Lüt
YA-HA
Posts: 12221
Registered: 05-00 |
[Edit by Grazza, February 2012: Looking for the old Compet-N/SDA archives, but can't find them because the FTP is down? Browse a copy here or here (also includes DANG), or grab the lot (just Compet-N, not SDA) here. Let us know if this link dies. Thanks.]
After seeing a noteworthy interest in demos in recent threads, as well as receiving a few recommendations for a demos forum, we've decided to give it a try. This forum is now the place on Doomworld to discuss anything and everything related to recording and watching demos for Doom-engine games. In addition to discussing existing demos, demo styles, techniques, tools, compatibility, etc., this forum is also for users to post their own demos. You can do this using the "attachment" feature (see the final post in this thread). You can also share your demos by hosting them in your own webspace or e-mailing them to one of the moderators of this forum.
We should stress how important it is to zip your demos and to include a text file in the zip. This makes it far easier for everyone else to know how to watch the demo. As a minimum, this text file should include: your name, the filenames of any wads needed (e.g. hr.wad) and the demo-compatibility format (Doom2, Boom or other).
It is also desirable to include some basic details about the demo, such as the category (e.g. UV Speed) and the time, and the executable used (e.g. Doom2.exe, Prboom-plus 2.5.0.9, etc.). You're very welcome to include a description of your demo - please tend to enjoy reading these, and it also makes it easier for people to know whether they should credit you for any tricks or ideas of yours that they later use. If you have used other people's route ideas or tricks, then it is courteous to mention these too.
The demo's file name should be kept short (8 characters), and follow similar principles to the compet-n demo naming: a couple of letters for the wad, two digits for the level number, and three or four digits for the time (and one letter to suggest the category, space permitting). When you are recording on a wad for which there is a pre-existing naming convention in use, please follow that convention.
Examples of suitable topics for discussion include:
- how to record demos
- which port (if any) to use
- which demos you have most enjoyed watching
- what control set-up to use
- the techniques used by speedrunners
- which maps are most demo-friendly
- "demopack" projects
- demo categories
- demo news
- technical questions/discussions about anything to do with Doom-engine demos
- trick ideas and exploitable game physics
- built and tool-assisted demos: how to make them and which tools are needed
The new moderators of this forum are vdgg and dew. Both are very active recorders and should be well-known to most members of the demos community. vdgg also maintains detailed records of new compet-n entries, while dew has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of Doom tricks.
If a demo is suitable for Compet-N (i.e. you have used Doom(2).exe and the demo improves upon a current compet-n record or fills a gap in one of the compet-n tables), this thread is the place to post these demos.
Andy Olivera's site currently serves as an unofficial archive for demos posted in this forum.
Feel free to comment constructively on other people's demos, and to ask for tips if you are having problems in your own attempts to record. The moderators of this forum both intend to watch all demos that are attached in this forum.
We accept demos recorded with the original exes or with any port - if you prefer Legacy, GZDoom, Eternity, Chocolate Doom, MBF, etc., there is no need to change. However, please note that demos recorded with the Doomsday engine (i.e. jDoom) tend to have very large file sizes, so if you want to use Doomsday, it is best to upload your demos to your own web space, and to place a link to them in this forum. And please note that Zdoom and its derivatives don't tend to have good demo compatibility between versions, so your demo may not be easily viewable very far into the future.
Many people use Prboom-plus to record or watch demos, as it has compatibility modes that make it a convenient choice for many wads. There are other threads in this forum that provide assistance with its settings. Be sure to state what compatibility mode you have used, and if a particular thread suggests a specific compatibility level, then it would be a good idea to use that level, unless there is a very good reason not to.
The rules for bumping threads are a little different from those for other forums. If you have a demo to post, and it fits neatly into an existing thread (e.g. if you have an Icarus demo, then the Icarus demos thread would be a natural place to post it), then post it there rather than starting a new thread. This applies even if the thread is old. But avoid bumping old threads just to make a comment on something that happened years ago.
If your demo doesn't fit into an existing thread, and the demo isn't on a major wad, then post it in the Misc. demos thread (or Misc. TAS demos thread if it is a TAS demo). This is also a good way to make sure it is seen by lots of people, since these threads will always be among the most prominent in the forum, rather than slipping well down the list. Only start a new thread if the wad already has a lot of demo interest, or is a major new project for which a lot of demo interest can be very confidently expected.
We hope this will prove a lively forum, and be useful to everyone in the Doom Community with an interest in demos, ranging from newcomers recording for the first time, to experts looking to achieve near-optimized runs.
Enjoy!
- The Doomworld staff
Last updated: 26 January 2012
Last edited by Grazza on 01-14-04 at 03:34
|
10-13-03 06:44 
