Favourite editor features? What do you need/like/dislike?

[Maes]

The very few times I bothered make a map either for personal use or public consumption, I use the recent DoomBuilder (automatic sector generation makes it a lot easier than most of the other existing editors) but sometimes I lack some features like DEU's automatic stair generator, or the ability to manually create and insert new sectors without relying on the "approval" of an automatic sector generator. A support for a "DEU mode" (mostly manual) would be a great addition to help you fix some screwups like dragged & dropped linedefs, sectors that appear closed but aren't etc. etc.

Something else...I'd like an editor that integrates WAD/lump management with level editing. Very few editors ever did that, and one must still keep a lot of separate utilities, some dating back to Win 3.1 or DOS.

[esselfortium]

I use SLADE 2.0 primarily. Before that I used Hellmaker. Both of these editors have a fabulous (nay, wonderous!) feature called "make sector". You can, with one or two clicks, turn any enclosed space into a new sector. No tracing lines, no messing with sector references. The lack of a make sector feature is the main reason I could never get comfortable working with Doom Builder.

[kristus]

I really still prefer DETH.

[Dr. Zin]

My largest requirement for an editor is stability. Nothing sucks more than losing a bunch of work because the program bugged out as you were saving.

And even though some people will crucify me for this, I like having a 3D editing mode. It helps you get a visual on what you are working on without having to launch the engine and no-clip to the location you are currently constructing. The ability of adjust the heights of sectors and align textures visually just makes it easier to get a map to "look right."

My favorite editor is Doombuilder, because it is both stable for me and has the 3D mode. It does not have alot of the extraneous tools that other editors have. While that means some advanced stuff like messing with sector referencing and the like is unavailable (of course I don't know how to do things like that anyway), the result is a much more low-drag interface, which makes editing quicker (for me).

I also don't care for stuff like stair generators and the like. When I have used them in other editors it seems to take more time to set the generator up right than to just draw the sectors.

Of course this ease of editing does have a downside, as all of those maps with 4000 sectors of detail and gameplay that will put you asleep will attest to.

[Vegeta]

kristus said:

I really still prefer DETH.

[Dutch Doomer]

Doombuilder is my favorite I would like to see some tool to join identical sectors with just one click.Now you have to select every sector manually and join them its an time consuming process and therefor I usually don't bother to do it.It might be useful to decrease filesize on very big maps.

[Graf Zahl]

dutch devil said:

Doombuilder is my favorite I would like to see some tool to join identical sectors with just one click.Now you have to select every sector manually and join them its an time consuming process and therefor I usually don't bother to do it.It might be useful to decrease filesize on very big maps.

It also might help you destroy a map if you are not very careful. Don't forget that sound that can be heard in a sector will be heard in the entire sector and travel to the neighboring sectors from there so it can easily happen that any sound blocking linedefs will be rendered ineffective.

Yes, it might make the file a little shorter but that's really all you get. It's just not worth it.

[Dr. Zin]

I think having a sector spread across the map can also cause other nasty bugs too, some engine related.

[myk]

It can be useful, or else the 10 sectors and 2 sectors wads would not have been possible.

Graf Zahl said:
Yes, it might make the file a little shorter but that's really all you get.

You also get the ability to alter properties in the one sector easily (as opposed to having to change each sector that has the same properties individually... where you might even forget or miss one).

[Graf Zahl]

Indeed. At least in Doom2.exe and some more 'classic' source ports moving sectors will affect all things inside a sector's bounding box. There will also be problems with sounds being made by such a sector.

However, this is only a concern if you want to make vanilla compatible maps. The problem has been addressed in Boom and nearly all other source ports have adopted Boom's method.

But on the other hand you will rarely merge sectors that might move.

There is one other thing though that might prohibit such a feature: What about moving sectors without a tag - like regular doors, Boom's generalized linedefs and stuff like that.

I think it's better not to bother with sector merging at all.

[Dutch Doomer]

I meant joining not merging I know merging can screw up the map but joining identical sectors will not mess it up?

[myk]

I was thinking that if it can be determined that some features could be useful in some cases but otherwise risky without good technical knowledge, they could be grouped as advanced features that are enbaled with a message that informs the user that they may cause problems if not used correctly, and that the user should get informed on how to use them before it's too late and he messes up his work.

[Craigs]

i mayk
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wit silge

Actually, I just use Doom Builder because it's so easy to use and pretty basic.

[SulfurOccult]

i like Doombuilder for its intuitive line-based editing and the 3d mode makes aligning textures manually over complex structures very easy. also, Doombuilder has a very functional and streamlined interface, which contributes to the overall ease of use.

[Amaster]

I prefer wadauthor, mostly because that's what I started with. Im currently using doombuilder for it Eternity config though.

Overall it's not too different and DB is certainly superior. However there's two or three functions I miss from WA: non-filtered selection (rather than switching between lines, things, etc), and inserting vertices rapidly by highlighting any number of lines and hitting X.

[EarthQuake]

I bought Deepsea. I like having 27 ways of merging two sectors.

[jobro]

I used DCK back in 1998, and IDE back in 1996. The latter was really buggy and unpredictable. But it was good for learning the limitations of the Doom engine. Nowdays I'm using DoomBuilder and Xwe. I'm planning to register DeePsea to get hold of it's sector macros. I also prefere to be able to view a map in 3d before actualy playing it. So I can get stuff looking good. Ofcourse if I want a level to look 1994 then I'd give a sh*t in the 3d mode. Also one thing I really miss in DB is what made DCK so outstanding to work with: Themes! Say you've made a pool filled with nukage, just select the sector and select your nukage theme, all 5 textures, light level, floor height, ceiling height and sector damage replaced in no time.

[Maes]

Yeah, it's really a pity that every Doom editor so far has gone its own way apparently ignoring all others. Also, is there some less Win 3.1-esque alternative to WinTex? At least long filename support would be nice...

[kristus]

Ýeah there are, they're little known tools called DEEPSEA and XWE. And lately Zdoom also support zip files.

[jobro]

XWE is a really good tool, simple and really useful!

[kristus]

What I like about it is that it's much more powerful and faster to work with than Wintex.