========= WAD Tools ========= Documentation Revision 1.00 Jan 18 1994 Table of Contents ================= General overview Usage/Requirements Features Future additions WAD file specs Disclaimer Author/Misc info General Overview ================ WAD Tools is a freeware program to be used with id Software's phenomenal action game, DOOM. It is designed to let any curious individual peruse the contents of the DOOM WAD file. Anyway, WAD Tools will let you do any number of operations on the resources in the WAD file. You can view it in hex mode, or if it's a graphic resource, you can view it in 320x200x256 VGA mode. You can also export it to a file (an LBM if it's a graphic resource), or replace it by importing a file. And, if you're really brave, you can export all the resources in the WAD file to individual files. Usage/Requirements ================== To invoke WAD Tools, simply type "WT" at the DOS prompt. You may specify an alternate WAD file to use by typing "WT filename". WAD Tools requires a VGA monitor. I don't do any checking of this when the program starts, because I assume that if you are playing DOOM, you have a VGA monitor... Features ======== The interface for WAD Tools is extremely simple. You are presented with a list box containing the name and size of all the resources in the WAD file. Use the arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Home and End to navigate the list. You can seek to a resource quickly by typing the name of it. Hitting a non-alphanumeric key will reset the seek string. Esc exits to DOS. Here are the rest of the commands available: F1 / Enter - View as graphic resource ===================================== If the highlighted resource is a graphic resource, it will be displayed in 320x200 256-color VGA mode. WAD Tools will attempt to discern whether or not it is a graphic resource by checking the first two integers in the file, which are the X and Y sizes. If they are out-of-range values, i.e. 1112x0, WAD Tools will warn you that it is probably not a graphic resource. Continue at your own risk. Note: while you are viewing a graphic resource, you can switch between the 14 palettes in PLAYPAL using the 'A' through 'N' keys. F2 - View as hex data ===================== This will display a dump of the highlighted resource in hex values. Use the arrow pad to move around. Pretty simple. F5 - Export resource ==================== This will export the highlighted resource to a file on your hard disk. F6 - Import resource ==================== This will import a file off of your hard disk and replace the highlighted resource with it. The imported file can't be greater in size than the resource you are trying to replace. F8 - Restore original order =========================== This will put the resource list in the order that is appears in the WAD file. F9 - Sort by name ================= This will sort the resource list by resource name. F10 - Sort by size ================== This will sort the resource list by resource size. Alt-F1 - Export to LBM ====================== If the highlighted resource is a graphic resource (see explanation of F1), this will export it to an LBM file. These are readable by Deluxe Paint 2 as well as many other popular graphics programs. Alt-F5 - Export all resources ============================= This is a batch version of F5. It exports all the resources in the WAD file to individual files. They are all written to a directory called RESOURCE. This is so you don't write 10 megs of files to your DOOM directory. Note: zero byte resources are created as directory names and all the subsequent files will go under under this directory. This is because all the level data files have the same names, i.e. LINEDEFS, SECTORS, etc. There is one kludge, though: when any BLOCKMAP resource is processed, the output directory is reset to RESOURCE. This is so all the hundreds of files after the E3M9 resources aren't written to the E3M9 directory. Future additions ================ I plan on adding these features in future releases: Resource editing with the hex viewer Full rebuilding of the WAD file Sound resource player Importing if LBM's to graphic resources If you have any ideas or suggestions, send some e-mail! WAD file specs ============== The WAD file itself is just a big library of files with an index at the end. This is the format (as I understand it): Offset Description ====== =========== 0 4-byte WAD file signature, "IWAD" 4 Ctrl-Z 5 08,00,00 (?) 8 long int, offset of resource index (x) . resource data ... . . x index entry 1 offset x + 4 index entry 1 size x + 8 index entry 1 name x + 16 index entry 2 offset x + 20 index entry 2 size x + 24 index entry 2 name . index entry 3 ... . . EOF The resource index entry format: Offset Description ====== =========== 0 long int, offset in WAD file of data 4 long int, size of data 8 8 characters, name or ID Disclaimer ========== Look, I just wrote the damn thing. What you do with it is your business. I'm not responsible for any catastrophe that you may cause by using WAD Tools. If you permanently damage your WAD file, too bad. If it formats your hard drive, too bad. Of course, I took every precaution to insure that Wad Tools is a (mostly) bug-free program and that it WON'T format your hard drive, but if it does... Oh well. Author/Misc info ================ WAD Tools was created by Jeff Miller, a programmer obsessed with finding out the format for DOOM level data. Dan Cervelli, another mad-scientist type of guy, provided sort code and additional brainpower for figuring out file formats. id Software also helped out by actually making DOOM. WAD Tools is freeware. Distribute it like crazy. Give it to everyone you know. Feel free to send any comments, ideas, suggestions, etc. to atomicus@indirect.com. The real name on the account will say Dan Cervelli, but don't worry, I'll get it. For all the latest Quake news and insane babble, finger John Romero, johnr@idsoftware.com. Also try John Carmack, johnc@idsoftware.com.