Storing Wads

[Purp]

Sorry to ask such a stupid question, but how does everyone store their PWADs and other patches? I've been using the following directory system:

C:
.|
.--- DOOM *
.......|
.......--- MAPS
.......|.....|
.......|.....--- DOOM
.......|.....--- DOOM2
.......|.....--- LEGACY
.......|.....--- ZDOOM
.......|
.......--- PATCHES (DEH and BEX files)
.......|......|
.......|......--- DOOM2
.......|
.......--- WEAPONS
..............|
..............--- DOOM2
..............--- ZDOOM
* I keep all my IWADs and source ports here, with subdirectories for the original Doom and Doom II executables and files (including second copies of their IWADs).

I've just decided to put maps, weapons and DEH/BEX patches together in PATCHES, but still in sub-directories for the games (Doom 2, ZDoom, etc.), but do you suggest putting all patches in one folder, regardless of the game they are for, or should I leave them as they are? How does everyone else store them?

[Shaviro]

It's all in the zdoom dir.

[pilottobombadier]

Nope. I just plunk it all down in my Doom dir, IWADs and all. I did, however, separate my PWADs because I need two directories with DDF files in them.

[Epyo]

its all in one directory except for stuff i make

[Spike]

I keep my iwads and megawad project in one folder, and the other wads i've downloaded in another.

[Ichor]

I store all mine in the main directory as well, but when it gets too large, I go through it and either put old wadfiles I don't play anymore in a backup folder or simply delete them.

[kristus]

it's all just slapped into C:\spel\doom2 and C:\spel\doom

[Purp]

So am I right in thinking most people just shove them all in one directory, not caring whether they are for Ult Doom, Doom 2, Final Doom, etc.?

[Ichor]

Well, I put all my wadfiles for Doom in the main Doom directory, all the Doom 2 wadfiles in the main Doom 2 directory, all the Hexen wadfiles in the main Hexen directory, etc. They don't all go into one enormous directory, regardless of what game it's for. That would be confusing and a bit silly.

[sirjuddington]

Since I only use ZDoom I have all downloaded pwads in the /pwads folder (the paths are set in zdoom.ini to make things easier, heh), and the rest all in one big great 'Doom' folder (including Heretic and Hexen)

[Purp]

Good, if I'm not the only one then I'm not that stupid afterall, heh. Actually, I've just decided I'm not gonna have a separate folder for wads at all - they're all going in c:\doom, even if they're for Heretic.

[mmnpsrsoskl]

C:\Files\Games\UltDooM
C:\Files\Games\DooM2
C:\Files\Games\DooM2TNT
C:\Files\Games\DooMPLu
C:\Files\Games\Heretic
C:\Files\Games\DooMBetas
C:\Files\Games\Doomsday

Each folder has the latest copy of every engine. The DooMBetas folder contains all the beta ports, each with their own subfolder. And I have the Doomsday engine in it's own folder, don't know why though :P

C:\Files\TempWADs

This is where I extract all my PWADs until I put them in the desired Doom folder.

[Erik]

all in: c:\zdoom

I am not at my comp atm, but it's like 3500 files, 1.3 gigabyte

[Purp]

Right, thanks everyone. I've got it sorted out now - all wads in C:\DooM, with the program files for all the source ports. I've still got the original executables along with second copies of the IWADS in subfolders - C:\DooM\1, C:\DooM\2, C:\DooM\Heretic (!), etc.

[cph]

"Storing" WADs isn't the interesting part - before/after I play a WAD I keep only the original ZIP, which I just dump in an out-of-the-way storage directory (certainly not cluttering up my Doom dir).

Megawads, and other wads that I'm currently playing, each get extracted to their own subdirectory of my /doom/wads/ dir - that lets me use "-save ." on the command line and keep separate savegames and screenshots without using a front end, and avoids problems with overlapping files.

I don't tend to use resource wads or dehacked patches unless they're included with a map I'm playing, so I don't have a place for them.

[Naked Snake]

If all the ports had the select an IWAD like ZDooM did and had Hexen support I'd just stuff all my IWADS and wads into one directory.

[stphrz]

I store all my pwads in an airtight container.

[Purp]

stphrz said:

I store all my pwads in an airtight container.

I use a blowtorch to make crème brûlée

Heh, are you insane?

[pritch]

all in the doom and doom2 dir respectively, though I decided to slightly copy the /idgames layout and i have subdirs for deathmatch, porno, and a few other things in my doom dirs.

[Purp]

Yeah, I forgot to say I did have c:\doom\maps\doom2\dm before. I've just changed my system again. I've now got what a lot of people have, instead of having all the source ports in one dir and then the original doom and doom 2 executables and stuff in subdirs, now I have separate subdirectories for ZDoom and Doom Legacy, and the WADs, DEHes and BEXes are now in the folder of the games they are for, so:

C:
..DooM
....Doom - Ultimate Doom and all the ult doom wads
....Doom2 - Doom 2 and all the doom 2 wads
....Doom Connector
....DoomServ
....Facility
....Heretic - Heretic and all the Heretic wads (actually, i only have the IWAD)
....Legacy - Doom Legacy and all its wads (only nimrod.wad and the IWADs)
....ZDoom - ZDoom and all the ZDoom wads (along with the IWADs)

Anyway, this has been a very interesting thread, I'm sure you're all amazed by the way I set out my hard disk, heh.
Thanks for your help everyone :)

[WildWeasel`]

Here's the layout of my doom dir:

DOOM\
--BOOM\ <My PRBoom source port. I use it for WolfenDoom.>
--DOOMSDAY\ <I use this for just plain ol' Doom.>
--ETERNITY\ <I use this for older DEH mods, like GunX.>
--EDGE\ <Mod Central. I make all my mods here!>
--LEGACY\ <For multiplayer co-op, and the rare map that requires Legacy.>
--ZDOOM\ <For single-player, newer DEH mods, botmatches, and Dark7.>

After all the source port DIR's, there are the EXE's of all the original games (Doom, Doom2, Heretic, and Hexen) plus the IWADs (including Ultimate Doom and Deathkings of the Dark Citadel) and a copy of GLBSPX.

I do the same thing with my Quake stuff too.

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Here's how I have it:

c:\doom (iwads, pwads, ports)
\007ltsd (my new episode)
\cajun (cajun bots)
\exe-edit (exe editors Dehacked and Dtedit)
\newstuff (stuff I haven't played yet)
\wintex (cool off-level editor)
\wauthor (cool level editor)

c:\doom2 (iwads, pwads, ports)
\cajun (cajun bots)
\fragport (my megawad)
\newstuff (stuff I haven't played yet)
\op-lite2 (my first project - 11 levels)

c:\heretic (iwad, pwads, zdoom)
\exe-edit (herehacked)
\shadow (my heretic episode)

c:\hexen (iwad, pwads)
c:\plutonia (don't ask me why, that's how I installed it)
c:\tnt (ditto)

It can help to put the editors in subfolders, as they can have all sorts of files in them. It's generally a good idea to try and keep only iwad (iwads if you edit for Zdoom), pwads and ports in the main folder (as you use them to play). Graphics, sound and music wads also in with the levels.

[Captain Red]

Heh. I have a ZdoomGL directroy with a wad folder in it. keep things a hell of a lot neater. if I whant to run a wad it's just a matter of typing

Zdoomgl -Iwad doom2.wad -File wads\av.wad -bex wads\av.bex -nomd2

or even better, I use the zdoom launch program.

(the av.bex is just a strings file I cooked up so I know what the map title is when I check tha automap.)

[Purp]

What's the BEX editing program called and where can I get it? Also, is there an official site for dehacked?