computer consoles

hey there, still working on my first wad and want to spice up some rooms. one thing I've been trying to pull off unsuccesfully are computer consoles for the security room and lab areas. oh, what are the spawn spots for in the enemy things list for. can I make guys pop out of nowhere or do I have to make a secret room with teleporters in them. any help is appreciated

You probably can do consoles by replacing or adding animated textures.
As far as I am aware without using scripting you will have to make a secret room with a teleport for the bad guys to use.
Probably need to be connect to the destination area so they will hear you, wake up and pile in.

If you know how to script, it's easier and less painful than creating a sector with enemies with teleport line etc... If you use Zdoom, you can do this with scripts, you need to use the Thing_spawn or Thing_SpawnNoFog proprety in scripts and a map spot with the tag so the monster spawn where you want.
Here's the list of spawnable things:
http://zdoom.notgod.com/reference/spawnables.html
If you prefer doing it the longer way, it's your choice, but making script are easier and faster.

BTW, is the configuration for your wad for Doom or Zdoom ?

I'm just making a regular doom2 wad using wadauthor (should have said that to begin with). this is my first one, so I'm still learnig. its a pretty short and simple layout in a base theme. I'm trying to get the aesthetics in b4 I tackle the exit room. things like desks, computer consoles, beds. I made two rooms that are supposed to be bathrooms but I might eliminate them cuz I don't think I can handle the details my first time around. it's a pity cuz it would add some nice atmosphere.

I had already made a teleport trap for one of the hallways but I wanted to see if there was an easier way to do it for the exit room. I just wish there was a way I could show you my crude concept drawings so y'all can get an idead at what I'm trying to achieve.

Then you should what Big_al said about the sector and teleport. If you want to put drawing or such, just go to a hosting company and do a site :)

Trying to guess what your problem might be with creating computer consoles....probably is that you need to give proper x and/or y offsets to the texture you are using in order to get the console image to center on the computer screen area. If you make a pretty small box-like console, you may need some significant offsets to put the image in place. A +x offset will move the texture to the left by the offset amount. A +y offset will move the texture up by the offset amount. There's also the upper and lower unpegged attributes to play with.

The spawn spots in the enemy list in WadAuthor are specifically to serve as "targets" for the icon thrower you see in map30. It's called a "Boss shooter" in the WA enemy menu. Those cube icons will be launched toward the spawn spots, land there and generate a random monster.

Hi Vileslay, you do sound like you are pretty new to doom editing.

Let me answer your question about the spawn spot first:

Spawn spots are a part of the boss enemy known as The Icon of Sin AKA Boss Brain. When the Icon of Sin shoots out a spawner cube it will travel towards a randomly chosen spawn spot. It will travel through anything, including solid walls, to get to it's destination. Once it reaches the spawn spot ,which is an invisible, intangible THING, it will unravel itself and produce a random monster. Just to complicate things even more the spawn cubes are not produced by Romero's severed head. Instead they are produced by another invisible intangible THING called a Boss Shooter or Cube Spawner. Romero's head serves no other purpouse than to end the level when it dies.

You can use Romero's head alone to make some cool effects, like a self destruct switch. Simply hide him in a cylinder together with some barrels and a crushing ceiling. When you hit the switch that activates the crushing ceiling the barrels and poor Romero will go boom producing the telltale huge explosion. A funky alternative to a boring endgame switch (just try out map08 of Requiem).


I didn't understand your second question though. Did you ask how to make interactive computer consoles or did you just ask how to make computer consoles that looks good?

In the first case there are some neat things you can do. You could make computer console switches. (phobos3.wad includes a bunch of switch textures that looks like computers).

Another thing you could do is to create blank dark versions of the computer textures. You could then superimpose over the original computers like a very slim remote door. When you hit the power switch (a switch you edited to make the activatior of the remote door) all the dead computer screens suddenly rears to life.

A few animated computer textures can also do wonders. tnt.wad of Final Doom has some.

You could also make a custom switch texture that looks like an ordinary computer when off, and a smashed computer with a hole in the screen when turned on. Then make it a shootable switch that does something.

If your question was the second case there are tons of things you can do.

One of the most common methods of using computer textures is to create small niches and then fill them with computer textures. You could also place them as free standing blocks. Maybe you could make a room that was nothing but one big computer. Be creative and try a lot of different things. If you remember to align your textures it will ussually turn out fine.


Phew, That was a long post. Ask me and i will send you a wad file with some examples.

I haven't read through the whole thread, so I'm not sure how much help you've received so far, but this level has quite a few beds, desks, computer consoles, etc. You might find it interesting, I dunno.

And that spawn spot thing is for where you want the Icon of Sin's cubes to land and turn into monsters.