Where the hell have I been?

It's been a LOOOOOONNNNGGG time since I last updated I know, but because of school and other stuff I wasn't able to maintain the project at the same time, so I set it aside for a while.  Now I'm in college and have a lot more time on my hands so as a result I've gotten back into coding again, so here I am.  Like I promised 2 years ago, I still am working on a version 3.0 of the launcher for those who still use my launcher, and for those seeing this for the first time, well a new version of the launcher is to come.  I've also been involved in another launcher project as well, one for the Doom II port SkullTag, and it has given me an opportunity to create a launcher with an entirely new interface, one which contains some features which I made for the launcher unused for SkullTag, but which I can incorporate into ZDoom Launcher quite nicely.  Anyhow, that's about all for now until I actually have some progress on ZDoom Launcher 3.0 to report.  Just wanted to say that I'm still alive =).

Also, you probably noticed that I'm on a new server.  I finally have cable internet again >=D.

ZDoom Launcher Status

I'm still fixing bugs and am in a process of completely rebuilding the launcher, having a chatroom and dial-up support in mind.  I'm currently working on the chatroom and the new launcher, which will be free of any bugs that are in the current launcher.  The next release of the launcher will most likely be the rebuild, as I have discovered many more bugs as of recently in the multiplayer code.  The dial-up options will be made to look like something similar to Sersetup with a GUI, but I want to automate port detection so that it can be done independent of user input.  I'm planning to make the launcher have multiplayer features similar to Starcraft's, as I like it's procedure-based launch process.  The rebuild isn't done however, due to school and finals, but now that finals are over I can work on it on weekends like I always do =)

ZDoom Launcher FAQ

Someone just e-mailed me stating that he wrote a FAQ for ZDoom Launcher.  Check it out here.

ZDoom Launcher v2.6a Bugs

I am aware that there are some bugs in v2.6a of the launcher, like inability to launch ZDoom due to no executable specified in the INI file.  The quick solution to this dilemma is to go to the Preferences section in the Options menu, and browse to the directory where ZDoom is located and pick the executable you wish to use.  This and other bugs will be addressed in the next release, which will have improved multiplayer options and the ability to have a bot deathmatch.

Quake/WinQuake/GLQuake Source Code Released!

If some of you haven't browsed to Doomworld lately, there has been a news post stating that id Software has released the complete source code to Quake 1 (It's about time!).  They have licensed it under the GPL (GNU Public License) just like the Doom source code is, so the source will have to be available with each source port made from this.  What is good about this is that we can now utilize Quake's superior network code to make ZDoom client/server, taking ZDoom to the next level and putting it up next to the other great 3D games like Quake 3 and Half-Life.  It seems that I can probably start my client/server conversion much sooner, as I can borrow some code from the Quake source concerning network gaming.

I have gotten the source to compile, and have made some fixes to it to make gameplay much better, like an extra key binding in the menu to bind a key to a "zoom in" function, and an option in the menu to Always Mouselook like in Quake2.  If you have GLQuake, and would like to try the fixes I have made, you can download my modified GLQuake executable here.

ZDoom Launcher for Linux

The port of ZDoom Launcher to Linux is underway.  Since I created my launcher using Borland C++Builder, I can't directly port my launcher to use Linux libraries since it uses C++Builder-specific VCL libraries, which make up a majority of the visual components that I use in the launcher.  And since Borland C++Builder doesn't have a Linux version yet, it will take longer to get a Linux port out than if I had created my launcher using ANSI and Win32 code in Visual C++.  I hope that Borland gets their Linux port of C++Builder out soon, so that I can simply transfer my project over, replace Winsock calls with the Linux BSD socket equivalents, and replace Win32 calls with Linux equivalents.

ZDoom Launcher v2.6a Released

I have just released ZDoom Launcher v2.6a.  It consists of a few bug fixes, and ZDoomGL support.  Download it here.

