Obscure Map Name

I wasn't sure whether to put this in Editing or Ports so here goes.

ZDoom. ZooM. We have a map called LOUNGE (not MAPxx, it's LOUNGE), and we want it to be the start map because all the actual maps are race courses. We haven't quite figured out how to do this, or if it's possible yet. We posted on the phorums and someone said that Randy was either going to add it, or already had, but they weren't sure. If anybody knows how to set something besides MAP01 as the start map, we'd appreciate it.

The ZDooM MAPINFO lump is what you need. If you read the documentation on it, the answer to your problem is right at the beginning. (E.g. you could define a map as MAP LOUNGE "nice name")

I've tried to do this too, but I couldn't get it to work yet.

I believe that using text characters to designate a maplump in MAPINFO will render that map uneditable in most editors. In other words, the editor will not recognize the maplump name and will therefore not open the map for purposes of editing.

Nanami, if all you're concerned with is the name of the map as seen using the AUTOMAP function, or the map name as displayed via scripts, then using the following format will work just fine:

map map01 "Lounge"

(But I imagine you already knew that.)

ReX said:

I believe that using text characters to designate a maplump in MAPINFO will render that map uneditable in most editors. In other words, the editor will not recognize the maplump name and will therefore not open the map for purposes of editing.

I guess DeePsea is the only one that doesn't care (although I thought there was a least one other). However, all he has to do is rename the lump back and forth, so really not a big problem. Eternity has a level called "START". SKULLTAG had 14 "text" names levels. So not too unusual.

XWE can find and edit maps without the MAPxx or ExMx header

No, no, I don't think you guys understand. =)

We've had it as LOUNGE for a very long time. We already have a decent sized MAPINFO that changes the music and level names and other things, and we have all the levels set to go to LOUNGE afterwards. That ALL works perfectly. We pass it back and forth and have no trouble editing "LOUNGE."

The only thing I need help with is making ZDoom go to LOUNGE instead of MAP01 when you start it.

Cyb said:

XWE can find and edit maps without the MAPxx or ExMx header

I thought it did, but when I loaded the Eternity level, it refused to go into "edit" mode. Try it.

Ok, I see what's wrong. The Eternity PWAD has a script in the level name lump, which locks it out. Same problem will happen with Legacy levels that use the same method to store scripts.

Cyb said:

XWE can find and edit maps without the MAPxx or ExMx header

heh uhh.. so can doomcad even, and it's like 50 years old. but that's not the problem we were having. geh, whatever.

Have you tried the warptrans MAPINFO option?

This can be used to tell Hexen which map to start on and should be supported by Zdoom. Eg, in Hexen Deathkings you can find this mapinfo entry:

map 41 "RUINED VILLAGE"
warptrans 1
next 2
cluster 1
sky1 SKYWALL 0
sky2 SKY1 40
doublesky
cdtrack 13

I'm going to test this when I get home. If it work, thank you Enjay. =)

oooh, thanks enjay :) i was starting to wonder if there was a way to do it at all

Enjay, I can't get this to work. Can you give me the MAPINFO lump, or at least post the next couple of level's data?

I've never actually used this before, so exactly how it is supposed to operate I'm not sure, but on looking into the mapinfo further, it seems that you give a warptrans value to every map, and that value becomes the number used in the "next" parameter to tell hexen/zdoom which map to go to on finishing the first. I don't know how that would affect line types or scripts that specify a map to warp to when activated. I'll guess they still go to the actual map number rather than the warptrans number, but I don't know.

Anyway, here's the mapinfo entries for the first 3 levels in Hexen Deathkings which I think illustrates what I am saying:

map 41 "RUINED VILLAGE"
warptrans 1
next 2
cluster 1
sky1 SKYWALL 0
sky2 SKY1 40
doublesky
cdtrack 13

map 42 "BLIGHT"
warptrans 2
next 3
cluster 1
sky1 SKYWALL 0
sky2 SKY1 40
doublesky
cdtrack 2

map 43 "SUMP"
warptrans 3
next 4
cluster 1
sky1 SKYFOG2 20
sky2 SKYFOG 60
doublesky
fadetable fogmap
cdtrack 22

Ah, different than what I was using. I'll do it again when I get home today.