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Fonze

Preferred format for wad creation in DB2

What format do you prefer?  

24 members have voted

  1. 1. What format do you prefer?

    • Hexen
      3
    • UDMF
      16
    • Other
      8


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*Edit* thank you, mod, for moving this to its correct place :)
*Edit End*

This question is for people who still choose to use DB2 as their preferred method of creation, although gzDB is similar enough.

What format do you like to use?

I was always under the impression that zDoom in hexen format offered the widest array of customization options, however, I only did basic research way back when I compared it to UDMF and made the decision to go with hexen format. ZDoom seemed to offer me more flexibility compared to Boom and vanilla, though of course this makes maps incompatible with those ports.

So what formats do y'all like to use and why?

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I don't use Doom Builder 2 because it hasn't been worked on in years and GZDoom Builder has a multitude of convenient features not present in Doom Builder 2 that speed up the mapping process considerably. I also use UDMF because it is more flexible than Hexen Format.

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Just attempted to test out a map in Doombuilder 2, using UDMF. Something went wrong, and DB2 just crashed (didn't save the map). Luckily, I was still able to test out the map in game, despite the fact that it has now been lost forever. Now excuse me while I go break something now...

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UDMF because it's far easier to give sectors and linedefs multiple "fancy" properties by just defining them, as opposed to jumping through hoops to do it.

I also like it because its text-based nature makes it easier to write map processing tools.

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wadEd 1.83 so we all don't say the same thing.

Before Doom Builder 2 there was only Doom Builder 1, but I haven't attempted to make any Doom maps in a decade.

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Vanilla (Doom / Doom 2) is the easiest format, its features are limited but fun to work with, and they also seem "natural" in the game, as their exact behaviour is well known to me from IWADs and numerous classic PWADs I've played. So, it's my favorite map format. I prefer mapping in this format for limit-removing engines (read: PrBoom-plus -complevel 2), as vanilla engine's static limits can be annoying.

UDMF is the most flexible format that obsoleted Hexen format, so when I want to make a ZDoom-specific wad, I would only use UDMF. But I rarely try making ZDoom-specific wads.

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At the moment I use Hexen format, I didn't go with UDMF because I didn't expect to use too many features but went with Hexen because I still wanted some flexibility.

My first WADS are in Hexen, but when I start on a new one I will try out UDMF.

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Boom. Simple and allows you to make cool things, you just have to strive a bit.
Recently I started to look at Vanilla, and staying in its limits is an interesting challenge if you want to make complex maps.
When I started to map I used UDMF, but I don't like how it organizes the linedefs and sectors properties.

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Mostly vanilla for me nowdays: your limitations define you, I guess. :P There's a bit of Boom mapping in there though.

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I bounce back and forth between Vanilla/Limit-Removing and Boom. Haven't used a ZDoom format for at least a year.

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The format you should use depends largely on what you prefer in a map.

If you just want to make the simplest type of map forever, then you should stick to DOOM/2 format.

If, on the other hand, you foresee yourself making maps with intricate plots with scripting, 3D structures,
dynamic lights, etc., then you should use the (DOOM/2 in Hexen) format or the UDMF(ormat). Learning to
map for those may be a bit more involved from the start, but very rewarding in the end.

While there are those who preach to start out with the DOOM/2 format, you could take their advice, but
then be prepared to begin relearning to map later on if you decide that the DOOM/2 format is too limiting.

==========================

Final thoughts:

Depending on your end aim, consider that the majority of mappers on Doomworld have not gone beyond
the DOOM/2 format.

If you map for distributing your pwads to the largest crowd, then, again, stick with the DOOM/2 format.

If you map for the enjoyment of mapping, then I recommend to stick with DiH or UDMF.

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Nice, well stated everybody. It's cool to see how others approach the similar situation of mapping and to also hear why they do it that way. One of the best opportunities to learn about not only a subject, but about yourself as well, is to gather observations of others doing.

Kappes Buur said:

If you map for the enjoyment of mapping, then I recommend to stick with DiH or UDMF.


That's me in a nutshell right there. This is one of my hobbies, along with playing music and cooking. Best part about considering something a hobby: you put out what you like. So it's never work, as you enjoy it the entire time.

I'm starting to think about selling some of the food I make to earn some extra side money, but idk if I would want to take the plunge to fully start a business because I would wind up cooking stuff I hate, lol. But that's off-topic...

Anyway, keep the thoughts coming in. I like to hear them and I'm sure that other newer members to this site will as well.

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Fonze said:

I was always under the impression that zDoom in hexen format offered the widest array of customization options, however, I only did basic research way back when I compared it to UDMF and made the decision to go with hexen format.

Given that UDMF was created precisely because the Doom and Hexen format were running into hard limits on what you could do with them (such as running out of flag spaces, and not having an easy way of adding arbitrary new data fields requiring to instead go through scripts to set up properties), your research must have been really basic back then... :p

You want the widest array of customization options, you go for UDMF. Hexen isn't even second place in that contest, it's third place -- you can get more mileage out of the Doom format thanks to xlat. Just one example of thing you can do in UDMF, but absolutely not in Hexen format: using a parameter for a line/thing special that is negative, or greater than 255.

Look at this. Notice how there are holes in the "Bit" and "Hex" columns? But not in the UDMF name column? Noticed the next section's name? How about here or there to say nothing of this?

If what you're going for is having the widest array possible, you really should go to UDMF.

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Gez said:

Given that UDMF was created precisely because the Doom and Hexen format were running into hard limits on what you could do with them (such as running out of flag spaces, and not having an easy way of adding arbitrary new data fields requiring to instead go through scripts to set up properties), your research must have been really basic back then... :p

You want the widest array of customization options, you go for UDMF. Hexen isn't even second place in that contest, it's third place -- you can get more mileage out of the Doom format thanks to xlat. Just one example of thing you can do in UDMF, but absolutely not in Hexen format: using a parameter for a line/thing special that is negative, or greater than 255.

Look at this. Notice how there are holes in the "Bit" and "Hex" columns? But not in the UDMF name column? Noticed the next section's name? How about here or there to say nothing of this?

If what you're going for is having the widest array possible, you really should go to UDMF.



Yep, very basic, lol. That was about 5 years ago, after I finished my first map and was still brand new to mapping in Doom. After so much time, I don't remember why I decided to go with hexen over UDMF. I do faintly remember that UDMF was newer and certain things, like the 255 limitation, were made better, or fixed, in UDMF.

Maybe from my research at the time I got the impression that the difference in potential was minimal, while I noticed that UDMF had a steeper learning curve. Idk, 5 years ago I was still in college, so there's no telling what the Hell I was thinking back then, lol.

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