Release : 28 Apr. 1994 /*******************\ <***** DOOM-Load *****> \*******************/ Version 1.0 Coded by Carlos Ribas Requirements : DOOM would be nice, either Shareware or Registered. The program must be in your DOOM directory. Welcome to DOOM-Load (DLoad)! DLoad is a shell for id Software's DOOM. It provides an easy way to use a lot of neat features which id left out of their SETUP program. DLoad can be used for serial play as well as solo play. The program generates a command line based on your choices (some dependant on others), then executes the correct EXEcutable file (for serial or solo play). The difference between this shell and many others is that this one only takes 80 bytes of overhead to run DOOM. While other shells run what is called a "shell" from within themselves or another executable, this one runs from a batch file. It requires that you start the shell from the batch file, and when you decide to start the game, the program writes the generated command line to the end of the batch file, along with another line that runs the batch file again. Then, the program terminates and DOS notices that there's more in the batch file, and executes the new lines, which will, in effect, run your chosen DOOM session and then return you to the shell to play again, or exit the shell. So, this method takes no more memory than running DOOM from any simple DOS batch file, and DOOM should not miss those 80 bytes too much. If you doubt this, make yourself a batch file that runs MEM, and compare with the non-batch MEM readings. This shows 80 bytes on my system. Features : ** Mouse support * Great screen colors * Allows you to load save games (shows descriptions) * Ability to play with no monsters or respawning * Nightmare works over modem ** Saves last session's settings ** Allows external WAD (PWAD?) files!!!! ** Tells you what Episode & Level the external WAD replaces * Licensed by id software ** Adjustable run paths for serial and solo play; no more renaming of your sersetup replacements. * Checks to make sure WAD's and EXE files exist before sending you to find out. * Allows players to start on any level of any episode ** Takes virtually no memory away from DOOM * Easy to use color coded interface Instructions : Run DLR.EXE from your DOOM directory. It will not execute, it will instead give you a message about using a batch file to run it. Now DOOMLoad has created a batch file called DLOAD.BAT (THIS MUST ALWAYS BE THE SAME!!). You are back at dos, so this time type DLOAD [ENTER] (duh). DOOMLoad will now come up. You can press any of the bright-white keys in the whole program to change an option. The yellow colored text is the thing that you can choose/change, and black or white text is just there. Anything that is very dark grey is disabled, and will be enabled when other options are changed. You can use the mouse in the following way. If the option's line has a +/- section, you can click on either the plus or minus to change the option back and forth. If it does not, then you can click on the option to toggle it, or activate it (like loading a saved game). ***** Playing Solo : If you would like to *play a solo game*, you can switch Connection till it comes up. Otherwise, you can pick the standard connection methods. ***** Using External WADs or PWADs If you would like to use an external WAD file, you can do so by selecting that option, and typing in the filename (extension too). The program will make sure the file exists, and if it does, it will inform you of what level it replaces. ***** Loading a saved game Select this option, and a list of the savegame descriptions will appear for all 6 games. Select one with mouse or keyboard. If you select none, it will undo any loading of games. If there are no savegames available, you will get a beep. ***** Changing the run paths for DOOM Press F2 at the main options menu. You will get a window that has both run paths (one for solo, one for serial). Select the path you want to change, and type in the new .EXE file name. The program will check to see if it really exists, and if it does, then it will accept it. However, if it doesn't, you will be asked to re-enter another .exe file. Note that the directory does not matter, just the .EXE file. You can specify the directory, but the program will not change to that directory before running the game. ***** Hard coding parameters If you would like to ALWAYS do a special thing, load more than one WAD file or other things, you can use the DOS EDIT command (or any other ASCII file editor) and edit the DLOAD.CFG file. The last two lines are the serial and solo play (from top to bottom). You can add parameters to these lines such as "SERSETUP -NOJOY" and they will be appended to by DOOM-Load. Make sure you will not have any conflicts with other parameters, such as if you hard code "DOOM -Episode 3" and then DOOM-Load appends it to "DOOM -Episode 3 -Episode 1" and the like. But you could specify "-file blah.wad -file blah.wad" etc, to have DOOM-Load run with more than one external file, but DOOM-Load will not do any error checking for anything that is hard coded. ***** Misc. Notes: If you are not using external WADs, and not loading a game, only the answering player must select the game choices. Otherwise, the above choices must match, not in filename for the WADs, but they must contain the same things. Next Major version information (These are not final): * Multiple external WAD files from the shell * Dialing directory * Ability to edit modem string from shell * Maybe graphic user interface (GUI) * Anything that is suggested * Random starting locations w/o the problem of knowing where you are starting by looking at the startup screen!! Thanks to my testers: Ä< Stephen Lansdell >Ä Ä< Ben Chen >Ä Ä< Jason Hajdik >Ä Well, that's about it... -Carlos Ribas carlos.ribas@yob.com Donations: Send me money, ideas, tips, bug reports, etc at: Carlos Ribas 815 Voyager Houston, Tx 77062 For the last three things to send me, I prefer internet e-mail at the specified address (through Usenet) Houstonians can find me on : Ye Olde Bailey BBS as Carlos Ribas Node 1 : 1-(713)-520-1569 No voice calls please...