ROSS : my little FreeDOOM-based packages

[soner du]

I've (somewhat) completed a little personal project : ready-to-play packages containing open-source data (FreeDOOM) and software (Chocolate DOOM), and a selection of classic WADs.

Those packages are less than 32MB (unzipped) and include a simple GUI, basically an exe which launches a .BAT menu.

 

URL : https://sites.google.com/view/ultimate-ross/accueil

 

Both packages include :

• Chocolate Doom
• Random WAD generation thanks to SLIGE + ZenNode

 

First package, "ROSS : ultimate revelation", include :

• Freedoom1 data + SLIGE maps
• Two full megaWADs : Switcheroom and Eternal Torture
• Two shorter WADs : Crusades and UAC_DEAD

 

Second package, "ROSS : inferno earth", include :

• FreeDOOM2 data + SLIGE maps
• Two full megaWAD : DemonFear and Zone 300
• Two shorter WADs : Null Space and Nostromo's Run

[soner du]

Self-Asked Questions :

 

Why have I done that ?

- Just because I wanted to spread love for (Free)DOOM all over the planet, and like to have a minimal (Free)DOOM on my USB key.

 

Why this choice of WADs ?

- Well, because I wanted vanilla and small-size (arbitrarily under 32 MB) stuff, and I actually love the WADs I've chosen.

 

Will the 2 packages change over time ?

- Yes, I'll probably follow the next ChocoDOOM and FreeDOOM versions. Maybe change the PWADs someday, or include some little cool tools (like adding The Populator into the random WAD generation process). Maybe update the IWAD when I'm skilled (intermission screens, title screen...).

 

Will there be other packages ?

- Probably not.

Edited June 17, 2019 by soner du

[cambreaKer]

why use slige, when you can use oblige?

[soner du]

1 hour ago, cambreaKer said:

why use slige, when you can use oblige?

 

Oblige does not create Vanilla WADs.

[MrFlibble]

I think it's a nice idea to have a library of PWADs to be played with Freed∞m, especially if those have themes that fit well with Freed∞m's art.

[soner du]

I play most PWADs with FreeDOOM and everything looks good ;)

 

Except in UAC_DEAD, the evil(ish) mega-corporation seems to hesitate between two names : UAC or AGM ?

[MrFlibble]

A while ago I played a number of PWADs with Freed∞m and I was somewhat not quite comfortable if there was edited art from the original Doom but maybe it's just me. Perhaps I just wanted levels with different theme that would be more about aliens than infernal dimensions.

 

Anyway, I do believe that PWADs that focus on a more sci-fi theme, or generally themes that are different from Doom's default texture packs, are more interesting to play with Freed∞m.

[P41R47]

On 6/17/2019 at 3:58 PM, soner du said:

 

Oblige does not create Vanilla WADs.

I didn't know there is a fork of Oblige that creates vanilla wads. Interesting!

 

On a side note, why chocolate-doom? Why not crispy-doom? With Crispy-doom you can also play Freedoom phase 1 and phase 2 original campaing and almost all the wads out there, they are, practically, all for a limit-removing port. I really like your idea of a bundle to spread the love, and also, this serves as a good introduction to Doom and the modding community.

 

EDIT: I must be living under a rock, somehow, because i played a lot of Freedoom without knowing it is now vanilla compatible. Although that, i thinks its better to use crispy-doom for the limit removing issue almost all wads have by now. If you put a little how to add mods into the package, with choco, almost none of the wads will work because of the chocolate vanilla limits

Edited August 20, 2019 by P41R47

[soner du]

12 hours ago, P41R47 said:

I didn't know there is a fork of Oblige that creates vanilla wads. Interesting!

 

On a side note, why chocolate-doom? Why not crispy-doom? With Crispy-doom you can also play Freedoom phase 1 and phase 2 original campaing and almost all the wads out there, they are, practically, all for a limit-removing port. I really like your idea of a bundle to spread the love, and also, this serves as a good introduction to Doom and the modding community.

 

EDIT: I must be living under a rock, somehow, because i played a lot of Freedoom without knowing it is now vanilla compatible. Although that, i thinks its better to use crispy-doom for the limit removing issue almost all wads have by now. If you put a little how to add mods into the package, with choco, almost none of the wads will work because of the chocolate vanilla limits

 

SLIGE is a kind of ancestor to OBLIGE, not the other way around.

 

I've hesitated between Crispy and Choco, but finally I've chosen Choco because I was aiming for the most authentic old-school feel and smallest size. I had to make a choice... If I wanted comptatibility with most recent WADs, I would have chosen GZDoom...

 

Being vanilla-compatible is a goal for FreeDoom, but AFAIK it's still not the case today. In my packages I'm not using FreeDoom maps, only FreeDoom assets ; the maps are SLIGE-generated.

