DETH to be ported for Eternity

[Quasar]

I'm working on porting DETH to use SDL so that it can become a multiplatform editor. "DethEE" will add native support for Eternity Engine editing features, including integrated ExtraData support.

[andrewj]

Are you sure SDL is the best choice? An editor is a UI-heavy application, and I think using a real GUI toolkit would make more sense than the "roll-your-own-widgets" when using SDL.

Anyway, I welcome another cross-platform editor and may use it myself on Linux. Good luck with it.

[DaniJ]

I've got to agree with Ajapted. How about wxWidgets?

[Quasar]

DETH implements its UI entirely as BGI library calls (lines, boxes, and fonts). This means that to redefine it in terms of a GUI library would actually be significantly more work than simply implementing the BGI calls on top of SDL.

The program is extremely unstructured. It's purely straight-down 1000 line functions that implement all the UI functionality in a hard-coded manner with switch statements and if/else chains. I would never write a program like this myself, but it works. It is one of the most stable Doom editors and allows total control over the editing process at all steps.

It will provide a good launching platform for an editor that can natively support Eternity's features.

[DaniJ]

Given that you plan to use it as a base for a new project, I can't help thinking it might be wise to switch to an object based GUI library now, while you are at it.

Surely, DETH doesn't construct controls like buttons, combo-boxes etc in-place each time they are required? There must be at least some level of abstraction (e.g. DrawButton(x, y, "Button name", func)).

[Quasar]

I don't think that's the best approach, attempting to both port something and make a large-scale change to its program logic at the same time. Besides that, reliable portable GUI libraries that do not take a year just to get them to compile are rare. I've been told that the last attempt to port DETH and make it use wxWidgets went absolutely nowhere, as more time was spent just making the library work than making substitutes for the DOS- and BGI-specific code in DETH.

I say just accept that DETH uses low level graphics and work with it instead of against it. Sorry if you disagree but I will not be swayed on this.

[CODOR]

I would have been surprised if no one had implemented BGI on SDL already...

[Quasar]

Neat; might be helpful.

[kristus]

Cool. Sometimes my ego tells me that you're trying to get me back to make Eternity maps. :p

[Udderdude]

Will it still be able to create doom2.exe compatible maps?

[esselfortium]

kristus said:

Cool. Sometimes my ego tells me that you're trying to get me back to make Eternity maps. :p

kristus, come back and make Eternity maps. :(

[myk]

udderdude said:
Will it still be able to create doom2.exe compatible maps?

DETH added Boom support over DEU, still allowing plain levels to be made, especially by giving you an option to use only standard stuff. I don't see why Quasar wouldn't follow such an approach himself, allowing the user to stick to Doom, Boom or full Eternity features.

[LexiMax]

Neat. This might entice me to come back and try my hand at some eternity maps.

Maybe.

[VinceDSS]

I love deth... I cant wait to see a windows/linux port.

Right now I have to run it on an older win98 comp. I had very unsuccessful and frustrating attempts with doombuilder ... so I had to go back to deth, It's just more logic, intuitive and well thought...
(I still use DB to align special textures in 3D mode)

[VinceDSS]

sorry for dounble post, but this is so dead it needs a boost.

what happened to this project ? I hope quasar didnt give up.