Any tutorials that explain how Doombuilder works from the beginning instead of babies first doom map.

[Fatalis]

I might be in the minority here being aggravated about this but it seems like most tutorials blow right by information that helps you understand how the tool works. I don't care about making steps or textures or other shit that 12 monkeys and a typewriter could figure out in less than 5 minutes.

 

Are there tutorials that explain the tool from the beginning? I want to know what the different engines are and why you might use them. I want to know how resource packs work. I want to know how Doombuilder interfaces with other apps like Slade and why it matters. I don't want to be told what to do, I want to be told what each aspect of the tool does comprehensively and what you use it for.

 

I've looked through a # of tutorials already and haven't found one that focuses from the ground up on how the tool works. Maybe that tutorial exists and someone can point me to it?

[Mordeth]

First, your approach is wrong. You start out with the different engines. That's step 1. Play mods designed for those different engines to see and decide which engine would suit your own modding needs based on what you've seen so far. If you want to do something that you haven't seen before, do some research into these different ports and see which one supports your new intended features. Now you have an engine to map for. And only now do you open DoomBuilder (or rather: one of its successors) and pick the configuration designed around your chosen engine and map format.

 

As for map format: some engines have features that cannot be defined in the original Doom map layout and thus not in a map editor. For these features other map formats were invented. ZDoom started with 'doom in hexen' format, and GZDoom / Eternity Engine now have UDMF in addition to the vanilla doom map format. So, for example, configuration "GZDoom: Heretic (UDMF)" is intended for the GZDoom engine using the Heretic resources / features in UDMF map format. In general it's recommended to use UDMF for those engines that support it since that would enable you to do most editor work from within DoomBuilder without the need for external tools.

 

Resource packs are mods that you can load together with your own mod. Those can be textures and/or sprites. In a DoomBuilder editor you can add resource packs to be able to work with those with by adding them at the startup prompt or from 'tools' > 'game configurations' (F6). Your mod will not be standalone, and will require those resource packs to be loaded alongside your mod.

 

Putting resources like textures, sprites inside the main body of your own (standalone) mod isn't done with DoomBuilder. Most peeps use Slade3 for that, although Slade3 also contains its own map editor. There's no interface between DoomBuilder and Slade.

 

Perhaps the above is too generalized for your taste, but without specifics it's very hard to guess which issues have you stumped.

[Gez]

On mercredi 14 avril 2021 at 3:57 AM, Fatalis said:

I want to know what the different engines are and why you might use them. I want to know how resource packs work. I want to know how Doombuilder interfaces with other apps like Slade and why it matters. I don't want to be told what to do, I want to be told what each aspect of the tool does comprehensively and what you use it for.

This kind of information is generally not found in tutorials, since by nature they focus on the "how", not on the "why". You'll want to read wikis instead.

 

For information on, for example, how resource packs work, you should start by getting an understanding of the basics of how Doom archives work. So head on to https://doomwiki.org/wiki/WAD. Complete that with https://doomwiki.org/wiki/TEXTURE1_and_TEXTURE2 and you can then look at https://doomwiki.org/wiki/PK3 for an alternative offered by a few ports.

 

Just that should cover how resources work, how maps work, and from that you can understand the difference between a pure map editor (like Doom Builder) and a resource editor (like SLADE).

 

27 minutes ago, Mordeth said:

There's no interface between DoomBuilder and Slade.

Not entirely true. There's actually a feature in SLADE to edit a map with Doom Builder. Then SLADE will export the map, launch DB, monitor the DB process while it's running and reimport the map once DB is closed.

[Major Arlene]

4 hours ago, Gez said:

Not entirely true. There's actually a feature in SLADE to edit a map with Doom Builder. Then SLADE will export the map, launch DB, monitor the DB process while it's running and reimport the map once DB is closed.

From what version? I'd love this actually.

 

To more precisely answer your question, OP, Bridgeburner has done some UDMF tutorials on Youtube that explain the why and the how of some of the UDB tools as he's building things with them. Maybe those will be of use to you.

[Gez]

1 hour ago, Major Arlene said:

From what version? I'd love this actually.

It's been around for a while -- the option in the menu is called "open with Doom Builder 2" because DB2 was still actively developed when it was added...

 

Go to Edit->Preferences->Advanced and set the variable path_db2 to the path to your favorite builder.exe. Once it's set, you can right-click on a map header and you'll have "open with Doom Builder 2" at the bottom of the context menu.  It says DB2, but it works just fine with Doom Builder X, Ultimate Doom Builder, or any other DB2 fork.