Conference 501clb::pcdoom

You kidding me... I'd frag him in less time that it takes you to
say Former Human!!!!!!


:)

      Concerning modem play and add-on wads.
    
      I've been playing Doom I and DOOM II over the modem with no problems.
    Now I would like to use the additional wads that are available but am
    having trouble trying to get the wad loaded. I read the FAQ's and
    readme files concerning command lines, but am having trouble trying to
    figure out exactly where I need to enter it prior to going to setup to
    dial the modem.
    
      Can anyone give me a clue ??
    
    Kenn

    To use with extra wads, you'll need to use
    
    SERSETUP.EXE
    
    I've never used it myself, but I imagine you'll need to specify a few
    modemy-type-things... looks at the README file, it should explain how
    to use SERSETUP. The standard doom SETUP utility will not cater for
    extra add-on PWADs. You could also try a Doom front-end program like
    DoomLoad (on FLYTE in MISC if I remember rightly) which does it all for
    you.
    
    AN example (made up, and probably not correct) :-
    
    C:\GAMES\DOOM> sersetup -file pwad.wad -nodes 2 -deathmatch
    
    ...or something like that.
    
    Have fun!
    
    Dan

    I know I'm a bit late joining this thread but I have an ulterior
    motive. A friend & I type the following at the DOS prompt when we play 
    FRAGFEST:
    
    c:\DOOM> setup -file -fragfest.wad <CR>
    
    The rest of the settings are available via the SETUP menus. However you
    agree beforehand exactly what those settings are so that your setups
    are identical otherwise it won't work. The only setting which must be
    different is the penultimate one where you set your modem to CALL or
    WAIT FOR CALL.
    
    Which brings me to my ulterior motive:-
    
    I need help (don't all doomaholics)!
    
    My setup will only work if I am receiving a call and since my adversary
    regularly plays other people and since everything else about our setups
    is the same we assume it to be my modem config string.
    
    So... is anyone out there successfully playing DOOM via a MultiTech
    MT1932DXK Z modem and if so what does your MODEM.STR or MODEM.CFG entry
    look like?
    
    Advice from any quarter will be welcome here as I am AT code illiterate
    and the manual is definitely not games oriented. I have read the DOOM
    literature thoroughly and adjusted the config accordingly - No error
    correction, No compression. No joy. ?{^\
    
    Ta muchly,
    		Nick.

    I think that command line should read:
    
    C:\DOOM> setup -file fragfest.wad <CR>
    
    Sorry  8*}
    		Nick.

    
    Have another problem with sersetup. I can successfully dail up someone
    and play DOOM2, however, I can not receive a call from the same person
    who I just called.
    
    The only switch that I changed was to -answer instead of -dial. I have
    looked through the modem manual and have not seen anything which might
    causes this. The sersetup command I use is the following:
    
    SERSETUP -COM1 -WARP 15 -SKILL 4 -14400 -ANSWER
    
    The ATZ line in the modem.cfg turns off compression and error
    correction. Anyone have any ideas why I can not answer? I get a CONNECT
    14400 message from the modem so I am assuming the two modems negociated
    the correct baud rate. Then DOOM2 trys to start and I get 0_IDnumber 
    errors messages repeated.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Dave
    

re: .6

My guess is that some of the more esoteric modes like error correction,
compression, etc. are not set up identically between your two modems.  

In general, the dialing modem will adjust itself to whatever the answering
modem is set up for.  Most likely, your friend's modem is not set up properly
for auto-detection of error correction, compression, etc. and it has trouble
detecting the various modes when dialing your modem.

Try setting BOTH of the modems to disable error correction and disable
compression via '&' commands.  Use a AT&W (or similar - check your manual) to
write the settings to non-volitile memory (if your card supports NVram).  If
not, then add the appropriate &M0&D0&H0... commands to your ATDT line in the
modem script/cfg file.


- jeff

    Just a quick FYI :-
    
    FLYTE::USER1:[ARCHIVE.DOOM.TEXT]MODEM.FAQ;1
    
    Regards,
    Dan

    Forgive my ignorance, but what is the right text editor to display
    these .FAQ's correctly? The one I'm using shows all the <CR> and <LF>
    characters making it awkward to read. %^\
    
    Cheers,
    		Nick.

    Well I'm just VMS "type"-ing it, and it looks fine to me!
    
    Errrmm... LSE? DOS EDIT? type modem.faq |more ??
    
    :-S

    If your reading it on a UNIX machine, it's cos its a DOS file.
    
    Read it on DOS, VMS or on a UNIX system after running DOS2UNIX.

    Thanks folks it comes our OK in DOS.
    
    Back to the thread:-
    
    Had a marathon solving session at the weekend and discovered I had two
    problems, both of which may be relevant to other users.
    
    1. A default needed to be overridden to set Xon/Xoff to pass through.
    
    2. My modem is external and therefore links to a COM port via a serial
    cable. "So ?" I hear you say. So my COM port is not capable of anything
    faster than 9600 bps and I was trying to run at 14400 knowing that it
    was well within the ability of my modem.
    
    9600 is a bit sluggish but didn't stop us from playing DOOM2 deathmatch
    for SIX HOURS!!! yesterday. Kin'ell, kin loonies, kin knackered!
    
