Doom 3 mod creation workflow

motorsep · **Posted:** Sun Jun 17, 2012 2:02 am

What's the typical workflow for any mod for Doom 3 ?

Let's say I want to make a new menu (New game and Exit), have player spawning on a new map with 1 weapon (new, not existing one) upon starting new game, increase movement speed of the player.

What's need to be written in C++ and what can be done using scripts (I wonder if most things can be simply based on existing C++ code, like pistol that shoots plasma instead of bullets). I am simply trying to identify complexity of the modding compare to DarkPlaces engine (I've heard Doom 3 requires a ton of scripting just to get simple things done). Thanks.

The Happy Friar · **Posted:** Sun Jun 17, 2012 2:32 am

All what you want would be scripting: menu's are GUI scripts, weapon changes are scripts (BFG has some C++ SDK code), player speed is script.

i'd suggest just downloading a simple mod and look at what's done. There's some weapon only mods out there. Infact, check out the D3W mod contests, they do different parts!

Mapping contest: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24991&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25145&p=235899

Boss: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=22419

Can't find the weapon contest thread but here's the paintball guns I made: http://planetdoom.gamespy.com/View.php? ... tail&id=78

jmarshall23 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:05 pm **Posts:** 418

Quote:

I've heard Doom 3 requires a ton of scripting just to get simple things done).

Doom 3 doesn't require really any scripting(aside from entity defs, materials and sound shaders), you can make a new game without ANY scripting at all. Were the D3 scripts really work well is with scripted level events.

Quote:

increase movement speed of the player

Look in syscvar.cpp and find pm_walkspeed/pm_runspeed and in player.def, change to whatever you want.

Quote:

new map with 1 weapon (new, not existing one)

Look in player.def find the "weapon" key and change the value to whatever you want.

Quote:

What's need to be written in C++

Any new mechanics/scripted events/etc.

Quote:

Change projections of the pistol

Look at weapon_pistol.script and find the "weapon_pistol::Fire" function and compare it to the plasmagun, you will also need to copy over some of the keys in the weapon def files, but thats it.

Quote:

I want to make a new menu (New game and Exit),

If you want a basic menu template, heres mine from idTech 4 cdk its basic and provides what you need(save to mainmenu.gui)

Code:

windowDef Desktop
{
   rect   0 ,0 ,1280 ,720
   backcolor   0, 0, 0, 0
   menugui   1
   float doomme   1
   onESC {
      if ("desktop::doomme" == 0) { 
         showcursor "1" ;
         set "idlogo::rect" "0 0 0 0" ;      
         set "demoEnd::rect" "0 0 0 0" ;
         resetTime "SoundrunMenu" "0" ;               
         set "desktop::doomme" "1" ;
         set "cmd" "play """ ;
      }
      set "cmd" "close" ;
      
      if ("desktop::doomme" == 666) { 
         set   "cmd"   "quit" ; 
      }      
   }

   windowDef unnamed5
   {
      rect   0,0,1280,720
      visible   1
      background   "guis/assets/mainmenu/mainmenu"
      matcolor   1,1,1,1
   }
   windowDef unnamed1
   {
      rect   1069,609,180,38
      visible   1
      forecolor   0.6, 1, 1, 1
      text   "Play Game"
      textscale   0.5
      textalign   2
      textalignx   -10
      textaligny   4
      backcolor   0,0,0,1

      onMouseEnter {
               transition "forecolor" "0.6 1 1 1" "1 1 1 1" "250" ;
   
            }
      onMouseExit {
               transition "forecolor" "1 1 1 1" "0.6 1 1 1" "250" ;

      }

      onAction {
         set   "cmd"   "startGame" ; 
      }
   }
   windowDef unnamed1111
   {
      rect   1102,656,141,36
      visible   1
      forecolor   0.6, 1, 1, 1
      text   "Quit"
      textscale   0.5
      textalign   2
      textalignx   -10
      textaligny   4
      backcolor   0,0,0,1

      onMouseEnter {
               transition "forecolor" "0.6 1 1 1" "1 1 1 1" "250" ;
   
            }
      onMouseExit {
               transition "forecolor" "1 1 1 1" "0.6 1 1 1" "250" ;

      }
      

      onAction {
         set   "cmd"   "quit" ; 
      }
   }
}

Sikkpin · **Joined:** Thu Aug 19, 2004 7:22 pm **Posts:** 1123

Two invaluable resources: http://www.modwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page & http://www.iddevnet.com/doom3/

Between these two sites (and this site as well), you should be able to figure what needs to be done (whether simple def changes, scripts, or C++ code) to do what you want to do. And if you have Quake 4 or Prey, their SDK's come with better mod examples with more thorough explanations and comments on what's being done in them, so it may be worth checking them out as well.

motorsep · **Posted:** Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:06 am

Thanks guys

MadHacker · **Joined:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:56 pm **Posts:** 22

Actually, everything you have listed can be done without touching the SDK. For making new weapons, you'll need new models, textures, .def and .script files. Changing the normal pistol projectile into a plasma projectile can be done in .def files. As others have already said, a new menu can be done in gui scripts. Changing the player speed can be done with a player.def file.

As for how many scripting it requires... That depends on what you want to achieve. It all depends on how complex your feature is. If you want a hovering platform with a GUI on it that you can fly around the map all you want using the GUI, then yes you will need to do a ton of scripting. For making a new weapon, you won't really need that much. Copy and modify an existing weapon script, add new functionality if you wish and that's it. You can add a flashlight/laser sight, dynamic spread(like in tactical shooters), recoil, and probably iron sights without touching the SDK code. And you can add all this to a single weapon. Scripts are very flexible.

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Doom 3 mod creation workflow

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