boom.cfg(5)

NAME

boom.cfg - Configuration file for LxDoom v1.3.2 onwards

USAGE

When a version of LxDoom (that is lxdoom, lsdoom, or other

port of LxDoom) is run, it searches for this configuration file

to modify its default settings. Every time LxDoom exits, it

rewrites the configuration file, updating any settings that have

been changed using the in-game menus.

LxDoom expects the config file to be ~/.lxdoom/boom.cfg.

Alternatively, it can be made to look elsewhere by using a com

mand-line parameter:

{lxdoom,lsdoom} [ -config myconf ]

FORMAT

boom.cfg consists of a number of variables and values.

Each line is of the following format:

[ { {{#,;,[} comment_text , variable {decimal_integer,

0xhex_integer, "string_text"}}]

Any line beginning with a non-alphabetic character is

treated as a comment and ignored; for future compatibility you

should start comments with a #, ; or [. Note however that when

LxDoom rewrites boom.cfg it does not preserve user added com

ments.

Any line beginning with an alphabetic character is treated

as a variable-value pair. The first word (sequence of non

whitespace characters) is the variable name, and everything after

the following block of whitespace is taken to be the value as

signed to the variable.

Variables not recognised by LxDoom, or which are given an

invalid value or a value of an inappropriate type, are ignored.

Warning messages are given where relevant.

The variables recognised by LxDoom are described per-sec

tion in the following sections. The sections are informal howev

er; when LxDoom rewrites the config file it writes in section

headings and puts variables into the relevant sections, but when

reading these are ignored.

MISC SETTINGS

compatibility_level

LxDoom is capable of behaving in a way compatible

with earlier versions of Doom and Boom/PrBoom. The value given

here selects the version to be compatible with when doing new

games/demos (loading savegames and playing back demos automati

cally selects the level of compatibility that was played with).

The current values are: 0=Doom v1.9 (bugs and all), 1=Boom's com

patibility mode (Doom v1.9 but without most of the bugs), 2=Boom

v2.02 (TeamTNT's popular DOS port of Doom, on which LxDoom is

based), 3=LxDoom v1.3.2+ (most bug fixes and features).

realtic_clock_rate

Selects the speed that LxDoom runs at, as a per

centage of normal game speed. Leave at 100 unless you want to

experiment. Note that it is considered `cheating' to use this at

any setting below 100 (or above?).

max_player_corpse

Sets the maximum number of player corpses to leave

lying around. If this limit would be exceeded, an old corpse is

removed. Useful for big/long Deathmatch games, where the sheer

number of corpses could slow the game down.

demo_insurance

Selects a method of protecting demos against `going

out of sync' (where the player seems to lose control and behave

madly, but in fact the players original instructions as stored in

the demo have got out of sync with the game he was playing). 0=No

protection, 1=Full protection, 2=Only while recording demos.

Safest when left set to 2.

leds_always_off

A feature of Boom for DOS. The config setting is

saved but not implemented in LxDoom.

endoom_mode

This parameter specifies options controlling the

display of the credits screen when Doom exits. Currently it is

the sum fo 3 options: add 1 for colours, 2 for non-ascii charac

ters to be displayed, and 4 for the last line to be skipped so

the top line doesn't scroll off screen.

FILES SETTINGS

screenshot_pcx

Selects whether to take screenshots in PCX format

(1), or BMP format (0).

auto_load

A semicolon-separated list of .wad, .deh and .bex

files to load automatically when LxDoom is started. Currently

LxDoom searches the current directory, your home directory, and

the directory pointed to by the DOOMWADDIR environment variable

for these files.

GAME SETTINGS

default_skill

The default skill level when starting a new game.

weapon_recoil

Enables recoil from weapon fire.

player_bobbing

Enables player bobbing (view randomly moving

up/down slightly as the player runs).

monsters_remember

Makes monsters remember their previous enemy after

killing their current target.

sts_always_red

LxDoom makes the colour of the text displays on the

status bar reflect your current status (red=low, yellow=average,

green=good, blue=supercharged). This option, if set, disables

this behavior, returning to the original Doom behavior of dis

playing the numbers in red always, which is slightly faster.

sts_pct_always_gray

See above, this makes just the percent signs always

gray, instead of changing colour.

sts_traditional_keys

Doom and LxDoom have two types of keys; LxDoom will

normally display both keys of a given colour if you have both.

This option, if enabled, instead makes LxDoom only ever display

one key of each colour, in the same way Doom did.

traditional_menu

Changes LxDoom's menu ordering to be the same as

original Doom if enabled.

show_messages

When enabled, text messages are displayed in the

top left corner of the screen describing events in the game. Can

be toggled in the game, this is just to preserve the setting.

autorun

Makes the player always run, without having to hold

down a run key. Can be toggled in the game, this just preserves

the setting.

