D4T (New v2.5 Trailer pg 47)
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The Projects forums are only for projects. If you are asking questions about a project, either find that project's thread, or start a thread in the General section instead.
Got a cool project idea but nothing else? Put it in the project ideas thread instead!
Projects for any Doom-based engine (especially 3DGE) are perfectly acceptable here too.
Please read the full rules for more details.
Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
...That's not how it works...? *ZDoom stretches the gameworld properly by default. Forcing your aspect ratio may be a dirty fix for the art that isn't properly scaled, but it will distort everything else. That's not a solution. The mod is at fault here, not the engine or my setup.
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DBThanatos
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Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
Well, i'll have to quote myself on this oneAtendega wrote:So, I hate to ask this again, but I don't suppose there's any chance of you fixing the gross vertical stretching? Because this thing is pretty great, besides the fact that literally everything is stretched. One of the most basic quirks of the Doom engine is the unusual pixel aspect ratio, I'd think compensating for that would be a priority.
So, no, it's not a priority, and yes, we're still quite busy. There's really no moment we're not busy with this mod.DBThanatos wrote:I understand this issue, but in reality, "fixing" it is gonna mess up the look of the weapons for a lot of people, me included, because I dont play with the vertical stretching myself. If anything, perhaps as an optional package if it's "easily" doable, but I can make no promises about it. Our hands are quite full at the moment.
Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
Well my argument would be that playing with the vertical stretching is the objectively correct way to play, because the entirety of Doom is designed with that stretching in mind. I've seen very few people disable it.
In any case, if you play without the stretching then, while all the weapons and items and stuff will look fine, the enemies and the entire gameworld will be squished. So I'm not sure what you mean by that. Are you perhaps talking about the HUD scaling feature? Because that's unrelated.
Either way it's a major visual issue. I wouldn't put "fixing" in quotes, because it's very definitely wrong in it's current state.
In any case, if you play without the stretching then, while all the weapons and items and stuff will look fine, the enemies and the entire gameworld will be squished. So I'm not sure what you mean by that. Are you perhaps talking about the HUD scaling feature? Because that's unrelated.
Either way it's a major visual issue. I wouldn't put "fixing" in quotes, because it's very definitely wrong in it's current state.
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DBThanatos
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Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
You've made your point already and I acknowledged it since your first post about it.
And I've made my position about it as clear as it gets: it's not a priority for us.
Let's just leave it at that instead of arguing about what's right and what's a preference.
And I've made my position about it as clear as it gets: it's not a priority for us.
Let's just leave it at that instead of arguing about what's right and what's a preference.
Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
I was only providing a counterpoint, I wasn't trying to start an argument or change your mind. You're the author, you've got full creative control. And for what it's worth, this thing is really fun to play 
Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
I and some friends of mine played it on Zandronum 3.0 alpha and look it worked well.Nice job.
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DBThanatos
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Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
Hahaha. That's great. But it sure seems like you were playing either Hard: max monsters or even deathbound!
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twinkieman93
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Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
I remember one time I played this with some friends over LAN and set the difficulty in the launcher to UV, forgetting that the difficulties in this mod are set up differently. So we were baffled at the lack of monsters, along with their strength and ferocity. Was good times nonetheless. ^^DBThanatos wrote:Hahaha. That's great. But it sure seems like you were playing either Hard: max monsters or even deathbound!
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DBThanatos
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Re: D4T v2.0 (Released! 19-05-17)
Here's a funny story regarding skills and playing.twinkieman93 wrote: I remember one time I played this with some friends over LAN and set the difficulty in the launcher to UV, forgetting that the difficulties in this mod are set up differently. So we were baffled at the lack of monsters, along with their strength and ferocity. Was good times nonetheless. ^^
Originally, we had them sorted like this
Easy min
Easy med
Easy max
Normal min
Normal med
Normal max
Hard min
Hard med
Hard max
deathbound
That made sense, right? Well, turned out that we were testing Deathmatch balance, and we just couldn't kill each other. All weapons felt incredibly wimpy, several rockets or ssg in the face to kill anyone. It was a mess.