Multiplayer Options Revision in Progress

I am undergoing a revision in the Multiplayer Game Options section of the launcher. I have found them inefficient, buggy, and in need of heavy revision. Plus, with my opening up the -host and -join options for use, I plan to incorporate those into the launcher as well. The reason that I find the multiplayer options in need of revision is because the server end of my launcher has the longest command-line, which exceeds the limit of 127 characters even on a 2 player game (with all options enabled).  I'm also planning on implementing chat options into the launcher, so that communications will be established better.  Synchronization is also an issue that I need to implement (imagine one client using a custom pwad when the server doesn't).  I'm also implementing exclusive use of the +exec option from now on, so that cvar options can be set from within a script file, thus allowing more options to be added and preserving command-line space for other commands and cvars that can't be run from a script file.

Dial-up Options

Some users have been asking me (for quite a while) that I implement dial-up modem play support.  I would just like to say that it's in progress.  Basically, I'm going to utilize Windows DUN (Dial Up Networking) in order to achieve this.  The dial-up options won't be a part of the launcher at first, but will be a small program that users run prior to executing the launcher to establish their connections.  The reason I'm going to do this at first will be to separate the launcher from any bugs that may come up in the dial-up section.  Once I'm satisfied with the options and any major bugs are corrected, then I will assimilate the options into the launcher.  The program as of now consists only of a dialer and a Dial-Up Server spawner.   The dialer/server spawner will be portable across Windows 95/98 and NT, and will be designed solely for establishing TCP/IP game connections, meaning that it will utilize only the TCP/IP protocol.  In order for communications between both users to be established, the dialer will have a built-in chat, which will start as soon as the dial-up connection is completed successfully.  I will bundle the dial-up options with the launcher when I release the next version.

ZDoom Launcher for Linux?

I've gotten messages from some users asking me to create a DOS-based launcher for ZDoom-DOS.  However like Randy I also dislike DOS programming, as it requires that you do much more coding then in Windows or other environments.  I discovered that many of these users running ZDoom-DOS were actually Linux users running ZDoom-DOS through a DOS emulator.  I was about to consider creating a DOS launcher until Randy stated that he was working on a Linux port of ZDoom.  Due to this, I'm making plans to port my launcher to Linux.  It will be X-Windows-based, so it'll look about the same as the current Win32 version.  Since Linux supports BSD sockets, I'm assuming that Randy will port ZDoom in such a way that the Linux version can play against the Win32 version, so I will also make the Linux version of my launcher be able to communicate with the Win32 version.  I won't start the Linux version anytime soon, however.  I'm planning to start porting of my launcher once I fix the bugs in my launcher and get a good, stable version out.  However I may wait further until Randy releases the Linux version before I start porting to check for any differences.

New way of starting ZDoom net games... Goodbye "-net"

As I was browsing through the ZDoom source code, I noticed that there were functions commented out. When I read them over, I realized that they dealed with two other command-line parameters obviously removed from ZDoom. The command-line parameters that I'm talking about are "-host" and "-join," which were never used with ZDoom. The functions were fully functional, and when I uncommented them, compiled fine, but didn't work fine in the netgame process - it ran, but never got to the gameplay screen, it stopped at the communications. So I got to work on these functions, and as of today, finally got them to work the way they should have worked. I have done this modification on ZDoom v1.18b, so it was done on the latest codebase. I have uploaded on this site for download the modified executable of ZDoom v1.18b including the new parameters.

The syntax for these command-line parameters are as follows:

To start (host) a game you simply type:

zdoom -host <x>

where x is the number of players that are going to be in the game (including yourself)

To join a game you simply type:

zdoom -join <host ip>

where host ip is the ip address of the "host" computer.

These functions simplify the netgame process by having one computer, the "host," accept connection requests from other computers running ZDoom. The host then sends back a response packet to the client, which contains the client's console number. When the total number of hosts connected to the host + the host itself equals the number of players specified in "-host," then the host sends a packet to all the clients connected to the host, containing the ip addresses of all the other computers connected to the host excluding the ip of the host itself and your ip (which you already have). When each client receives this "all here" packet, then it stores each address under a different index in the array that holds all the addresses of the client computers you're playing against. After each client successfully receives the "all here" packet and has already sent ACKs (acknowledgement packets) to the host, then the host sends a "Go" packet to all clients stating that it's ok to start the netgame. What follows this is the normal activity that you've already seen after you execute "-net ..."

