KDIZD screens

Hi, please remember to add your earlier uploads (File:KDIZD Z1M1.png, File:KDIZD Z1M2.png, File:KDIZD Z1M6 2.png & File:KDIZD Z1M7 1.png) to the pertaining articles. The same goes for other left-overs like File:DripFeed.png and File:SongsOfTheDamned.png (there may be more, not sure). Thanks. --Xymph (talk) 15:39, 13 September 2021 (CDT)

Hi. I just noticed the message now. In regards to Drip Feed and Songs of the Damned, I only made a screenshot at end of level and it was also in the wrong aspect ratio (I set up 5:4 instead of 4:3, these days I only play on 4:3 aspect ratio) in PrBoom+, set by mistake at that time because I ended up mixing up the two aspect ratio without noticing anything significant on my monitor and the screenshot doesn't seem as right as other screenshots I took later with the correct aspect ratio, which meant even after fixing the aspect ratio in Paint (which is what I do to screenshots taken in Crispy Doom and PrBoom+, which are taken at desktop's resolution), the status bar seemed a bit smaller or squashed than usual or at least that's the impression I got. Since I no longer have the saved games for these wads, I may retake the screenshots with no monsters mode for the whole level rather than just an automap screenshot. In the meantime, these two screenshots can get deleted, I no longer care about them.

In regards to the old KDIZD screenshots I uploaded long time ago, I realized there were already screenshots uploaded (such as the start of Z1M2) by other people and I found it unnecessary to upload mine, especially since I didn't take many screenshots of the early maps and it looked a bit weird alongside the other screenshots. I intend one day (when I get to replay KDIZD, DTWID and other wads where I only took few screenshots from some levels) to take more screenshots and add them on the missing articles. In case of KDIZD, hopefully I will be allowed to replace the screenshots, considering they aren't having the correct aspect ratio or at least that's what I noticed in other people's screenshots. I also intend to replace the IWADS screenshots (which are taken in ZDoom/GZDoom) with some vanilla screenshots in vanilla executable (in DOSBox) or Chocolate Doom or something like that. Hopefully the people behind those screenshots won't mind. I plan to do the same to many old popular megawads, I just haven't had the necessary time to do that. Some maps articles absolutely need to have screenshots added.

I also have a lot of non-uploaded screenshots that I made a while back while participating for DW megawad club but I didn't get to upload them since the wad in question doesn't have a page created. I am talking about many recent Doom 2 megawads, such as Bourgeois Deathmatch, in which case I have over 150 screenshots (made in Chocolate Doom) for that wad in question and I wasn't sure if to wait until someone creates the page or I offer to create the wad's page, like I did for a few Ultimate Doom megawads. I was thinking at the moment that it would be pointless to upload so many screenshots and not have a place to show them. I could always try and create the wad's page myself, I will try in the following days when I get more free time.

Thanks and have a nice day! FistMarine (talk) 05:21, 12 October 2021 (CDT)

Okay, two shots deleted. No need to worry so much about aspect ratio, for general gameplay shots during WAD playthroughs it doesn't necessarily have to be 4:3. E.g. Ducon uploads everything at 16:9 and that's fine.

Also, unless explicitly faulty, don't overload existing screenshots that are already in use, or remove them from articles. Energy/time is better spent on adding new screens for maps that don't have any yet, than on minor and unnecessary improvements to existing ones. It would be nice to have your KDIZD shots taken off the unused files list though.

It is indeed better not to upload WAD screens until page(s) exist where they can be added around the same time, otherwise they just risk to linger in that list too. --Xymph (talk) 06:44, 12 October 2021 (CDT)

As an update, I've renamed most of the unused KDIZD pictures and added them to their respective articles. One has been nominated for deletion because it's similar to a file that is already being used. Gauss (talk) 08:01, 12 October 2021 (CDT)

Hi. Thanks for adding the KDIZD shots. Sorry for my long absence, I haven't visited the site in a while (other than checking for secrets for some wads I've been playing at the moment). I have made some changes earlier today and uploaded a couple new screenshots. Hopefully, it's all fine. I will be back in full force in upcoming weeks with more screenshots for wads I'm currently playing. And about aspect ratio, personally I prefer 4:3 and I try to fix my screenshots that have wrong ratio, for example when I play Crispy Doom and PrBoom+, when taking screenshots, they are taken at desktop's resolution and I have to fix the ratio by modifying the screenshot in Paint, to format the image to the correct resolution. The comparison can be made with the screenshots I uploaded at Doomworld in past months when I played in the megawad club and uploaded screenshots at desktop resolution, they just looked squashed/weird. So I decided to follow the rules and use correct aspect ratio. Meanwhile, the screenshots taken in Chocolate, Eternity, GZDoom and ZDoom are all at correct aspect ratio. It's only those taken in Crispy and PrBoom+ that require formatting. FistMarine (talk) 05:40, 19 November 2021 (CST)

