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Sparky_KISS

Unusual doom2.exe

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I've got an unusual DeHackEd doom2.exe that I can't convert into a .deh file. I've got exe files for Doom2 v1.666, 1.7, 1.7a, and 1.9.
The suspect doom2.exe is 713,017 bytes and it's none of the above.

Can someone please tell me the size of doom2.exe for v1.8 ?

If so, I've got a problem, because I don't think there's a patch available to get to Doom2 v1.8 from 1.666, 1.7 or 1.7a.

Any input would be appreciated, as I'm sure the community would like what I've got in mind.

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Doom2 v1.8 is 709.865 bytes, a bit smaller than v1.9 standard. That size you mention is strange; smaller than v1.9 final and slightly smaller than v1.9 ultimate. By the way, if you want the EXE v1.8 just download the DOOM shareware for that version.

As for that EXE, open it with a hex editor and check if someone somehow added some crap to it. Also, if the band on top of the startup screen is red, the engine is a version from 1.6 to 1.8, if it's gray, it's one of the 1.9 engines (unless someone managed to mess with the color, heh.)

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Not sure if I'm right here, but:

That's an EXE used by the Ultimate DOOM actually. It can still be converted to DEH format if you can change the settings in Dehacked's INI file so it can work with the Ultimate DOOM. Change the version # to check for in the INI file to 4, and make sure the exact number of bytes the file is correctly typed in the area where it tells you the exact amount of bytes for the executable.

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myk:

Thanks for the input myk.
The top of the startup screen is definately red.
I may have to reinstall Doom2 by the sounds of it because my Doom2 v1.9 exe is 709,905 bytes, and my Ultimate Doom v1.9 exe is 715,493 bytes. So this strange DeHackEd exe is actually in the middle at 713,017

Looking at it in a hex editor it looks like data at the end of the file, not just appended rubbish.

The date of the exe is October 1996, so it's definately a hacked exe and not a source port mod.

DeHackEd v3.1 is dated November 1996, so it's possible the old DeHackEd v2.2 from 1994 could have changed the size of the exe
- I'll have to do some experimenting.

The only other exe editor I know of is "D2 Hacker" by "UAC Software".
I'm pretty sure that doesn't change the size of the exe, because I've used DeHackEd to convert .pat files to .deh format.

Now to see if I can hunt down a shareware doom2.exe v1.8

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CacodemonLeader said:
That's an EXE used by the Ultimate DOOM actually.[/B]


Excellent, I've only got version 1.9 of Ultimate Doom, which as I said is 715,493 bytes.

This DeHackEd exe (713,017 bytes) is for a "commercial" Doom2 wad, dated October 1996.

Cacodemon Leader: what version of Ultimate Doom do you think it's from?

Everyone else: can anyone else verify the size of these exe's ?

Thanks,

Sparky

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For v1.8 of doom2.exe get that version of the DOOM shareware; the EXE is the same for DOOM and DOOM II (if you put doom.exe v1.8 in a directory with doom2.wad it'll run DOOM II.)

http://ftp.sunet.se/pub/games/PC/idgames/historic/

By the way, your doom2 and (ultimate) doom EXE file sizes are fine.

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myk: Thanks for the v1.8 shareware link - I forgot about that part of the archive.

Guess what... 709,865 bytes.... almost the same as Doom2 v1.9.

Well, that wasn't it.
Any more suggestions?

Cacodemon Leader: as far as I know, Ultimate Doom came out after Doom2 v1.9, and there was only the one version - also version 1.9.
According to myk, my Ultimate Doom exe is the correct size, so my unknown exe (713,017 bytes) can't be for retail Ultimate Doom.

Anyone: does anyone have a list of all the Doom, Ultimate Doom and Doom2 exe's (retail and shareware) and their file sizes?

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One final thought before I give up:

Evidently there was a Doom virus in the early 90's that increased the size of your doom.exe by either 1253 or 1254 bytes.

If this 'Commercial' exe was infected, then the original size must have been 711,764 or 711,763 bytes.

Once again, these file sizes don't line up with anything I have.

Any ideas?

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Could this .exe be from the German version of the game, which removes maps 31 and 32?

Also, it's fairly well known that there is a pirate hack of the Doom 2 v1.666 .exe, so perhaps there's pirate hacks of other versions too.

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NiGHTMARE said:

Could this .exe be from the German version of the game, which removes maps 31 and 32?



The German version hack was in all versions of the EXE, as far as I know. At least it is in the released source code and it was 2 or 3 lines of code so this is unlikely.

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Sorry guys, but I've wasted your time.
I should have done more research first.
The 'mystery exe' is actually from Chex Quest.

I assumed it was 'unlicensed' like HacX and just used a DeHackEd Doom exe (unlike Strife, Heretic and Hexen). But I was wrong. There's no mention of licensing, id Software, or even Doom. Ralston Foods Inc. claim the copyright with no mention of licensing.

The first thing I should have looked at was the size of the text strings - the long cheat codes and VERY short intermission texts should have been instantly obvious.

If Chex Quest was unlicensed, then how did they get the source code in 1996? Would it have been possible to reverse-engineer Doom to create chex.exe? Also, chex.wad still contains a pile of resources from doom.wad - why weren't they sued by id Software?

Does anyone know anything about the history of Chex Quest?
The only players I know about are:
Ralston Foods Inc. - cereal manufacturer
Waters Molitor Inc. - advertising company in charge of the promotion

I've managed to get the text changes by just setting the correct offset in DeHackEd, but any changes to monster/weapon behaviour are still a mystery to me.

Does anyone know what version the offsets in dehacked.ini relate to?
#thingoff = 677472
#soundoff = 645924
#frameoff = 650396
#spriteoff = 649844
#ammooff = 638872
#weaponoff = 638904
#textoff = 691064
#cheatoff = 642244
#textlength = 24072

It's easy enough to compare two exe's with a hex editor to find the new offsets for chex.exe, but I don't know what version the above offsets relate to.

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this is interesting stuff sparky.. i'd like to know the story behind chex quest if it wasn't legal

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