how do you organize your files?

I have a serious mess all over the place. I had 2 zdoom folders; one on the desktop (easy accessibility) and one in c: (for easy path to record demos), then prboom on desktop, I think doombuilder is in a zdoom folder. Then many redundant copies of the iwads in many of these folders since they're required. On top of that there are multiple versions of zdoom if you want to run previous demos. Plus if I play doom2 all the time then suddenly want to play a heretic map, have to drag/drop iwads around.

I think I'm pretty much the same way, but it irritates me. When I get around to reformatting this machine, I'll make sure to set things up in a way that isn't too messy. Liking having a shared iwad directory and shortcuts to everything in one place.

My setup is well-organized, but geared towards the original DOS executables. I've got one DOOM folder with the two v1.9 IWADs, the CFG, and save games. Related games like Heretic and whatnot are under a separate D:\Games. In D:\DOOM there are various folders for executables named with numbers; they may contain various EXEs hacked mainly with DeHackEd (each has a four letter name, DOOM.EXE if basically unmodified). Also, folders for PWADs, demos, and DM PWADs.

D:\DOOM
..\0 (Doom executables)
..\1 (Doom longtics exes)
..\2 (Doom2 executables)
..\3 (Doom2 longtics exes)
..\4 (Doom-plus executables)
..\5 (Doom-plus longtics exes)
..\6 (Doom2-plus executables)
..\7 (Doom2-plus longtics exes)
..\8 (Miscellaneous folders)
..\9 (Folder with a WIP PWAD project)
..\C (IWADs & PWADs for Compet-n)
..\D (Deathmatch PWADs)
..\L (Demo lumps)
..\W (General PWADs)

The 8 folder has CTF Doom's IPXSETUP.EXE renamed to DOOM.EXE (so that playing multiplayer is by typing 8\doom) and various subfolders (which in turn often contain subfolders):

..\8\
..\..\demo (Demo utilities)
..\..\edit (Level editors)
..\..\exec (Source ports, source code, DeHackEd)
..\..\game (Older versions of the games)
..\..\hack (DeHackEd patches & other binary hacks)
..\..\icon (DOOM related system icons)
..\..\info (WAD info utilities)
..\..\junk (Discarded project resources)
..\..\midi (MIDI utilities, GUS patches, MIDIs)
..\..\misc (A few miscellaneous files)
..\..\mult (Multiplayer related utilities)
..\..\page (Backups of personal DOOM web pages)
..\..\pwad (WAD file editors)
..\..\temp (This is empty now)
..\..\text (FAQs, manuals, and so on)
..\..\util (General utilities)

To play using Doom engines, I open a full screen DOS prompt in D:\DOOM, to play with source ports or to edit with utilities, a windowed prompt starting in D:\DOOM\exec.

I also have a DOOM section in the Programs menu, with the prompts and some key applications, and D:\DOOM is the DOOMWADDIR (environment variable).

EDIT: exec, midi

• Binaries are in /usr/local/bin/ or /usr/local/games/
  
• Source code (typically subversion checkouts) is in /opt/
  
• IWADS and stuff like odamex.wad and prboom.wad are in /usr/share/games/doom/
  
• PWADS and their text files are in /opt/pwads/
  
• DOOMWADDIR="/usr/share/games/doom/"
  
• DOOMWADPATH="/usr/share/games/doom/:/opt/pwads/"

\doom
\doom2
\heretic
\hexen

Occasionally editing programs will get their own directory for easy game switching.

Lüt said:

\doom
\doom2
\heretic
\hexen

Occasionally editing programs will get their own directory for easy game switching.

I do the same here. Since I have plenty for hard drive space, I'll sometimes make a new folder for a new version and keep the old one if I need it for demos or whatnot. Other than that, everything has it's own folder marked with the version number of ZDoom that I am using. DB gets its own folder too, because I simply don't care where it goes.

