Id Software's Master Levels FAQ
Below is the text of a Master Levels FAQ that appeared on Id Software's Website
for a few years after the initial release of their software package "The Master
Levels for Doom II".
The URL of the FAQ was http://www.idsoftware.com/text/masterlv.txt
Note that the formatting of the original FAQ has been altered for this Website.
Specifically, word-wrapping has now been implemented (in Id's original version,
full paragraphs took the form of 1-line sentences), and excess blank lines have
been removed (much of the original FAQ was quadruple-spaced).
The text content of the FAQ is unedited, and is Copyright (C) 1995 Id Software.
Note that Website URLs, email and postal addresses, and/or phone numbers in the
FAQ may no longer be valid.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MASTER LEVELS FOR DOOM II
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Master Levels for Doom II! This product rocks! 20 never before seen
levels for Doom II. Play them as a single player, head to head modern play or 4
player Death Match! Also included is Maximum Doom. Id Software tirelessly
combed the net to bring you over 1600 Doom II Wads and over 200 Doom Wads for a
total of more than 3000 levels! This collection represents the best of the
best. Finally, the latest version of the Dwango client server software is
included. If you have a modem but can't find an opponent to "frag", Dwango will
connect you with gamers in your area. There's great head-to-head and three and
four player deathmatch action available on Dwango. Check it out.
System Requirements
Important:
To play Master Levels for Doom II you must own a copy of Doom II and it must be
installed on your hard drive.
Maximum Doom contains over 1600 Wads for use with Doom II and over 200 Wads for
use with Doom. To play these Doom/Doom II levels you must own a copy of either
Doom, The Ultimate Doom or Doom II and they must be installed on your hard
drive.
Master Levels for Doom II requires an IBM compatible computer with a minimum of
a 486 DX 33 MHz processor with 4 Megs or RAM or better, 5 MB of available hard
disk space, a single speed CD-ROM drive or better and MS-DOS 5.0 or higher.
Installation Instructions
Important: If your computer boots up directly into Windows 3.x or Windows '95
make sure that you have exited Windows entirely before attempting installation.
For Windows 3.x you can do this by clicking File in the top left hand corner of
your Program manager and then clicking on Exit Windows. Finally, Click on OK to
fully exit Windows.
For Windows '95, Click Start at the bottom left of your screen. Next Click Shut
Down. Finally, select Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode and Click Yes.
Master Levels for Doom II is really three programs on one CD; Master Levels,
Maximum Doom and the latest Dwango software. You will need to install each of
these separately. Below are instructions on how each is installed.
Installing master Levels/Maximum Doom
1. Put the Master Levels for Doom II CD in your CD-ROM drive.
2. Type D: (Enter) Assuming that your CD-ROM drive is your D: drive. If your
CD ROM drive is not the D: drive, substitute the appropriate letter.
3. Type CD/Master (Enter) to install Master Levels or Type CS/Maximum (Enter)
to install Maximum Doom.
4. Type Install (Enter) This will start the installation program.
5. Type C Assuming that your hard drive is your C: drive. If your hard drive
is not the C: drive, substitute the appropriate letter.
6. To accept the default path Press (Enter). To change the path, type in the
new path and press (Enter). This creates a directory for the program you
are installing (The Default directory is C:/Master for Master Levels or
C:/Maximum for Maximum Doom).
7. If the Installation program asks to create a directory, press Y.
Master Levels or Maximum Doom will be installed to your hard drive. Once the
installation is complete, the Doom-It program will automatically run.
The Doom-It Program
Doom-It is the program which allows you to select from all the Master Level
Wads as well as the Maximum Doom Wads. If you've just installed either program
Doom-It will automatically be run for you. If you've installed either program
previously and want to play Doom or Doom II, using the new Wads, you can run
Doom-It by typing the following:
Running the Doom-It Program
1a. Type CD/Master (Enter) for Master Levels.
1b. Type CD/Maximum (Enter) for Maximum Doom
2. Type Doomit (Enter)
If you are running Maximum Doom, Doom-It will ask you to choose whether you are
going to use Doom Wads (Doom 1) or Doom II Wads (Doom 2). Make your selection,
using the up/down arrows keys, and press (Enter).
Next, for both Master Levels and Maximum Doom, you'll need to set the proper
paths so Doom-It knows where your Doom and Doom II files are. You'll also need
to specify the letter of your CD-ROM drive. To set the paths follow these
steps:
Setting Paths for Master Levels
Master Levels only work with Doom II so the only path you'll need to specify is
where your Doom II program is (usually C:/Doom2).
1. Using your mouse click on Path at the top of the screen.
2. Next click on Doom II. The Doom II path will be displayed. (The default is
C:/Doom2/). If the default path is not correct use the backspace key to
erase it. Enter in the correct path where your Doom II program is and press
(Enter).
3. When you are done setting paths press (Esc).
Now you're ready to try the new Wads. See "Starting a Game" below.
*Note: For Master Levels the CD-ROM setting, under the Path menu, actually
refers to the hard drive letter where the program is installed. If Master
Levels is not installed on your C drive you should change the CD-ROM setting to
the appropriate drive letter. Otherwise leave it as C:. To Change the CD-ROM
setting click on CD-ROM, type in the letter of your hard drive and press
(Enter).
Setting Paths for Maximum Doom
Maximum Doom has Wads for both Doom and Doom II. There are so many Wads
included that it is not practical to install them to your hard drive. You will
need to keep the Master Levels for Doom II CD in you CD-ROM drive when using
the Maximum Doom Wads.
1. Using your mouse, click on Path at the top of the screen.
2. Next click on Doom or Doom II. The current path will be displayed. (The
default is C:/Doom/ for Doom and C:/Doom2 for Doom II). If the default path
is not correct use the backspace key to erase it. Enter in the correct path
where your program is and press (Enter).