Until we figured out that the games were being launched with skill 2 (which is gzd/zandro 's default when you don't specifiy one). This meant we were playing in "easy max",therefore taking only 50% damage from the weapons. No wonder why it felt so wrong!
And thats why we had to put the easy skills at the bottom of the list, so that they never were selected by accident
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DBThanatos
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Re: D4T v2.0.1 (Patch released 06-06-17)
Well, we sure needed to patch this up. But this is a bit more than just a regular bugfix 
Changelog
Changelog
Spoiler: Changelog
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JohnnyTheWolf
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Re: D4T v2.0.1 (Patch released 06-06-17)
This is not a criticism as much as a genuine question: what is the purpose of the Static Rifle and the two demonic weapons (Hellshot, Reaper)? They spawn very early, often replacing the Shotgun and Supershotgun respectively, but they are so weird and gimmicky, I am really not sure how to use them effectively - or why I should bother with them in the first place.
Because of its near perfect accuracy, lack of splash damage and slow rate of fire, the Static Rifle is hardly a good replacement for the Shotgun and the need to move in order to increase its power and the lack of a proper scope make it awkward to use as a sniper rifle as well as a very poor substitute for the mod's actual equivalent of a sniper rifle, the Vortex Rifle.
The same can be said about the Hellshot, minus of course the static charge: it is too slow and accurate to be good in close combat, but lacks zooming to be precise at long range. And since it uses Argent energy cell, why is it assigned to the Pistol slot and not the same slot as the Plasma Rifle and Lightning Rifle?
As for what I have seen of the Reaper, it is like a bizarre Repeater variant that uses shotgun shells for some reason and is also bound to the same weapon slot as the Shotgun and Supershotgun.
So what am I missing here?
Because of its near perfect accuracy, lack of splash damage and slow rate of fire, the Static Rifle is hardly a good replacement for the Shotgun and the need to move in order to increase its power and the lack of a proper scope make it awkward to use as a sniper rifle as well as a very poor substitute for the mod's actual equivalent of a sniper rifle, the Vortex Rifle.
The same can be said about the Hellshot, minus of course the static charge: it is too slow and accurate to be good in close combat, but lacks zooming to be precise at long range. And since it uses Argent energy cell, why is it assigned to the Pistol slot and not the same slot as the Plasma Rifle and Lightning Rifle?
As for what I have seen of the Reaper, it is like a bizarre Repeater variant that uses shotgun shells for some reason and is also bound to the same weapon slot as the Shotgun and Supershotgun.
So what am I missing here?
Last edited by JohnnyTheWolf on Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:27 pm, edited 9 times in total.
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SyntherAugustus
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Re: D4T v2.0.1 (Patch released 06-06-17)
Hellshot replacing the SSG is an odd spot indeed since it doesn't use shells. I've noticed a lot of situations where I want a SSG instead. It's a great weapon, though. Reaper is fine. Static Rifle IMO feels worse now that it requires ammo. I would redefine the static rifle by maybe giving it a secondary fire that creates a crowd control effect (think Disc of Repulsion from Hexen).
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DBThanatos
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Re: D4T v2.0.1 (Patch released 06-06-17)
Oh god. Long answer incoming!
Okay, so each weapon has a role. Some roles do overlap, but in general they all have a purpose despite the differences being small.
To be specific. The hellshot is basically a very big pistol (hence my decision to put it in the pistol slot despite it using cells). It actually borrows the mechanics from the pistol: great accuracy, hitscan, slow refire if you hold the button, much better refire speed if you tap it (but not mindless taps, there's a rythm to the tapping, and when you get it, you fire very fast (pick a haste rune and hold the button: that's the max speed of regular firing if you learn to tap it)). I love using this weapon, precisely because damage-ammo wise, is very efficient. I know it's a hard weapon to use, in the sense that even I didnt like it at first, hence why I allowed it to be morphed into something completely different back in D4D. But over time, I understood it's mechanics and learned to love it. It's not for everyone, that's for sure.