As compared to "-net," I find this new method a more efficient process as it saves space on the command-line, allowing for more commands and cvars to be included, and allows players to have to know only one ip address, the ip of the host - the one starting the game.

By the way, this version isn't client-server ZDoom. It's the same network code but has the capability to "automate" the process of starting a network game, sort of like a network game launcher built into the ZDoom code. The "-net" option is still there, and is still functional, so this is still "backward compatible." It's just that now there are two choices for starting net games.

Also, for users who use IP masquerading/NAT routing/MS Proxy Server (maybe) to access the Internet from their LAN, these options may allow them join in on a ZDoom netgame (provided that player 1 isn't masquerading).

New Message Board

I have created a new message board for ZDoom Launcher.

ZDoom Client-Server

I have downloaded the source code for ZDoom 1.18b and am planning to attempt a client-server conversion for the network code. I'm planning to change the way network games get started first. In the current way ZDoom net games get started, you have to know the IP address of the person you're playing against, which I feel is a real pain, not to mention knowing your console number. Luckily we have launchers like mine and DoomServ to take care of this hassle. However, it would be much more efficient (and would take less command-line space) if we had one player start a game and manage the assignment of console numbers. What I mean, is that to have one player "host" a game, and wait for other players to join. When it hosts, it won't know the IP addresses of the players it's gonna play against, meaning that at the command-line you won't have to add the IP addresses of your opponents nor have to add your console number. It would have a simple command-line parameter like "-host x," where x is the number of players allowed to join the game. Clients wanting to join would use the command-line parameter "-join host ip," where host ip is the IP address of the computer hosting/starting the game. If the host computer runs ZDoom with the "-host" command-line parameter, then it will wait at startup for join connections. If the client computer runs ZDoom with the "-join" command-line parameter, then it will send a join packet to the server and wait for a response packet containing that client's console number. When the number of connected clients on the host computer equals the number of allowed clients, then the server sends a packet to all clients containing all the IP addresses of the other computers and the console numbers that match each IP. This would be my first step to making ZDoom client-server. Next, I would change the network code so that players could join games that are already started. Then I would change the underlying netgame structure to make all NetUpdates from clients send packets to the server, which updates its game world, and then the server sending its NetUpdate packet to all the clients on the next frame update. The clients would then update their game worlds based on the packet data, thereby making all the clients dependent on the server. It looks like a lot of work, so this project may take a while if I start it. This is just a plan, not a definite thing.

Launcher updates?

Yes, I'm still working on the launcher. It's not dead. I'm currently modifying the launcher to support ZDoom 1.18 features. I'm also removing prominent bugs in the code that caused problems for some users.

So what's been going on?

Not much really. Lately I haven't been doing any work on ZDoom Launcher. Since I downloaded the ZDoom 1.17c source code, I have been playing around with the code to understand better how it worked. Currently I am starting an attempt to make ZDoom client/server, so that players can start and join games from within ZDoom rather than from the command-line, making multiplayer gameplay easier. I'm planning to make it like Quake 2, where people can start LAN games or dedicated Internet servers where people can join in at any time they want. Currently, I am developing the server code and changing the client code as I go to reflect the server code's changes. When I started this, I made a change in the ZDoom console to make any typed command that it doesn't know a chat message, just like in Quake 2. When I get the network code running fine through my tests, then I will put up a page for it where updates on it will be posted. Until then, posts will be made here on my progress on it.

