************** DOOMSHELL V1.0 ************** 31-10-94 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoomShell is a program created to take the hassle out of the parameter-jungle which Doom and Doom II offer. It was born out of frustation over those programs which offer this kind of support, but use an interface which is just not acceptable anymore in these days of virtual cyberspace. This program was devised with the hasty user in mind, and will hopefully revive your interest in all the possibilities that Doom has to offer. The program currently handles both the Doom V1.666 and Doom II (v2.0) versions of Doom. The program automatically detects which version is used (simply by checking whether DOOM2.EXE exists), and adjusts the possible choices here and there. DoomShell is NOT a product of id Software and thus will not be supported by them in any way. You may copy it freely across the world if you include at least all 4 files mentioned in the installation chapter below. Yes, that means it is public domain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INSTALLATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The DoomShell files should be unzipped right into your Doom or Doom II directory (so no CD-ROM support, yet). The following files are supplied: DOOMSHEL.TXT - This file, what else! DOOMSHEL.EXE - The one-time selection program SHELL .BAT - A small batchfile which you should run from now on instead of DOOM.exe or DOOM2.exe DOOMSHEL.INI - Configuration file to memorize the results of your clicks. A file DOOMSHEL.RSP will be created when starting a game from within DoomShell. This file is a Doom response file and contains the necessary parameters you have selected. If you can run Doom, you should also be able to run DoomShell. This means: o 80386 or higher required o VGA required o 1Mb of RAM required ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TROUBLESHOOTING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although I did my very best to keep the code clean & simple, you may be that lucky soab that unravels a tiny flaw in the semantic or syntactic flow of DoomShell. I would be glad if you told me about it. At the end of this file you can see where to send your e-mail. Ofcourse, any suggestions regarding any part of this tool are naturally welcome. Currently no bugs or beauty bugs have been noticed (dangerous sentence!), but here's a troubleshooting list: Q: I am not able to select any options, since I don't have a mouse pointer. A: DoomShell requires that a mouse driver is installed and running. Make sure your mouse is activated. Q: Whenever I try to start a game, I receive a 'Bad command or file name' error. A: DoomShell must be installed into your Doom directory (C:\DOOM for example). If not, it will not be able to start Doom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT IT DOESN'T DO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoomShell is NOT a replacement for the SETUP.EXE program from id Software. You must still use SETUP.EXE to select your hardware. DoomShell is just a replacement for the command-line parameters you might want to pass, after you've setup your computer configuration. Not (yet) implemented in DoomShell is the demo recording/playback group of switches. Also, the -config parameter has not been implemented because of lack of usability (sorry). Beside these two things, there are also some switches which are not described in the manuals that id Software supplies, like -left and -right for extra side views when using a network. These have not been implemented. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTACTING THE AUTHOR FOR WHATEVER REASONS YOU MAY HAVE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can be reached through cyberspace on planet Earth at the following address: Internet: jwkorver@xs4all.nl Or you can just write by physical mail to: Ruud van Gaal Lt. Maltbystraat 6 3621 KL Breukelen The Netherlands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HISTORY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31-10-94/v1.0: First release of DoomShell. For Doom v1.666 & Doom II. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISCELLANEOUS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hurrah for id Software for creating such a cutting-edge-of-technology 3D program! Hopefully we'll see more, and perhaps also some variations using the same graphics engine, which are perhaps attractive to those people on Earth who don't play Doom because of the agressiveness. If you like this utility and want to support the creation of updates for any new features and/or Doom III (!), then it would be most helpful if you aid the author by making a cheque of $10 US payable to the following account number: 31.06.40.512, RaboBank Breukelen, Holland. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doom, Doom II and logos are trademarks of id Software, inc. (C) 1994. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. DoomShell is a public domain utility and should be treated as such. Use it at your own risc. All rights reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------