DEHACKED

[skib]

What does dehacked do and how do I use it?
Also, where do I download it?

[Remmirath]

DEHACKED is a tool that allows you to modify the original doom executable, by modifying some properties.

Today, source ports integrate the ability to parse .DEH patches automatically, so you can just load the patch with ZDoom and it should work fine.
To edit .DEH patches, i personally suggest you to use WhackED2. You can find a link on /idgames over at Doomworld.

[Enjay]

You may find this useful.

http://www.zen64060.zen.co.uk/dehacked/index.html

It was written for the old DOS Dehacked program. WhackEd is possibly better for newer systems. DECORATE is better and much more powerful if you are doing stuff exclusively for Zdoom engines.

[Sodaholic]

Yeah, if working on a ZDoom project, don't get in the habit of using DeHacked unless you need to. IIRC, there's a few things that dehacked can do that no other lump at the moment can do. Can't remember what, but point is, use decorate and the language lump instead of dehacked whenever possible.

[Graf Zahl]

Sigh...

Yet another 'Skib is too lazy to do basic research' thread...

[plausiblesarge]

basically this.

From what I have experienced, DEHACKED and BEX are so outdated that there really is no point using them anymore. There was a purpose in the good old days, when they were the only real way to modify weapons or strings, but nowadays that has all been superceded by far more reliable and robust methods.

[JustinC]

Yeah, if working on a ZDoom project, don't get in the habit of using DeHacked unless you need to. IIRC, there's a few things that dehacked can do that no other lump at the moment can do. Can't remember what, but point is, use decorate and the language lump instead of dehacked whenever possible.

You can jump into other thing's states with dehacked, for whatever purpose one would use his for. Say you have Actor 1 and Actor 2, instead of ending on actor 1, say instead of the death state of Actor one, you can have the next state go to a state in Actor 2.....I am wording this in a really terrible way, lol....I'm sure there are a couple other strange little things you can do...

[Enjay]

Yeah, DEHACKED is actually pretty powerful and can do a lot of things - some of them far more cunning than you might initially think when looking at what seems to be a relatively limited toolset. However, when it comes down to it, it is just a hacking tool and nowhere near as powerful, flexible or robust as a proper dedicated actor (etc) definition format like decorate.

I think that, these days, there is nothing that dehacked can do that can't be done by native Zdoom systems. Therefore, for a new mod (again, if it is exclusively for Zdoom engines) dehacked is obsolete and using it would be more complicated, less efficient and less powerful than using the native Zdoom alternative.

[Sodaholic]

I heard that there are a few small things dehacked can do that are not covered by any native ZDoom lumps. If there are any, what are they? (I think I remember one of them was to change default friendly fire behavior)

[Enjay]

Monster infighting can be set via a Zdoom lump (MAPINFO IIRC) and, of course, you can do things like far more complicated team damage, species specific damage, monster teams etc etc with a bit of cunning DECORATE.

I *think* that monster infighting was the last significant (or possibly simply the last) DEHACKED feature to be transferred to a Zdoom lump. IIRC, it was done so after a feature request that I made specifically to move it, as the last important DEHACKED feature, so that Zdoom mods no longer needed to use DEHACKED for anything.

[Gez]

The only thing I can think off: changing max ammo amount without changing the weapons (since changing ammo amount with DECORATE requires defining new ammo types, which means that weapons have to be updated to change what ammo type they're using).

[Apothem]

DEHACKED isnt as useless as some would think, it's just most of the things that would initially come to mind to use it for arent needed anymore. Small list of things you can still do:

you can change how much armor you get off of IDFA and IDKFA.
Also the amount of default armor you get from both green and blue, along with the megasphere.
Enables you to change the actual cheat key combos to something different.
And I think you can change the pick up messages as well.

[Enjay]

Enables you to change the actual cheat key combos to something different.

Although, in Zdoom, support for this feature has been disabled.

[Apothem]

Haha, figures. I never tried using that one myself because I never saw a point.

[skib]

And I think you can change the pick up messages as well.

If you mean for weapons, decorate does it.