For me it's c:\downloads\test which contains prboom plus and all wads in one directory.
And c:\downloads\cif3 which has zdoom wads.
This ordening is the result of trying to stop playing doom (for the 11th time or so). Once I had an ordening like this d:\doom\wads\sailor\chord3 nosun2 and so on. Highly unpractical but very interesting for me

This is the contents of my ~/doom:

1427uv01.lmp                   freedoom-attic        qmus2mid.zip
1427uv01.txt                   freedoom-iwad-0.4     reb
1427uv01.zip                   freedoom-iwad-0.6     reb.zip
19to1666.bat                   gamekeylocs.txt       regdoom-1.9
30uvnd2440.lmp                 go2it.png             regdoom-1.91
30uvnd2440.zip                 go2it-wallpaper.png   requiem
ad3                            goldeneye             savebuffer_remove.patch
aliens                         hacx                  sc2
alphas                         hacx-prebuilt         scythe
aod                            harris                SCYTHE.WAD
au30gm                         helpscreens.txt       sdl-timidity
av                             heretic-hexen-source  setups
batman                         heretic-source.zip    sfdoom
blairimp.avi                   hr                    sfx
blairimp.zip                   hr2beta               sid-old.wad
Blood_On_The_Walls.mp3         icarus                simpledemos
british                        ida                   skymaybe
bsdmidi                        IDSETUP               slidoor
bsdmidi.zip                    idsetup.zip           smmu
bsp-5.2                        janizdreg-timidity    smmu-co
bsp-5.2.tar.bz2                jigsaw-doom-src.png   sndtest.wad
cacofish.gif                   jigsaw-doom-src.svg   SOCKET.LST
chocolate-doom                 jigsaw-freedoom.png   src
chocolate-doom-database.txt    jigsaw-freedoom.svg   starwars
Chocolate-doom-windows.png     jigsaw.svg            statdump
Chocolate-uac_dead.png         jons_e1m1             stats
crudream.wad                   kdikdizd              stfouch-e1m4.lmp
db2                            linspire_email        stfouch.png
death                          list_sdl_modes        strain
dehacked                       list_sdl_modes.c      strawberry-doom
demos                          lokito                svstrife
demoseq.txt                    lv07-006.lmp          swdoom-1.9
deutex-4.4.0                   lv07-006.txt          tablegen
dhe31.zip                      lv07-006.zip          tarball-md5s
dis                            lv07-008.lmp          tarballs
dmdjm02.wad                    lv07-nom.lmp          TED.EXE
DOOM00.BMP                     marine                The_Doom_Comic_-_A_Dramatic_Rendition.mp3
DOOM01.BMP                     master-levels         THISSUXX.COM
DOOM02.BMP                     mdl.wad               THISSUXX.LMP
DOOM03.BMP                     mm                    THISSUXX.TXT
doom2-1.7a                     mmus2mid              THISSUXX.WAD
doom2-1.9                      Mock2.wad             thissuxx.zip
doom2exe                       mordeth               timidity-patches_0.1-5_all.deb
doom2-extract                  neopaint-3.2          tinyiwad
doom3linux1_1_.1.1286.x86.run  neopaint-3.2.zip      tw
doom3-linux-1.3.1302.x86.run   nwt                   uac_dead.lmp
doom3.wad                      odamex                uac_dead.wad
doom95                         odamex.net:2000       udpbnc
doom.png                       olaunc12              udpbnc.c
doomsrc.zip                    olaunc12.zip          ultdoom
doomwiki                       olaunch.txt           ulthacked
dumps                          omgifol               Unofficial Doom Specs.txt
eawpats                        otaku                 vidcode
edmap                          ouche2m8.lmp          voxel
ENDOOM.LMP                     ouch.lmp              wads
ethh_-_barons_bedroom.mp3      pa07-041.lmp          wime
final-doom-plutonia-1.9        pa07-041.txt          wtf
final-doom-tnt-1.9             pa07-041.zip          xtract
freedoom                       poster                zombies
freedoom_0.3-1_all.deb         qmus2mid

Basically...

