It's 1996, and all is well on the Earth. (Unless, of course, you live in the Northeastern U.S., and don't own a snow shovel.)
Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that we're all on Mars, kicking some demon butt in Ultimate Doom.
Yes, that's right, Ultimate Doom for Mac finally made it out in December, just in time for a pre-holiday release. I had to cancel my order with Cyberian Outpost after I picked up the game at a Computer City a week after the program was to have shipped from Connecticut. (The delay was blamed on the move the company was making to a new headquarters.) At any rate, I received the program too late to write up in MDR#3 -- but not too late to frag through the Shores of Hell and Inferno over the long Christmas weekend. (I'm still savoring Thy Flesh Consumed.)
The other good news -- for me at least -- is that MacDoom is compatible with Mac PowerBooks.
Yes, it's true: I got a PowerBook 190cs for Christmas. I'll warn you now that Doom on a PowerBook with a dual-scan passive matrix color screen isn't for everyone. The experience is, in fact, quite like that scene in Pink Floyd: The Wall where Pink experiences the effects of a few recreational drugs in the back seat of his limo and in the halls behind a concert arena. The PowerBook screen's refresh rate lags quite a bit behind the action, lending a blur that often obscures enemies and their attacks from view until it's too late. I recommend the lowest skill level setting, and avoid dark places. (In fact, the cheat code for night vision is a godsend.)
For those who want to know whether to buy Ultimate Doom or Doom II, I'd recommend getting Doom II -- if you can afford to buy only one. There are more and better monsters, intense and puzzling levels, and a large base of add-on WADs (especially in the Mac community). Ultimate Doom is for hard-core Doomers who want to prolong the excitement of the game and enjoy the thousands of Doom I-compatible WAD levels that are out there.
That said, Thy Flesh Consumed (aka Thy Cash Consumed) has the coolest sky I've ever seen, the levels (especially E4M3) are bitchin', and what they did to that bunny is a moral outrage.
But it was pretty cool, wasn't it?
 
A WAD editor is born!
The best news to grace my e-mail so far this year is the message from Jason Carter that informed me that a WAD editor for the Mac, called MacDEU, exists. In fact, it's included with this issue of MDR!
The dark side to this silver-lined cloud is that there is no direct way to save new or edited PWADs into files that are compatible with MacDoom. But there is a workaround.
For more on MacDEU, read this month's News From the WAD Editors Front. Or read on for some tips and pointers on getting started with WAD editing.
 
Building your first WAD
Don't let a few minor bugs stop you from getting your toes wet now in the soon to be butt-kicking industry of MacDoom WAD design. We Mac users can make WADs that will make those jaded PC users' eyes pop out, and we know it! So let's get to work.
The first thing you need to do to use MacDEU is find the file called "deu.ini" and drag it onto SimpleText. This will open the file so that you can edit it. On DOS machines, INI files are a bit like preference files -- only you must often edit them manually, rather than with a nice, clean Preferences dialog box.
In this case, you only want to change one line. Look for this:
main = Power Mac 8500:Games:DOOM II:doom2.wad
Edit it so that it follows the path from your Hard Drive to your DOOM2.WAD file. Spacing and capitalization matters, so be exact -- and make sure there aren't any leading or trailing spaces in your DOOM II folder name. (You can substitute the path to your DOOM.WAD if you own Ultimate Doom.)
Mine looks like:
main = Artie:DOOM II:DOOM2.WAD
(Artie is the name of the volume on my hard drive that contains the DOOM II folder, which in turn contains the DOOM2.WAD file.)
Save the INI file and then double-click the DEU application icon. You'll find yourself at an ugly DOS-style command line in a small window. You won't be here long, so don't freak out. Type "?" to get a list of commands. Type "e Map01" to edit the first level of Doom II. (For Ultimate Doom, type "e E1M1" to edit the first map of the first episode.)
You'll be put into graphics mode so you can see and edit the map.
WARNING: Do not try to change applications or hide the DEU application while you're in graphics mode! Also, do not use the Quit command in the Mac File menu. To exit graphics mode, use the Quit command in the tiny grey Menu Bar along the top of the map, or press Esc. To exit DEU entirely, type "quit" at the command line. If you do get stuck, you may have to force-quit DEU by using Command-Option-Esc.
You won't be able to scroll the map with the cursor like the program claims; this feature isn't implemented on the Mac port yet. Try using the zoom feature (+/- keys) instead -- just don't zoom in all the way.
Also, you'll have to use modifier keys to simulate right (Command) and center (Command and Option) mouse button clicks that exist on PC mice, but not Macs. Try it by clicking on a dot on the map (you'll see what the item is in the lower left hand corner) and then Command-Option clicking it to open up a dialog box that lets you turn an Imp into a Soul Sphere, or vice versa. You also can change the orientation of an item and decide at which skill levels it appears. (If you're editing a Doom I level, some items will be X'd out. They indicate monsters and items that are usable only in Doom II.)
Don't worry so much about creating the king of WADs. Just take some time to play with the interface and learn how maps are built and edited. Remember that DEU isn't a tool for editing and patching graphics, sprites, sounds, etc. As described in MDR#2, it's a map building tool pure and simple. Play with editing the first map and peeking at the design of some of your favorite levels.
The following advice comes from Alexander Stein <ToutSuite@aol.com>, who was good enough to heavily test the beta version of MacDEU:
If you just want to change some of the weapons, monsters, and items lying around in the map, you can do it. (Don't worry about overwriting the main WAD; you'll be creating a PWAD, or Patch WAD.) Try putting a CyberDemon in or near the first room, just for kicks! Just don't touch the room boundaries, or try to create a new room. This would require node rebuilding, which seems to be broken in this release of MacDEU.
When you're done playing around, save or export the changes into a new PWAD, rename the WAD file in ALL CAPS, auto-type it (this step's optional) and then load it in MacDoom.
If all is well, you'll be able to see your changes immediately. Keep the PWAD in the same folder as MacDEU and add its name (no path necessary) below the entry for the main WAD (don't change that info).
Using MacBSP
If you want to build a new level from scratch, or add rooms or modify boundaries in an existing level, you can build it in the MacDEU beta. Just don't use the built-in node building feature. It will appear to work fine, but the WAD will bomb MacDoom on launch. Instead, use the Power Mac-only MacBSP node building tool by Thomas Hart <tomh@netzone.com>, also included with this issue of MDR. Then make sure the filename is ALL CAPS, auto-type it, and give it a whirl.
Remember, these tools are the first ports of PC programs. They're primitive and may be plagued by a variety of bugs. Don't worry, they'll get better. The important thing is that they exist, and they work!
Before long, we'll have all the WAD tools we need -- and you'll be ready for the next level... so to speak.
