How to run Master Levels For Doom 2 on GZDoom?

Windows 10 home version 2004 build 19041.746 with GZDoom version g4.5.0.

I have bought Master Levels For Doom 2 (MLFD2) via Steam and have copied all 20 WADs to my GZDoom folder.

I have the problem that none of the 20 MLFD2 WADs is being recognized by GZDoom; I can run them via Steam but I want to run them with GZDoom and perhaps also the latest Project Brutality pk3.

How to solve that problem?

Side note: I hope to find a way to run all the 20 WADs by the "traditional" console-oriented alphabetical order.

Right clicking on a wad and opening it with GZDoom doesn't work?

Use Unofficial Master Levels for Doom 2 Patch from Blzut3's Weblog, to merge all wads in one, and then create a bat file and write in, gzdoom -iwad doom2 -file master.wad, save it and play it

http://maniacsvault.net/projects

I have run into this problem as well. GZDoom does not recognize the Master Levels as an IWAD selection in the pop-up menu when you first boot it up. Currently, the only way I play them is by opening the folder with the individual levels (WADS) and dragging them onto Gzdoom and selecting Doom 2 as the preferred IWAD. Just control click and highlight project brutality if you want to play that with each level. Obviously the downside is that you will have to pistol start each level each time and back out of the game when each level was finished. If it's any consolation, I think that's how the Master Levels were intended to be played anyways. 

If you want to compile WADS like the Master Levels so you can have a continuous playthrough, there is WadSmoosh, however I have not used it in quite awhile since Zdoom and am unsure if it is compatible with the current build of GZDoom

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/111875/

I always wanted to check out the master levels when i played doom 95 back then

2 hours ago, Voxelvoid said:

Right clicking on a wad and opening it with GZDoom doesn't work?

Nope, it brings me to the regular GZDoom menu; even if in that menu I pick Doom 2: Hell on Earth, the WAD itself won't start, instead Doom 2 would start.

1 hour ago, Tony_Danza_the_boss said:

Currently, the only way I play them is by opening the folder with the individual levels (WADS) and dragging them onto Gzdoom and selecting Doom 2 as the preferred IWAD.

Tony_Danza_the_boss, please review my last comment to Voxelvoid above; sadly dragging a MLFD2 WAD to GZDoom and choosing DOOM 2: HoE WAD after that, doesn't work for me --- Doom 2: HoE starts instead.

10 hours ago, doomlayman said:

 

Nope, it brings me to the regular GZDoom menu; even if in that menu I pick Doom 2: Hell on Earth, the WAD itself won't start, instead Doom 2 would start.

Well, the first map worked so I thought the rest would also.
I have got a solution now but you'll have to start every level separately in a console.
Play one, finish, quit and launch another one.

Every map replaces some other Doom II map, right?
"It looks something like this" (mans1ay3r reference):

ATTACK - MAP01
BLACKTWR - MAP25
BLOODSEA - MAP07
CANYON - MAP01
CATWALK - MAP01
COMBINE - MAP01

FISTULA - MAP01

GARRISON - MAP01
GERYON - MAP08
MANOR - MAP01
MEPHISTO - MAP07
MINOS - MAP05
NESSUS - MAP07
PARADOX - MAP01
SUBSPACE - MAP01
SUBTERRA - MAP01
TEETH - MAP31 and MAP32 (for some reason)
TTRAP - MAP01
VESPERAS - MAP09
VIRGIL - MAP03

Open your desired file with GZDoom, choose the Doom II IWAD in the launcher, launch the game and when you start the level just type in the console:
map correspondingmapnumber

For example if you'd like to play BLACKTWR, open it and type: map map25
Except ones that start in level 1, obviously.
I hope I helped with this.