Multiplayer Options Issues

As I was taking the bugs out of ZDoom Launcher, I discovered the bug being related to the multiplayer options. I'm not sure if any of you using ZDoom Launcher 2.6 have had any "Win32 Error. Code 1400 Invalid window handle" error messages after starting and playing a multiplayer game, but that's the error that I traced the bug to. I think that the issue with this problem is that the launcher launches many options, taking space in the command line away from the multiplayer options. A standard command-line has a limit, about 127 characters I think. To still allow many options to be used and free space on the command line, I made the launcher place all the cvars that I select from the launcher on a ZDoom script (.cfg) file. As far as I know, ZDoom version 1.17c and below have a bug in the +exec cvar through the command-line. ZDoom 118test8 has the fix already incorporated in it, so you may use the launcher with this version. I have also recompiled the ZDoom 1.17c source code with the fix. It is available in the Downloads section on this page if you don't wish to use ZDoom 118test8.

ZDoom Launcher 2.6a will be released as soon as the multiplayer bug is fixed. Until it is released, you don't need to use the 1.17c bug fix or 118test until it is released.

Bug Fix Underway

I am currently fixing a bug in the launcher that is the cause of several problems occurring in the launcher, including Fatal Exception 0E blue screens appearing when the launch game button is pressed, and Access Violation errors. I am also fixing the multiplayer consistency error bug in the launcher as well. These fixes will come shortly in the 2.6a release.

Site Move Complete

The late update is due to the fact that I wasn't able to upload my files to my new account due to some problem in my FTP client preventing me from uploading the files to my new ISP's webspace. I managed to fix it and get it up and here it is. If you are going to this site from the virtual link http://browse.to/zdlaunch, then the change may seem transparent to you. You may visit the real address of this site, and you'll get the same page - http://www.ltsp.com/jcuenco/zdlaunch/. The mill.net address still is active as of now, but isn't updated. Until my account with it expires, I will leave a redirect link to the new site on the old site.

Change of E-mail address and site

As of yesterday, my internet provider changed. My e-mail address has now changed to jcuenco@sciti.com. This site will also be moved. This address and the e-mail address jcuenco@mill.net will still be active until sometime in June, so I'm notifying everyone in advance so that people visiting this site won't think that it disappeared. I have established a virtual link to this site that will never change: http://browse.to/zdlaunch. This virtual link is currently active, and will be the new address of this site. So use the virtual link to go to this site instead of the real link so that when I switch sites, there will be no need to know a new address.

Dial-up Options Progress

Progress on the dial-up options are going well. I'm still working on the dial-up server calls and implementing support for Windows NT RAS. As all other typical implementations of dial-up games, only 2-player DUN games will be supported. There will be options that interact with the Windows Registry to obtain the current IP address for the Dial-Up Adapter and change it to what you want, and a button that enables the dial-up server provided you have at least Dial-Up Networking 1.3 and Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0. Just like launching a LAN/Internet game, launching a dial-up game is done by clicking the "Launch Game" button - the only difference is that the dial-up options dialog box will popup when the user clicks the button, specifying the number to call and a username and password if necessary prior to dialing.

ZDoom Launcher 2.6 Release

I have just released version 2.6 of ZDoom Launcher, which includes a new player color select feature, a fix to the save and loading settings for certain checkboxes, implemented a check to ensure that only one instance of the launcher is running at a time since the functions that I have implemented prohibit the use of 2 instances of the launcher, and the ability to load and save to custom TC config files. Download the new version here.

Player Color Option Added

I have finished the option where users can select their player color. The preview of the color is simply a square filled with the selected color, which is modified by sliders of the colors red, green and blue, just like in ZDoom.

Launcher Update

I have been working on some other features of the launcher lately, one being the ability to save settings to custom .cfg files and load from custom .cfg files. This ability should be useful for using with custom TCs which require custom settings. I have been also working on the file transfer option and improving it. The speed issue is what I've been concentrating on as far as the file transfer is concerned. Everything pretty much goes fine on the transfer, except the speed. I've been using the TFTP protocol as a model for this transfer, but the UDP protocol's unconnectivity causes it to be slow due to the need to create functions to handle reliability. So I'm currently reimplementing it using the TCP protocol, which should reduce the number of functions needed for reliability.

As for the dial-up options, they're still underway. I'm currently looking at a book on the Windows Registry to find the setting for the ip address so to just allow the ip to be changed from the launcher. I'm also searching for the Dial-up Server settings to enable options from calls to their dlls.

