Should I Use Slade & GZDoom Builder Together?

[Ultima_]

As the title states. I just wonder this because Slade 3 seems to be pretty competent on it's own as a WAD manager and mapper, and it's what I've been using so far. Is there any inherent benefit to using GZDoom Builder over Slade?

[Outrageous Videos]

Gzdoom builder has much more mapping features and is a bit easier to use

slade3 is still the best at wad editing though

[scifista42]

GZDoom Builder is specialized as a map editor. SLADE3 is primarily a wad content editor and also has a map editor. In terms of mapping, GZDoom Builder is superior. In terms of editing non-map wad content, SLADE3 is superior (and GZDB mostly useless). So it's good to have and use both in different situations. Just remember that if you need to open the same wad in both SLADE3 and GZDB at the same time, you must open it in SLADE3 first and use its special feature "Open map in Doom Builder" to open it in GZDB, otherwise the two programs will interfere with each other while editing a single wad and possibly corrupting it or erasing your progress in one of the editors.

[Ultima_]

Thank you for the information! I'll keep it in mind going forward :)

[Misty]

My first maps were made in slade 3,it was quite painful(they don't have player markers even) until I've got gzdoom builder. And when true path into mapping started here. 

[leodoom85]

Also, using Slade and GZDB combined is NOT a good idea because you can't save the map when you import something to it or modifying the map in Slade and the same goes to GZDB (as scifista42 explained), unless you enabled the read-only option in GZDB when you open the map. 

[Gez]

33 minutes ago, MysteriousHaruko said:

(they don't have player markers even)

???

[Misty]

2 minutes ago, Gez said:

???

Because when I started do maps I couldn't figure out some easy things like including player start. It was few years ago. 

[Bauul]

As everyone else has said, I think most people use both.  GZDB (make sure you get the BugFix version) is a fantastically extensive mapping tool, but has basically no features for managing your wad (like adding custom textures or writing lumps).

 

For that, Slade 3 is the defacto choice.  The two programs together (plus any specialized tools for editing any other assets you want to include) are the bedrock of Doom mapping.

 

13 hours ago, scifista42 said:

you must open it in SLADE3 first and use its special feature "Open map in Doom Builder" to open it in GZDB

Does this work with GZDB?  I thought it only worked with the old Doom Builder 2?

Edited May 17, 2017 by Bauul

[Gez]

It could arguably work with programs that aren't a Doom Builder at all! :p

 

Just point the relevant setting ("path_db2" in the Advanced tab) to the exe you want to use.

[Bauul]

26 minutes ago, Gez said:

It could arguably work with programs that aren't a Doom Builder at all! :p

 

Just point the relevant setting ("path_db2" in the Advanced tab) to the exe you want to use.

Ooh thanks!

 

So does this prevent the conflict issues of having both programs open on a map at the same time, or is it simply a command that launches Doom Builder and loads the specified map?

[Gez]

It doesn't just launch DB, it also monitors the map file to check when it is changed so as to automatically reimport it.

[riderr3]

Every time I split wads to map wads and resource wads (which contains new textures, dehacked, midis e.t.c.). And then, open map wads in GZDB and also adding my resource wad to show new textures in maps, as example.

[Bauul]

1 hour ago, Gez said:

It doesn't just launch DB, it also monitors the map file to check when it is changed so as to automatically reimport it.

That's awesome! I am simultaneously excited to start using it and annoyed I've gone this long without knowing it was a thing! :D

[Urthar]

I tend to keep them both open so I can map in GZDoomBuilder, and edit the texture lump on the fly.