17 hours ago, irukanjji said:

Use Unofficial Master Levels for Doom 2 Patch from Blzut3's Weblog, to merge all wads in one, and then create a bat file and write in, gzdoom -iwad doom2 -file master.wad, save it and play it

 

http://maniacsvault.net/projects

I have downloaded the patch archive and extracted all files besides the readme.txt to my folder:

C: > GZDoom

I then tried to run patch.exe defaulty with:

Doom Classic (PSN) w/ Secret Exit Restored → Doom Classic (Doom 2 Order)

but I get a "No data directory was specified" error.

Ironically I don't have an option to specify a directory there; if there should be one, it's not operational maybe because of some software bug.

I'm sorry you are having trouble with getting the Master Levels loading the way you want.

The master levels are a motley collection of 20 pwads with 21 maps, many of them map01 (see list in above post). As is, the pwads you purchased are only playable individually by selecting one pwad and the doom2.wad iwad and using idclev## or the console command "map map##" to play that single map (or both map31-32 for teeth.wad).

However, there are several freely available tools you can use to compile/combine/merge these iwads/pwads into a single package that is playable from a single gzdoom invocation. A couple of utilities have already mentioned in previous posts. The utility I used was wadsmoosh (mentioned by @Tony_Danza_the_boss). Wadsmoosh can be used to merge any of Ultimate Doom, Doom 2, TNT, Plutonia, Master Levels and No Rest for the Living into a single doom_complete.pk3 package you can then launch from gzdoom. The master levels will load consecutively in the PSN order from PS3 Doom Classic Complete. Note that each new master level will restart you from a pistol start (deliberately).

Below are a couple of screenshots of what you'll see when running gzdoom with my doom_complete.pk3 (ignore the other iwads i've got in my package, you may not have them in your doom_complete.pk3).
 

I can't assist with Brutality mod, I don't use it.

Good luck and enjoy your Master Levels.

[The Start New Game Menu of my doom_complete.pk3]

[The output of the console command "listmaps" from my doom_complete.pk3]

On 2/8/2021 at 1:12 PM, doomlayman said:

 

I have downloaded the patch archive and extracted all files besides the readme.txt to my folder:

C: > GZDoom

I then tried to run patch.exe defaulty with:

Doom Classic (PSN) w/ Secret Exit Restored → Doom Classic (Doom 2 Order)

but I get a "No data directory was specified" error.

Ironically I don't have an option to specify a directory there; if there should be one, it's not operational maybe because of some software bug.

I try it, and it works ok, here is what i do:

1, download masterlevelspatch.7z

2. unzip the file

3. throw all wads, in the folder

4. run the patch

5. when ask, comercial data directory, browse to the folder where you unzip the patch

6. choose a map order you like

7. choose music

8. click ok, and thats it, you find in the folder a compiled master.wad

masterlevelspatch.7z

@Voxelvoid

It is possible that I didn't explain myself well enough and/or someone else didn't or that I misunderstood something along the lines and/or someone else did.

The good news

I just dragged ATTACK.WAD to GZDoom and ran Doom 2: Hell on Earth, I then chose a skill level and started playing; ATTACK level was loaded fine (it's the same ATTACK level I get via Steam so there is no WAD bias).

The very fact that after loading ATTACK.WAD I got into a regular Doom 2 menu / user interface is what confused me to think that I was actually loading regular Doom 2 and exited before playing, at the time I just opened this thread.

More good news

I have successfully replicated a similar situation when I dragged CANYON.WAD and ran it similarly.

The bad news

I failed to replicate a similar situation when I dragged BLACKTWR.WAD (level 19 in PSL release) and ran Doom 2 --- then I got into the first level of the regular Doom 2 (Entryway).

Perhaps someone has an opinion about why this might have happened and how to deal with this problem.

5 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

The bad news

 

I failed to replicate a similar situation when I dragged BLACKTWR.WAD (level 19 in PSL release) and ran Doom 2 --- then I got into the first level of the regular Doom 2 (Entryway).

 

Perhaps someone has an opinion about why this might have happened and how to deal with this problem.

