"-devparm mode" problem

i am trying to take in-game screenshots using the -devparm command yet when i apply it to the end of the string of files and folders it says "system cannot find path specified"

i have and am currently using "doom collector's edition". i have run forum searches which is how i came across the -devparm command.

this is done in DOS or "command prompt" right?

i am using no ports ATM, other than legacy which is not where this problem is coming from.

For the original executables (doom.exe, doom2.exe), you take screenshots by starting them from the command line like so:

x:\doom>doom [other options if you want, e.g. -warp, -skill etc.] -devparm
or
x:\doom>doom2 [ditto] -devparm

After having loaded up the game, you take a screenshot by pressing F1.
If they get too dark or too bright you can adjust the gamma correction by pressing F11 repeatedly.

Shadow Dweller said:
this is done in DOS or "command prompt" right?

Yes, but you might be typing it in the wrong place. You can use the command line or a shortcut to doom95.exe. A shortcut will be simpler if you are a Windows user primarily.

Create the short cut, right click it, and click on Properties. In the shortcut tab you'll see the target box, that has a path sort of like the ones Kristian Ronge listed above, ending with doom95.exe, edit it so that it says:

"[path to executable]\doom95.exe" -nodm -devparm

The path to executable will be something like c:\games\doom collectors edition, or where ever the file is located, without the brackets. The -nodm is always necessary to bypass the launcher. Otherwise the launcher will come up and it will ignore the command(s) you added. You won't see the launcher (only the splash screen) and then the title screen of the game.

You can use this startup method to use any similar command line parameters. Here's a list of the ones Doom95 supports (see Never_Again's long post).

now i get a error messege that says:

W_GetNumForName : PNAMES not found!

and doom does not start, it just closes the window. any ideas?

That's odd. The only way I managed to replicate that error is by renaming some random PWAD to doom2.wad; it tries to read it as the IWAD and fails. It's not the error you get when the IWAD isn't there (game mode indeterminate). Did you add more junk to the command line or just -nodm and -devparm? Does it still run normally with the launcher?

for the target this is what i have:

"C:\Program Files\DOOM Collector's Edition\Final Doom\Doom95.exe" -nodm -devparm

and if by "run normally with the launcher" you mean without the commands applied to the target, yes.

That looks right. What IWADs are in the same directory as Doom95? (In the Final Doom folder, that is).

it's just "TNT" and "Plutonia" along with other customs WADs i made

This PNAMES error happens when a texture that's supposed to be used is not available.

That either means :
- the texture wad is not loaded
or,
- the wad uses patches straight as textures, like zdoom wads, so it's not doom2.exe/doom95 compatible

...

PNAMES is the list of patches. It means it's not reading at least that in the IWAD it apparently found. You should try two things (more so since we can't see what's going on in your folder or anything); a) create a text file and paste that "target" path into it, and rename it to a batch file (.bat instead of .txt); then double click it. If that fails as well, move your PWADs elsewhere and un/reinstall Doom95 and try these things (the shortcut or the batch) again from scratch. If it keeps failing (no reason why it should if you have all the required files and simply add the parameters to the executable path) you could try something else, like Chocolate Doom, that is a clean port like the original DOS engine.

when i dont type in the -nodm command it lets me in and in the game i see the fps counter in the top left corner of the screen. i hit F1 and it says "screenshot" and nothing else happens. is this what i am supposed to see or is something else supposed to happen?

Hmm, so for some reason it is not letting you load the game without the launcher specifically. Well, at least -devparm (development mode) works without it anyway. Look in your Final Doom folder, don't you see a file called DOOM00.PCX? That is a screen shot. There should be more as well (DOOM01.PCX, etc.), if you hit F1 more than once.

ok, thanks all.

i found the .pcx file but i cannot get it to open in this computers' image programs. the only two on this computer is photoshop album starter and paint. i'll have to try another computer.

This old little program lets you view PCX files. Just unzip it to a folder and put VPIC.EXE (ignore all the other files from the ZIP) in your Final Doom folder and double click it; if it works on your system it should open a window with the list of viewable files that you can browse through and view with the Enter key (using Esc to go back to the list).

alright, thanks again