[soner du]

Now on Itch.io : https://osr-vf.itch.io/ross

[P41R47]

15 hours ago, soner du said:

 

SLIGE is a kind of ancestor to OBLIGE, not the other way around.

 

I've hesitated between Crispy and Choco, but finally I've chosen Choco because I was aiming for the most authentic old-school feel and smallest size. I had to make a choice... If I wanted comptatibility with most recent WADs, I would have chosen GZDoom...

 

Being vanilla-compatible is a goal for FreeDoom, but AFAIK it's still not the case today. In my packages I'm not using FreeDoom maps, only FreeDoom assets ; the maps are SLIGE-generated.

Crispy offers the same authentic old-school experience as chocolate doom, but its limit removing. The few extras that crispy add are toggleable in the option menu, and just aestethics things. Also, you don't need to worry for the size, Crispy, in zip, is just 200 kb bigger than Chocolate. But there are things you can delete for your pack, like the crispy heretic, hexen and strife .exes and save like 3MB of decompressed space.

I know that you are using Freedom as an assets pack, but its just strange that you don't offer the possibility to play Freedoom orignal campaings. There is a lot of effort put in those maps and is a shame that they all go to waste. They are pretty good.

The SLIDGE generated maps could be offered as an extra. I played ten maps, and eight of them were a variant of the first level. It could put off potential players as this generated maps are substantially lacking in the detail aspect and in the gameplay department.

I wouldn't have chosen GZDoom either, even with the setting to purist level, the experience isn't too''vanilla''.

 

As for me, i think that Crispy is the way-to-go to experience te Doom world as it is now. It offers the vanilla experience and the possibility to play new (not Boom compatible or ZDoom compatible) mods. For instance, i am playing ''STRUGGLE: Antaresian Legacy'' for Doom 2, a 2018 Cacoward winner, and ''No End in Sight'' for Ultimate Doom, a 2017 Cacoward winner with Crispy Doom. And they are totally old-school, albeit limit-removing.

Its your choice, i just suggest Crispy as a way to introduce new players to the classicl feel, with a taste of the modern standars, and as an viewpoint on how the doom world is today.

EDIT: Or also, DOOMRETRO, it offers the same as Crispy, but is limit removin and boom compatible. It can play Eviternity! On thf the finest new mapsets of today in all the old-school glory.

Edited August 21, 2019 by P41R47

[soner du]

I've not updated my packages with the newer Freedom IWADs (from 0.11.3 to 0.12.1) because, for some reason (the newer SKY4 textures ?), the freedoom1.wad is now a few MB bigger. I can not more keep my packages under 32MB unzipped, as advertised...

 

I'll probably update my packages with the full Freedoom IWAD (including the maps, as they're fully vanilla now), and put bigger PWADs compared to the small-sized ones I've included previously (Dmonfear, Zone 300...). I'll try to keep a 64MB limit this time.

[666shooter]

1 hour ago, soner du said:

I've not updated my packages with the newer Freedom IWADs (from 0.11.3 to 0.12.1) because, for some reason (the newer SKY4 textures ?), the freedoom1.wad is now a few MB bigger. I can not more keep my packages under 32MB unzipped, as advertised...

 

I'll probably update my packages with the full Freedoom IWAD (including the maps, as they're fully vanilla now), and put bigger PWADs compared to the small-sized ones I've included previously (Dmonfear, Zone 300...). I'll try to keep a 64MB limit this time.

I would vote to keep Demonfear included, personally. It's a very smooth and satisfying little Megawad, and showcases an elegant simplicity and high entertainment value.

[MrFlibble]

Have you considered making custom builds of the IWADs? There are some extra textures in the default build which are likely not used in any of the PWADs that you provide anyway (like the AquaTex set), but still take up space.

 

Also perhaps you'd add the Nukeptyle/Lavamander boss? (it is my understanding that it kind of went in a limbo in the main branch) and maybe some other alternate variations of certain sprites and stuff that are lying around?

[soner du]

Currently working on a third package, I'll probably call it "ROSS - Cult of the Wyrm", "Ross - Schism" or something.

Based on BLASPHEMER, all-vanilla (SLIGE + dm2conv), some vanilla PWAD (UnBeliever at least...)...

[Redneckerz]

On 2/18/2021 at 5:20 PM, soner du said:

Currently working on a third package, I'll probably call it "ROSS - Cult of the Wyrm", "Ross - Schism" or something.

Based on BLASPHEMER, all-vanilla (SLIGE + dm2conv), some vanilla PWAD (UnBeliever at least...)...

Looking forward to this. If i recall, i did cover your work for the Doom Wadazine last year :)

[PSI Boredom Ω]

I love the idea of this. It looks like a quick and easy way to run doom on the go using something like a flashdrive. I dont travel a lot but this could be useful for something. Could also be great for newer doomers to introduce them to sourceports and pwads. I might try it out some time later. :)