Couple of generic editing questions

[fezzador]

Firstly:

How do you merge multiple maps into a single wad file? I've never intended to make a multi/megawad before... until now, and I'm not sure how to do this.

Secondly:

How do you synchronize blinking lights? I want adjacent sectors to blink at the same time, but one of them seems to be just a bit off so it looks kind of weird.

Thirdly:

This might be the dumbest one of all, considering I've made quite a few maps: What's the easiest way to make a curve? I've made some manual curves but they're just too tedious, is there a shortcut that saves time?

Thanks.

[Vegeta]

First:
Give diferent map slots to each map contained in the diferent wads (like wad1.wad save it in map01, wad2.wad save it in map02)
I never tried DB, in Deth just type in the console
r wad1.wad
r wad2.wad
g (group) wadpack.wad

Second:
I don't know

Third:
Not that I know about

[Mordeth]

fezzador said:
How do you synchronize blinking lights? I want adjacent sectors to blink at the same time, but one of them seems to be just a bit off so it looks kind of weird.

There's a difference between "flickering" and "pulsating" lights in Doom.

Both effects depend on the lightlevel of the affected sector and the lightlevel differential between the affected sector and its neighbours. The "flickering lights" effect will occur randomly; the "pulsating lïghts" effect seems to start whenever the player comes into view.

Flickering lights are next to impossible to synchronise if you want to apply it across a lightgradient of nested sectors. Forget it.

If you're not worried about lightgradients and just want to synchronise the flickering of lots of different lightsources (eg, all lightsources in the room blinking at the same time), you may want to apply the effect to one sector and clone/split this sector for the other lightsources. With sourceports, you can apply the "transfer floor/ceiling lightlevel" effect (boomtrigger 213/261) to symchronise the effect from one sector to several others.

The same goes for pulsating lights, but you can also manipulate the pulse by giving each sector the same lightlevel differential by using dummy sectors. So, synchronised pulsating lightgradients are possible (although hard to get right).

Tagging different pulsating sectors with the same tag will also synchronise them, although the lightlevel differential should probably also be the same for all sectors involved.

Hope this helps!

[EDIT]

If you really, really want this... you may also use some sort of scripting to switch lightlevels up/down to a certain lightlevel. The effect of switching lightlevels does not seem to be instanteneously, and you need to build in some delay before doing the next switch.

PS: I've tried pestering several coders into making me variations of the "transfer floor/ceiling lightlevel" triggers, which would apply the effect minus or plus 16 lightunits. No luck so far :) Having these triggers would make creating a synchronised flickering lightgradient easy as pie.

[Ismaele]

I often use XWE to merge multiple maps in one .WAD: I suggest that you use it, since it is very easy and versatile!

[Ezxariarch]

fezzador said:

Firstly:

How do you merge multiple maps into a single wad file? I've never intended to make a multi/megawad before... until now, and I'm not sure how to do this.

Secondly:

How do you synchronize blinking lights? I want adjacent sectors to blink at the same time, but one of them seems to be just a bit off so it looks kind of weird.

Thirdly:

This might be the dumbest one of all, considering I've made quite a few maps: What's the easiest way to make a curve? I've made some manual curves but they're just too tedious, is there a shortcut that saves time?

Thanks.

There are several ways to merging maps into a single wad. First of all, if you are using Doom Builder, simply open a map wad, and then go File -> Save Map into -> select the wad you want to save the map into from your list of wads. Two, if you are using wintex, simple open the two map wads you want to merge, and then drag all the entries from one wad into the other wad; and save.

For syncronized like blinking, do you mean like having a the lighting move along sectors, creating a strolling effect? Or do you simply need to have several sectors blinking at the same time? If it's the frist one, you will need Zdoom-Hexen format and use the "Light Special 1 and 2, and start" sectors effects. Simply place make a series of connect sectors (can be dont via dummy sectors also), and have them be at difference lighting levels. Give one sector at the Light Special Start effect, and then for every other sector give the Light Speical 1 or 2 effect in a alternating pattern (if you first sector has Specal 1, the one following it should have special 2, then followed by another special 1, and so forth). If you simply want sectors to blink at the same time, you can eaither use the Transfer Brightness Level line special or use dummy sectors.

If you are using doom builder, there is the curve tool. Mess around with it and you'll quickly see how it works. I persoanlly prefer to do it manually since te curve tool can make curves that doesnt merge with the axis on the grid, making you do it yourself, which is just as bad as making it manually.