Binaries are in /usr/bin, IWADs are in /usr/share/games/doom (along with prboom*.wad, odamex.wad), source code is under directories in ~/Games/doom, PWADs and text files in ~/Games/doom.

Everything in /home/Games/Doom/.

IWADS in their own directory ./iwads . etc.

I'm not the one to install things deep somewhere where I can't see it. I'm a real "windows" kind of guy, and my linux setup is indicative of this.

also:

otaku

:|

I put everything on the desktop. EVERYTHING

One thing I've found rather convenient is to use the "send to" feature, to send PWADs, demos and DeHackEd patches to their corresponding directories from where ever I unzip them. I also have a link to the D:\DOOM folder on the Programs menu.

JohnnyRancid said:

I put everything on the desktop. EVERYTHING

Same. Except I also limit myself to only one column of icons (nine) so all my Doom ports are in a "games" folder, I have a "utilities" folder full of shortcuts, a "media" folder full of TV, etc.

My Doom ports aren't too organized. I download something when I need it and then I let it fall into disarray. A few ports look to the same folder for iwads, but mostly I have a unique copy of Doom2.wad in all of them.

My directory setup is kind of centered around ZDoom. my G:\Games\Doom folder has zdoom, gzdoom, and zdl, with folders classic (which has prboom, prboom+, chocolate doom, and a folder leading to heretic+ and wHeretic for when I need to compatibility test), original (which has all the original DOS exes), ee (eternity), music (which is nothing but some pk3s I autoload in ZDoom that contain high quality ogg remastered versions of doom, doom2, final doom, heretic, and hexen's music by Sycraft (they're pretty good, googlehim)), programs (which has older versions of gzdoom/zdoom and any miscellaneous tools like slumped, xwe, and oblige), projects (which will have all my in progress stuff), resources (lots of pngs and waves for use in projects), speedruns (only zdoom speedruns, classic has its own speedrun folder), and wads (which has all my levels in a structure that puts anything that's boom compatible or lower in the main folder, and ZDoom specific in its own folder, with another folder for the Heretic Treasure Chest stuff).

i dont organize my files. i probably should.

fraggle said:

This is the contents of my ~/doom:

[...] kdikdizd [...]

I would include a listing of my Doom folder, but fraggle's already covered the important stuff.

Csonicgo said:

Everything in /home/Games/Doom/.

IWADS in their own directory ./iwads . etc.

I'm not the one to install things deep somewhere where I can't see it. I'm a real "windows" kind of guy, and my linux setup is indicative of this.

Unless you have an account named "Games", I can't see any logic to that. Actually, even then, capitalizing a user name is dumb.

My folders are only very vaguely organized. generally, I keep all WADs (I and P variants) in a single folder, which is further subdivided. All my ports and utilities have their own folders as well. Otherwise, there's no method to my madness. For me, the convenience of having logically organized files is offset by the constant effort required to keep them that way. To get around having to drag icons everywhere, I just made a shortcut to all my ports on the desktop. When I want to play an IWAD, I just go to the shortcut's "properties" and specify the path to the IWAD I want to play, since my WADs are all generally in the same location.

Wow, this is how my C:\Doom folder is organized:

~/Ports
~/EDGE
~/GZDoom
~/ZDoom
~/Chocolate Doom
~/prBoom+
~/Legacy

~/Editors
~/Doombuilder
~/SLADE
~/XWE
~/WinTex
~/WhackEd2

~/IWADs
(plutonia.wad, tnt.wad, Hexen.wad, HexDD.wad, Heretic.wad, Doom.wad, Doom1.wad, Doom2.wad)

~/Wads
many, many mods in here :O

~/my_wads
many top secret projects in here

very organized. i use ZDL to handle it all

C:\Doom

I have subfolders (like /ZDoom/) for specific ports and editors, and I generally just dump iwads and most pwads into the ZDoom folder. If they require another port though then they go in that specific port's folder. I also have subfolders for stuff like incomplete projects and older versions of ports all over the place (mostly in /ZDoom/) and a bunch of stuff like random graphics, wads, and stuff I'm working on just in C:\Doom and other folders. There's also multiple copies of iwads all over the place, and probably some pwads.