On 2/8/2021 at 4:54 AM, Voxelvoid said:

ATTACK - MAP01
BLACKTWR - MAP25
BLOODSEA - MAP07
CANYON - MAP01
CATWALK - MAP01
COMBINE - MAP01

FISTULA - MAP01

GARRISON - MAP01
GERYON - MAP08
MANOR - MAP01
MEPHISTO - MAP07
MINOS - MAP05
NESSUS - MAP07
PARADOX - MAP01
SUBSPACE - MAP01
SUBTERRA - MAP01
TEETH - MAP31 and MAP32 (for some reason)
TTRAP - MAP01
VESPERAS - MAP09
VIRGIL - MAP03

Black tower is on map25

12 minutes ago, P41R47 said:

 

Black tower is on map25

Sorry, not PSL, but PSN --- I meant to write "level 19 in PSN release".

According to that table https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Master_Levels_for_Doom_II#Level_progression it is level 19 in PSN.

7 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

 

Sorry, not PSL, but PSN --- I meant to write "level 19 in PSN release".

According to that table https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Master_Levels_for_Doom_II#Level_progression it is level 19 in PSN.

have you tried it?

BlackTower official map number, the one it has inside the wad, is map25

11 minutes ago, P41R47 said:

have you tried it?

I think I don't know what you mean;

If you meant to ask if I played the PSN version than I never did.

Anyway if in the PC its 21 or higher than I guess that this is why it didn't run as expected.

I admit I am a bit confused by the PC | PSX | Xbox | PSN slots table (to which I also linked above) and not sure which WAD to play first, mostly because several PC slots are "1", for example:

• ATTACK - MAP01
• CANYON - MAP01
• CATWALK - MAP01
• COMBINE - MAP01
• FISTULA - MAP01

I just want to play it without problems in any decent level count so should I choose what to play first by the PC slot count or by another count?.

15 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

I think I don't know what you mean;

You want to play Black Tower, then you drag & droped blcktower.wad onto GZDoom, and it doesn't play Black tower on map01, it will appear on map25.

Have you tried IDCLEV25 and checked if black tower wasn't there?

The somewhat official ordering of maps right now is the PSN Table.

But you need to understand the following.

Master Levels was never a megawad, that is, a number of maps that play continuosly one after another.

Master Levels is just a collection of stand alone maps, numbered arbitrarily.

Thats why a lot of them are map01, other map07, others map25.

If you want to play them continuosly, you should learn how to handle certain tools.

Expecifically, Slade.

Its a doom wad editor that let you, along far other things, change the map number of a map.

And compile every map of the master levels, into one big megawad that can be played continuosly.

That way, you can reorder the maps as on the PSN Table.

Or follow the instructions Irukanji posted above, step by step, and you will have a wad with all the master levels inside ordered as you like.

Its not that hard to do, so whatever you need, just read every step in order and it will work, i just tried it and it worked for me.

1 minute ago, P41R47 said:

You want to play Black Tower, then you drag & droped blcktower.wad onto GZDoom, and it doesn't play Black tower on map01, it will appear on map25.

Now I understand what you meant; there must be a suitability between a certain Doom 2 level (say, level 1) to a certain MLfD2 WAD and BLCKTOWER matches level 25 in Doom 2, not level 1 in Doom 2.

Quote

Have you tried IDCLEV25 and checked if black tower wasn't there?

I didn't use the console code:

idclevLEVEL_NUMBER

because I wanted to just drag a WAD and play it by dragging but now I realize that I want to play MLfD2 neatly, the only way to do so without any customization is to drag the relevant WAD, start a Doom 2 game and if needed (if it's not level 1), run the above command in console accordingly.

2 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

now I realize that I want to play MLfD2 neatly, the only way to do so without any customization is to drag the relevant WAD, start a Doom 2 game and if needed (if it's not level 1), run the above command in console accordingly.

Or just follow the steps Irukanji wrote above, its far easier to do than playing a map, quiting, loading other, and so.