Sorry for the intrusion but I just wanted to point out that using paint is probably not a very good idea as afaik it ruins the quality of images, even PNG files - it certainly was the case for previous versions but I imagine little has changed over the years in that regard. Best to use GIMP or Paint.NET or something instead. Cheers. --Dynamo128 (talk) 10:41, 19 November 2021 (CST)

Hey, no worries! Thanks for the advice. I will keep in mind from now on to use GIMP or Paint.net. FistMarine (talk) 01:21, 26 November 2021 (CST)

Intermission screens

Hey. Good job on uploading screenshots for those megawads, however if I may give a suggestion, you should refrain from uploading the intermission screen each time. Frankly, there is absolutely no point in doing so: it's always the same image with a bunch of stats that are pretty much irrelevant for wiki purposes. The gameplay screenshots themselves should be what's covered, even better if they showcase secrets or important map hallmarks, but not stuff like end-of-map tally screens. --Dynamo128 (talk) 07:15, 17 December 2021 (CST)

Hey. Thanks! I will keep that in mind next time in regards to no longer upload intermission screens. Should I take off all my intermission screens from all the pages I contributed so far? Or should we wait for the admins to take care of that? Also, I will upload a few more Reverie screenshots in the meantime. In next few days, I will not only upload some screenshots I made long ago (such as Doom Zero and Heretic) but I may also create pages for the megawads that don't have a page currently, such as Bourgeois Deathmatch, unless someone already did that and I haven't noticed. I remember having a lot of screenshots made for each map of that megawad, would be cool to finally upload them, as they are more than just pictures of starting and exit areas. FistMarine (talk) 08:20, 17 December 2021 (CST)

Now that they are uploaded/added, there's no point in removing them anymore -- they don't hurt anything -- but indeed, intermissions have little value to wiki. --Xymph (talk) 10:01, 17 December 2021 (CST)

Deathkings of the Dark Citadel release date?

Hi, what's your source for the March 22, 1996 release? While the September 3 date was uncertain (though still used on Wikipedia), Mobygames lists March 1996 without the day. Where did you find that? --Xymph (talk) 08:25, 5 July 2024 (CDT)

Hi. I have used the date of the files when installing the game from CD. Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders v1.3, Hexen: Beyond Heretic v1.1 (rare updated version found locked on Quake 1.01 CD, which I documented back in 2022 or 2023 on the wiki) and Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel v1.0 are all dated 22nd March 1996 and I'd say that release date is fairly accurate.

There is no way that Deathkings was released that late in September 1996 (unless it was released that day on Europe or something), the reasons for that:

• Duke Nukem 3D and Quake were already out by then, so a Hexen expansion that introduced no new gameplay changes wouldn't fare well at that time if I am being honest. The expansion already wasn't very popular but I am sure it enjoyed a bit of popularity when it released in late March 1996.
• Hexen Deathkings v1.1 patch (dkpatch.zip) has the resulted HEXDD.WAD dated 9th May 1996, so if Deathkings was released in September, it should have had the patch already built by then.
• I read last year while looking up very old posts from 1996 (some archived pages on google forums or whatever were those old discussion boards) that by March/April, Heretic SOTSR and Hexen Deathkings were already out for in retail stores. I will have to look up those posts again to show as proof.

At the same time, I wanted to ask about Ultimate Doom's release date because I didn't want to change it but it has been bothering me since years ago.

Is there any proof that Ultimate Doom was released on 30th April 1995? The game files (if installed from original CD or id anthology CD, I only have the latter to check) are dated 25th May 1995. I have no idea how it was released before game was actually finished, maybe a screw-up at id software or something. Or maybe, wasn't the free patch (Doom 1.9 to Ultimate 1.9) released on 30th April 1995 and actual big box/game release was on 25th May 1995? Should I ask this question at Doomworld or what I should do to find out the truth?

And sorry for my long inactivity, I sometimes come back just to fix pages that I have noticed a while ago but didn't get around fixing. I still have folders with hundreds of pictures to upload someday on some wads.

Thank you and have a nice day. :) FistMarine (talk) 04:49, 8 July 2024 (CDT)

Okay, more sources would be good indeed. Primarily because file timestamps do not automatically equal release dates, that depends on the release process and delays. Perhaps "was completed" is safer?
Otherwise, I have no specific input and am too tired to do any digging. --Xymph (talk) 08:50, 8 July 2024 (CDT)