SOUND SETTINGS

sound_card

Selects whether sound effects are enabled (non-zero

enables). For compatibility reasons with Boom, a range of values

are accepted.

music_card

Selects whether in-game music is enabled (non-zero

enables). For compatibility reasons a range of values are accept

ed.

pitched_sounds

If enabled by this variable, this enables `pitch

ing' (making pitch adjustments to the playing sounds) for 16 bit

sound cards.

sfx_volume

Sound effects volume. This is best adjusted in the

game.

music_volume

Music volume. This is best adjusted in the game.

mus_pause_opt

Selects what LxDoom does to the music when a games

is paused. 0=stop the music, 1=pause the music (stop it playing,

but when resumed resume it at the same place - not implemented),

2=continue playing.

soundsrv

Selects the program to try to execute as an exter

nal sound server, without which no sound effects can be played.

The only program I know of to do this is the supplied sound serv

er (sndserv) with LxDoom, so enter its path here if needed.

musicsrv

Selects the program to try to execute as an exter

nal music server, without which no in-game music can be played.

The only program I know of to do this is the program lxmusserver,

linked from the LxDoom site, so enter its path here if needed.

sounddev

The device to which sound effects are sent. This

must be a device compatible with /dev/dsp on UNIX systems. For

example, to play LxDoom's sound effects through the PC speaker

driver for Linux v2.0.x, change this entry to /dev/pcsp16.

snd_channels

The number of channels of audio that LxDoom is to

manage simultaneously. Note that this is separate from the sound

server which maintains its own limits, so this is probably irrel

evant to UNIX ports of LxDoom.

detect_voices

This is a historical entry used by a certain audio

library for DOS, I don't know for what. Thank god we're not using

DOS eh? ;) Anyway this is preserved only for compatibility/his

torical reasons in LxDoom.

VIDEO SETTINGS

screen_width, screen_height

For versions of LxDoom which support high-res,

these specify the default screen or window size for LxDoom. These

settings are ignored and preserved by versions of LxDoom which do

not do high-res (they assume 320x200).

use_vsync

For versions of LxDoom that have access to the

hardware at this low a level, this tells LxDoom to wait to update

the screen until a vertical retrace of the CRT screen. This means

that the screen is updated while nothing is being drawn, giving a

smoother animation and faster redraws. However it does lower the

framerate.

translucency

Causes LxDoom to display certain objects as

translucent.

tran_filter_pct

Selects how translucent objects are when they are

translucent. Play with this and see for yourself.

screenblocks

Selects a reduced screensize inside the LxDoom win

dow (the player's view is surrounded by a border). Normally this

is undesirable, but it can help speed up the game. Can be changed

in the game with the +/- keys, this variable is just to preserve

that setting.

usegamma

Selects a level of gamma correction (extra screen

brightening) to correct for a dark monitor or light surroundings.

Can be selected in the game with the F11 key, this config entry

preserves that setting.

X_options

Sets various misc options used by the Xwindows ver

sion, lxdoom. Default is 0; add 1 to disable MitSHM, add 2 to se

lect alternate 24bpp code (use this if lxdoom has video corrup

tion in 24bpp visuals).

MOUSE SETTINGS

This section specifies settings for using a mouse with Lx

Doom. There are several settings that control button bindings

(what action each button causes inthe game); these are easiest

set from the in-game menus, these config entries are to preserve

the settings between games.

use_mouse

Enable or disable the use of a mouse with LxDoom.

mouse_sensitivity_horiz, mouse_sensitivity_vert

Sets the sensitivity of the mouse in LxDoom. Easier

set from the in-game menus.

KEY BINDINGS

These specify the keys that trigger various actions in Lx

Doom. The codes used for keys are internal to LxDoom, though many

keys are represented by their ASCII codes. It is easiest to modi

fy these via the in-game menus (OPTIONS->SETUP->KEY BINDINGS).

These config file entries preserve the settings from this menu

between game sessions.

JOYSTICK SETTINGS

There are the trigger variables here, which are calculated

during joystick calibration (the values received from the kernel

driver outside of which movement is caused in the game). Also

there are the button-bindings, again best adjusted using the in

game menus.

use_joystick

This selects the number of the joystick to use, or

0 selects no joystick. You have to have the relevant device files

(/dev/js0 etc) and the kernel driver loaded.

CHAT MACROS

These are pre-written text strings for quick transmission

to players in a network game (consult your Doom documentation).

Easiest set via the in-game menus (OPTIONS->SETUP->CHAT MACROS).

AUTOMAP SETTINGS

These are settings related to the automap. These are easi

est set from within the game.

HEADS_UP DISPLAY SETTINGS

These are settings related to the heads-up display, that

is messages received while playing and the heads-up display of

your current status obtained by pressing + while the view is

full-screen in LxDoom. See the Boom documentation for details.

All controlled best from within the game.

WEAPON PREFERENCES

Here are the settings from the Weapons menu in the game

(OPTIONS->SETUP->WEAPONS).

ALSO SEE

lxdoom(6), LxDoom's documentation (including the Boom doc

umentation) and your Doom documentation.

AUTHOR

Colin Phipps (cph@lxdoom.linuxgames.com)

local

BOOM.CFG(5)