Modified PrBoom Demo Joining

[ultdoomer]

Could someone explain to me how to join demos using Andrey's modified PrBoom? I read the record batch file, but I couldn't understand it.

[Grazza]

First you record a demo as normal (with all the standard stuff you'd normally put in the command line to record a demo). Let's assume you call this demo attempt1.lmp. Let's also assume for the sake of argument that your command line was:
glboom -file abc.wad -complevel 1 -warp 11 -skill 4 -record attempt1

The vital command-line parameter for joining is -recordfrom. In the new command line, you still need to specify any pwads and deh patches that you are using, and anything you needed to put in so it used the right iwad. You don't need to include skill level or a complevel - it detects that from the demo itself. That would give you:
glboom -file abc.wad -recordfrom attempt1.lmp attempt2
This then plays back attempt1.lmp. You can take over control at any point by pressing the join key (bind it to whatever feels most comfortable with your keyboard config). The result of this will be a new demo called attempt2.lmp.

Continue this process until you have a demo that you are happy with.

The purpose of much of the stuff in the bat file that Andrey provided was to streamline this process. He set it up so that you didn't have to keep renaming files or modifying the command lines. Note also that it is a very good idea to use -skipsec and -warp in the command line together with -recordfrom. Otherwise you'll always have to sit through the early parts of the demo, even if you intend to join it much later on. Obviously you can fast forward, but that takes a while too. If you know that you want to join the demo after about a minute and a half, put something like -skipsec 85 in the command line. If it is a multi-level demo, and you want to join early on in map13, then put -warp 13 in the command line.

OK, I think that's all you need to know. Good luck! (And if/when you release a demo recorded in this way, remember to make it very clear in your text-file how it was recorded.)