SLIGE

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SLIGE
Developer(s) David M. Chess
Initial release Build 180 (1998-06-27, 25 years ago)
Latest release Build 485 (2000-02-07, 24 years ago)
Development status Discontinued
Written in C
Target Platform Windows
License Special (see below)
Website https://www.doomworld.com/slige/

SLIGE, which stands for "Space Llama Interment Gazelle Expert",[1] is a random level generator for classic Doom, written by David M. Chess. The program is available as a Windows executable and as C source code. SLIGE was under active development in the late 1990s; the last official release, build 485, was in February 2000.

The generator will usually create levels which primarily consist of killing monsters and picking up health, weapons, and ammunition before reaching the exit. It is possible to modify SLIGE so that it creates more puzzle-oriented levels, where the player needs to find keys or switches before being able to advance. The last official version of SLIGE can create only vanilla-compatible maps.

SLIGE was listed on Doomworld's Top 10 Infamous WADs, due to the reason that the quality of the SLIGE-generated maps was so good that many unscrupulous mappers claimed that the maps were entirely their own handwork. By default SLIGE tags the first sector of each level as a secret, and thus it is likely that older levels that start the player in a secret sector were based on SLIGE templates. SLIGE-generated WADs remain prohibited for upload on the idgames archive.

History[edit]

  • Build 180 was released on June 27, 1998 (on this day, David added information about SLIGE to his website).[2]
  • Build 200
  • Build 228
  • Build 279
  • Build 310
  • Build 311
  • Build 325
  • Build 337
  • Build 354
  • Build 382
  • Build 400
  • Build 425
  • Build 426
  • Build 449 was released on April 21, 1999.
  • Build 464 was released on July 21, 1999.
  • Build 474 was released on September 25, 1999.
  • Build 475 (alpha) was released on October 22, 1999.
  • Build 485 was released on February 7, 2000. It is the final release of SLIGE.

Behavior[edit]

SLIGE uses the concept of "quests" to generate a level layout, which is randomized based on a seed value. SLIGE will branch off into separate sections for teleporters, and will "halt" additional generation and create an exit if the algorithm's current coordinates hit a previously created structure. SLIGE also contains prefabs, but unlike other level generators, every aspect of the prefabs are randomized to avoid repetition, including adding crates, "swelling" the room to reduce orthogonal angles, and generating small courtyards.

SLIGE also can be modified in terms of theme and item placement with configuration files. BLUE.CFG is provided as an example.

Due to SLIGE's algorithm, it produces boxy, maze-like levels with 90 degree angles. This limitation is not unique, however, as OBLIGE and ObHack also produce largely square areas.

If SLIGE is told to produce a large number of rooms, it has the tendency to create long, straight passageways which can crash older nodebuilders due to the map size.

License[edit]

The program may be modified and redistributed under the following terms:

  - If you make various changes and improvements to it and release
    a modified version yourself:
  
    - Write me and tell me about it so I can be pleased,
    - Mention me and SLIGE in the docs somewhere, and
    - Please *don't* call your new program "SLIGE".  SLIGE is
      my program.  Call yours "BLIGE" or "EGGISLES" or "MUMFO"
      or something like that.

Forks[edit]

There is a modified version of SLIGE uploaded to ZDoom Forums as slige2.zip, of unknown origin.[3] Compiled in March 2003, this version was claimed to fix various bugs that could trap the player in a room unless the no clipping cheat was used.[4] This version was also uploaded to Doom Wad Station as SLIGE.ZIP.[5]

SLUMP is another fork created by Sam Trenholme, the author of ObHack, who received David Chess's permission to share the code with a GPL license. As part of this licensing, it does not use monsters which did not have graphics in early versions of Freedoom.[6]

Sources[edit]

See also[edit]

  • SLUMP, a fork of SLIGE
  • OBLIGE, a newer generator tool named in honor of SLIGE
  • OBSIDIAN, a fork of OBLIGE that incorporated the SLUMP fork of SLIGE for Vanilla Doom support

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. SLIGE user manual
  2. David M. Chess (29 December 1998). "The Scrap of Paper." (archived 🏛). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  3. Modified Slige hosted on ZDoom Forums
  4. Doomworld Forums Thread discussing the modified Slige version
  5. Modified version hosted on Doom Wad Station
  6. SLUMP homepage