GBA Doom: The Lost Levels [W.I.P.] [Beta test help needed]

[Dexiaz]

Hi guys, remember me? Yes, that crazy dude who contributed to PSX Doom: The Lost Levels and did "DooD" mod. I'm also working with PSX Doom: NRFTL project, but I want to show you something new...

As you can see, I'm working with Gameboy Advance Doom 1. Here some screenshots:

Spoiler

It's the E3M1 (PC version of Hell Keep) and E3M2 (Slough of Despair).
It's not imitation (TC for sourceports), it's actual GBA Doom game hacked.
I want to thank everyone who helped me: Kaiser for most tools and tutorial; kgsws-CZ for gbadoom.exe tool; Kloki38 for tutorial-help and gbadoom.exe reupload link; and Nuxius for PSX Doom Limitations info (very helpful for GBA editing).

Video of E3M1:

[Shadow Hog]

What happened to the sky? It looks like it's been subjected to the old Venetian blinds crash.

[Dexiaz]

Shadow Hog said:

What happened to the sky? It looks like it's been subjected to the old Venetian blinds crash.

You're right. I've tried to do new sky, but it's kinda broken.

UPD: I don't know why new textures are broken, it shows normally in editor. Any ideas?

Also, I was thinking about music replacement but it seems to be impossible to edit original music. I'm right?

I would be grateful for answers.

UPD: New map - E1M10:

Spoiler

[RyoAsuka]

Is this like a .UPS patch for Doom GBA that you're working on?

[Dexiaz]

Weeeeeeell...I don't know what means "UPS". I see that it's kinda an extension (file type), but I don't have skills to do patches or something. I can only hack it. Of course, in future, I'll need to do patch somehow (I can't upload full rom by some reasons, you know).

[VGA]

DeXiaZ said:

Weeeeeeell...I don't know what means "UPS". I see that it's kinda an extension (file type), but I don't have skills to do patches or something. I can only hack it. Of course, in future, I'll need to do patch somehow (I can't upload full rom by some reasons, you know).

http://fusoya.eludevisibility.org/lips/
When your hacked rom is ready and working use this utility to create a patch that modifies the original rom to the hacked rom. Then distribute the ips file it creates.

Then users needs to have the same unmodified rom you had and they patch it with the ips file you gave them. Or the emulator patches it on-the-fly leaving the original rom untouched on the disk.

But with these bigger maps, won't the GBA game lag or run out of memory?

[Dexiaz]

VGA said:

http://fusoya.eludevisibility.org/lips/
When your hacked rom is ready and working use this utility to create a patch that modifies the original rom to the hacked rom. Then distribute the ips file it creates.

Then users needs to have the same unmodified rom you had and they patch it with the ips file you gave them. Or the emulator patches it on-the-fly leaving the original rom untouched on the disk.

But with these bigger maps, won't the GBA game lag or run out of memory?

Awesome, thank you for posting this.

About bigger maps - they aren't so big than originals. I remember rules of PSX Doom mapping and I'm doing everything to make no-problem running game. By the way, I want to say - game won't run if you did really big map or it have some errors. For example, map won't run if I forgot to delete Cyberdemon.

[RyoAsuka]

VGA said:

But with these bigger maps, won't the GBA game lag or run out of memory?

Won't an emulator fix that?

[VGA]

Jellyman1303 said:

Won't an emulator fix that?

If the emulator is faithful, it will lag like the real console. Unless it has an "overclocking" feature to make games run better and load faster.

[Dexiaz]

VGA is right about one thing...I want to run this mappack also in actual GBA Console.

I never had a real GBA, in my lifetime I've played only 2 GBA games (via emulator) - Resident Evil Gaiden and Duke Nukem (Classic).

So, I can't test Doom on real GBA; I can test only with emulator.

Yesterday I also finished E3M9 (Warrens). Next stage: Tech Gone Bad or John Romero's E1M8b

[Dexiaz]

UPDATE! Map04:

UPD2:
Tower of Babel aka E2M8 и Hell Beneath aka E4M1:

Spoiler

[zinkai]

Damn I miss my gba doom. Love that green blood

[Reisal]

zinkai said:

Damn I miss my gba doom. Love that green blood

I found the green blood to be atrocious on enemies that are supposed to bleed red or blue. Only the baron enemies should bleed green.

[Breeder]

First off, I want to say that this is awesome! I was shocked to see the GBA play DOOM as well as it did, and I'm even more shocked to see someone hacking it in this manner. Very cool!


Secondly, I have a link to something that this comment brought to mind... a Red Blood Patch!

zinkai said:

Damn I miss my gba doom. Love that green blood

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/474/


Also, for those intersted, there are two patches for the 32X port of DOOM as well.

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/618/

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/619/

[Megamur]

The GBA Doom was terrible. My least-favorite Doom port of all time. This hack is still pretty cool, though. Makes me wish all the maps would be redone so they'd be more authentic to the PC originals instead of just recycling the crappy JagDoom mapset.

[Dexiaz]

Thanks for comments, guys! Glad that people still care about such things.

Now I want to present new screenshots of new ported levels:
Perfect Hatred aka E4M2, Dis aka E3M8, Fear aka E4M9, Sever the Wicked aka E4M3 и Unruly Evil aka E4M4.

Spoiler

Level "Fear" is no more secret, because GBA Doom can use only ONE level as Secret. So, I've decided to add E3M9 (Warrens) to Secret set, because it's really similar to E3M1 (first map in GBA The Lost Levels).

[Dexiaz]

New update. All The Ultimate Doom levels are finished:

So, there are 15 levels (16, including secret level #24). I think to add Playstation Doom "episode 5" levels, but it's only 5 levels. I can divide final level (Threshold of Pain) into 2 levels, but anyway there are few levels without changes. My thoughts are going to Doom 2 levels...but it seems illogical due to already existing Doom 2 GBA release.

Anyway, screenshots:

Spoiler

[Quagsire]

In other words, it might be possible to create custom maps for GBA Doom?
Damn, I gotta experiment!

[Dexiaz]

Yes, it's possible to do. Kloki already did his "Operation Portalus" for GBA and Sega 32x versions.

I did another 2 maps - Twilight Descends and The Marshes. As I said earlier there is only 1 secret level in GBA Doom and I installed Warrens (E3M9) as secret level, so The Marshes was turned into regular map without Cyberdemon boss. The Marshes screenshots:

Spoiler

[Quagsire]

That's amazing!

[Dexiaz]

Thank you again!

A small teaser:


I never wanted to use Doom 2 maps for this project but there are free level-slots and I can't make just "press switch in 64x64 room" for final levels.

UPD: Well, this project is mostly (97-98%) finished. And I need help of beta testers. Could anyone help me with that?

[Dexiaz]

This mod is released: https://www.doomworld.com/vb/wads-mods/87615-gba-doom-the-lost-levels-release/