    Think I might try the -TIME switch next time.  |'.
    
    Cheers
    		Nick
    

> my COM port is not capable of anything faster than 9600 bps and I was trying
> to run at 14400 knowing that it was well within the ability of my modem.

Strange, 9600 seems kinda slow for a system that can play Doom (i.e. 486-25 or
better).  What UART does your system have on your modem COM port?  

FWIW, I've heard that some systems will have a 16* class UART on com1 but 8*
class UART's on com2, etc.  Might be worth wasting an hour or two to check it
out, or it might not :-)
    
- jeff

    Yeah my UART chip is an 8250 so that's the bottle neck right there.
    
    MODE COMm: BAUD=b       will only allow to go up to 9600 on either com
    			    port. The next legal value being 19200 and
    returning the message `function not supported on this computer' (or
    something like that).
    
    COMMS boards are fairly cheap so maybe I'll invest. Heck I know a
    couple of guys who rushed out and bought whole PC's after playing DOOM,
    murmuring justifications like "er... I need it for letters and um things"
    or "My son needs it for school" and then "How do you spell FLIGHT?"
    
    ?:')
    		Nick. 

    Okay they've plonked a 386SX33 (not much I know) with 24Mb RAM (quite a
    bit, I know) on my desk, with a 9600 baud modem hooked up to it.
    
    Some time I wouldn't mind trying to get a game going with someone
    (it'll have to be after 5:30pm UK time tho') on the DTN (let's keep
    this cheap for our dear employers).
    
    I'm not ready to go as yet - I've hooked the thing up and got it
    working through windows but that's about it - so if anyone fancies
    trying it out sometime.....?
    
    Cheers,
    Dan
    
    P.S. It'll have to be with shareware version......

    
    just a reminder, if your pc is up on the network and has tcp/ip
    installed, you dont need a modem.  i'm still dying to hear about people
    playing this over DECnet :').
    
    

    Well, yes, it's running TCP/IP and Pathworks, but don't ask me where
    the drivers and stuff are. I'll have a look. What files should I be
    looking for? The card is an Etherworks something or other. DE200?
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    
    you want to look for IFRAG which i posted a pointer to earlier.  this
    allows network play over tcp/ip.  you will also need a packet driver
    for your network card which can probably be found on the network card
    utilities disk.  then you just need to get other people with the same.
    
    someone configures themselves as the ifrag server, everybody else
    connects to that ip address with the ifrag client and away you go.  the
    neat thing about ifrag is you dont have to say ahead of time how many
    players there will be.  you can just fire off the game whenever you
    want.  whether there be 2 3 or 4 people in the queue.  you can also set
    up queues for different games with different settings.
    
    ie an ifrag client connects to s server and sees
    
    doom 1, level 6, deathmatch
    heretic, level 1, cooperative play
    doom 1, game 2 level 4, deathmatch
    
    and you can choose the queue.  its pretty slick.
    

    Had a brief try at modem play in shareware Doom1 with a pair of
    486-66's and 9600 modems.
    The game is fairly smooth in single player, and works fine for
    Descent, Indycar, Nascar F1 etc over modem, but in this if both
    players move it becomes verrry slow, like a couple of FPS.
    If one stops then normal speed is resumed. Is this normal behavior?
    or is there something we need to do? We are using standard ATZ's
    we've developed for gaming, with no error correction etc.
    
    Matt

> if both players move it becomes verrry slow, like a couple of FPS.  If one
> stops then normal speed is resumed. Is this normal behavior?  

Yes, it's normal.  You need 14.4k minimum for Doom, and even then it's pretty
choppy.

- jeff

    Thanks for that Jeff, It will save me further messing with Modem
    settings..
    At present I only have a 9600, and so does my regular modem player
    so it'll have to wait till birthday time. I fancy a USR Courier 2800?
    though mostly I just want something that'll do 19,200, as most of
    the games I run will benefit from that.
    When we tried it with Doom he wiped me out far too easy, though I seem
    to be unusually crap at it, not sure why, I do quite well at descent
    and normally get the upper hand in the racing games, 
    I just can't seem to coordinate properly in this.
    Ah well might get Doom ][ and practice.....
    
    Matt.

      Is it mandatory to use SERSETUP.EXE when trying to play DOOM ][ over
    the modem ? I read the README file that comes with DOOM ][, but first
    it says that you need to run SERSETUP to use the modem , but then it says
    this is the command line syntax if you want to do it from the prompt,
    then it says it's "VERY IMPORTANT" to run SETUP ???????????????????????
    
       I can get addon wads to load with "doom2 -file addon.wad", put when
    I enter "SETUP DOOM2 -FILE ADDON.WAD" it will go through the setup
    phase, dial and connect but fail to load the addon wad.
    
       Could someone kindly tell me where I am going wrong, and possibly
    post what command line structure you are using to load the additional
    wads, please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
    
    
    

    Have you tried dm.exe that comes with Doom ][, seems to make launching,
    adding WADS etc much easier!
    
    Greg

      Don't remember seeing this file (DM.EXE) when looking in the 
    directory. I'll check it out again.
    
    Kenn

    Kenn,
    
    IT only came with later versions, v1.7 on, I think. There are free
    upgrades to 1.9 on the net.