBF, MBF21 are already out of range

SLADE has configs for MBF21 (and normal MBF, but you shouldn't use that these days unless you have a very good reason to). Also EDGE Classic and Eternity, FWIW.

[wesleyjohnson]

I know that there are considerable advocates that will push you at  the "popular" ports, or at ports with special advanced map modding features.

You probably do not want to make such a choice yet, at least until you want to commit to one camp or the other.

 

If you are going to make vanilla, or Boom compatible maps, then that does not matter as there are plenty of ports that will run vanilla and Boom compatible.  Boom compatible alone will give you enough to keep you busy for a year or two.

 

If you want 3D floors, like decent bridges and rooms over rooms, then you need something like Doom Legacy, or some other ports that adopted the 3D floors.

You can make the usual Doom bridges without 3D floors.

You can turn the freelook off using the options.

 

If you want to modify monsters, then use BEX, as most ports will accept that.  It is easier to get right than DEH.

You will not exclude any future choices, as most ports will accept DEH and BEX.

 

I wrote two guides for Doom wad makers, and they can be found at the Doom Legacy site.

• Level design patterns for Doom by WDJ
• Level design concepts for Doom by WDJ

Doom Legacy Editing docs

 

I highly recommend using them as they have tables and guides for many of the common constructs you will want to make, like doors, windows, and how to get textures aligned in difficult situations.

 

Edited January 2, 2024 by wesleyjohnson

[OnionTaco22]

It depends on what kind of map you want to make, although I would recommend making a map for something like Crispy Doom or DSDA doom, so you can learn the basics of making maps and learn how to use to use your map maker or choice. Though I suppose if you really wanted to you could just go to something like GZDoom maps in the UDMF format.

Though do whatever you want, and change through different ports and formats to see what you like the best.

 

Something you should know is that since you use mac, I recommend using Slade to make maps as from what I know it's one of the better editors for mac (though I don't use mac, that's just from what I've heard).

Edited January 2, 2024 by OnionTaco22

[s4f3s3x]

11 hours ago, plums said:

SLADE has configs for MBF21 (and normal MBF, but you shouldn't use that these days unless you have a very good reason to). Also EDGE Classic and Eternity, FWIW.

 

What? Has it been updated? Last time I checked the MacOs release was stuck at like 2019

[Danfun64]

The most recent version of SLADE for Windows and Mac is 3.5.3, released last month. Linux is dependent on repositories or self compiling of course.

[plums]

9 hours ago, s4f3s3x said:

 

What? Has it been updated? Last time I checked the MacOs release was stuck at like 2019

Can you not get the latest version from https://slade.mancubus.net/index.php?page=downloads?

[DiceByte]

All this “Slade” and “Boom” shit is still pretty foreign to me. Also, that fact that I made a typo in the title will haunt me forever.

[TruthInFiction]

29 minutes ago, DiceByte said:

All this “Slade” and “Boom” shit is still pretty foreign to me. Also, that fact that I made a typo in the title will haunt me forever.

Well, the first thing you should understand when looking into source ports is that there are different classifications.  The most basic is Chocolate Doom, which aims to be exactly like the original game with all of its limitations and bugs, just made to work on modern operating systems.  When someone refers to "vanilla compatible" they are referring to a map that could run on Chocolate Doom or even the original Doom executable.  By extension this also means any vanilla compatible map can run with any other source port. 

 

The next step up would be the limit removing ports, which I believe is what most ports are.  Boom was a very early source port that increased the limitations of the orignal Doom engine, essentially meaning that you could make bigger maps with more enemies than what the original game would allow.  Boom also set new standards in place that allowed for mapping features that you couldn't pull off in the original game, so any port that claims to be "Boom compatible" would support mapping features that were implemented in Boom, and the same applies for MBF and its successor MBF21.   A few examples of more modern limit removing ports would be DSDA Doom, Crispy Doom, Doom Retro or Helion, with more examples even right on the front page.

 

A step further than limit removing ports would be the advanced ports.  These will tend to add all sorts of additional functionality to mapping and modding beyond just making sectors and adding monsters, such as scripting or the ability to alter monster behavior.  The most well known example of this by far is of course GZDoom, but Doom Legacy and Edge also fall into this category.

[NiGHTMARE]

1 hour ago, TruthInFiction said:

 

A step further than limit removing ports would be the advanced ports.  These will tend to add all sorts of additional functionality to mapping and modding beyond just making sectors and adding monsters, such as scripting or the ability to alter monster behavior.  The most well known example of this by far is of course GZDoom, but Doom Legacy and Edge also fall into this category.

 

Eternity would come under "advanced ports", too. It's also worth noting GZDoom and Eternity are fully Boom (and MBF) compatible, while Legacy and EDGE are only partially Boom compatible. (There is a caveat that a few Boom features work slightly differently in GZDoom than other Boom compatible ports.)

[OnionTaco22]

5 hours ago, DiceByte said:

All this “Slade” and “Boom” shit is still pretty foreign to me. Also, that fact that I made a typo in the title will haunt me forever.

These are really simple explanations, but Slade (or Slade3) refers to a wad editor that is mainly used to add non-map stuff to your wad, however it does have a built-in map editor.

Boom refers to an old dos source port that changed multiple things about doom to make it better. From what I know, most modern ports, like the ZDoom ports, have features from it. 

[TruthInFiction]

13 hours ago, NiGHTMARE said:

 

Eternity would come under "advanced ports", too. It's also worth noting GZDoom and Eternity are fully Boom (and MBF) compatible, while Legacy and EDGE are only partially Boom compatible. (There is a caveat that a few Boom features work slightly differently in GZDoom than other Boom compatible ports.)

 

I kind of thought that's where Eternity fell, but I've never used it so I just left it out.  As for Legacy, @wesleyjohnson states that it is 100% Boom compatible.  I don't know these things in enough detail to say one way or another so I'll just have to take his word for it.

 

I probably should also have noted the multiplayer focused ports, which to the best of my knowledge really only includes Zandronum, Zdaemon and Odamex. Strictly speaking they would fall into one of the other categories, but being multiplayer focused they would logically have their own feature sets to design around as well, such as Odamex's horde mode.

Edited January 3, 2024 by TruthInFiction