Dragonsbrethren
Senior Member
Posts: 1516
Registered: 03-09 |
Typed up an OP for the new thread, which I've pasted below. Let me know if you think anything should be added to it (or removed).
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When the team at Williams Entertainment ported the classic Doom games to the PlayStation, they created what many of us considered the definitive versions of Doom. While it may have run in a slightly lower resolution, the port took full advantage of the hardware it was running on and was easily superior to every other console version available at the time. Its visuals were darkened, colored light and translucency effects were added, it had a new set of sounds and creepy ambient music by Aubrey Hodges, making it one of the most atmospheric games available on the console, in stark contrast to the brighter PC version.
With the recent release of version 2.0 of the PSX TC, which adds the full set of levels from the PSX version of Final Doom, there has been some talk of porting even more official levels to the TC. PSX Doom: The Lost Levels is a community project that will do just that, attempting to make authentic conversions of maps from all of the classic Doom games.
This will be released as an add-on for the TC and not integrated as a part of it. Level progression is undecided at this time; it can either override the existing progression, adding the new conversions seamlessly, or it can be a standalone episode. If you have a preference, please make it known in the thread.
Converting Maps
This is a little guide for converting a map to PSX style. First up, your final map's format must be ZDoom's Doom in Hexen or UDMF. See the ZDoom wiki for information on these formats and conversion tools if you're not familiar with them. Use whichever you're most comfortable working with, neither has any major advantage over the other for this project and the TC uses both formats. You'll need an editor capable of loading png graphics from .pk3 files to use the PSX resources.
As Gez put it, this is sort of a "Doom the Way Williams Did", and we're aiming for authenticity. Unfortunately, since we can't target the original engine, we can't be 100% certain our conversions would have run on it. None-the-less, below is a quick list of things that you'll want to ensure your map complies with, to give it the feeling that it could've been an official map.
Texturing
I hope your editor of choice has a find and replace option. The PSX version has plenty of textures which are equivalent to the PC textures (or more specifically, patches in most cases), however all of them use different names. All maps should use PSX textures exclusively, as many of them have added grit or other changes compared to the PC textures. In the event that the PSX version has no equivalent texture, turn to the existing maps for inspiration on how to retexture your map. Keep in mind that the E4, Doom 2, and Final Doom maps rarely had significant texture changes, compared to the original Doom maps ported from the Jaguar version.
Sector Heights and Exploits
Extreme sector heights were often toned down for the PSX version. See The Crusher (MAP06/MAP36) as an example of this. Try to keep your heights in the 300s at maximum.
Self-referencing sector tricks were removed; chances are the PSX engine wasn't capable of reproducing them. Either remove these entirely, replace them with something else (an invisible bridge replaced by a visible bridge, for example) if they're vital to the level's gameplay.
Monsters
The PSX had limited RAM, and a consequence of this is that the monster variety was often reduced in Doom 2 and Final Doom maps. Try to limit the number of unique monster types in the maps, for example a map which original used barons, hell knights, revenants, and mancubi might only use hell knights and revenants in the PSX version.
On the other hand, some Doom 2 monsters were added to the Ultimate Doom maps on skill 4, and you have access to the nightmare spectre (actor 3000), which originally reused the demon's frames and as such took up no additional space in RAM.
No arch-viles, unfortunately. They've been replaced by a bloody chain sprite, so be sure to replace their actor with something more fitting in your conversions if necessary.
Lighting
PSX lighting is significantly darker than the PC version. Look at the existing maps and compare them with their PC counterparts for examples of the values you should be using. In general, sectors are about 3/4 as bright in the PSX version, although these values sometimes need adjustments based on the light color being used.
For colored lighting, the TC includes an ACS library which corresponds to the PSX version's LIGHTS lump. Kaiser made an html page showing these lights, which I've fixed up and uploaded to my webspace here:
PSX Color Chart
Simply add 1000 to the light # listed there, use it as a sector tag and that sector will automatically be colored. For sectors which already have tags, you will need to write your own script to color them. Alternatively, you can add the color directly to the sector properties if you're using UDMF. In either case, be sure to only use colors that were available in the LIGHTS lump.