Static rifle: this weapon is several things at once. Of all the 3 rail weapons (gauss, vortex, static) this is the only weapon that pierces monsters (well, siege shot too, but that's a mod and several leagues above). This by itself puts it apart from every other weapon in the mod. Sure, you need to move to charge it, but at base level, the damage is nothing to discard. This weapon is given early on because it's useful early on. You get a crowd of imps, zombies or whatever small monsters, this thing will kill quite a few with one shot so long as they're lined up, and this is without charging it. Also, this is the easiest way to kill shield guys when you dont have explosives yet. This weapon was made to be useful whether it has a charge or not. If you dont have a charge, then it's great to deal with small monsters with one shot, a bigger monsters with a couple. If you have a charge, it can cripple a revenant with one shot. So you decide how you use it. It's not a sniper rifle, that's what the vortex is for. This weapon is a morphed q2 railgun: made to pierce. Charge it for extra fun.
Reaper is an oddball. It's definitely strong and fires fast, it's basically a projectile driven, demonic "shotgun" (due to spread and "long" reload). Why shells? because I did not want to introduce yet another ammo type for one weapon. Because it kept the balance of 3 weapons per ammo type, and because Im tired of "only shotguns uses shells". Of course it makes sense that only "shotguns" use "shotgun shells", but it's safe to say i never aimed for realism here. So, i made this weapon use shells, and honestly, it works pretty well. It "feels" strange it uses that ammo, but a lot of maps are about giving you tons of shells, so that you use SSG 24/7. Honestly, im tired of that same formula. This ties with another frequent question.
"Why you spawn hellshot/reaper in place of SSG?" Same reason. We have a huge arsenal in this mod, and I needed spots to place this weapons. But I dont do it at random. I chose the SSG spot because I wanted diversity. Sure, it's arguable that the SSG spot is kinda sacred (:P), but so is any other spot. And the variety that this brings, to me, is invaluable. I've said this several times already: during development of this mod, i've played countless times doom2 map01-map08 in a row, and I still havent gotten tired because the combinations of weapons and mods/upgrades is always interesting. I know a lot of people love to get an SSG in map02. But what happens when you are given something different? You use it. "But HS doesnt use shells, and i run out of ammo quickly". That's where chainsaw comes handy (and the really subtle ammo replenish system i added).
One of the hardest things i've found about this mod and public reception is explaining that weapons werent added mindlessly and that I (despite how presumptuous it sounds) thought hard about each one of them. Some people are too used to the mechanics of the original doom2 weaponry, and when presented with such departures as seen in D4T, they are not comfortable them (I know you just asked a question JTW, Im talking about people in general). I've had quite a few similar discussions when it comes to deathmach and "OMG SSG SUCKS" and how "weapons dont feel right", and I can spend quite some time trying to explain, but some people just dont like changes. Example of this type of discussions
Also, spawning other weapons in place of SSG gave deathmatch a ridicolously great variety to the death-matches. See that example above to see how I went purposefully into de-emphasizing the role of SSG in DM.
In SP i didnt make it weaker. I just made it less common. And that opens the road to learn to use other weapons.
Bottom line is: I understand that the decisions I made regarding weapon spawning, weapon ammo, weapon behaviour, might seem odd. But it's about giving them a chance, learning what they're good for.
Okay, so each weapon has a role. Some roles do overlap, but in general they all have a purpose despite the differences being small.
To be specific. The hellshot is basically a very big pistol (hence my decision to put it in the pistol slot despite it using cells). It actually borrows the mechanics from the pistol: great accuracy, hitscan, slow refire if you hold the button, much better refire speed if you tap it (but not mindless taps, there's a rythm to the tapping, and when you get it, you fire very fast (pick a haste rune and hold the button: that's the max speed of regular firing if you learn to tap it)). I love using this weapon, precisely because damage-ammo wise, is very efficient. I know it's a hard weapon to use, in the sense that even I didnt like it at first, hence why I allowed it to be morphed into something completely different back in D4D. But over time, I understood it's mechanics and learned to love it. It's not for everyone, that's for sure.
