New GUI launcher for PrBoom+: first release!

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

I'd like to present here my small personal project.

This is a simple GUI launcher for Prboom+. It can offer the following features:

• Easy way to launch every official Doom release, including Master Levels
• Automatic handling of -complevel options for official Doom releases, automatic load of tnt31 patch for TNT.wad
• A simple GUI that shows the load order of custom files
• Auto-creation of separate save folders for official releases, as well as for different combinations of custom pwads
• Preset saving and loading to switch between different custom wads easily

Download the binary

Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable is required.

Source code page on Github

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

 

Quick start:

Spoiler

Put the launcher in the folder where your PrBoom+ executables are located. By
default the launcher assumes your OpenGL executable is called "glboom-plus", and
your software one is "prboom-plus". If the names of your binaries are
different, or if you only have one binary, be sure to enter the correct name(s)
in "Files" > "Executables" dialog box.

 

You can save/load launcher configurations, completely with all the custom game
options, in the "Presets" menu.

 

File locations:

Spoiler

By default, the launcher assumes your WAD files are located in the same folder,
and your Master Levels files are in the "master" subfolder. You can set paths
to your IWAD, PWAD, Master Levels and NERVE.WAD folders in the "Files" menu. You
can also specify there a custom config file to use and a folder for your saved
games (by default, the launcher creates a new "saves" folder if  it doesn't
exist).

 

Easy launch of the official games:

Spoiler

The "Official releases" tab allows you to start every official campaign in  a
couple of clicks. The correct settings, including the compatibility mode, are
applied automatically. The patch for TNT map 31 ("tnt31.wad") will be
auto-loaded, too, as long as you have it in your IWAD folder next to TNT.WAD.
(NOTE: If you start a custom game with TNT.WAD, the patch will still be
auto-added as the first file in the load order, for custom PWADs to override it)

 

Automatic save folder creation:

Spoiler

The launcher auto-generates subfolders in your save folder based on the
game/PWAD combination you choose. Your Master Levels saves will go into
"saves/master", and saves  for AV.WAD will be in "saves/DOOM2_AV". If you don't
want this behavior, uncheck  "Files" > "Auto create save subfolders".

 

Video settings:

Spoiler

"Video" menu allows you to choose whether to launch the OpenGL executable. You
can also set different resolution/screen mode for each of the binaries. "Disable
fullscreen desktop mode" is relevant if you're using the unofficial build

with fullscreen desktop mode support

 

Compatibility modes:

Spoiler

The launcher offers a dropdown menu to choose the most common compatibility
options. You can check in-depth overview of compatibility modes in the PrBoom+
documentation.

• If a custom wad you're going to play is designed for the original MS-DOS

  Doom.exe (classic releases like Memento Mori, or modern releases that have

  "vanilla  compatible" in their description), select one of the compatibility

  modes depending  on the base IWAD file: DOOM2 mode, Ultimate Doom mode or

  Final Doom mode.

• If a custom wad has "BOOM compatible" in its description, select "BOOM

  compatible mode"

• If a custom wad has "MBF compatible" in its description, select "MBF

  compatible mode"

• "Don't set -complevel" option is useful when you're going to watch a demo and

  you want PrBoom+ to auto detect the correct compatibility option for it. 

 

UPD #3

Download link update

Added freedoom1.wad and freedoom2.wad to the list of IWADs in custom game settings. Updated complevel cheat sheet accordingly

 

Previous updates:

Spoiler

UPD #1

First update availible! Download link is updated!

* Fixed warping to MAP1/E1M1 when no warp option is selected
* Added "Refresh list" button to the custom files selection GUI
* Added a menu option to set up a path to demo files folder

 

UPD #2

Link updated!

Application icon update

 

PS: startup time on the executable can be a bit long sometimes, that's a known issue for python scripts packed into exe...

Edited October 13, 2018 by DerTodIstEinDandy
new version, download link update

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

And the first update is already out! :D

[rehelekretep]

very cool!

[Nine Inch Heels]

This looks like some good stuff. Thank you very much for the effort that went into this. Here's hoping it makes life easier for lots of people.

[riderr3]

Thanks 👍
Especially useful for Master Levels (I hope we someday can play in on DWMegawad club, lol)

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

Minor update: changed the application icon.

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

Update: added Freedom IWADs to the list of IWADs in custom game settings

[M.A.G.]

