ZDoom

Typist.pk3 is a mod for Doom engine games that turns them into typing exercises.


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Source code
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There are several lessons, including user-defined lessons.
How to play

There are two game modes: Combat and Exploration. They are switched automatically.

Exploration Mode

Your familiar mode. You can walk, open doors, turn switches, etc.

Combat Mode

This mode is for fighting enemies. Instead of aiming and shooting, you type answers for your targets. When the answer is ready, press Space or Enter, or hold for continuous fire.

• press Ctrl+Backspace to erase the whole answer.
• press Escape to force Exploration mode. After this, you can return to automatic mode switching with Unlock Game Mode key assigned in Typist options.

Because you cannot move normally in Combat mode, the following commands are available:

• `dl` - dash to the left,
• `dr` - dash to the right,
• `df` - dash forward,
• `db` - dash backward.
• `rl` - reload weapon (if it has reloading).

Commands are configurable.

How To Set Up Custom Text Lesson

1. Find any text or book in ASCII .txt file (UTF-8 may also work).
2. Rename text file to `typist_custom_text.txt`.
3. Load `typist_custom_text.txt` with GZDoom alongside Typist.pk3.
4. Select Custom Text in Typist options menu.

Incompatible mods

• Guncaster. Reason: Guncaster reads player input directly from player, so weapon firing cannot be emulated like for other mods. Guncaster support cannot be added without modifications in Guncaster or GZDoom.
• Guncaster Vindicated. Reason: the same as Guncaster.

Addons

• Keyboard gun sprites by ZikShadow

Credits

• libeye (Level and screen projections): KeksDose
• Clematis (ZScript unit test framework for GZDoom): ZippeyKeys12 (Zain Aamer)
• miniwad.wad: fraggle
• 1000 basic English words
• Frequency dictionary of the modern Russian language

Thanks

• LGR for Sega's Typing of the Dead: A Zombie-Slaying Education video
• Marrub for ZScript documentation
• Accensus for inviting me into Discord server and for bug reports
• Accensus, Tapwave, and IKA for patience in testing and development of certain under-the-hood tech, which is also used in War Trophies
• kadu522 for support
• dard22 for bug reports
• Jarewill for bug reports

This is actually pretty nice.
Thankfully the pistol deals a lot of damage, otherwise it would be painful.
And the imp fireballs also move slowly, allowing the player to avoid them while battling the awkward gameplay.
Though, was the player supposed to have Buddha turned on? (the single non removable hit point?)
And the plasma rifle fires slowly, one ball at a time.

Buddha - yes, it's intentional. Otherwise, the player would be overwhelmed by unusually high number of deaths. The point of Typist is typing, not survival
Plasma - not intentional. Will be fixed in future versions. Thanks for noticing this!

"They a words, letters without mercy. But you, you are a worse. Rip and type, until it is done"

But seriously, I might play with this in all mods and maps since my typing skill is very bad. And here some questions:

1.Why no one can kill me? Health just drops to 1.

2.Any plans for others languages support?

3.Would be nice to change the enemy's reaction for more time to type against hitscaners.

This is pretty cool! Reminds me a lot of The Typing of the Dead.

"THE TYPANG. OF... DA BED!"

No seriously I've been waiting for a TOTD style game for too long after Overkill became unreliable. This is fcking awesome!!

dard22 wrote:1.Why no one can kill me? Health just drops to 1.
2.Any plans for others languages support?
3.Would be nice to change the enemy's reaction for more time to type against hitscaners.

1. That's intentional so the players won't flip over for dying on every corner
2. Yep.
3. I'll see what I can do, but no promises.

GamingMarine wrote:This is pretty cool! Reminds me a lot of The Typing of the Dead.

Bingo! This is the direct inspiration: https://youtu.be/iamxvTe9Z5g

UnbornDecay25 wrote:

Thanks!

So I just played through a good deal, and I do have to agree, the thing that made Typing of The Dead awesome was it was a horror game... kinda. So not being able to die, is kinda lackluster. The option at least would be nice. Perhaps you could implement a system that enemies cannot damage you if you cant see them I.E. they are not in your view.

But I have my eye on this

Noted, the ability to die will be added in the next update.

A possible alternative, a score kind of deal with the health. Something like 100HP having the highest multiplier everytime you kill something and 1 having the least, encouraging players to do their best if they want the highest numbers but not getting them frustrated due to not being able to do complex dodges and stuff. Though I guess you have to get a score implementation done in the first place to possibly do any of that. Just throwing ideas for now, I suppose.

Tried with Doomreal and some of the weapons don't shoot. Guess that same deal like in Guncaster.

ZikShadow wrote:A possible alternative, a score kind of deal with the health. Something like 100HP having the highest multiplier everytime you kill something and 1 having the least, encouraging players to do their best if they want the highest numbers but not getting them frustrated due to not being able to do complex dodges and stuff. Though I guess you have to get a score implementation done in the first place to possibly do any of that. Just throwing ideas for now, I suppose.

It could use a combo with ranking system like in DemonSteel or in Typing of the Dead, since mod inspired by it.

My suggestion for helping the player manage health along with their typing would be to apply timefreeze in combat mode, with the length of the freeze based on the number of monsters and some optional difficulty modifier. Or perhaps slow-mo, of which the speed could be varied by difficulty.

I run GZDoom version 4.1.3 but it says that only version 3.7.2 is supported. Do I really have to downgrade to that version to play this?