Attempting to unbland 32x Doom

Obviously, the original 32x version is on the left while my tweaked version is on the right.

http://i56.tinypic.com/eqzbk3.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/f4kx28.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/jl0w92.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/16jfo5f.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/fk5w8n.jpg

Nothing elaborate, just my efforts to tweak the 32x version to more resemble the PC version using the 32x converter. A lack of textures and decorative objects definitely proved to be an obstacle.

I'm wondering why these areas were changed in the first place, if the textures you are using were originally available

Well, they lifted it directly from the Jaguar port and had to rush it, though it makes you wonder why the Jaguar had them changed in the first place.

Looks pretty good! I assume this is a ROM hack?

Marnetmar said:

Looks pretty good! I assume this is a ROM hack?

Indeed. I extracted the wad, tweaked it to as much as I could to the PC version, and put it back in. I'm not sure if doomworld would allow me to share the file since it's a whole 32x game, but here's a video of me playing the modified level for those interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulrr4J24tsA


Note: I'm considering doing this for more of the 32x levels, but do you guys think I should?

MetroidJunkie said:

Note: I'm considering doing this for more of the 32x levels, but do you guys think I should?

Oh hell yeah!

/me pops a boner

sgtcrispy said:

Oh hell yeah!

/me pops a boner

Much obliged. =P I finished levels 2 and 3 and am working on 4. One thing to note is I had to make a room from scratch due to ID completely warping it.

http://i53.tinypic.com/311p089.png

The circle on the right (original version) shows the upper hallway where the connector room should be, fixed.

This seems pretty cool. Doesn't the converter work with textures and flats too? Never did much converting to 32X Doom, but I thought it could. You should at least try to get the blue carpets converted, the red flat in your latest shot looks really out of place.

This reminds me, what ever happened to that Doom 2 32X project? I remember some screenshots being posted of MAP06, which was looking pretty good (significantly reduced height like the PSX version, though.)

Awesome, it's good to see some more rom hacking here. I just wish I had played the 32x version so I could really appreciate the changes.

xvertigox said:

Awesome, it's good to see some more rom hacking here. I just wish I had played the 32x version so I could really appreciate the changes.

If you've ever seen the Jaguar, 32x, Saturn, Ps1, or GBA versions, the simplified level design is pretty much the same.

i think the first shot maybe better with the brown hexagon tiles :/

40oz said:

i think the first shot maybe better with the brown hexagon tiles :/

Mind you, it doesn't always look like that. If I go into another room then come back, it looks like this:

http://i54.tinypic.com/1ibatx.png

Very cool stuff. Will this be able to run on the original hardware, or do you think the 32X won't be able to handle your modifications?

EarthQuake said:

Very cool stuff. Will this be able to run on the original hardware, or do you think the 32X won't be able to handle your modifications?

Beats me, but the emulator doesn't dip in framerate anymore than it does for the original levels so it's always possible. Since ID Software had a beta version that more closely resembled the PC version, it may have had more to do with rushing it out and just sticking with the Jaguar version than the 32x actually having trouble with it. Not like I really add all that much to the strain, anyway, I mostly change the textures and insert sprite decorations with some occasionally added verteces when the geometry's simplified. Level 4 was the first one where I had to do some room modeling.

You should really find someone with a flash cart and have them test it on the actual hardware, just to be sure. (Also, a flat magically changing sounds like you may have already gone over the texture memory limit and random garbage is corrupting that graphic.)

I have a feeling you're going to run into problems with the uncut E2 and E3 maps. The Jaguar MAP20 wouldn't even load on the 32X version without modification, although strangely the rest of the cut maps were fine. The originals are a lot bigger in terms of geometry and texture usage.

Dragonsbrethren said:

You should really find someone with a flash cart and have them test it on the actual hardware, just to be sure. (Also, a flat magically changing sounds like you may have already gone over the texture memory limit and random garbage is corrupting that graphic.)

I have a feeling you're going to run into problems with the uncut E2 and E3 maps. The Jaguar MAP20 wouldn't even load on the 32X version without modification, although strangely the rest of the cut maps were fine. The originals are a lot bigger in terms of geometry and texture usage.

I'd like to find someone with a flash cart willing to test it. As for the flat, I think it's a problem with that particular texture. I just changed it to a still frame of the water texture and, now, it's not having any problems.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2cmr7ec.png

I think I like it better than the red texture, too. It looks a little weird for a water texture to be there but it definitely looks more like the PC version. =P

As for later maps, if it gets to be a problem, I'll just focus on changing textures so it atleast LOOKS more like the pc version.

I've never played the original Jaguar port on the actual machine, but after playing the Jaguar TC for some reason I found the simplistic design and less varied textures really pleasing on the eyeballs,

When you say unbland it, my first thought was, isn't an unblanded 32x Doom just how the levels were before they were blanded up for the console?

phobosdeimos1 said:

I've never played the original Jaguar port on the actual machine, but after playing the Jaguar TC for some reason I found the simplistic design and less varied textures really pleasing on the eyeballs,

When you say unbland it, my first thought was, isn't an unblanded 32x Doom just how the levels were before they were blanded up for the console?

I basically said this.

I've gotta start reading Threads

phobosdeimos1 said:

I've never played the original Jaguar port on the actual machine, but after playing the Jaguar TC for some reason I found the simplistic design and less varied textures really pleasing on the eyeballs,

All the brown in E1M4 and E1M5 reminds me of Quake! ;) Actually I agree with you, it looks pretty nice that way. 32X version seems more barren though.

hex11 said:

All the brown in E1M4 and E1M5 reminds me of Quake! ;) Actually I agree with you, it looks pretty nice that way. 32X version seems more barren though.

For some reason, it doesn't look as bad on the Jaguar. Could be the superior resolution making it just seem crisper, not to mention texture quality.

Great stuff - keep at it!

I think I recall seeing my cousin and my brother play 32x Doom when I was a child, it was the first time I ever saw Doom.

hex11 said:

All the brown in E1M4 and E1M5 reminds me of Quake! ;) Actually I agree with you, it looks pretty nice that way. 32X version seems more barren though.

And as sacrilegious as it is to all E1/techbase/Romero fans, it was really nice having the STAR* monotony broken up by a few unique texture themes. (Just wish they kept the tech doors in MAP05 instead of the demonic ones.) The maps from E2 and E3 look excellent with their limited texture themes.

Still interested in this project, of course. Just to see if it can be done, and how well the game runs when it is.

I really hate the Jaguar DOOM alterations to E2. There's too many demonic textures, so it basically just looks like "E3 lite" instead of that unique tech/Hell clash I love so dearly.

Dragonsbrethren said:

And as sacrilegious as it is to all E1/techbase/Romero fans, it was really nice having the STAR* monotony broken up by a few unique texture themes. (Just wish they kept the tech doors in MAP05 instead of the demonic ones.) The maps from E2 and E3 look excellent with their limited texture themes.

Still interested in this project, of course. Just to see if it can be done, and how well the game runs when it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulrr4J24tsA

I've set the levels as video responses, one after another. I'm currently pushing the fifth level through Sony Vegas to get the footage rendered.

Note: Funny thing about the tech doors on map 5. Since they don't have the different one for the keyed door in the second area, I had to recycle this one.

http://www.renegadeforums.com/index.php?t=getfile&id=12993&private=0


I also had the idea of inserting a secret in one of the levels to actually get the BFG into the game without cheating. Any suggestions on which part of the game I should use?

Update: Just restored the massive red key room in the 6th level that was stripped out.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2njki1h.png

Anyone familiar with the error "I_Error: Z_Malloc: failed on 6408"?