Sector light fade effects need to be done in ACS. Here is an example script from MAP03:
code:
script 501 open {
while (1) {
Light_Fade (17,0,140);
Light_Fade (2135,0,140);
delay(140);
Light_Fade (17,200,140);
Light_Fade (2135,200,140);
delay(140);
}
}
Reverb
For reverb, add two 9048 - Sound Environment things to your map. Tag one 1515 and the other one 1516. Set 1515's argument 1 to 7. An ACS library in the TC will take over from there when your map is loaded.
fenderc01 has a bit more to say about reverb:
fenderc01 said:
Something I would like to make note of for the existing TC, and new levels to come, is that reverb is not totally dependent on whether or not the player is under the F_SKY1 ceiling texture. For instance, there are a few areas outside that have a ceiling, but no reverb, so they had to be "fenced off" from the rest of the level so they would not have the reverb applied. I did this for the original 59 levels by playing through and making note of certain areas that didn't have reverb. I don't think it was ever done for the Final Doom levels, but I could be wrong. If this doesn't make sense, I can try to clarify more.
Another thing, is the use of different reverb effects. If I recall, there are 3 different effects that are applied. There is only 1 effect applied per level, but the effect that is used varies from level to level. If you want to see what I mean, listen to the reverb on MAP01 with headphones and compare it to the reverb on MAP03. I don't think this was taken into consideration with Final Doom either, but once again, I could be wrong about that too. I can look into it more, if need be, or someone else can if they're up to it.
These are two things I've been meaning to put out there, but kept forgetting to do. That's all I have to add for now.
Bugs
Small map bugs were occasionally fixed in the PSX version. Things like stuck monsters, missing textures, etc.
Use Your Best Judgment
Lastly, there's no hard written rule here, but these maps are targeting a platform from 1995, which was in some ways more limiting than the PCs the games original ran on. If something seems like it would've been too complex, don't be afraid to make alterations.
Map List
Claimed maps have the mappers name in parenthesis, bold maps are completed.
Ultimate Doom
Hell Keep [PC] - (NoneeLlama)
Slough of Despair - (NoneeLlama)
Dis - (BaronOfStuff)
Warrens
They Will Repent
Against Thee Wickedly
And Hell Followed
Fear
Doom 2
Downtown
Industrial Zone
Gotcha!
The Chasm
The Spirit World
The Living End
Icon of Sin
Wolfenstein
Grosse
Master Levels
Titan Manor [MANOR.WAD]
Trapped on Titan [TTRAP.WAD]
The Garrison [GARRISON.WAD]
Black Tower [BLACKTWR.WAD]
Bloodsea Keep [BLOODSEA.WAD] - (Dragonsbrethren)
Mephisto's Maosoleum [MEPHISTO.WAD]
The Express Elevator to Hell [TEETH.WAD MAP31]
Bad Dream [TEETH.WAD MAP32]
TNT
Power Control
Hanger
Open Season
Prison
Metal
Stronghold
Redemption
Storage Facility
Steel Works
Dead Zone [secret exit to Pharaoh]
Mill
Shipping/Respawning
Central Processing
Administration Center
Habitat
Baron's Den
Mount Pain
River Styx
Last Call
Pharaoh [secret exit to Caribbean]
Caribbean
Plutonia
Well of Souls - (Dragonsbrethren)
Caged
Caughtyard
Realm
Abattoire
Hunted
Speed
The Crypt
Genesis
The Twilight [secret exit to Cyberden]
The Omen
Compound
Neurosphere
NME
Slayer
Impossible Mission
Tombstone
The Final Frontier
The Temple of Darkness
Bunker
Anti-Christ
The Sewers
Odyssey of Noises
The Gateway of Hell
Cyberden
Go 2 It
Last edited by Dragonsbrethren on 11-27-12 at 17:43
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11-21-12 01:07 
