Getting "broken" WADs to work

[Simon Riley]

I'm trying to get a certain wad to work, called Nature Calls.  I'm running Zandronum 3.0 on linux.  This is the result:

 

[my computer's name]~/WADs/PWADs$ zandronum nc.pk3
Zandronum 3.0 - 170901-1140 - SDL version
Compiled on Sep  1 2017
Using video driver x11

M_LoadDefaults: Load system defaults.
Gameinfo scan took 1 ms
W_Init: Init WADfiles.
 adding /usr/games/zandronum/zandronum.pk3, 689 lumps
 adding /home/[my computer's name]/WADs/IWADs/plutonia.wad, 2984 lumps
 adding nc.pk3, 535 lumps
I_Init: Setting up machine state.
CPU Vendor ID: GenuineIntel
  Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM CPU @ 2.00GHz
  Family 6, Model 42, Stepping 7
  Features: MMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE4.1 SSE4.2
I_InitSound: Initializing FMOD
FMOD Sound System, copyright � Firelight Technologies Pty, Ltd., 1994-2009.
Loaded FMOD version 4.24.16
OSS could not be initialized. Trying ALSA.
V_Init: allocate screen.
Using in-memory database. The database will not be saved on exit.
S_Init: Setting up sound.
ST_Init: Init startup screen.
Checking cmd-line parameters...
S_InitData: Load sound definitions.
G_ParseMapInfo: Load map definitions.
Texman.Init: Init texture manager.
ParseTeamInfo: Load team definitions.
LoadActors: Load actor definitions.
Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 42:
Unknown identifier 'RGF_MISSILES'
Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 87:
"FLATSPRITE" is an unknown flag

Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 88:
"ROLLCENTER" is an unknown flag

Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 101:
Invalid state parameter {

 

So, any ideas on how to fix this?

Edited September 5, 2018 by Mike Anderson

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Zandronum isn't recognizing some of the terms in the DECORATE files.

10 minutes ago, Mike Anderson said:

Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 42:
Unknown identifier 'RGF_MISSILES'
Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 87:
"FLATSPRITE" is an unknown flag

Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 88:
"ROLLCENTER" is an unknown flag

Script error, "nc.pk3:actors/urine.txt" line 101:
Invalid state parameter {

It also looks like someone may have misplaced a brace, going by the last one, and I think that's what may have broken it, ultimately.

Have you tried it with GZDoom to see if it works? If you get the same error, then the problem's in the DECORATE file and it will have to be manipulated directly.

Admittedly, I wasn't aware of the flags FLATSPRITE and ROLLCENTER, but the ZDoom wiki might have something on those. I'll update this post with what I find.

 

Wow, that was quick. Those are real flags, and are supported by GZDoom, but I'm not sure about Zandronum.

https://zdoom.org/wiki/actor_flags

Quote

FLATSPRITE  (GZDoom only: not supported by ZDoom)

Actor becomes a flat sprite which can be tilted with the use of the Pitch actor property.

NOTE: This flag is not compatible with WALLSPRITE.

ROLLCENTER  (GZDoom only: not supported by ZDoom)

Prior to this flag's introduction, rolling occurred at the very center of the sprite no matter what offsets were used. Offsets are now used instead of the center. Using this flag restores the original behavior of displacing via the center instead of offsets.

 

[Simon Riley]

1 minute ago, Aquila Chrysaetos said:

Zandronum isn't recognizing some of the terms in the DECORATE files.

It also looks like someone may have misplaced a brace, going by the last one, and I think that's what may have broken it, ultimately.

Have you tried it with GZDoom to see if it works? If you get the same error, then the problem's in the DECORATE file and it will have to be manipulated directly.

Admittedly, I wasn't aware of the flags FLATSPRITE and ROLLCENTER, but the ZDoom wiki might have something on those. I'll update this post with what I find.

 

Maybe I should restart my computer to switch over to my windows partition, but it's a bother to do that.

 

Hence why I'm using Zandronum 3.0.

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

There's a way to get GZDoom to run on Linux, but it's a chore as well.

Here's a link, though.

https://zdoom.org/wiki/Compile_GZDoom_on_Linux

 

Regardless, it's looking like Zandronum doesn't recognize those flags (and the RGF_MISSILES identifier, which is really weird) and so is mistakenly mucking up the DECORATE file.

 

As for how to fix it, I'm not completely sure on that because I don't know what the mod's trying to do.

[Simon Riley]

Here's the link to the original WAD I'm trying to fix:

 

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=53115

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

I'll give it a quick run through and see if GZDoom 2.4.0 runs it.

The thread says 2.2 pre-1867 should run it, so I'm perplexed as to why Zandronum 3.0 can't do it.

[leodoom85]

Well, it says that's for GZDoom 2.2 and above, so naturally won't work on Zandronum which it's the equivalent of GZD 1.8.6...

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Yeah, it looks like what leo just said is correct, because neither the (ancient) latest version of Skulltag nor Zandronum can run it, though for different reasons.

If Zandronum is based on 1.8.6 and didn't actually go any further, then that answers our question.

I actually thought Zandronum was based at least on 2.4.0, so I just learned something.

[Simon Riley]

54 minutes ago, leodoom85 said:

Well, it says that's for GZDoom 2.2 and above, so naturally won't work on Zandronum which it's the equivalent of GZD 1.8.6...

 

Woah, so even Zandronum 3.0 is behind?

 

I just went over to the Zandronum forums to confirm this.

 

This is a bit of a surprise to me, considering that I've had to download the alpha version of Zandronum in order to run Project Brutality or other mods in the past.  Guess I gotta go compile that GZDoom engine...

[leodoom85]

Yep. Believe it or not, Zandronum 3.0 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind GZDoom.

[Simon Riley]

1 hour ago, Aquila Chrysaetos said:

I'll give it a quick run through and see if GZDoom 2.4.0 runs it.

The thread says 2.2 pre-1867 should run it, so I'm perplexed as to why Zandronum 3.0 can't do it.

 

So, anyway, how did it work for YOU?

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

It ran fine. I didn't play it (as in, actually give the gameplay an attempt), but it read all the flags and everything, so GZDoom 2.4.0 will run it, so later versions should be able to, also.