ZDoom Launcher Update

I'm currently working on an option where users can select their player color and see a preview of what the player color will be, like the color selecting option in ZDoom. I'm also improving the look of the interface. I'm still working on the dial-up options. I'm trying to figure out how to make the interface so that it's user-friendly while has all the features needed for the dialer. What has me occupied is the part for the server, not so much for the dialer, since it's pretty straight-forward. I'm attempting to shell the process of getting the server started, but chances are that I may not if it gets too difficult. Until I can get this feature into the launcher, you can visit ænima's mQ | Modem Quake Setup Guide and read the section entitled "Configuring the Dial-Up-Server." Once you have everything set up, start a game using the instructions for starting a LAN game above.

ZDoom Launcher 2.5 Bug

I recently discovered from an e-mail message from a user of ZDoom Launcher that the "Warp to Episode/Level" checkbox status setting was never saved/restored. I discovered that it was due to the fact that the save/load code didn't exist for that particular option. I fixed this problem and re-uploaded the newer version. Download the updated version here.

ZDoom Launcher 2.5 Released

It's finally done! ZDoom Launcher version 2.5 is complete! The multiplayer options work fine over a LAN, and probably over the Internet as well. I haven't really tested it over the Internet, but it uses the UDP protocol like ZDoom does, so I assume that it should work. I have implemented many CVARs into the launcher, including DMFlags and Chatmacros. I will still be working on a dial-up feature, which will be released in future versions of the launcher for 2-player dial-up games. They will use the dial-up server that comes with Dial-up Networking 1.3, Microsoft Plus 95, and Windows 98. The launcher is available for download.

Savegame loading implemented

Yaay! Spring break is here! This means more time to work on the launcher. I have implemented the savegame loading option into the launcher. Since ZDoom doesn't allow loading of savegames from other folders than the current one, I didn't implement the ability to use savegames from other folders, as it just won't work on ZDoom. The reason is that the command line option for loading savegames is "-loadgame <x>," where x is 0-7 corresponding to one of the savegame slots. On the savegame select drop-down combobox, I have loaded the names of the savegames into the list after the label that I placed that identifies the slot that the savegame belongs to. Example: "Savegame 0: LEVEL 30 3-27-99". The text "Savegame 0" is the slot identifier. If this savegame was on slot 4, then it would say "Savegame 4". "LEVEL 30 3-27-99" is the name of the savegame that appears in the Load Game option of ZDoom. This option should help in identifying which savegame to load for those who don't know what slot the savegame is on. When you have multiple Doom games in the same folder (e.g. Doom/Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Tnt, Plutonia) and you save games from one of them, you have to remember which game that you saved from, because that game has to be the selected game before you launch. It helps to type in the name of the game that you are saving from in the savegame name when saving it since you can see it in the launcher prior to launching the game and loading it.

Ultimate DOOM Game Detection

I have added a new feature that would distinguish between Ultimate DOOM and DOOM so that it would show only the levels for the game, so that ZDoom wouldn't crash when launching a game in the fourth episode with a 3-episode DOOM.WAD. I am using filesize as a basis for this detection process. If your Ultimate DOOM wad file is the unmodified 1.9 version with the fourth episode, then the launcher should detect it fine. DOOM.WAD files with a size other than the size of the original Ultimate DOOM wad file will be regarded as normal/regular DOOM wad files. This may pose a problem with any people who have IWADs of TCs and modifications for Ultimate DOOM since the file may be detected as regular DOOM and not have the ability to play the fourth episode. I know the size of the normal Ultimate DOOM wad file, but I don't know the size of the regular DOOM 1.9 wad file. If I knew the size of that file, I could assume one size as Ultimate DOOM, and the other as DOOM, and regard any other sizes as TCs with all four episodes available for selection. If someone knows the size of the normal DOOM wad file, please e-mail me the size.