Its kinda all over the place, I should probably clean and reorganize it and just use something like ZDL to manage everything.

I throw all my wads in ~/wads

I throw SVN checkouts of Dooms in my home directory also

D:\GZDoom 1
D:\ZDoom
D:\ZDoom 2
D:\GZDoom 2
With the exception of GZDoom 1, the number doesn't represent the version of doom.

exp(x) said:

Unless you have an account named "Games", I can't see any logic to that. Actually, even then, capitalizing a user name is dumb.

whoops! I meant /home/username/games/ :3

D:\Games\DooM\Builder
D:\Games\DooM\Builder\projects

D:\Games\DooM\Editors
D:\Games\DooM\Editors\DecXv20_r4
D:\Games\DooM\Editors\slumped_07
D:\Games\DooM\Editors\wintex50
D:\Games\DooM\Editors\xwe116

D:\Games\DooM\playconn

D:\Games\DooM\Ports
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\Boom
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\CDoom
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\Eternity
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\GZDoom
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\GZDoom_old
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\jDoom
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\Legacy
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\prboom+
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\Risen3D
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\SkullTag
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\ZDaemon
D:\Games\DooM\Ports\ZDoom

D:\Games\DooM\PWADs
D:\Games\DooM\PWADs\ (a lot)

Vanilla Doom is in my MSDOS folder, mounted as C: upon starting DOSBox. Scraps float around sometimes (in other folders, or on my desktop, for example), but I usually do my best to have them either placed in the folder they're supposed to be in, or deleted.

My IWADs are in the DooM\Ports\Legacy folder. I'm not sure why, and why I haven't changed it yet.

I have almost everything in one folder hidden somewhere deep in my HD and akinomori.com/stuff/programs/CDL.zip]my own Doom launcher program hotkeyed to a button on my keyboard. This way I have everything one press of a button away and have no need for duplicate files. If I only had bothered to add a pk3 support...maybe one day.

Jodwin said:

I have almost everything in one folder hidden somewhere deep in my HD and akinomori.com/stuff/programs/CDL.zip]my own Doom launcher program hotkeyed to a button on my keyboard. This way I have everything one press of a button away and have no need for duplicate files. If I only had bothered to add a pk3 support...maybe one day.

wow I really like this! Thanks!

I use doom 95 (since I lost my original dos copy of doom years ago.) I keep my wads in a separate folder, as well as the folders for different doom engines, when needed. (zdoom, prboom, etc.) These are all in my D drive, which I usually reserve for my games, except for Doom 64 absolution, which only runs in my C drive.

If, for example, I want to play a wad that requires zdoom, I drag the wad to my doom 2 folder for doom 95, as well as the engine file. Then I just drag the wad to the zdoom folder. That's pretty much the case for the rest of my wads as well.

I'm semi-organised. Ports that work with the KDX launcher are in E:\KDX\ports - the rest are scattered across C: drive along with various editors and utilities.
My wad collection on E: drive is basically a mirror of the archive plus stuff I've found elsewhere. They're synched to an external drive as insurance against a head-crash.

Going slightly off-topic - how many people here backup their drives?

every port has its seperate directory within c:\doom\.
like c:\doom\gzdoom, c:\doom\prboomplus and so on.

i use mostly gzdoom, as it supports most wads, and prboomplus for watching demos, sometimes for "purist" playing.

GreyGhost said:

Going slightly off-topic - how many people here backup their drives?

I constantly back up my drive and everything. I can't tell you how much data that's saved me in some sort of unforseen and disaterous system crash. *Phew* =)