Static rifle: this weapon is several things at once. Of all the 3 rail weapons (gauss, vortex, static) this is the only weapon that pierces monsters (well, siege shot too, but that's a mod and several leagues above). This by itself puts it apart from every other weapon in the mod. Sure, you need to move to charge it, but at base level, the damage is nothing to discard. This weapon is given early on because it's useful early on. You get a crowd of imps, zombies or whatever small monsters, this thing will kill quite a few with one shot so long as they're lined up, and this is without charging it. Also, this is the easiest way to kill shield guys when you dont have explosives yet. This weapon was made to be useful whether it has a charge or not. If you dont have a charge, then it's great to deal with small monsters with one shot, a bigger monsters with a couple. If you have a charge, it can cripple a revenant with one shot. So you decide how you use it. It's not a sniper rifle, that's what the vortex is for. This weapon is a morphed q2 railgun: made to pierce. Charge it for extra fun.
Reaper is an oddball. It's definitely strong and fires fast, it's basically a projectile driven, demonic "shotgun" (due to spread and "long" reload). Why shells? because I did not want to introduce yet another ammo type for one weapon. Because it kept the balance of 3 weapons per ammo type, and because Im tired of "only shotguns uses shells". Of course it makes sense that only "shotguns" use "shotgun shells", but it's safe to say i never aimed for realism here. So, i made this weapon use shells, and honestly, it works pretty well. It "feels" strange it uses that ammo, but a lot of maps are about giving you tons of shells, so that you use SSG 24/7. Honestly, im tired of that same formula. This ties with another frequent question.
"Why you spawn hellshot/reaper in place of SSG?" Same reason. We have a huge arsenal in this mod, and I needed spots to place this weapons. But I dont do it at random. I chose the SSG spot because I wanted diversity. Sure, it's arguable that the SSG spot is kinda sacred (:P), but so is any other spot. And the variety that this brings, to me, is invaluable. I've said this several times already: during development of this mod, i've played countless times doom2 map01-map08 in a row, and I still havent gotten tired because the combinations of weapons and mods/upgrades is always interesting. I know a lot of people love to get an SSG in map02. But what happens when you are given something different? You use it. "But HS doesnt use shells, and i run out of ammo quickly". That's where chainsaw comes handy (and the really subtle ammo replenish system i added).
One of the hardest things i've found about this mod and public reception is explaining that weapons werent added mindlessly and that I (despite how presumptuous it sounds) thought hard about each one of them. Some people are too used to the mechanics of the original doom2 weaponry, and when presented with such departures as seen in D4T, they are not comfortable them (I know you just asked a question JTW, Im talking about people in general). I've had quite a few similar discussions when it comes to deathmach and "OMG SSG SUCKS" and how "weapons dont feel right", and I can spend quite some time trying to explain, but some people just dont like changes. Example of this type of discussions
Also, spawning other weapons in place of SSG gave deathmatch a ridicolously great variety to the death-matches. See that example above to see how I went purposefully into de-emphasizing the role of SSG in DM.
In SP i didnt make it weaker. I just made it less common. And that opens the road to learn to use other weapons.
Bottom line is: I understand that the decisions I made regarding weapon spawning, weapon ammo, weapon behaviour, might seem odd. But it's about giving them a chance, learning what they're good for.
Re: D4T v2.0.1 (Patch released 06-06-17)
Pistol's primary fire sprite cuts are fixed but there is still sprite cut for the charged pistol fire animations. But thanks for taking this into consideration!
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SyntherAugustus
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Re: D4T v2.0.1 (Patch released 06-06-17)
I noticed since the new patch that I have been getting upgrades a bit more often. Does it have to do with the skill level? (I went from Normal to Mobile for giggles) Or is it related to the patch? Either way I'm happy with it.
Also, regarding you post DBT, have you tested D4T in singleplayer with mapsets that don't have chainsaw pickups?
Also, regarding you post DBT, have you tested D4T in singleplayer with mapsets that don't have chainsaw pickups?