ZDoom Launcher C++ Conversion Progress and File Transfer Progress

The launcher has been in stable condition so far in the tests. The single player launch has been working perfectly, and the mutiplayer options have been working great, but I am aware that v1.16 had a problem that caused a game to crash when playing a multiplayer game with monsters. That problem is fixed in v1.17, so download it if you still have v1.16. In the progress of testing, I discovered that multiplayer games and file transfers didn't work on machines with 32MB of RAM or less. I discovered that the stack size when compiling was too little, and increased it to 8MB instead of 1MB. They now work fine. I also split up the launcher into two parts - the file transfer portion being a separate part from the main launcher, which contains the basic parameters and multiplayer options. The main launcher is still under way and not yet complete, but the file transfer is complete as far as the file sending feature is concerned. Here are a few screenshots of the transfer in progress and when it completes. If you are wondering why the transfer is going so fast, it is due to the fact that it is being tested on a LAN. Click on any clip for a larger version.

The file transfer part of the launcher is available for download, if anyone wants to try using it. It, like the main launcher, is still under construction, and I am constantly improving it. As you can see through the screenshots, the file transfer has basically 2 parts - a sender, and a receiver (there are no download-request-type receives as of now, which means that someone has to literally send you a file, but I may implement those kind of receives in the future). The sender needs to know the receiver's IP address for the transfer to work, which means that the senders have to be on a chat server like IRC or using a instant messenger service like AOL Instant Messenger. The program has a list that shows all the IP addresses bound to your computer's Winsock stack. Look down the dropdown list to see all the IP addresses bound. The main purpose of the list is mainly for LAN (Local Area Network) users that have IP addresses bound to their network cards but want to know their Internet connection's IP address and not the IP address of their network card. I added that list to make it easier for users to know what their IP address is without going to "winipcfg" or another IP address reporting program. Anyhow, the receiver simply gives the sender the IP address of his/her computer's Internet connection to the sender by whatever means that he/she uses, then the sender places that IP address in the "Send To" box. After that, the sender can, if he/she hasn't already done so, select the file to send. Once that is done, press the "Send File" button, and the transfer should start immediately. There is no resuming implemented in this transfer as of now, and I would like to implement such a feature in the future, as it helps a lot in doing transfers, especially between dial-up users who don't have a second phone line and users with other "slow" connections to the Internet.

As for the main launcher again, the settings are now saved in an INI file so that players can transfer them between each other as standard settings for multiplayer games or settings for TCs. The savegame load option is currently being implemented. ZDoom Launcher 2.5 should be released sometime this month, provided that the tests come out successful.

Slow updates

I know that I have been slow in my updates, but it's due to the fact that I have school on my hands as well. This project is something that I have been doing on my spare time, which makes it difficult to get updates in. If weeks pass by and there is no update, don't think that the project is dead. Only when I say that the project is dead will it be dead, and I haven't said anything of the sort, so the project is still in progress.

The C++ conversion of ZDoom Launcher is almost complete. The deathmatch options are just about complete in their implementation, and I'm just testing them to be sure that they work out properly. The deathmatch game doesn't require the player to know any ip addresses except for the ip of the computer that is running the server, or the one who is going to start the game. This player has control over how many players to allow on it, the ability to kick off players, and the ability to chat to all players connected to the server. Also, file transfer has been implemented. Either type in the ip address of a player that you know that is waiting for a file with their file transfer server open, or the alias of the player that is connected to the server you are connected to after you have chatted with the person and had them open up their file transfer server. Also, when launching a game, each user including the server has to press their launch game button to start playing a game. Soon I may implement a server-only program for those who want to implement stand-alone ZDoom Launcher servers where users can connect to, chat, send files and play games. In this instance, the server doesn't play, which allows a maximum of 8 players to connect to the server rather than 7, since the server doesn't play in this instance. But that comes later. For now, I'll release the client version of ZDoom Launcher. The server version I may release later, as it is still an idea, and I may not implement that if I don't have time.

ZDoom Launcher Dial-up?