5 minutes ago, P41R47 said:

Or just follow the steps Irukanji wrote above, its far easier to do than playing a map, quiting, loading other, and so.

Yes, I had trouble running the patch on Windows 10 Home SP3 build 19041.746

Perhaps I should open a different thread for that particular issue.

Thanks !

2 hours ago, doomlayman said:

 

Yes, I had trouble running the patch on Windows 10 Home SP3 build 19041.746

Perhaps I should open a different thread for that particular issue.

 

Thanks !

IF you can't use the patch, you can make it manually, but you will have to learn to use Slade.

Its not that hard, we can help you out with it, once you understand what you have to do, its really easy.

8 hours ago, P41R47 said:

IF you can't use the patch, you can make it manually, but you will have to learn to use Slade.

Its not that hard, we can help you out with it, once you understand what you have to do, its really easy.

I understand that Slade 3 is some sort of Doom files editor (I never worked with it or any similar editor ever before).

I have just downloaded Slade for 64 bit systems and run it on Windows 10 via slade.exe; I was then asked about Base resource archives (Steam-installed MLfD2 was not one of them but other Steam-installed Dooms were) and also about Node builders but for now I didn't choose anything as both terms don't tell me much.

Please share with us how Slade can be used to run MLfD2 ordinally; if the learning curve requires too much time which I might not have, than I'll stick to the console method.

So I explained a simple utility you could download and use once to package master levels that you could simply double click and use in gzdoom. You didn't comment on it, I suspect you haven't even tried it. Instead you are now going down the road of trying to use a fully fledged doom editor that requires learning about lumps in wads and how they are used by the doom engine. This is way harder. If your intent is to easily play your master levels in gzdoom, you are taking a difficult road. If you want to learn about the internals of doom wads, then fine.

3 hours ago, tmorrow said:

So I explained a simple utility you could download and use once to package master levels that you could simply double click and use in gzdoom. You didn't comment on it, I suspect you haven't even tried it. Instead you are now going down the road of trying to use a fully fledged doom editor that requires learning about lumps in wads and how they are used by the doom engine. This is way harder. If your intent is to easily play your master levels in gzdoom, you are taking a difficult road. If you want to learn about the internals of doom wads, then fine.

@tmorrow I did try what you have suggested but ran into a problem; I have installed WadsMoosh, putted all 20 MLfD2 WADs in WadSmoosh source_wads folder, and then ran wadsmoosh.exe; a window appeared for about less than a second and was then terminated --- the program crashed just when it started.

I thank you for cluing that Slide is a much more complicated approach with a steep learning curve and a harder way (which I think conflicts with what @P41R47 said).

Try this in order to “obtain” the official masterlevels.wad: https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2262830/

54 minutes ago, doomlayman said:

putted all 20 MLfD2 WADs in WadSmoosh source_wads folder

You need the iwad as well as the 20 pwads, in this case doom2.wad. The program requires both the iwads AND the pwads - it tries to produce an iwad package for you which it can't do without the iwad.

Did it really crash or just stop due to not finding the iwad?

44 minutes ago, tmorrow said:

 

You need the iwad as well as the 20 pwads, in this case doom2.wad. The program requires both the iwads AND the pwads - it tries to produce an iwad package for you which it can't do without the iwad.

 

Did it really crash or just stop due to not finding the iwad?

 

The window crashed in the sense that it was terminated without an error; in other words, it didn't stop with an error but terminated abruptly.

Anyway, finally, after I have added DOOM2.WAD to the source_wads folder I re-ran the exe and then the program worked without a problem and a pk3 of both Doom 2 and MLfD2 was created (named "doom_complete.pk3").

I understand that @P41R47's Slide solution and @Diabolución's master_psn.zip have become redundant for me.

I thank you dearly @tmorrow for all your generous help.

I'm so glad it is working for you! I'm sure the other solution works too. Have fun with your master levels!