Help with P-wads/I-wads

[Doom007]

Okay. I'm working on a series of levels and I want to put them in one single wad. I'm using Edmap and there's an option to add P-wad to the list, but it overrides the map already in use. Like, I was working on level 2, level 1 is already done. So I wanted to add level 2 to the list. It won't let me because it bumps level 1 out of the list and only allows level 2 to be played. Is there a way to create your own I-wads?

[ReX]

I'm working on a series of levels and I want to put them in one single wad......Is there a way to create your own I-wads?
You probably meant to say PWAD. An IWAD is a complete WAD, which contains all the entries needed to run DooM or DooM2. Examples of IWADs are doom.wad and doom2.wad. Any user-created wad that does not contain every entry in one of the IWADs is called a PWAD.

To combine multiple maps into a single wad, use a utility such as Mergewad. Alternatively, you may use one of the many DooM editors that are capable of manipulating wad entries, such as XWE, DeepSea, and WinTex.

[psyren]

XWE does this easily. Open your wad and highlight the map name. Change the name of your map02 to "map02" and close.

Then open your map01 wad with XWE and select merge. Find your map02 wad and add it and you will have a wad with both map01 and map02.

[Doom007]

So when I merge the 2 PWADS does that mean that the MAP01, the first PWAD, is the IWAD? I want to create my own IWAD so doom.wad gets left alone, and I don't have to go back and restore the levels.

[Ninja_of_DooM]

OK. DOOM2.wad is an IWAD. DOOM.WAD is also an IWAD. ANy custyom wads made by mappers are PWADS. I hope that clears it up. You can not edit the IWADs in any way so that's ok. The editor needs the IWAD to get textures and such like from it. If you make and map on level 1, that changes map 1 in DOOM2.WAD. This happens when you use a custom wad on any port.

[ReX]

So when I merge the 2 PWADS does that mean that the MAP01, the first PWAD, is the IWAD? I want to create my own IWAD so doom.wad gets left alone, and I don't have to go back and restore the levels.
When you merge two or more maps into a single wad you still only get a PWAD.

As I mentioned before, to create your own IWAD you must replace every entry of doom.wad. This is a humongous undertaking for one person. Project FreeDooM (http://freedoom.sourceforge.net/) is creating an IWAD for DooM2, and an experienced team has been at it for at least a couple of years.

If all you're looking to do is create a wad with your own levels, you'll be creating a PWAD. You and other users can run your PWAD without modifying doom.wad, and so it seems pointless to strive for an IWAD just to play new levels.

When you refer to doom.wad being left alone and not having to go back and restore the levels, it sounds as if you might be thinking of using DEUSF to append sprites. DEUSF does not modify the original IWAD, so that no "restoration" is required. [But perhaps I've misunderstood what you meant.]

[Doom007]

When you refer to doom.wad being left alone and not having to go back and restore the levels, it sounds as if you might be thinking of using DEUSF to append sprites. DEUSF does not modify the original IWAD, so that no "restoration" is required. [But perhaps I've misunderstood what you meant.]

Yeah, I thought that when you merge maps together that it overrides the IWAD, which from what i've read it doesn't so it's cool. And I thought that a PWAD was only 1 map. I thought that if a WAD had 2 maps in it, then it was an IWAD, so I got confused there also. But I have made a PWAD that so far has 3 levels in it. And right now i'm working on level 4. I don't know if you've heard of the game The Stygian Abyss? It was a very very old game, back when DOS 6.0 was around, and the game at first was like 60 bucks. I never got to play it, but by looking at the graphics on the box all I remember is that there were alot of hallways, and the ceilings were really low. So that's basically what i've done here, tried to re-create that mood, or setting of how the Stygian Abyss was. But it's also with a bit of a storyline. I'm also writing like doc files for the maps also. But just briefly the story behind it all is 10 years later after UAC is destroyed, some monsters escaped and have re-created all this hell again in the Abyss. So maybe if anyone is interested you'd like to see it when it's completed?

[ReX]

...So maybe if anyone is interested you'd like to see it when it's completed?
A good way to promote your project is to take some screen shots and post them on a web site for people to look at. If you don't want to create your own web site, you can post your pictures at Wads In Progress (http://www.wadsinprogress.info/). Once you're done with your project, you can upload it to the 3DGamers idgames archives (ftp://archives.3dgamers.com/pub/idgames/incoming/).

Good luck.

[Mystic]

remember when you save your map02 to actually save it as map02 (not by name but by which level it is). by default most editors save pwads as map01 unless you tell them not to, so merging two of them will overwrite one with the other. To check if your map02 pwad really is level 2 just play it, the original doom level 1 should come up first, then, when you get to the exit your pwad should start.

[Doom007]

remember when you save your map02 to actually save it as map02 (not by name but by which level it is). by default most editors save pwads as map01 unless you tell them not to, so merging two of them will overwrite one with the other. To check if your map02 pwad really is level 2 just play it, the original doom level 1 should come up first, then, when you get to the exit your pwad should start.

Yea, I finally figured it all out. I was a little confused at first when you said to save it as map02, because I thought you meant save it as "map02" when it's actually E1M2. Anyway like I said I merged 3 working maps in one PWAD so far. Hopefully it won't take me too awful long to get this all done. Thanx for the help Mystic. :D

[Doom007]

A good way to promote your project is to take some screen shots and post them on a web site for people to look at. If you don't want to create your own web site, you can post your pictures at Wads In Progress. Once you're done with your project, you can upload it to the 3DGamers idgames archives.

Thanx for the info on that Rex. I went there tuesday night and am now going to install Doom Builder. I'm going to try it out and see how it is. Thanx again.