I am still deciding on whether or not I will be implementing a dial-up feature to enable ZDoom players to use the power of Windows' Dial-Up Networking to play private dial-up games. I may do that once I get the next release, 2.5, out and running. That may be a feature that I could add for version 2.6. Since ZDoom can use Windows Networking computer names to communicate and play network games, I may do so. This launcher uses the same protocol as ZDoom to communicate over Winsock, UDP, so there shouldn't be any real problems in implementing this feature. If you feel that there should or shouldn't be a dial-up feature in ZDoom Launcher, please feel free to mail me with comments on this. I'll decide from the comments on whether or not I will implement this feature.

The C++ conversion of ZDoom Launcher has been going well. I should have done it in C++ in the first place, but I went VB first to see how it went. Obviously, VB isn't the best choice for making a "portable" program. So when this release comes out, there will be no more problems with missing OCXs and DLLs, provided that you use Windows 95/98/NT. I have added a few new features, including a file transfer part, multiplayer game options, and possibly a dial-up option in which one user sets up a dial-up server/client through the launcher. The file transfer uses Winsock and the UDP protocol to send the files over. The multiplayer options don't require you to know your opponent's ip address, just the ip of the server (1st player). Users can connect to the 1st player like clients connecting to a server, then chat and send files to each other.

Site still under construction

I know that there are still broken links on my site. I didn't do any typos or forget to upload the pages, it's just that the pages aren't finished yet. I've been very busy lately, and it has been hard to get in an update. I'm still constantly working on the launcher every now and then, but updating this site becomes a tedious task so far. The pages should be finished by the next update. Until then, I'll have an "Under Construction" that the links point to so that they won't be broken anymore.

Debuggers?

If you want to get an early debug release of ZDoom Launcher 2.5 before I release the next version in order to help me get rid of bugs, feel free to e-mail me stating that you want to help debug the launcher. I'll send you the launcher, and you can help report bugs and give suggestions to me so that the launcher can be released faster.

Well, this was the first weekday in which I had barely any work to do, so I worked on the launcher. It is getting better every day. I am currently working on a C++ conversion of my program with new features. A few days ago, I decided to reimplement this launcher program in C++ instead of Visual Basic, as C++ is more flexible than Visual Basic, and doesn't limit the programmer to a limited space when working on projects such as this, or complicates things when users don't have the proper ActiveX Controls and DLLs. Also, in C++, there are a load full of APIs at my disposal to help me implement this program more easily. It is true that Visual Basic also has access to some APIs as well, but as for my choice, I prefer C++. The C++ conversion of ZDoom Launcher will probably be released in a few weeks, if everything works out fine. The Deathmatch Options will be implemented as well. This new version will also have a few new changes, so this version will be v2.5.

New Project Ideas

I've been thinking about ZDoom and about Bruce Lewis's glDoom, and have seen the screenshots of the game in OpenGL. I was thinking of toying with the source code a little and putting an OpenGL renderer like Bruce Lewis's on ZDoom, so us 3Dfx users can benefit from the graphics quality of OpenGL and the excellent gameplay of ZDoom. However it is just an idea, not a definite project. Don't go e-mailing me about when this will be released, as I have not started it nor plan to start it anytime soon.

Today is the first day that my new homepage, as well as this new ZDoom Launcher page, go up. If anyone would like to give feedback on my site, just mail me. I decided to pick a new design for my site as it became boring. The graphics that you see on my site look nice, don't they? They were made using fonts and Adobe Photoshop plugins. If you would like to get plugins, then go to http://www.softseek.com/ and do a search for "adobe photoshop plugins.

ZDoom Launcher

As for the ZDoom Launcher, things are going pretty well. I have been able to fix most of the bugs in the program that have been found by people that e-mail me and by myself as well. I am also planning to port my program to C++ since it is more portable than Visual Basic, which requires many DLLs and OCXs. But for now, I'm gonna stick with Visual Basic, and remove as many bugs as I can first.

Now about the Deathmatch options to be added: I expect to be able to implement them in a few weeks, but can't make out an exact timeframe, as I am very busy right now, and can only work on this on weekends. I already have the interface laid out for the deathmatch options, and have only to code them, which will have to wait until I have all the time to test them and remove any initial bugs.