3. Next click on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM drive letter will be displayed. (The
default is D). If your CD-ROM letter is not D then type E and press
(Enter).
4. When you are done setting paths press (Esc).
Now you're ready to try the new Wads. See "Starting a Game" below.
Starting a Game:
1. If Doom-It is not already running you'll need to start it. See "Running the
Doom-It Program" above.
2. If you are running Maximum Doom, select whether you want to play Doom (Doom
1) or Doom II Wads (Doom 2). Use the up/down arrow and press (Enter), or
just click on your selection with your mouse. If you are running Master
Levels you will not be asked whether you want Doom1 or Doom2 and you will
be presented with the Wad selection screen.
3. A list of available Wads will appear on the left of the screen. To the
right of this list you are told what levels the new Wad replaces and a
description of that particular Wad (not all Wads have descriptions). To
Select which Wads you want to play use the up/down arrows and the spacebar,
or just click on your selection with your mouse.
4. After you have selected all the Wads you want press (Enter).
5. The settings screen will be displayed. Review the settings. If you want to
start a game using these settings type Y. Otherwise type N or (Esc) to
return to the Wad selection screen.
*Note: If you select two or more Wads, which replace the same level, the
subsequent Wad files will replace the previous ones loaded. When you get to the
level in question the game uses the last Wad you selected. For example, if you
select two Wads which Both replace level 01, when the game starts you will be
playing the second Wad of the two you selected.
If you select more than one Wad at a time make sure they replace different
levels. You can see what levels a particular Wad replaces by looking at the
Levels Replaced window on the Wad selection screen.
Installing Dwango
1. Put the Master Levels for Doom II CD in your CD-ROM drive.
2. Type D: (Enter) Assuming that your CD-ROM drive is your D: drive. If your
CD ROM drive is not the D: drive, substitute the appropriate letter.
3. Type CD/Dwango (Enter).
4. Type Install C (Enter) Assuming that you want to install Dwango to your C:
drive. If you want to install Dwango to a different drive substitute the
appropriate letter.
5. The first time Dwango is run, a configuration screen will appear. Select
the Baud rate and Com port your modem is using (by highlighting the
appropriate option and pressing (Enter), then Modem type (Press (F1) for a
list of modems). If you are not sure what Com port or Baud rate you should
use consult your modem documentation. When you have finished, press (F10).
6. You will then be asked to pick a server. Select a server and press (F10).
You should Select a server close to you. Remember, all toll charges apply
when calling a long distance Dwango server.
Dwango will dial the server you selected and try to connect. Once connected
follow the on-screen instructions for setting up a new Dwango account. If you
are having trouble setting up Dwango you can call the Dwango technical support
line at: 713 467-0405. Do not call GT technical support with Dwango questions
as they will not be able to help you.
Running Dwango after Installation:
1. type CD/Dwango (Enter).
2. type Dwango (Enter).
Troubleshooting
When I try to load a Wad file I get a program error and the program exits me to
DOS.
You're paths may not be configured properly. See "Setting Paths for Master
Levels" and "Setting Paths for Maximum Doom" earlier in this booklet. Make sure
you have specified the correct paths for Doom and Doom II and that the letter
of your CD-ROM drive is correct.
I selected two Wads but when the game runs I only get one of them.
You may have selected two different Wads which replace the same Level. If you
select more than one Wad at a time make sure each Wad replaces a different
level. Look in the Levels Replaced window, on the wad selection screen, to find
out which levels a particular Wad file replaces.
I have The Ultimate Doom and want to try some Maximum Doom Wads. Doom-It only
lets me select (Doom 1) or (Doom 2). What should I do?
Doom and the Ultimate Doom use the same Wad file design. If you have the
Ultimate Doom and want to play any of the Doom Wads just select (Doom 1) when
the Doom-It program runs. Then, make sure to set your Doom path to point to
your Ultimate Doom directory.
I can't get Dwango installed or Dwango installs okay but I can't connect to a
server.
If you are having trouble setting up Dwango you can call the Dwango technical
support line at: 713 467-0405. Do not call GT technical support with Dwango
questions as they will not be able to help you.
When I try to play a Master Level Wad the program starts me with a regular Doom
2 level.
Your CD-ROM drive setting is probably incorrect. For Master Levels the CD-ROM
setting, under the Path menu, actually refers to the hard drive letter where
the program is installed. If Master Levels is not installed on your C drive you
should change the CD-ROM setting to the appropriate drive letter. Otherwise
leave it as C:. See the section titled "Setting paths for Master levels".
Technical Support
If you have read the instruction manual and the addendum, but still require
further assistance running Master Levels For Doom II, you can do the following:
1. Call GT Interactive Software's Technical Support at (907) 522-1797, Monday
through Friday, 8 AM through 12 midnight Eastern Time (closed on major
holidays). If possible, please be near your computer when calling. Have as
much information regarding your system setup and configuration, as well as
detailed information about where you are encountering a problem and any
messages you may receive on screen.
2. Access on-line technical information at the GT-WEB site at
http://www.gtinteractive.com. In the "support Section" you can access lists
of frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips, and forum
discussions where technical issues are raised. Upgrade patches will also be
made available here for download when released.
3. You can also contact our technical support via E-Mail at
support@gtinteractive.com.
4. Mail your questions to: GT Interactive Software
Attn: TS/QA Dept.
1 Nixon Lane
Edison, NJ 08817
Important: Before changing your system or software setup we recommend that you
review your system manuals to ensure that your modifications will not endanger
any existing information or hardware on your system or networks. Modifying your
system or your software setup can be dangerous and we cannot help you with any
resulting problems.
Back to ClassicDOOM Home page