ZDoom

I have been playing the DOOM64 and PSXDoom/Final DOOM for GZDoom [GEC] Master Edition TC

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=62839

and was initially mystified by the start up animations (particularly with the PSX conversions). They seemed to be showing a startup video but I couldn't see any videos in the project (I thought that the BAT file used to run the TC might be calling self-executing video file or something) and there wasn't a TITLEMAP that could be showing them either.

Then I realised that the TC uses a modified version of GZDoom that includes support for a PAGEDEFS lump that can (as I understand it) effectively be used to create a video by specifying the individual frames to be shown, what music to play and so on.

I don't know how much (if any) improvement it offers over doing something similar via a TITLEMAP but I thought that it might be worth highlighting here to see if there is any mileage in including it (or something similar) in GZDoom-official.

example PAGEDEFS.TXT from the PSX TC

Spoiler:

---

Code: Select all

//ForceWipe
//{
//Default
//Crossfade
//Melt
//Burn
//Melt64
//FadeScreen
//NullWipe
//}

/*layerpic
{
	pic = "MOVIE001"
	offset = 0, 0
	resolution = 320, 240
	scroll = 0.0, 0.0
	scrolltime = 0
	lightlevel = 0
	lightto = 255, 8
	alphalevel = 0.0
	alphato = 1.0, 0.031373 //Equivale A 255, 8
	delay = 0
	drawfire
}*/

Page 0
{
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	resetanimations
    pagetime = 1
	playmusic = ""
	nextpage = 1
}

Page 1
{
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	resetanimations
    pagetime = 275
	playmusic = "MOVIE"
	nextpage = 2
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "MOVIE001"
		resolution = 320, 240
	}
}

Page 2
{
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	playmusic = ""
    pagetime = 60
	nextpage = 3
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "LEGALS"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
}

Page 3
{
	clearmenu
	nomenu
    pagetime = 30
	nextpage = 4
}

Page 4
{
	skippage = 11
	clearmenu
	nomenu
    pagetime = 60
	nextpage = 5
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "LOADING"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
}

Page 5
{
	forcewipe = NullWipe
	skippage = 14 // Call Menu2
	clearmenu
    pagetime = 1166
	playmusic = "DOOMMAIN"
	nextpage = 6
	runfire
	fireinit
	fireout
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "TITLE"
		offset = 0, 240
		resolution = 256, 240
		scroll = 0.0, -1.0
		scrolltime = 240
	}
	
	layerpic
	{
		drawfire
		pic = "SKY09"
		offset = -64, 120
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	
	layerpic
	{
		drawfire
		pic = "SKY09"
		offset = 0, 120
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		drawfire
		pic = "SKY09"
		offset = 64, 120
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		drawfire
		pic = "SKY09"
		offset = 128, 120
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		drawfire
		pic = "SKY09"
		offset = 192, 120
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	
	layerpic
	{
		drawfire
		pic = "SKY09"
		offset = 256, 120
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
}

Page 6
{
	clearmenu
	nomenu
    pagetime = 132
	playmusic = ""
	playsound = "sf2/sndexpld"
	nextpage = 7
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "TITLE"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "LOADING"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
}

Page 7
{
	forcewipe = NullWipe
	clearmenu
	playmusic = "CREDITS"
    rundemo = "DEMO1"
	nextpage = 8
	skippage = 18 // Call Menu
}

Page 8
{
	forcewipe = LoadingScreen
	clearmenu
	pagetime = 422
	playmusic = "CREDITS"
	nextpage = 9
	skippage = 18 // Call Menu
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "IDCRED1"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "IDCRED2"
		offset = 9, 240
		resolution = 256, 240
		scroll = 0.0, -1.0
		scrolltime = 500
	}
	
}

Page 9
{
	forcewipe = NullWipe
	clearmenu
	pagetime = 487
	playmusic = "CREDITS"
	nextpage = 10
	skippage = 18 // Call Menu
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "WMSCRED1"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "WMSCRED2"
		offset = 7, 240
		resolution = 256, 240
		scroll = 0.0, -1.0
		scrolltime = 500
	}
}

Page 10
{
	forcewipe = NullWipe
	clearmenu
	pagetime = 487
	playmusic = "CREDITS"
	nextpage = 11
	skippage = 18 // Call Menu
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "GECLOGO"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "GCREDIT"
		offset = 0, 240
		resolution = 256, 240
		scroll = 0.0, -1.0
		scrolltime = 500
	}
}

Page 11
{
	forcewipe = NullWipe
	clearmenu
	nomenu
    pagetime = 132
	nextpage = 12
	playmusic = ""
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "GECLOGO"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "LOADING"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
}

Page 12
{
	forcewipe = NullWipe
	clearmenu
	playmusic = "CREDITS"
    rundemo = "DEMO2"
	nextpage = 13
	skippage = 18 // Call Menu
}

Page 13
{
	forcewipe = LoadingScreen
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	nextpage = 5
}

Page 14 // Call Menu2
{
	noclear
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	forcewipe = LoadingScreen
	playmusic = ""
	playsound = "sf2/sndexpld"
	nextpage = 15
}

Page 15
{
	noclear
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	forcewipe = Crossfade
	pagetime = 1
	playmusic = "DMSELECT"

	layerpic
	{
		pic = "BACKMENU"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "DOOM"
		offset = 75, 20
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "M_SKULL1"
		offset = 50, 89
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		text = "New Game", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 74, 91
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		checkepisode
		text = "Ultimate Doom", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 94, 111
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		text = "Difficulty", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 74, 133
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		checkskill
		text = "Hurt Me Plenty", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 94, 153
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		text = "Options", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 74, 175
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		text = "Load Game", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 74, 198
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	layerpic
	{
		text = "Quit Game", "DBIGFONT"
		offset = 74, 221
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	
	
	nextpage = 16
}

Page 16
{
	resetcount
	pagetime = 900
	drawmenu
	layerpic
	{
		pic = "BACKMENU"
		resolution = 256, 240
	}
	nextpage = 17
}

Page 17
{
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	forcewipe = LoadingScreen
	playmusic = ""
	playsound = "sf2/sndpstol"
	nextpage = 5
}

Page 18//
{
	noclear
	setrestarpage
	clearmenu
	nomenu
	forcewipe = LoadingScreen
	playmusic = ""
	nextpage = 15
}

(As an aside, I *think* that the TC may also include an engine generated PSX fire effect of some sort, used as the sky in some maps and at the titlepic. - I don't see the usual huge number of fire textures normally associated with creating this effect in GZDoom. So it could perhaps be relevant to this other feature suggestion: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=63068 )

It's better than a titlemap because you don't have to hack around with ACS to create a video to play, it's also a bit more customizable in the way it displays the image, as apparently you can overlay them. And you can even specify when to play demos!

There is no movie file, just animated still frames extracted from Williams logo video from the PlayStation disc. I originally did this for the first PSXDoom TC back in 2012 using acs in the games TITLEMAP. I find PAGEDEFS also makes it quicker to change stuff if your fiddling with something since you don't need to compile it and IMO its easier to read if you coming back to it after a while, am glad team GEC got it working in there custom GZdoom, I believe they are calling it DZdoom. Its incredible how accurately they managed to replicate the PlayStation menu using PAGEDEFS, but the most important feature added is the psxsoftware sector light mode which displays the maps colour and brightness faithful to the PlayStation version, they always looks a bit dark in regular GZdoom since there brightness values were lower then there PC counter parts.

A lot has changed since this was posted. I'd rather add the video support from Raze than such a hack job.