Patcher

From DoomWiki.org

Patcher
Developer(s) Jim Flynn
Initial release 1998-05-27 (25 years ago)
Development status Inactive
Written in C
Target Platform DOS, Windows, Linux

The Patcher utilities are a collection of command line utilities that can be used in conjunction with the vanilla engine and the Boom source port. The package was written in 1996 by Jim Flynn of TeamTNT and originally ran in DOS. They provide advanced manipulation and editing of WAD files, and was originally used as the development environment of Daedalus: Alien Defense by TeamTNT.

The latest release is Patcher 4.0, with most of its tools at version 4.98.

Features[edit]

The Patcher utilities consist of the following programs:

  • BRK.EXE: Breaks a WAD into its component resources in subdirectories. A control file (.RES) to reconstruct the WAD is also generated
  • CMP.EXE: Reports resource differences between base and patch WADS
  • CP.EXE: Cutpaste. Loads COLORMAP and PLAYPAL files and can place them in a WAD
  • CVT.EXE: Changes a collection of .BMPs to another palette
  • DEM.EXE: DEMON. From built-in or standalone demo, dump header, motion data or change version number or level demo editor
  • DIF.EXE: Creates a difference WAD containing all in revised WAD that is new or changed from original WAD
  • DUP.EXE: Checks lump and texture names in a WAD for duplicates
  • FLTU.EXE: Analyzes the levels in a WAD for flat usage. Can work on all flats in all levels, or on specified flats in specified levels
  • GAM.EXE: Changes the light levels in one or all levels of a WAD by a percentage or absolute increment. Note information is LOST during conversion - backup BEFORE applying GAMMA
  • HIST.EXE: Views the history in a WAD output by Patcher v4.0 or later
  • KIL.EXE: Creates an output WAD that is the input WAD with any resources in the kilspec deleted. The kilspec is a .SGN or .RES file listing the resources to delete in the usual sections
  • MAK.EXE: Makes a WAD from a resource file and resource tree
  • MER.EXE: Merges base and patch WADS to form output WAD with resources of both
  • MOVE.EXE: Moves or center things and vertices in a DOOM/DOOM2 WAD
  • MUSP.EXE: Inserts music from .MID, .MUS or .WAD into an existing WAD or create a new WAD containing only that music
  • NBLD.EXE: Builds the nodes and blockmap for a WAD (Node builder)
  • NOSEC.EXE: Clears all secret sectors in the specified levels
  • REN.EXE: Renumbers specified linedefs as lowest in level specified
  • REPL.EXE: Replaces textures, flats, things, and level names
  • SPAL.EXE: Sets PALETTE and SIGNLOOK sections for the specified palette in the resource definition file specified
  • STAT.EXE: Reports information about a DOOM, DOOM II, or BOOM WAD
  • STUC.EXE: Reports things in a DOOM II WAD for poor placement
  • TXTU.EXE: Analyzes the levels in a WAD for texture usage. Can work on all textures in all levels, or on specified textures in specified levels

Windows port[edit]

In September 2022, Adam Bilbrough (Gibbon) ported the Patcher utilities to Windows and Linux.

External links[edit]