Love the launcher but I'm trying to launch it through steam but every time I try to play it says Prboom-plus.wad not found so I have to go to the program files themselves in order to play. Any ideas on how I can launch it through Steam instead?

Edited May 28, 2019 by M.A.G.

[M.A.G.]

Never mind I figured it out 

[Dinoaur]

I can't get the launcher to work.

Whenever I try to open it, the application returns a fatal error, saying: "Failed to execute script gui."

Does anybody have a clue how to fix this?

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

@Dinoaur Hello. Could you perhaps try this exe instead? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KoPXNuiGLJlynsAD7D9ct8P6_Mcqdr7E/view?usp=sharing
Anyway, what system are you running? Are there any Python installations on your machine, per any chance?

[Dinoaur]

@DerTodIstEinDandy Thank you, but unfortunately, the same error is returned to me.

I am running Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.

I can't see any Python installations on my system, however, there is this one file in my PWAD-folder "\Desktop\id Tech 1\PWADs\Mappacks\2016 - WadSmoosh\wadsmoosh_creation\python37.dll"

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

@Dinoaur Could you please download this version https://drive.google.com/file/d/133fzKx7w3miRkuDXdgKDfG6Ei4UFSQvx/view?usp=sharing and launch it using Windows command line? You want to start cmd.exe (it can be accessed through Windows Search panel), type in the full path to the launcher like this: "C:\programs\PrBoom-launcher-console.exe" and hit Enter. Then you could report whatever error messages appear in the command line window after this.

[brimphemus]

Hi, how can I launch this through Steam? It always says  "Prboom-plus.wad not found" but if I open the local files and run it, then it works? Same thing that happened with some other guy in this thread except he figured it out himself.

[brimphemus]

On 5/28/2019 at 8:27 AM, M.A.G. said:

Never mind I figured it out 

What did you do to make it work?

Edit: To anyone wondering, you just have to copy prboom-plus.wad into the game's files. But not inside the "base folder", you wanna put it in the actual folder of the game in the same place where you have stuff like "doom2+mouse.bat".

Edited May 16, 2020 by ayrton2222

[Dinoaur]

@ayrton2222 I don't understand what you mean by that. I've tried copying to all the folders I've got, but I still get the same error message.

 

[Dinoaur]

The launcher does, however, work using the advice of @DerTodIstEinDandy, but I'm not interested in launching from a command line each and every time.

 

EDIT: Selecting a game returns the error message "PrBoom-Plus.wad not found. Can't continue."

The WAD is located in PrBoom's directory (Desktop\id Tech 1\Source Ports\PrBoom+\prboom-plus.wad).

Edited May 19, 2020 by Dinoaur

[DerTodIstEinDandy]

I don't understand. It works only from the command line and produces no errors, but fails without command line? That's just really bizzare. The point of command line was only to see the error output.

In order for the launcher to direct the engine to the wad files correctly you may want to specify the wad containing folder, the settings for file locations are in the "Files@ menu. By default the launcher assumes the WAD files are in the same folder as the launcher itself (except master levels, those are supposed to be in the \master subfolder by default).

Edited May 20, 2020 by DerTodIstEinDandy

[Dinoaur]

On 5/21/2020 at 12:02 AM, DerTodIstEinDandy said:

I don't understand. It works only from the command line and produces no errors, but fails without command line? That's just really bizzare. The point of command line was only to see the error output.

In order for the launcher to direct the engine to the wad files correctly you may want to specify the wad containing folder, the settings for file locations are in the "Files@ menu. By default the launcher assumes the WAD files are in the same folder as the launcher itself (except master levels, those are supposed to be in the \master subfolder by default).

 

I realise this is a bit late, but my previous reply was poorly worded and gave a wrong impression of the problem at hand, so I'll try again:

 

The command line method only works so far as to bring up the menu, but fails to launch any games, returning the error message: "PrBoom-Plus.wad not found. Can't continue."

 

I've tried changing the file location of the WADs from "\Desktop\id Tech 1\IWADs\" to "\Desktop\id Tech 1\Source Ports\PrBoom+\", but this has had no effect.

 

By the way, when you're saying "WADs", you do mean "IWADs", right?

Edited June 9, 2020 by Dinoaur

[Liberty Cock]

how does it work? because the file that the launcher is in the same folder as the prboom+.exe file is located, and i click on DOOM2 because the doom 2 wad is in the folder but nothing happens, and even custom pwad's dont work, can somebody at least can explain?