wesleyjohnson
Junior Member
Posts: 133
Registered: 04-09 |
Final Word, maybe, maybe,
As to the point of my original post, compatibility of Legacy and "is there any give from FreeDoom".
You probably want to keep some voodoo doll use for timers, because there seems to be a lack of alternatives. As I said in the original post, I was considering what fixes were needed for Legacy to run FreeDoom. I do not have any confidence that I could make Legacy run FreeDoom without error.
The problem is that I cannot pin down the Design Guidelines for FreeDoom Levels. FreeDoom really needs to write such a guidelines document and then stick to it. Right now it seems to be whatever this months group of interested parties feels like doing. That means FreeDoom compatibility is a moving target and I end up in an endless maintenance headache.
I can suggest some points for such a FeeDoom Design Guideline.
** These are SUGGESTED lines for the Guideline document ** This would probably be voted upon, or just choosen by whoever is in control this year. The important thing is that it would help if it stopped being ad-hoc.
1. Boom features allowed as per the Boom documentation.
1b. For the Boom-less ports, FreeDoom will consider a separate IWAD that has been cleaned down to minimal requirements.
2. Doom dungeon feel.
- no TV characters, or other pop culture.
3. voodoo dolls used as timers
3a. - no use of voodoo dolls that involve the connection to the player as this is not uniform across ports.
3b. Allow voodoo dolls that trigger W1 and WR linedefs.
3c. A request that for any level being designed with a voodoo doll consider the implications upon a voodoo-less port, or a port that is not identical in voodoo doll behavior to your favorite. If a voodoo doll misbehavior would prevent solving the level, then it is requested that an alternative solution path be provided in the level. Such paths could be: another switch that opens a critical door, a hidden room that provides a bypass teleport, linedefs in the room that duplicate the critical linedefs that the voodoo would have tripped,
linedefs in a hidden room that duplicate the critical linedefs that the voodoo doll would have tripped.
4. Playable by a port that does not having jumping.
4a. A gap of xxx (someone needs to put a value here that has relevance to level coders) has been tested to work with the important ports, in that a player can "RUN" across it.
5. Playable by a port that has jumping.
- Not a requirement upon the level as much as a warning. If you want something to be difficult to get to, then put it high enough.
5b. A height of xxx (someone needs to put a value here that has relevance to level coders) has been tested to be high enough that jumping players in the most important ports cannot reach it.
6. Bridges can be allowed, as long as the failure of the bridge does not hinder completing of the level.
6b. A level with bridges, such as allowed in Legacy (and probably ZDoom), will play on a port such as prboom, except that on prboom the bridge will be missing.
6c. This does not advocate using Legacy and ZDoom features. It only points out that some of these features, such as 3D bridges, do not crash other port engines. If such were used then it is utterly important that the level be playable, without detriment (other than the 3D bridge not appearing), in the condition that occurs for ports like prboom.
6d. There will be other features of some port, that someone will want, to use. This is the best compromise solution, and should be stated as a level requirement for the inclusion of any such port limited feature. It would be better to not use such features at at, but that is the non-compromise solution.
6e. The limited allowance of such features allows FreeDoom to not be stuck as an old style wad. There needs to be some life and growth potential.
7. Doors and lifts critical to the completion of the level must be timed for an average player using the normal walk and run speeds available from keyboard movement.
7b. Doors and lifts that have optional use can have a more difficult timing, but should not prevent them entirely from reaching a desirable room, and that would just frustrate the player who does not have fast fingers.
8. The average player should be able to complete the level, at the average difficulty, without using cheats, cheat-sheets, or exploits.
8b. Please refrain from creating a level that is a play-stopper for the average player.
8c. Average player is a player with average abilities, who is playing Doom for the first time.
9. Encourage the level design to include player access to all areas of interest.
9b. If a monster is in a location, and the monster does not have special wall climbing abilities, then it should be possible for the player to get there, recover ammo, weapons etc..
9c. Some areas are just for scenery, so access would not be required.
9d. Such player access does not have to be part of the level solving, it exists to allow roaming and exploring, relieve frustration, and to provide completeness to the player exploration of that level.
9e. Existing levels may have difficulty providing this easily, but it is not impossible, and is probably desirable in providing more novelty to an old design.
... etc, etc, etc.
This should continue in a separate thread, assuming the idea does not just get blasted by those who want no such hinderances.
If you can get such a Design Guideline started, even an incomplete one, it should go on the home page, not left to be buried in this forum.
Such a guideline would supply the information needed by ports to be able to play FreeDoom wads. They could then state, "we can play Doom1, Doom1-shareware, Doom2, Heretic, Hexen, and FreeDoom wads".
Last edited by wesleyjohnson on 04-24-09 at 20:33
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04-20-09 21:36 
